When looking back at her youth, Ana smiles as she recalls the moment that forever changed her. It was the 2000 movie “Pay It Forward,” with its powerful message of what it truly means to be a good Samaritan, and the notion of giving back to create a cycle of positive change and community that changed her perception and inspired a lifelong desire to help others.

When Ana joined Microsoft more than two years ago, a colleague, Moises Luna, spoke to her about Ines Valdivia, a 90-year-old nun living in Mexico City, who has dedicated more than 70 years to helping disadvantaged, disabled, and abandoned children, adolescents, and adults. Her home, known as “La Divina Providencia,” has been a refuge for these individuals, where they’re provided shelter, food, comfort, and hope. Madre Ines, as she is fondly referred to, now confined to a wheelchair, relies heavily on the support and generosity of the surrounding community so that her home can continue to serve as a haven for so many.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moises initiated an employee chat group on Teams to help create awareness around Madre Ines and enlist assistance to collect donations. As soon as Ana heard her story, she jumped at the chance to join her colleagues and lend her support. “When you see someone of her age, with her physical and economic constraints, doing what she does, you realize just how blessed and privileged we are, and you want to get involved any way you can,” says Ana. She is now among the dozens of employees that contribute monthly whatever they can to help “Madre Ines’ children,” and loves to recruit new peers and colleagues in this effort.

It’s that sense of community that drew Ana to this cause, and as she proudly relays, is something that is part of Microsoft’s culture and DNA. “We are in the business of empowering others, and that begins by empowering those around us, whether that’s with time or resources, tools or strategies.” For Ana, giving back isn’t something that adds to her life but rather something that is part of her life, part of the day-to-day, and she feels fortunate to have found that symbiosis between her work and her personal passions.

Ana Casillas is an industry digital strategist, focusing on healthcare & human services, and public safety & justice. She is based in Mexico City, Mexico.  

#OurPassions Stories: This series is a collection of stories shared directly by employees in the #OurPassions community, an internal employee engagement initiative to celebrate what people are passionate about inside and outside the workplace.