Andrea Roshon has enjoyed the United Way Workplace Giving Campaign every one of the nine years she’s worked at Premier Banks – so much so, in fact, that she took over as her branch’s Workplace Champion last year.
“My favorite thing that we've always done is play bingo," she said. “But after I got to come to the United Way training last year and learn about all the different things you guys do, I was more excited, because I didn't know how far our impact reached. I was excited to share that with my coworkers, because I knew that it would help raise funds.”
Andrea finds great value in the workplace campaigns, but it depends on the leader who's running it, too. Each workplace champion brings their own personality to the project. Personally, she finds it a fun challenge to try to find new ways to get her coworkers involved, from their traditional bingo to newer photo games, where participants try to match the baby photo with the coworker.
“After I got to come to the United Way training last year and learn about all the different things you guys do, I was more excited, because I didn't know how far our impact reached.”
She also finds value in spreading information about United Way’s mission. The educational programs are of particular interest for her. “Making sure that kids have the tools they need to learn, as well as fit in and feel like they're not on the back burner of what all of their classmates have that they can't afford, is important to me,” Andrea said. Thinking back to her time in grade school, she added, “Almost all of us either had Lisa Frank or Hello Kitty. I want to make sure that those are things that all students are getting to experience – the fun and colorful pencils and folders.”
Andrea has experienced United Way of Olmsted County’s impact on our youngest neighbors personally, too. After giving birth to her daughter a couple years ago, she signed her newborn up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, distributed by UWOC.
“She's just getting to the age where she's excited to get her book in the mail. She's so excited that she won't let me take it to read it to her!” Andrea shared about her daughter. “But it's a lot of fun to have her excited about receiving books. The one we just got was The Green Tractor. It's in English and Spanish, which is really exciting. It's been a good blessing in the house.”
She hopes to spread that blessing through her Workplace Campaign again this year.