Aside from being a creative agency, we also have a data entry squad to fulfill the data entry needs of our clients quickly. They are young and passionate people who are proud to be a part of the Susam Creative family. And a couple of months ago, they came up with a magnificent social project.
During the past couple of months, some of our data entry squad members were busy knitting scarves and beanies, and also collecting books for underprivileged children. Now, it’s almost time for delivery!
How it All Started
Susam Creative’s data entry squad has about 40 people in it, and most of them work remotely, just like the rest of our team. That’s why we have monthly meetings to increase communication, create new projects together, and of course to have fun!
In April’s monthly squad meeting, Aycan asked if there was anyone who liked to knit. Aside from being our geekiest member, Aycan loves to knit, partly because knitting helps her fight her anxiety. Yet we didn’t know why she asked that all of a sudden. Then she suggested, that we knit for the children who can not afford to buy a scarf or a beanie. Including us, everyone loved the idea in that instant; even the ones that never knitted anything before. With that, Susam Creative’s Knit for Children project was born!
Creating the Roadmap
We use Discord for the data entry squad’s communications because of its versatility and also, it’s a more suitable fit for a creative agency like ours. As soon as we greenlit this project, we created a channel under Susam Creative’s Discord server, so the participants would be able to discuss the project’s details there.
Özge shared Aycan’s enthusiasm for the project and got on board. Shortly after the meeting, Mehmet (who is also Özge’s husband) wanted to join the project. Since he didn’t know how to knit, he took the responsibility of finding a suitable school with underprivileged children who’d need those scarves and beanies.
After getting in touch with a couple of friends, Mehmet found a great school in a village where the winter is harsh. The school cherished the idea when he called the principal of the school and told about Susam Creative’s Knit for Children project. They sent us information about their students in a short time.
The next step was determining the needs and creating a roadmap. There were 55 students, meaning they would need 55 scarves and 55 beanies. We calculated our yarn needs and created monthly targets. Unfortunately, whatever Aycan and Özge could knit would not be enough given the time frame, which was only 5 months.
While we were trying to find a solution for this obstacle, Özge’s and Mehmet’s mothers lent us their helping hands and said they also wanted to contribute to the project. With the help of their mothers, knitting 11 scarves and 11 beanies was a doable task.
A Project Inside a Project
Knitting wasn’t for everyone, and we were aware of it. Still, our squad wanted to participate in one way or another.
Halfway through the project, Mehmet came up with another project. Talking to the principal of the school that would receive the scarves and the beanies, Mehmet found out that they were building a school library and needed help. This brought joy to our squad since most of them wanted to contribute to the knitting project, but not everyone was interested in knitting.
Since the library was going to be for the same school, our deadline was set for two projects and it was time to get some books. Some of our teammates already had books they could send, while others asked around to friends and some went ahead and purchased books to send. This allowed the contribution to get bigger and bigger.
And during the last days of the project, it grew larger with pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, and notebooks for all those 55 students.
Fun Times
We had lots of fun moments during the project. Everyone’s favorite moment sure was selecting colorful yarns and seeing them turn into finished products in their hands.
While we were sharing the moments we enjoyed the most, Özge said, she had the most fun when Mehmet, who never even carries a bag, carried a whole lot of yarn in a huge bag across the market.
Aycan’s two cats Güneş (Sun) and Duman (Smoke) lent their paws in the scarf and beanie she knitted, like our office cat Purr, who gets herself involved with every project one way or another. Also, they quality-checked the yarns while sleeping on them, becoming the main source of her joy.
One of the things that made this more meaningful is the support we got outside of our creative agency. A special thanks are required for Mehmet’s and Özge’s mothers for their valuable contribution.
We're Almost Ready
During the last month of the project, Fatma who joined Susam Creative’s data entry squad recently started contributing to the knitting project and even with the limited time, she managed to make a meaningful impact.
As Susam Creative family, we’re all proud to be with people who spend time helping children getting a finer education and for making the world a better place.
And now, we’re only days away from delivering these scarves, beanies, books, and stationery from people (and cats) with huge hearts.
