Walking from downtown Seattle to Pike Place Market, it’s easy to see the trend of hybrid work playing out. Through big picture windows in old brick buildings, now serving as cooperative work spaces, rooms with long tables to meet and brainstorm are filled up and lively. Then there are the cafes dotted throughout the market, populated with remote workers and their laptops. That’s where I met Companis Worker Pam Fleming, who fit right into this scene. Pam is in her mid-20s with a big smile and the air of someone who can talk to anyone – a skill that’s served her well in many settings.
Pam works remotely, as well, and also volunteers remotely. Through Companis, Pam has volunteered with Read-a-Rama, a nonprofit that uses books for children and young adults as a springboard for all of its program activities, from 30-minute storytimes to week-long camps in the Seattle area. Pam used her marketing and graphic design skills to help Read-a-Rama produce its first calendar using artwork from kids about their favorite books. The 2024 calendar is featured in Read-a-Rama’s online “Student Art Store” and sells for $30, serving as an important fundraising tool.
Read-a-Rama’s 2024 calendar featuring the art of kids who have been through its programs.
Dr. Michelle H. Martin is a co-founder of Read-a-Rama and the Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth Services at the University of Washington. She contacted Companis after hearing about us through the Community Foundation of Snohomish County and started working with Pam in November. “The calendar has done well,” she says. “People were really excited about the design and the kids’ art.”
Dr. Michelle H. Martin is a co-founder of Read-a-Rama and the Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth Services at the University of Washington.
Pam was introduced to Companis through Kathleen Wilcox, the Executive Director of African Americans Reach and Teach Health (AARTH), while she was between jobs.
Pam is a big sports fan and worked in fan engagement and community outreach for the Seattle Mariners for two seasons which included game-day duties like escorting the Mariner Moose around the ballpark. She also brought the Mariners Community Tour to festivals, Little League events, bars, parades and more, all while connecting with underserved communities across the Pacific Northwest.
She’s now working as a Sponsorship Acquisition Specialist for The Soccer Rebellion, a grassroots soccer movement that’s breaking down barriers and bringing the sport to local communities. “Its main focus is making soccer more accessible,” she says. “In the world of sports, there are equipment fees, registration fees, and tournament fees which a lot of folks can’t afford. We can help them with that.”
All of Pam’s work and volunteering has a golden thread running through it. “One thing they all have in common,” she says, “is that I want to be able to impact people and make things better. It needs to be bigger than myself.” And with that, Pam beams her big smile again, making this particular rainy Seattle day just that much brighter.