The INside Scoop
If you would like to share your good news in The INside Scoop, send it to Jody Gifford. Photos are welcome (and encouraged!)
Bring Your Dog to Work Day Gets Four Paws Up From Employees
Bring Your Dog to Work Day has been such a fun way to get to know all of NCMIC’s four-legged friends. On Aug. 17, we met Nicky Carpenter’s beagle, Stella (top left); Jessica Wright’s boxer, Scrappy (top middle); and Tom Catus’ Portuguese water dog, Bree (top right). Then, on Aug. 29, we hosted Shelbie Simmons’ husky/lab mix, Balto (bottom left); Molly O’Neill’s Goldendoodle, Sunny (bottom middle); and Amanda Clayton’s lab/German shepherd/chow chow mix, Harley (bottom right).
There’s a new way to sign up to bring your dog to work. Stop into HR or contact Molly O’Neill in HR to sign up.
It’s a Boy!
Aaron and Tara McGuire welcomed a healthy baby boy! Elijah Lynn McGuire was born on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. Elijah weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. Congrats, Tara and Aaron!
Merchant Employees Complete NCMIC Fit Challenges
It’s been a busy couple of months for the Merchant department as it completed several tasks to meet their NCMIC Fit goals.
A Merchant NCMIC Fit participant has challenged the group to complete a new task each week since March. It’s based on the honor system and if they complete all the tasks (usually five or six challenges), they earn a chakra bead. Some of the challenges were simple, others required more time and effort, but all were meant to keep employees thinking of their overall wellness, not just physical but spiritually, financially, mentally, community, etc.
In June, Mandy Waite challenged the department to create BackPack Sack Motivation Cards for the Food Bank of Iowa. They created 665 note cards with inspirational messages. The note cards are placed in the weekly BackPack Sacks for children through their program weekly. They also had three t-shirt tote bags made for the Food Bank of Iowa to support the mobile pantries and school distributions.
In August, Diane Miller’s challenge was a food drive and personal care items drive for the Urbandale Food Pantry. Card Services collected over 117 pounds of food and 86 personal care items. Rich Wells offered to host a pizza party if they filled the cubical with these items. They met that goal.
Participants had fun with these challenges and continue to find new and creative ways to support and give back the community.
Iowa/Iowa State Tailgate Was Fun for Fans and Family
It’s no secret that NCMIC is a sucker for a good Iowa/Iowa State rivalry. That pride in Iowa’s two biggest football teams was on display at the annual Iowa/Iowa State Family Tailgate held Thursday, Sept. 7 on the back patio. Whether you supported the Cyclones, the Hawkeyes or another team, the annual tailgate party is a must-attend for employees and their families.
NCMIC Partners With Give Grace, Give Hope for United Way Day of Action
On Sept. 12, NCMIC participated in the United Way Day of Action, a day dedicated to taking action to improve the community here in Central Iowa by volunteering with a local nonprofit organization.
NCMIC partnered with our very own Melissa Knutson, co-founder of Give Grace, Give Hope, to host a period packing party onsite. Give Grace, Give Hope seeks to “eliminate the gap between need and access of menstrual products in our community by providing menstrual products to homeless shelters, schools, women’s resource centers and other human service organizations.”
Over the last 30 years, United Way of Central Iowa has engaged nearly 70,000 volunteers, amounting to over 200,000 hours of supporting our community.