A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg

 

 

I’m willing to bet you’ve been in a situation where it has fallen to you to round up volunteers for a charitable cause, a school or workplace event, a sports team, etc. With credit to the economics teacher seeking a student response in 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (a must-see if you haven’t, worth watching it again if you have--it holds up), it can be a lonely place. It is also the most accessible way to make a difference; most everyone can do it at some level. Those who can’t participate are likely to need the services volunteers make possible.

Volunteering is an irreplaceable part of the American experience. Evidence of this is all around us at food shelves, hospitals, elder care facilities, legal assistance clinics, schools, or at events sponsored by any number of non-profit groups. The U.S. Census Bureau’s research found that nearly 76 million (28.3%) of citizens 16 years old and up formally volunteered at these organizations between September 2022 and September 2023. During that same period, the Bureau estimated that on an informal basis, over 54% of Americans “…helped or exchanged favors with neighbors such as house sitting, running errands, or lending tools…”. (See U.S. Volunteerism Rebounding After COVID-19 Pandemic for more information.)

While volunteering is clearly an important factor in who we are as a nation, it is an irreplaceable part of small communities like ours in Western Wisconsin. It creates the ties that bind our towns together, while at the same time enriching both the giver and recipient. I’ve also found that our local volunteers are mostly silent drivers of the small-town character that is evident everywhere here.

Our bank family has volunteered generously throughout our 105-year history, but our employee engagement committee has added another level of opportunity for us to support our communities. Starting this year, all four of our branches will participate in a ‘Make a Difference Day’ – a day of service supporting area communities. I am so proud to see the excitement here for the “team approach” to giving!

I guarantee there is something you do well that is invaluable to someone who needs that very thing. Volunteers? Anyone? Anyone? Everyone.