 We would like to thank our very gracious hosts at the city here for allowing us to use this space Not only where we get to sit but the technology that allows us to stream in all of you who are joining us online So thank you. Thank you. So good to see so many of your faces and have this time together so To kick us off and I would just like to Again, we we thank our hosts and we'd also like to thank our hosts United Way For sponsoring this event and helping us to make it possible and for the emerging leaders team There's been some really wonderful things that have happened because of a group of people coming together To invest their time in the work of United Way and investing in the community and it's a joy to be a part of that I just a few highlights For some fun things that have happened through United Way And maybe that's our our virtual attendees hi guys Just some great things that have happened through emerging leaders in the past year that I'd love to share with you Over 300 children's books were donated through the emerging leaders book drive Over 50 participants in the emerging leaders family fun run that we hosted on August 7th at nourish Our 300 volunteer hours provided by the emerging leaders steering committee on the 21 Day of caring and then over $11,000 donated in just the past year So that's a really a wonderful thing and you all get to be a part of that celebration and continuing work by being here today So with that I'd like to jump right in to our panel Very excited to have these wonderful guests with us today And not only for the role that they play in the community But for their heart for the individuals and that we get to all serve every day So I'm it's a joy to have you through welcome welcome We're gonna start with just some basic introductions and if you wouldn't mind sharing your name the company that you represent and Then how long you've been in Sheboygan County, and then I'm gonna throw a little bonus in there It's a beautiful day. You've got all the time you need. Where would we find you in Sheboygan County? So we'll start with Louis My name is Louis Gentine. I'm a third generation CEO at Sargento Foods Company was founded by my grandfather back in 1953 Happy to be here with all of you present and also those virtually Sheboygan County at this time of the year I you would really if I wasn't here and I wasn't at work. I'd be sitting in a tree stand. So I'd be bow hunting. Oh Wonderful Hi, I'm Janine Cheesebro I'm a senior project leader at Kohler Company where I've been for about four and a half years now I've lived in Sheboygan 12 years. I married a Sheboyganer. So here I am Let's see if I weren't here today I'd probably be with my kids at a soccer game or hiking or playing outside somewhere. Love that favorite spot to hike We love Maywood. Okay Nothing better, especially this time of year Good afternoon, my name is Matt O'Connor and I'm the vice president of supply chain at Rockline Industries I've been in with Rockline for 18 years. I've been in Sheboygan County for eight of those years And where would I be I would either be in the kettles taking a hike or maybe In a duck blind boat in the Sheboygan Marsh Oh, there we go Wonderful My name is Johanna Wenig and I serve as the director of the foundation at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital And I've been here in Sheboygan for about five years And yeah, I've hiking gone along bike ride run so many beautiful spots to see again, especially this time of year So Wonderful. Well, welcome. Thank you for the investment of time and y'all being here today. Um, we have One big goal for today in this panel Which is to share meaningful philanthropic work that has happened in Sheboygan County With a special focus on sustainable partnership And the reason why we have asked each of these individuals to join us today is They individually as well as the organizations that they represent have invested in incredibly meaningful ways for generations And specifically in some really special ways in the past two years And so we're kind of gonna time capsule that and Look and celebrate at some of the really wonderful things That have happened and use that as inspiration stepping forward. So I'm gonna launch a couple questions that emerging leaders have prepared And then we will have time for q&a at the end. So please Tag those and be ready to ask So I'm gonna start we're gonna go back In the timeline and louis. I'm gonna start with you I'm just curious from your perspective and your role as CEO of a of a massive organization Where did your mind go when you first heard about COVID-19? Did you have any inkling on not just the community impact but the worldwide impact? On your in on your employees the community as a whole like where did your mind go when? Yeah, you first heard I think As many people when you first started hearing about COVID-19 it was one of kind of disbelief You just really didn't know What to believe is this real is this really going to impact Us here in the united states or is this just something that's happening outside of the united states? And obviously very quickly We realized that you know, we were as a country and as a business going to be faced with a very very hard challenge and Um, the immediate thing was to try and figure out how we could continue to keep our employees safe Um, you know, this was this was real. Um, and as a food company we were continuing to Package food and cheese for consumers being part of the food supply Um, so being an essential workplace with essential workers You know, we immediately kind of put a crisis team together Which is not a crisis team that you would think that you would have to put together But you know that team that group of people from hr health professionals and ultimately Other representatives even from other companies in the area Immediately started to kind of work on strategies of how we could first and foremost is keep our employees safe Um, the impact of of covid Um, you know, I still kind of look back to those early months and when you saw Businesses completely shut down Restaurants, um completely shut