A server's job is to take care of his or her patrons, but at the W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences, many members of the waitstaff have started tending to their community as well.
So far, about 30 people who call themselves Servers Who Serve have raised more than $3,000 for community charities, simply by putting aside a portion of their tips on weekend nights.
Through the Room for Joy charity, they helped make over a room for a local 10-year-old with cystic fibrosis. For the Mesa Family YMCA, they helped fund a youth soccer team for the Mesa Family YMCA. And they raised money for Valley radio hosts Tim and Willy's FUN-dation children's charity.
Natalie Karmo launched the fundraising efforts in February, and she continues to coordinate them because she says she feels like she's making a difference.
“I feel like I can finally wake up and feel a purpose when I go to work,” Karmo, 27, said. “I'm not going through the motions anymore. I'm doing something, and I feel great about it.”
Karmo wanted to put more meaning into her job, where she was making more than $500 each weekend night in the spring. She approached her managers with the idea for servers to donate a portion of their tips, and after two months of fundraising, brought the money to her church, East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert, a non-profit organization that helped her distribute the funds.
“It's just so entrepreneurial,” said Danielle Bannister, co-director of community and global engagement at East Valley Bible Church. “I think it's particularly important in the current economic situation we're in that people look for ways to help each other even when they don't necessarily have a lot themselves. I think it brings out the best in the community when people serve each other like that.”
In addition to raising money at the W Scottsdale, Karmo has approached Old Town Scottsdale nightclubs and bars to help out. She's also working with Heather Williams, co-owner of the local charity Happy Givemore Productions, a non-profit that helps raise money for such children's organizations as Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Happy Givemore hosts a two-night comedy show monthly at the W Scottsdale, during which Karmo collects funds from servers.
“I think that if everybody did something like what Natalie does, we would have a different world,” Williams said. “Instead of going to spend money on new jeans or new clothes…why not do something for a 10-year-old little girl that you'll never forget for the rest of your life?”
Karmo hopes to turn Servers Who Serve into her own non-profit organization. But for now, she's encouraged by the generosity of her fellow servers.
“Everyone's been more giving than I ever thought they'd be,” Karmo said. “I feel amazing.”
For information on how to get involved, e-mail serverswhoserve@yahoo.com.
