Our Employees Making the Difference
For Lockheed Martin employees, volunteering is part of their DNA. They volunteer their time to improve the communities where they work and live.
We faced many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but our employees rose to the challenge and supported organizations in creative ways! Last year, 2,388 U.S.-based employees dedicated 205,817 hours of volunteer service supporting 2,397 organizations. We are proud of all our employees who volunteer their time and talent to bring meaningful change and inspiration to the communities where we live and work.
Meet a few Lockheed Martin volunteers - Cinthia, Saroj , Priscila, Daniel, and Dakotah.
Cinthia Torres, Department of Transportation Manufacturing Planner
Cinthia Torres knows the power of volunteering as she supports several organizations including Operation Homefront, The Painted Turtle, Girls Build LA, and Homeless in the Winter. Cinthia said her 13-year-old daughter, Vanessa, inspired her to volunteer. “My daughter has taught me that every little thing counts as she’s always looking for ways to support our community. Vanessa volunteers picking up trash at the beach, making hygiene bags for the homeless, and sewing blankets.”
Cinthia’s 22-year-old son, Kevin, is currently deployed with the U.S. Army. This is why Operation Homefront is an organization near and dear to her as they help military families with urgent needs.
Saroj D. Prajapati, Staff Accountant
The love for her birth country, Nepal, and the pride for sharing her culture with others inspired Saroj Prajapati to volunteer for over two decades with the Nepal Education and Cultural Center (NECC).
“I volunteer to maintain a close connection to my roots and to promote cultural events so others may experience Nepalese cultural, education, and spiritual aspects. We just acquired a property in the heart of Germantown, MD. This effort is a great accomplishment for me since I am currently serving as the President of NECC.”
Daughter of immigrant parents, Saroj is inspired by her parents’ dedication and happiness to help others and is herself paying it forward.
Priscila Kalagian, Proposal Analyst
Priscila Kalagian was a high schooler when she started volunteering by wrapping holiday gifts to raise funds for adult literacy programs in northern New Jersey. She has expanded her volunteer efforts to focus on supporting the military service members, veterans, and their members through The Mission Continues, Soldiers' Angels, Orlando Mayor’s Veteran Council, Gary Sinise Foundation. She also supports animals through PACT for Animals.
“My suggestion to anyone considering volunteer work is to find what aligns with your interests. My most heartwarming volunteer activity is fostering pets for deployed service members, which combines my support of the armed forces with my love of animals. I care for their pets along with my own and get to see the joy when they are reunited at the end of a deployment.”
Daniel Woermer, Senior Quality Assurance Inspector Supervisor
On Dec. 18, 2021, hundreds of Lockheed Martin employees participated in wreath-laying ceremonies through Wreaths Across America. Daniel Woermer was a volunteer who enjoyed meeting veterans from different combats and learning about their service experiences.
“This was the first time participating in Wreaths Across America day. My father is an 82nd Airborne Army veteran and I wanted to honor veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. My father taught me to respect military service members and I’m instilling that same value with my children.”
Daniel also volunteers with other organizations including Boy Scouts of America, Special Olympics, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Dakotah Mann, Systems Engineer
Dakotah Mann’s commitment to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) goes back to when he was a student participating in FIRST Robotics and for the past six years has been supporting other students participating in the program. Dakotah mentors FIRST Team 4418 from the STEM School in Highlands Ranch and Colorado Destination Imagination.
“FIRST Robotics prepares young hopeful engineers for the rigor and challenge of creating solutions to complex problems. FIRST students learn communications skills and how to be positive team players. Volunteering has brought me lifelong relationships, experiences that cannot be replicated, and an immeasurable amount of fun and enjoyment.”