down. It was really Um, it was really sad because you Could personally you could see the impact that this was having and this was at no Fault of their own. This was just something that was just thrown on to them um, and so that was really hard, but was was also Kind of refreshing and kind of made you feel good about living in shiboy and county Is this community rallied? In such a huge way companies individuals Helping businesses that were in a bad spot kind of help get them through this You know everybody started restaurant industry everybody started to do takeout I mean the number of takeout orders that my wife and my family did during that time I mean far and exceeded how often we go out to dinner But it was the right thing to do Because we wanted to do our part of of of helping people through that So, um, I think you know covid is a challenge. Um, it still is a challenge quite frankly I think this area these companies our community I think has done a really good job kind of managing through it and I think you know from the You as emerging leaders Kind of learning and hearing about shiboy and county. You should be very proud to be In this community because it is a a very very giving community That's very true You know louis when we Started to just like you're talking about this impact and how it started to When things shut down and and different members of our community were impacted You know from from my vantage point there were so many systems when it came to our social services that had A very strong place to be able to serve our community And specifically in the area of food security And and sargento has been a huge part of that Can you share a little bit about the work that sargento did Way before 2020 ever came um to work with the food bank and in general that concept within shiboy and county Yeah, so um food has been one of our kind of major areas of giving back to our community And we've had a long long-term partnership um with the hunger task force down in mowaki And um, you know, so in understanding that organization and how they work Um, you know down in the southeast wisconsin, but then also how they help distribute food really throughout the entire state Through the wisconsin food network You know it dawned on me and a few other business leaders in this area that You know, we didn't really have a Inefficient system on how to distribute food and get food to people That were kind of food insecure We have a number of different pantries kind of located throughout throughout the county But very few Really took the idea of how do you address the food insecurity problem? And that's something that you know, I had seen work very well with the hunger task forces Is make sure you provide food to those people that need it But then how do you start to address that root cause of why they're in the position that they're in? And uh, you know patrick at the shiboyne county food bank um, has just done a wonderful job of kind of Bringing the food pantry network together To figure out ways to distribute food efficiently Utilize our resources in our community More effectively And then ultimately be able to continue giving those people who are food insecure that opportunity to to receive You know a basic need of food Through covet it was really kind of remarkable and I think having the The food bank as it is today around To handle the dramatic increase in the requirements to address the problem the the us The government's food box program Patrick and his team at the food bank helped orchestrating kind of put that all together and make sure That we could distribute that out I I don't know what we would have done. I mean you look back at it and I know we would have figured it out But you know having that um that group I think really helped us be able to again kind of do what we needed to do to get resources and Basic necessities to people Yeah, yeah very much so Yeah, it was Incredible to see the investment that was made before we ever knew that this crisis was going to come Yeah, to really just like you're saying the engine was built and it was working really well and when that added weight came It was really incredible. So yeah, thank you for that Joanna. Can I just add one other thing, you know, uh We had some thought leaders within this community that stepped forward very early And I look at what the united way staff had done March 16th, they started the fund Think about the timing. I mean that was only two weeks into this craziness They put together a fund Because they saw uh the need and and they're they're a good thought leadership type of community thinkers And they raised over two hundred and eighty five thousand dollars in just a very short period of time and got that money into the community Very quickly and uh And so, you know, I I just keep Applauding that and that effort was was very instrumental. Yeah very much so actually matt if we can continue on that Team line of thought you actually had a key role in being able to distribute some of those funds Being on the distribution team, right? Can you tell us about? Your experience both before being on that committee and then during covet how you saw those funds move Yeah, great question. Um I've been part of that distribution group for a couple of years even prior to covet And that experience has been uh immeasurable for me personally to really understand the needs of the community and uh to Kind of open your eyes a little bit to what's really going on because You're not exposed to it all Um and uh, you know, there's a lot of programs that people are very well well aware of, you know, the food banks and you know the red cross and and uh Girl scouts boy scouts doing really amazing things in this community. There are two programs though that kind of speak to me That are less known and I thought just give it a minute or two To share with the emerging leaders and those that are watching virtually about them and the first one That really speaks to me is through the family resource center And the family resource center has a program called parents as teachers And the the notion of that program is to