There is a long standing tradition of giving back at DISTek, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year. And even though DISTek has been conducting a weekly Casual for a Cause event for many years, where employees can dress casually on Friday’s with just a small contribution to a chosen cause, this year we made a small improvement that has had a big impact. Our employee-owners can recommend a particular cause and, if chosen, that cause receives the donations for the entire month. Not only does this provide a larger monetary donation to the worthy cause, but creates broader exposure for the cause as we internally promote it for the entire month. As an added bonus, this year we were able to secure some matching funds from the DISTek budget, further increasing the monetary donation each month and expanding on one of our core values – community.
Recently, I recommended the non-profit organization, NAMI – Black Hawk County, and they were chosen as the month of March Casual for a Cause recipient. NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the local chapter is located here in Black Hawk County, which is home to DISTek as well as Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and many of our employee-owners. NAMI is a grassroots, self-help organization promoting advocacy, education, and mutual support. It is dedicated to improving the lives not only of people who have mental illness, but their families, and friends as well.
Other organizations that we’ve supported this year include the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, the Humane Society of Northeast Iowa, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and local Boy and Girl Scout troops through the support of the Silver Eagle HOG Chili Cook-off. These causes are very near and dear to several of our DISTek employee-owners and are always worthy of support.
With a new dress code policy implemented company-wide at the end of May, Causal for a Cause will no longer exist in the form described above. For now, the shabby, yet renowned, Casual for a Cause donation can will go into retirement, but it will soon be replaced with something new. Since we are all so vested in the communities in which we live and work, the tradition of giving back will continue in a newly evolved capacity that involves both our employee-owners and DISTek on a company level. Stay tuned for a future post that details our continued efforts.
All of us here at DISTek have a lot to be thankful for and I think it is important to share our good fortune within the communities in which we live and work. And it’s a great feeling working for a company that supports us in not only our professional growth, but in the broader scope of community, outreach, and giving back.
