Thankful

We are officially entering the season when we all reflect on the past year, good and bad, and reflect on the many things we can be grateful. For me that includes our community. We are lucky to all call Des Moines home. We are known around the country for being “Iowa nice”, we enjoy beautiful seasons and a thriving city that offers many amazing amenities.  Our community, like all others, is not perfect, and many need an extra hand in a variety of different ways. I am thankful that we as Iowans never hesitate to roll up our sleeves, get out our wallets and give back however we can.  If you didn’t know, our United Way of Central Iowa is the #1 United Way in the nation for per capita giving. Just one incredible example that Iowans are good at helping Iowans, something we should all be thankful for.

As I zoom in on my community, my work community is also an important one for me.  The culture of this company has always placed giving back to our communities at the top of our priority list.  We cannot be successful without a thriving community, with thriving residents.  If you visit our giving page, you will see our rich history of giving back, not only financially, but of our time, through our many VTO opportunities.  Just this year we have volunteered over 250+ hours of time to give back. I am thankful to be working for a company that knows its responsibility to our community and making it a better one is always in clear focus.

I continue to zoom in on the people I work with that jump right in when these opportunities arise.  You’ll read it all over this blog…it’s the people that make our company what it is.  These people also have big hearts. They are the hands that go to the food pantries to unload donations, read to children during their lunch hours, write notes to kids that need a little extra encouragement, rake the grounds of non-profits that just don’t have the resources to get jobs like these done all the time.  These hands are what impact change not only in our company, but our community and for that I am so proud and thankful.

So, with that, I challenge you to take a quiet moment in the chaos we live in today and identify all the things you and/or your work community have to be thankful for during this season. I then challenge you again, to look around and see how you and/or your work community can bless someone else and make positive change for someone around you.

Nicole