Uh to work with parents on a monthly basis going into the home And teaching them how to teach their child How to put them on a developmental curve So that when they enter kindergarten, they're where they need to be And there are parents that just don't know how to do that And and sadly those that don't Create a cycle of people that are of children that are not prepared And then struggle at school and when you struggle in in first grade typically struggle in sixth and 12 and then there's issues So if you can break the cycle If you can teach these children how to you know stack blocks or know your numbers or whatever And and so this program That we distribute money to Um a sizable amount of money to pay for the people to go into the homes to do this is Is just an amazing program and Uh it speaks to me and as emerging leaders, there's going to be a program or two That will speak to you too And and that will kind of warm your heart and tell you hey, I need to get involved I need to help that the second one that is less known that I just want to make you aware of that speaks to me Is at the lakeshore regional child a child advocacy advocacy center This program Provides forensic interviews For children that have been abused And what's amazing about this program is sadly a child is abused right gosh terrible But what this program does is it coordinates with the legal system the police system The the the doctor system So that the child has to be interviewed once And go through that trauma unfortunately a second time, but it's all recorded done by Trained people that know how to ask the questions that know What's going to happen in the coming months in the court systems and so forth to prosecute this and not put that child through it again and again and again and so amazing program And Another one of those that you know we we need to fund in order to You know help those children to only experience that trauma Sadly once or maybe and explain it another time. So two really great programs. So so as the distribution team You get to know the details you immerse yourselves into the details of these programs And you and you find those that are really effective Are that that result in great outcomes? And um, and that's where you want to put your money. You don't want people don't want to Not you know, they want to put their money their hard-earned money on on programs that are effective And the distribution team does that work studies them empirically understands how they're effective what works and what doesn't work and um, And then utilizes that money to fund those programs and and uh And so that's what the distribution team does and it's a privilege to have participated on that And I encourage any of you to engage it. It's it is Decided by the volunteers. This is not a staff decision process. This is a volunteer Decision and what's best for the community? Yeah, that is wonderful. Thank you for that time that you've invested in Yeah going through the data and the organizations and being a true champion of not just making sure those funds get there But that those funds are used in a really powerful way. So I I know all four of us could speak on The point of the power that it is when you are able to get involved in the community at Such a ground level. Um, it's really a front row seat to some of the best things that happen That I know for me if I just stay in my office and do all of my to-do list items I miss out on some of the inspiration And the true heartwarming change that that is happening. So yeah, that's that's your plug for for getting involved And if you're looking for ways, I'm sure anyone with the united way logo can point you in the right direction. Um, so actually, um So personally we understand the value of of being involved and having this attitude of you know philanthropy and and You know really building into our community I'm going to start this question with you Matt, but I'd be curious Janine and louis if you'd like to add as well the idea of how to Merge this personal Passion with the work that you do every day in your organizations I know rock line is known for some of the fun events that are hosted that support united way Louis when I was at the day of caring I feel like every other person was from sargento That I was saying hello to and they just showed up On that day and coler is always the hardest for the hungry. We'll talk a little bit more about that in a minute And but how do you make this personal passion something that's actually part of your organization in a meaningful way? more than just the Corporate social responsibility the CSR. How do we actually make it a part of things that we love as a Business, yeah, we spend a lot of time at work right all of us do and at rock line We we want to have a little fun while we're working hard right and and sprinkle that in and so we do have fun little events that Allows us to relax for a minute But also the the real basis behind it is to educate them to educate the associates about what is happening in the community What's the needs of the community the stories? I just shared would be an example of that that people are like really United way does that and and there are needs for this And and so you sprinkle fun you sprinkle, you know You know shooting basketball hoops and you know in a in an indoor hoop or contests to get free Vacation days or whatever it is but but the point is to to educate and and so you take the passion of how good The united way is doing and you teach them about it but have some fun while doing it and the associates win United Way wins community wins and so that's that's how our that's how we view it That's wonderful. Do you have something to add? Sure So, you know, we know that purpose is important to our associates and More than ever the younger generation keeps entering the workforce. It's more and more increasingly important for our associates And so we try to find ways to Connect them with the purpose of our company But we also look to our associates to tell us what's important to them and how we can support their passions A really interesting program that we have