Crossover Stories: Salesforce AE brings athletics to autistic kids
Our Crossover Stories series highlights people transcending the barriers between the private and public sector to make an impact in the world. Today’s post is from a conversation we had with Cameron Kahn, Salesforce Account Executive, who is a longtime volunteer with kids with special needs (and shared this photo with us). Answers here are edited for clarity.
Can you tell me about your volunteer experiences?
I’ve always done work with autistic children through my parents, who are very involved with the children’s hospital in oakland. I have a cousin who has Asperger syndrome, and working with kids with special needs is super important to me and my family. I was so young when I was exposed to my cousin that interacting with him became normal, and watching my aunt work with him helped me appreciate the amount of effort it takes to support a kid like this.
A few years back, I was introduced to an organization called KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now). KEEN tries to normalize activities and bring athletics - and by extension, self-esteem and confidence- to kids with special needs.
KEEN puts on sporting events for kids, anything from a kickball tournament to a flag football game. They rent some space at a park, get volunteers to help out, and we just talk to the kids, show how to shoot a basketball, hang out. It’s so much fun - like being back in PE. These kids’ parents work so hard to do simple things like get them ready for bed, and it’s really rewarding for me to be able to give them a break even if it’s just a few hours.
I was recently part of a Salesforce team with KEEN that took 12 kids to a Giants game, which was so much fun but also incredibly challenging. It put what I do at Salesforce (dealing with client needs and the internal pressures of closing a deal) totally in perspective. The reality of the world I live in is completely different from the world these kids live in. Helping an autistic kid feel like any other kid for a few hours helps me appreciate the simpler joys in life.
One of the things I’ve learned is that kids with autism are very self-aware. I learned from hanging out with my cousin how to treat him like I treat my other friends - he thinks in a different way but isn’t that different.
Is Salesforce involved in supporting your volunteer work?
Absolutely. The Salesforce Foundation is integrated in a big way into our company culture, and Account Executives are encouraged to take a week’s worth of volunteer time off each year. The encouragement is definitely there to get out and give back to the community. There are always volunteer events and emails going out to connect us with worthy causes.
One thing that might surprise people is that our volunteer efforts and the work the Foundation does is actually really good for business, and a big differentiator from a competitive standpoint. For example, when I’m working in the public sector my clients appreciate that the company they’re working with has a civic duty to give back. It is a big part of why I like working for Salesforce.
What other sorts of projects have you heard of co-workers doing?
There are so many. I was in our DC office for a year, and we held a bake-off to raise money for leukemia research. A lot of folks do a “mission” where Salesforce helps fund their trip - a pal of mine went to Libya. There’s also a group of Salesforce employees that does Surf for Life every year where you learn to surf and build a piece of infrastructure like a park or school. [See our story here of AE Matt Porter’s recent playground building trip to Tanzania]
Salesforce gives you a lot of resources to help you out. Once you’ve identified that you have a plan you can definitely get support. We have internal groups on Chatter that make it easy for us to find like-minded people and causes.
What is one thing you think most people don't know about Salesforce AE's?
[laughing] That we have a soul! Seriously, we don’t enjoy bugging customers but we really do enjoy selling Salesforce because we really truly believe that it will help a business become more efficient, whether it’s a nonprofit, private sector, or government agency. I majored in public policy and could have easily been on the other side of the fence, working for government as a program director. I just happened to get into technology to help people instead.
