Lee Roberts
The Journal Times
January 20, 2010
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RACINE - Instead of sleeping in Monday morning on their day off, 41 employees of the Johnson Financial Group packed the Fired Up! pottery studio on Main Street, decorating bowls for use at Racine's upcoming Empty Bowls event.
Empty Bowls is an annual fund-raising project designed to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness in the community, and Johnson Financial had asked its employees to spend their day off performing some type of community service.
"We know there are many people in our community who are hurting, suffering and struggling, and we want to do what we can to help," said Dick Hansen, chief executive officer of the Johnson Financial Group.
The Fired Up! group was part of approximately 400 company associates in the Racine/Kenosha area who gave their time - which they had off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day - to various projects throughout the community, according to Carmen Tenuta, director of public relations for Johnson Financial. That included projects with Habitat for Humanity, the Racine County Food Bank and efforts to aid members of the military serving overseas.
Historically, Johnson Financial has celebrated its success in profit-sharing with its associates on the King holiday. But this year, given what the banking industry is going through and the fact that the company is not paying off profit-sharing to its employees, associates instead gathered to give back the community, Hansen explained.
"I am unbelievably proud of our people for being willing to do this and do it with great spirit," he said.
Those painting everything from polka dots to Green Bay Packers jerseys on bowls said they were glad not only for the opportunity to give back to the community, but to have a chance to flex their creative muscles a bit.
"It is nice to be able to try something different than we regularly do during a business day," said Sue Brauer, of Johnson Financial's Human Resources department.
"It is also a good team-building experience," said Peggy Treichel, of the company's Wealth Advisory Services.
Racine's Empty Bowls event, which will take place at the Masonic Center on March 1, is part of an international hunger-fighting project created in 1991. The Racine event will offer both lunch and dinner serving times, during which attendees can enjoy soup and bread donated by more than 60 area restaurants and bakeries. Volunteer servers include members of local government, businesses and organizations. In addition to those decorated by Johnson Financial associates, bowls for the event are made by area school students, members of the Girl Scouts, local artists and other area companies.
Since 1997, Racine's Empty Bowls has donated more than $57,000 to hunger and homeless assistance programs in the city. Last year's event raised more than $14,000, according to Dan White, a member of Racine's Empty Bowls committee.
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