at kohler is innovation for good and that's where we allow we're invite associates to Brainstorm solutions to some of the larger global problems that are out there So for instance last year was all around clean water and sanitation And so groups of associates whether you're an engineer or not teams from any department could come together Proposed business solutions They presented them to leadership and then teams were selected and given funding and time to work on those ideas So that's just an example of a way that we try to harness Expertise and passion of our associates to connect with kind of the bigger purpose of our company I just build a little bit on what matt says Said regarding kind of the education side And that goes to our employees the star general family understanding kind of some of our core business philosophies that that we hold that my grandfather started so I understood the importance of community because that's how I was raised. That's how it was brought up And um, you know, my grandfather when he started he immediately Needed the community in order to do what he wanted to do So it was his way of immediately trying to start to give back as as fast as he could I'm just real quick He had to ask the city of plimith or to rent space in the basement of the plimith post office You know to be packaging cheese and back in his his early days So if that is not kind of the community kind of coming together to kind of help a guy out I don't I don't know what is But the community to this day remains a very key stakeholder and so we do everything that we can to help Inform and let our employees know the importance of what community is to our organization But also to their livelihood. That's where they're living. That's where they're raising a family That's that's where they're they're finding their balance in life. And without that strong community You don't have that it makes it hard to recruit people as a business It makes it difficult to raise a family in the way that people want to raise their family So giving back is is just a piece of it financially giving back But providing people that opportunity to engage in a number of different nonprofit organizations in this area I think is critically important because They become more entrenched in the community itself So offering the opportunity for day of caring offering the flexibility for people to use kind of their kind of free hours to coach basketball or to Volunteer at the Salvation Army or to be a big You know for big brothers big sisters. Those are all things that You know, I think are important because it allows people to kind of find Where their passion is it helps people find that balance in life So that they're not just sitting at their desk all time and they to to um To what was also said it also allows them to find, you know, their sense of purpose At an individual level, but then also support, you know, the purpose of of the organization what the organization expects of them Mm-hmm. That is wonderful. Well, and I know many of the faces in this room I know we are friends from the nonprofit space and the boards and the fundraising Committees that we all form many of your associates and colleagues Um, thank you for that freedom of time that your organizations give to allow them to serve within these nonprofits It's really um, yeah very very powerful to have that workforce. So yeah, that's wonderful. Thank you. Thank you At janine. I'd like to pass the mic to you um and chat a little bit about Kohler and the work that you all do with united way and I just want to give a huge praise. Kohler was one of the very first companies to step forward this fund that matt was talking about and that started on March 16th um, Kohler was one of the very first ones to step forward and give very generously to that and Kohler is a massive organization What are some of the things that are part of the fabric of Kohler that makes you so agile to be able to respond to that need so quickly Great. Thanks, Johanna Well, when it came to responding to COVID-19 I think there were a couple of factors at play and the first I think would say established partnership. So Kohler has a long long history with the united way of shabuigan county over the last 15 years It's been over six million dollars from Kohler associates and the company. So there's that trust There's that relationship there if you have to build a relationship on day one of a crisis That's a stressful experience for the organization and it just does not go well So having this established partnership and relationship in place allowed us to hit the ground running and created solutions and to providing additional support I would also say We have leadership support So the very small team that I sit on reports up to laura Kohler and then ultimately david Kohler and the message from day one is that healthy communities matter and We're empowered to make those choices and to move quickly when crisis strikes So we had their support from day one in order to make those additional investments And then I would also say our associates are so passionate We were all personally experiencing COVID-19 and what it meant for our families, but Associates were reaching out to our department asking how they could help. What could they do to support Both their fellow associates, but the community at large And so having the COVID-19 relief fund as an avenue that we could support and to direct associates was really Pointing it for us and we raised over 20,000 dollars from our associates towards that fund Wow, that is awesome That's awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about harvest for the hungry? I know this has been a tradition for many many years But I also like to hear about how you guys got really creative during 2020 as well to still make that tradition happen Yes So the harvest for hungry if you haven't participated it in the past is a community meal that's served by volunteers And is ultimately a fundraiser for the united way of sheboyton county I believe it started back in around 2012 so a little over 10 years ago and there were a couple of different