06/18/2024
As a company we believe in the importance of giving back to the community. Whether sponsoring events, providing donations, or giving our associates opportunities to volunteer, we look for ways in which we can provide support. Today we're spotlighting one of our CSR's, Naida Oliver, who shares this commitment. Below, you can read an excerpt from the full article, which is available here: https://www.aswglobal.com/naida-oliver-enjoys-helping-others/
Helping others must be in Naida Oliver’s DNA. She likes giving her time to support people who need it. As a Customer Service Representative with ASW, she enjoys assisting clients—answering their questions, resolving any issues, and handling their orders. Naida says she has a great group of customers.
Helping clients is only one part of her life, however. Naida enjoys volunteering her time within the Akron community. Last year she devoted 600 hours to volunteer work. She is committed to giving back.
A lot of her volunteer time is spent working with youth. She started working with youth because she thought, “Somebody’s got to step up for the kids.” For 19 years, she has volunteered with the West Akron Track Club, an AAU track team. Naida has also sponsored 2-3 student athletes per year. She enjoys introducing youth to networking, academic, and community outreach opportunities. As part of her volunteer work, she exposes them to positive coaching and mentorship, and teaches them conflict resolution. Naida was mentored herself as a teen, so she likes to give back.
Naida believes it is important to help youth. For any adult hesitant to work with young adults, Naida says, “You can’t be scared of youth. It is very challenging, but a joy, to work with kids.” From her work she has seen that if you show kids you respect them, they will usually respect you.
In her time with the track club, Naida has worked with 650 students over those 19 years. She is proud of the program, which has graduated student athletes who have gone to Ivy League colleges, have participated in Olympic trials, and have made it to the NFL! She still hears from former participants, over a decade after they graduated. Some reach out to her for advice. Others tell her, “You impacted me,” and “You helped me achieve my goals.” Hearing back from her former students helps to validate her work, as does knowing many are giving back to their communities. She has always wanted to help kids become change agents whether in Akron, Cleveland, or other regions.
After 19 years of volunteering with the West Akron Track Club, Naida will be stepping back from her role at the end of this month. She believes the time away will help her refresh. If the past is any prediction of the future, Naida will not be away from volunteering for long. She believes, “If you have the means, you should give back—no matter how little or how much you have. God has blessed us all. Even little contributions count.” Unfortunately she’s found that, “a lot of people want to talk, but not take action.”
Naida has known her husband, Damon, since she was 19. They have been together for 28 years. Naida and her husband have two daughters: Dana and Drew. Dana is a mom to Kamryn and a Tri-C student. Drew graduated Cum Laude from The Ohio State University in May. Dana has aspirations to be a coach and mentor and Drew plans to be a change maker, perhaps in the legal system, in government, or in cybersecurity. Both of her daughters ran track for the West Akron Track Club. The youngest started running at age 4!
