At Cowork Frederick, we do giving-back projects.

We’ve raised money for a woman’s shelter through a silent auction of products and services, done men’s clothing drives (turns out most donated clothing is for women), members even teamed up to build and promote a website for a non-profit (complete with launch party), and more.

Except that during the height of the pandemic, when we probably should have been even more focused on helping others, we didn’t. We all hunkered down, myself included, and did our best to deal with … everything and survive.

Don’t get me wrong. We were still here for each other, showing kindness with hand-written notes and Slack messages, virtual coffee breaks and work sprints, and so on. But, as those times were for so many, everything seemed a but muted. We’ve been back coworking together for a while now, but many of our traditional events remain on hold.

I’m so happy to say giving-back projects are back and this one is really fun. Members always suggest ideas and then decide. This year, we’re joining the first-ever Potomac Conservancy river cleanup in Frederick County. One of our members, Scott Harris, is active in the organization and is leading the effort. Fifteen Cowork Frederick members and guests are coming to help.