factors at play at the time one Different non-profit organizations were approaching restaurants within destination coaler looking for either donations or to set up opportunities to donate a version of proceeds to different causes And it just became really overwhelming for that business to field all those requests and decide what to do The other thing that was happening at that same time is we were Looking for a way to engage our hospitality associates with the united way. So it's an hourly workforce Some are full-time some part-time so they haven't has been as engaged As other members in the past and so this provided a really unique opportunity Leadership decided they wanted one signature event for hospitality that allowed associates to volunteer and to give back Kind of coalesced around the infrastructure already being in place around food and wine what happens in october And so It all kind of came together that that was the opportunity for Associates to prepare and serve a meal and raise money for the united way So I think it Is since the beginning it's raised over 120 thousand dollars and over 10,000 meals have been served and in 2020 the pivot was to doing a drive-through event so that Participants drove through the lower level of the american club and meals were placed In people's trunks and over 700 meals were served last year that way. Wow. Yeah, wow that is incredible Just a testament to our hospitality associates who In addition to that event also prepared and served meals for fellow hospitality associates as well Which is really amazing how they came together Wow, that is so cool and just speaks to the creativity that was Mandatory for 2020 Especially. Yeah, I see shaking heads of my fellow nonprofit People in the room of yeah, how we had to make that happen St. Nick's also hosted our traditional gala as a drive-through and We had a massive semi truck from sargento to keep all the food cold and You know colar made delicious raspberry lins or cookies for us to put in the boxes and LTC it was just it was a whole collaboration and what we find with that kind of forced creativity is That's where some really cool innovation happens and Yeah, I feel like we're still in that creative innovation space And I hope that continues because it challenges itself to do to do better. So that's wonderful Wonderful. Well, um, what I'd like to do is We'll jump into a little bit of a Q&A time and I'll give you all some time to organize your thoughts and your questions We have a mic that will be passed around. So if you have a question you can just Um, raise your hand and we will come to you If you're online, please drop your question Into the chat box and our team is monitoring that box and we'll ask that question for you So, um, I'll give you all a second to to put those thoughts together and I'll just ask one more question which You know, we've we've touched on this in a variety of ways But the question is just why united way for you personally And and for your organization, why why does united way get Such a designated spot in your philanthropy? And so we start with you louis sure I'm going to steal matt's two words community thinkers I have always told individuals who are looking to provide an opportunity to give To an organization that the united way is by far The best one to do that Because they have their finger on the needs of the community And um, I think it's so very important to have an organization that is just at the central core of understanding kind of the needs Because it's like the hub and then everything kind of starts to roll right around it. And that's why I like the united way. That's why my wife likes united way. That's why it is the only Campaign where we do every year where we match dollar for dollar employees contributions to the united way And it's it's been successful But it only happens because of what the united way does I think of matt gave two great examples of some great programs that you know came through the united way One of my favorite is the path program You know performing access to to healing, you know putting counselors in Each and every school here in sheboygan county all districts to have an opportunity for A child to be able to get the help that they need To provide that access for them is I think so critical especially in today's world of just the The increasing number of mental health challenges that that people are facing That program doesn't go unless the united way Had a pulse and was listening to what was going on in the county What would have happened if it didn't you would have had disparate kind of organizations trying to do A good job but not do it very well Bring it together bring the resources together organize it and then Implement it throughout the community and and that's that's what makes united way great Thank you Matt, what about you? Uh, yeah Community thinkers is important. Um, I like the fact that They're agnostic They choose The community they understand the needs They then understand what the agencies and the programs are out there They then measure and Manage those programs from afar making sure that the impact that they're having is real That they bring them to collaborate with agencies together So there is they're efficient because money isn't being spent On solving the same problem in four places. It's in one place and they're working together to solve it So it's efficiency. It's a collaboration. It's agnostic And it's thinking That makes united way Very effective Well, I Matt had to say You know At coal or our team says like if we didn't have a united way We would want a united way because both personally and professionally the amount of knowledge and Coordination and effort that goes into understanding the community and coordinating the efforts of the various nonprofits Um is beyond the reach of me and my personal time and then also our small team professionally So there's absolute trust there That there'll be good stewards of the money that they'll measure the impact to make sure that the money's being used efficiently So that's why united way That is excellent. I'm a I tend to be