This is our profession because it’s our passion. That goes for every person who joins the team. For all of us, it’s the fulfillment we get from helping things grow. Companies, cultures, crops, profits, the list goes on. We take great pride in the work we do and accountability for the opinions we shape. We have fun doing it. And we hope it shows.
It’s not just our brand purpose — we live it. Our Just Cause community service initiative, inspired by our involvement with the United Way over the last 10+ years, began with a day dedicated entirely to the service of others in each of our communities. And it’s never looked back.
In the past, our Just Cause Days of Service have focused on helping the women and children of Kansas City, MO, Columbia, MO, and Red Wing, MN. And recently, we realized that all of our offices and satellite locations are connected by the Mississippi River and its tributaries. So we hit the banks and went to work.
Our Columbia office worked with First Chance for Children – an organization that offers early childhood programs and family resources – designing and placing stickers on books that will go out to kids in the community through Baby Bags and the Lend & Learn Libraries.
In Kansas City, we assisted reStart, Inc. – a local homeless shelter that focuses on empowering KC’s men, women, youth and families – by repainting one of the floors belonging to teen residents. We also worked with one of the youth to design a mural, which we then brought to life.
Our Red Wing team served United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce Counties by assembling “Packs of Care” that were full of blankets, pillows, toys and more to help ease the transition for local children into the Goodhue County foster system.
In Columbia, we worked with Missouri River Relief to celebrate Jefferson City Missouri River Cleanup Day. We boarded a boat at Wilson’s Serenity Point and got to work cleaning up the aftermath from the recent tornado and flooding. Cleaning up sacred Native American land was a true honor.
Our Kansas City office worked with Friends of the River KC and Port KC to clean up litter and bigger debris at Berkley Riverfront Park. The event was an eye-opener for all of us, as we saw firsthand just how much refuse finds its way into the Missouri River.
In partnership with the Cannon River Watershed Partnership, the Red Wing office patrolled the banks of Hay Creek, which meets the mighty Mississippi right next to the office. Then we headed over to the big river itself, where, despite pristine surroundings, we picked up plenty of trash.