Name: Chuck Faustine
Title: Executive Assistant
Location: Virginia, USA
After coming onboard in the spring of 2018, Executive Assistant Chuck Faustine is celebrating nearly two years of helping us #getkind and #getorganized. Thank goodness: As Random Acts mission is broadly based, we need someone who expects the unexpected and makes sense out of it. Chuck has been helping us tackle tough tasks since even before he came on staff!
His introduction to Random Acts was through a well loved program — our Annual Melee of Kindness, or AMOK. Having been recruited by Board Member Michelle Henning, he participated in a year when our melee lasted a full week, and was quickly put to work! “Michelle came to me and said ‘we want to do these five things,’” he says, explaining the first few. “‘I need you to find us a no-kill animal shelter with dogs we can walk. I need you to find me a woman with cancer who needs a wig who cannot otherwise afford one, because we’re going to have the staff of Broadway’s “The Lion King” make her one.’”
Some may feel overburdened by such complex tasks, but not Chuck, who describes himself as very task oriented; he dove in. “Nothing beats that week,” he says when reminiscing about his first experiences with Random Acts. “It really showed me that I have the power to do something.” When it came time for us to find an executive assistant for the organization, Chuck’s ability to get the job done made him a perfect fit.
Chuck shopping for local shelter.
So what does that job entail, exactly? Among other responsibilities, Chuck is Random Acts’ tier one kindness support. He manages the correspondence that comes in from outside the organization. That can be anything from solicitation to requests for partnerships, and even folks confusing us with a television show from Brigham Young University. He is also the first contact when folks reach out to us wanting assistance — a task he’s well trained for, given his day job as a Lieutenant and Firefighter Medic. The stories sent to us are often heartbreaking, and he responds to them with grace and compassion.
In situations where someone needs help and we are unable to provide it, Chuck will reach out internally to departments and local regional representatives. “There is a large variety of people asking for stuff,” he says. “I just try to respond to them as much as I can, and see if I can point them towards a resource.” This means he is able to see what all of the different branches of Random Acts do — a process, he shares, that he really enjoys about the job.
Captain of the Random ACTion Heroes, Chuck!
Something that was not part of the job description, but that he takes on anyway each year, is being the captain of the Random Acts GISH team! “It is for fun, obviously. We cannot win,” he laughs. “But I like doing it. I like the fast pace, I like keeping people organized and setting up all the things to collect the pictures and videos. I feel like that’s my strong suit, that’s my contribution. I feel like people are more willing to participate if they do not have to be in charge of that stuff!” Chuck takes that attitude and applies it to all of the work he does at Random Acts. He enjoys taking on tasks within different departments to make sure all of the leadership staff feel supported.
He also enjoys another part of being involved with Random Acts —the ability to help someone out in your community. Most recently, his son’s Boy Scout Pack Leader was putting together a “Stuff the Bus” fundraiser for a local homeless shelter, when a large expected donation fell through at the last minute. Using funds from Random Acts, he was able to step up and make sure that the fundraiser was a success!
“This was the first act that I had really done on my own, and it gave me the sense that we really do have the power to help on a small local scale,” he explains. “It’s one thing to be involved in AMOK or something globally (where you may not see the result first hand). But when you can personally be involved in something in your area, and know that you have the power and the funds to come in and benefit the people in need…it made it personal for me.”