analytical if people say I'm a little bit a nerd, but Just think think about the following 22,000 therapy sessions We're given to kids last year at school Having access to that 74,000 meals being Provided to the elderly and homebound last year 26,000 nights of shelter Was provided Last year that's 75 people a day. Think about do the math But you know, it's not even you know the colder months. It's much so think about hundreds Each night 5,000 families Each month are provided emergency food You know that's That's you know, it's food. It's health. It's mental health It's financial stability it's education that's what these guys do and and You know the the the staff are in touch And are are very good thinkers about And sensors as to what the community needs Yeah Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree and matt thanks for bringing those numbers because It's still hard to wrap our arms around that but it puts Um some faces to some of the needs that we know exist. Um, and like I said I am guilty of I go same roads same schedule I'm a very routine person and sometimes you just miss out on how that There are that many people in our community who are impacted by This specific need and to know that there's an army that's Going after that and and meeting those needs is is very encouraging. So yeah, thank you for those answers I've got one more thing. Yes, please. You know, we we we we talk a lot about united way But the real foot soldiers Are the agencies, right? And they're they're, you know, very focused And on their problem, which is great But and but they are the foot soldiers that make it all happen and the united way kind of helps bring it together So we we can't understate The importance of what those With those agencies, you know, 23 agencies 39 programs were funded through united way And but so thanks aft to the agencies and all the work they do Yeah, which that's one of my very favorite things about how the day of caring is formed is you're getting into the doors of these agencies that We get to support and um this year. I got to camp evelyn I had never I wasn't a girl scout and never got to go to camp there I didn't really know the work that they did and it was just so fine seen head shaking from those who were pulling out entire trees with me And doing it was supposed to be light gardening and it was some pretty heavy yard work, which is good We needed it. Obviously, there was some stress that needed to be reduced So, um, it was really very cool But we're getting into the doors of of organizations that otherwise I might not have come across their purpose so Any other thoughts before we Jump into q&a Okay, uh, let's dive in does anyone have some specific questions it can be for the entire panel for someone specifically First, so let's say thank you to you and your organization for all the amazing things you've done and the great definition of united way and all the amazing things united way is done. Um My question is I see that you touched on like Food and those basic needs and child advocacy and clean water, which is all like so fantastic And as we know we can keep going So one thing that I am aware of is that safe and affordable housing And the lack of lack of that housing so how would you or do you have any suggestions or ideas or Are your organizations open to the idea of kind of pushing forward on making that more accessible for shipwagon county? That's a great question I can take that one The answer to your question is uh, uh, yes, there's a lot of Um, uh resources going against right now. How can we bring more affordable housing to to the county? Um, it's complicated. It's not as easy as just you know putting a shovel in the ground Um, but uh, there is a recognized need and actually through um adam pain's office at the county level He has made uh Kind of like an affordable housing task force that is uh currently looking at avenues to Um to get it going Unfortunately, that's not a flip of a light switch and ta-da now you have 300 homes But it is good to see the energy and the focus on that area and There's no doubt in my mind that this this community is going to figure it out Mm-hmm Yeah, actually louis the task force that you're referring to Um that a huge shout out to the county board in the way that they are developing that And I I don't want to step out of line But I I believe that we're one of the only counties who and actually elaine I see here in the room can confirm one of the only counties that's choosing to Um move these arpa dollars through a task force committee type Function versus just the decision being made in the dollars the check being signed Um, which really shows the collaboration And yeah, the right minds in the room to make that happen. So yeah, thank you for for highlighting that More questions Can you just say your name and where you're from to just would be helpful? Yes, hi, my name is amanda ecker from johnsonville And one of the questions I have for you guys is we have a large population of members who are working our plant facilities And we would like to allow them opportunities to volunteer during work time But have not found a great way to do that. So do you guys have any recommendations for Johnsonville and I'm sure maybe there are other companies that have the same challenge as well From a volunteer perspective Well, I'm going to get the Like the terminology wrong. I'm sure but we um for our Individuals who work in manufacturing their ability to use kind of um hours So they don't have to take a full day off. They can take an hour off Where that allows them to maybe break away and like I had mentioned before, you know, Coach's soccer practice or a basketball team or to um get out a little bit early to to do it. So they get I don't I'm not even going to tell you how many hours because I don't know But you know, that was something that we added to allow people the opportunity to kind of um Do something without having to take an entire day of vacation or pay time off Our our view is um More on the education side we need to help Our associates understand the needs of the community as we talked about earlier And once you understand it The work occurs That you're touched that the individuals touched in one way or another within united way or outside united way doesn't matter and They they go and take action to to help the community. So it's awareness That we are working on because Things aren't happening because they're unaware If you make them aware Then things do happen and things change. So that's kind of our take Great question More questions. Do we have any questions coming in from? online Feel free to type those into the chat box to Hello, I am reberta fulike paneski and i'm an alder person in district two for the city of shabuagan. Yes and from the perspective of the agencies I'm interested in days of caring when you furlough x number of employees to do x yz or abc Have you given thoughts to i know for the organization it is also a For your businesses. It's also a team building exercise But have you given thoughts to distributing Two volunteers at a time consistently rather than 14 of them on one day That's a great question. Um, I know that leans into maybe a little bit more of the logistics of Day of caring, uh, which I unfortunately can't speak very much to because i'm not united way staff. Um, but I I know the day of caring is kind of a it's one the kickoff to the campaign Um, you know, so it's a big day of celebration and launching that. Um, but I wouldn't say That that's I mean, I know many organizations. I don't know if any of you have experience with the consistency, but I know many organizations have volunteers whether they're serving on boards, you know every single month or You know fundraising councils or task forces within different organizations And I know there's a lot of consistency I know from all of these organizations and many others In the community that serve on that basis. Do y'all have a thought on yeah, my my thought is That seems to fit more under the volunteer center of united way where agencies can post At no cost of what their needs are And tie people that want to volunteer to do Various things and those things can be on a weekly basis a daily basis a monthly basis however as as an individual or as group So I think that's probably where That type of agency need where I would go if I were to coach a agency where to go I would tell them reach out to the volunteer center And uh, they'll get the resources Uh that they're they're looking for yeah, I think that's that's a good ad and then you know, then I think it just happens On its own within an organization um, we have a group that you know Before covet was every Wednesday night was serving at salvation army every month A group of different employees go down to moachie to st. Ben's community meal program Where we kind of rotate it through departments. So I I do agree with matt. It's got to be orchestrated from the organizations and the volunteer center is a great way to kind of help Get people in the right area and then as we've said numerous times then the volunteer work I think just kind of happens, you know, so you might get an hr department that You know has a passion for this group and you know what they're going to commit once a month Where a few of them might go help out big brothers big sisters. That's a very consistent volunteer program, you know where You know people are you know signing up to be a big and Once a month they're going into the schools and they're meeting with uh, they're big and oftentimes it's more than that Because they just they love it More questions I have one that came in virtually as well. This is from patrick boil with the food bank. Oh, hey, patrick He is asking do the companies that give so generously ever try and convince nonprofits to partner and collaborate with other nonprofits? If they think it would make sense or is that something they try and stay away from So suggesting collaboration for nonprofits that they support Great question Yes, I'll answer it and I I've actually talked to patrick numerous times about it. I I think you we have to start Kind of almost not requiring but highly encouraging the collaboration Because if we if we don't at least ask the question And try and bring people to table We just will not be as efficient with um with our resources both our human resources of Finding volunteers, but then also the financial ones as well so patrick knows I Because I ask him that all the time I ask him, you know before he wants to start a program like well, have you talked to this organization and vice versa You know, we've made a point specifically on the food related side All of our food donations go to the shiboy and county food bank And then an individual pantries or a backpack program or if they come to us and ask for food We send them right to patrick's door and say That's where it's all going. That's an example of trying to bring some Um, I guess some efficiency and then some just better execution of of the needs. Um, I think is is a good example of that I think united way actually plays in this space. Yeah, they drive collaboration. In fact, they they give One of their criterion in their Fund distribution is their effectiveness to collaborate with others and and and don't start A program that this guy already has no work with them. And so so, uh, you know from a business perspective I don't think we have the visibility Of understanding all the programs in the community And so we rely on the community experts in this case United way to to then drive the collaboration. Gina. Does that does that feel right? Yeah And we ask questions though as business leaders. Of course. That's what we want efficiency You want to you ask the question to help You know Get people out of just kind of their their one mindset and say, oh, yeah, look at here right and then to your earlier point It's all about educating so it's not only educating the community It's educating each of the different agencies of what each other does Right. Um, so yeah Yeah, that is so good the duplication of services Sends shivers down all of our spines that you know people doing the same thing and You know, we can see those connections of doing better together. And yeah, I I appreciate that that perspective At we are Rolling into the last couple minutes. Um, and so I'm gonna have one more question from the audience and then Couple things to wrap us up john Hi, I'm john rogers. I'm the roundtable facilitator for shabuigan county chamber of commerce and I've done close to 500 of those roundtables Starting at the end of 2007 and I could tell you all kinds of collaborations that have happened As a result of the various roundtables and one of the things that I like to talk about is we live in a land of silos But we can't live in those silos. We have to Go out and talk to people And find out sometimes you don't know what you don't know And uh, the more we talk to each other the more often we're going to find out About different programs and how we can work together if you don't know about the chamber roundtables, let me know, please Well, the other thing I would add about silos is I feel like each organization also isn't working in a silo So for instance, like we know that housing is a cornerstone But people who have struggle finding housing may also struggle finding health care and may also be food insecure So being able to provide A more holistic approach is more important for solving some of these bigger issues It's so true Which this goes back to the task force That louis was mentioning happening at the county board level I believe you can find that information on the county board website And look through the different priorities and how those dollars the different camps that those dollars will be able to moved into and and that That is a very unique the people that are serving on those task forces You know, I they're the right people in the right seat on the bus. So That's exciting to see Yeah Wonderful. Well, um in louis wrap up I just have one simple question to ask you guys just about you personally if you have a favorite way that you personally Um have volunteered during the past a consistent way you love to volunteer just a favorite memory of A way that you've gotten in on some of the great work. I know I mentioned my time at camp evelyn during day of caring Had a sore back for a day or two, but it was an absolute blast. Do you guys have any volunteer? Favorites highlights So when I first moved to shabuigan, I Was a volunteer with meals on wheels And so I remember this is back when it was at watson's vending And I remember pulling into that parking lot to pick up my meal for the first time and just amazed at All of the people that were there to help serve and that it happened every day that All of these volunteers would come to pick up meals to deliver them throughout shabuigan county It floored me when I went the very first time and As my children were growing older I would bring them with me to serve and deliver meals on wheels And that was just a really amazing experience To and got me out into the community and seeing parts of shabuigan county that I would have otherwise not seen so for me Being a part of meals on wheels was really Impactful for me and for my family. Yeah, oh, that's awesome. Yeah For me, uh, I volunteer we were talking about this earlier I volunteer at st. Nicholas hospital as a eucharistic minister and so each week Uh, I every monday I go to all the patients That wish to have communion Um and give them communion and it's an amazing ministry You see people oftentimes at their worst and um And they want someone to listen to they're lonely and they're in need and they're scared and Um, and you're there and you're present with them. So that's and there's countless stories, but that's that's probably the One I cherish the most. Yeah I I've been like kind of scratching my head here. Uh, there's there's uh, I guess a number of different moments But I I think the one that I you could be serving on a board that I you know I'm passionate about and seeing the great work that that they can do um, I go back to the the serving A meal to somebody who um Maybe is going to go without it to me is Just because it's so basic. It's just at such a fundamental level and you know handing You know the the individual a tray or scooping, you know, some mashed potatoes on a plate for them Um, has just been oftentimes that is it's just so eye-opening Um, because you're seeing it kind of right there Um, and my children that have had the opportunity to kind of do that as well and and I just uh um, I think uh That's probably the most memorable but then that kind of spins into You know the work that I've done in working with patrick Um at the shaboin county food bank to see You know where that organization has come has been um has been really kind of neat. It's been neat to see Wonderful Well, thank you all so much for your time for your investment in today and the work that you do day in and day out Just serve shaboin county and your fellow colleagues and Just very very grateful for the leadership role that you play. So thank you for this time Thank you to all of you who are able to join us and for those online This has been an absolute joy. Um, I know we have mayor sorenson who wanted to Say hello and and a little something. Uh, mayor sorenson. Thank you for letting us into your living room today We appreciate this space and yeah I just want to pop over and just say hello to everybody and thank you so much and welcome you to city hall It's always great to see some familiar and friendly faces here, too I think this is just a true reflection of what we want our relatively new city hall To be to be more of a community center bring folks from from the community in here just to see What our community is all about I think the the great work that the united way does And every single work that that you all do makes an impact on our community So I just want to say thank you so much If you ever have any future meetings or get togethers or panels or anything that you'd like Please reach out and be happy to host you here at city hall. So thank you so much. Well, thank you Wow with that we are going to wrap up and would like to give you back one minute of your tuesday So thank you. Thank you. Thanks everyone