BANK ON KINDNESS
Kindness is in the air at Warm Your Heart event for charity
Deposit Operations Representative Debra Jones at the Warm Your Heart bake sale.
A bake sale with festively decorated sweet treats, postcards with messages of kindness, and delicious hot cocoa brought employees at the Corporate office together for the Warm Your Heart event on Valentine’s Day. All proceeds from the event, part of our Bank on Kindness™ initiative, will benefit Repairers of the Breach, a daytime shelter and resource center for people experiencing homelessness in Milwaukee.
Generous employees donated needed products and clothing to the shelter.
Our employees showed their generosity with many donations for the shelter, including cleaning and sanitation supplies, meal program items, clothing, and personal care items.
In addition, employees donated $700 in cash to support the shelter’s good work in taking care of others in need.
Employees, many in red and pink, enjoyed the fun event.
The Brookfield Square branch celebrated as part of Warm Your Heart! Front row, left to right: Teller Lisa Gerwitz, Lead Teller Raysha Marrero Camacho, Branch Manager Mariella Zarb; back row, left to right: Assistant Branch Manager Matthew Cieslak, Teller Karen Pofahl, and Personal Banker Peg Siebauer.
VP, Security/Payments Manager Lyneen Fischer made the yummy hot cocoa.
Employees baked and decorated Valentine’s Day sweets for the bake sale.
Employees had many yummy treats to choose from at the bake sale, and colored kindness cards to mail to family and friends.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Photos of the week
The Pulaski branch—Associate Banker Zach Burmeister, Assistant Branch Manager Caitlin Maloney, Community Engagement Manager Katie Longsine, and Lead Teller Tricia Whitney—is showing love for their customers in their pink and red!
Liliana Grace Ruiz, now 7 months old, shares the Valentine’s Day love! Lili’s parents are Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Ruiz and her husband, Rafael.
OUT OF OFFICE
Somers is hooked on crochet, creating beautiful blankets for her family
Lincoln, Alena, and Rayna show off blankets handmade by their mom, Oak Creek Branch Manager Heather Somers.
Oak Creek Branch Manager Heather Somers jokes that she attended the “University of YouTube” to learn how to crochet, a hobby she took up just a few months ago. But you’d never guess she’s a beginner! In no time, she’s created beautiful, cozy blankets that her kids absolutely love.
“It was really hard at first, but I kept at it,” Heather said. “Once I got the ‘math’ of it, I took off.”
Each new blanket comes with its own challenges, but that’s part of the fun. Over the past several months, she made blankets for each of her three children—Alena, 13; Rayna, 8; and Lincoln, 5. The kids got to pick their favorite colors, while Heather chose the designs, experimenting with stitches and techniques along the way.
Now she’s officially hooked! Heather encourages anyone curious about crochet to give it a shot. “It’s awesome to be able to create something useful and pretty,” she said. “It’s interesting to see the different textures and designs you can put together. I have plans for so many more!”
Nice work, Heather!
NEW HIRES
Welcome to our new hires for January 2025!
Meet your new coworkers, all hired in January 2025! Welcome to all.
Omar Saddiq Jagir Hussin, Teller at Mitchell Street
I recently moved to the U.S. Before joining North Shore Bank, I worked for Host International and Klinik Malaysia Dan Surgery, both based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is my first time working in the banking industry. The thing that attracted me to join North Shore Bank is its focus on communities. I love working with different communities and people. I live in Milwaukee with my family and play soccer as a hobby.
Luis Vargas, Teller at Northland
Prior to joining North Shore Bank, I was employed as a sales representative and estimator for Artistic Creations Pro. This is my first job in the banking industry, and I am eager to learn more. I am currently a finance major at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and wanted to learn about the banking side of finance. I have also been a customer of North Shore Bank for years and saw how great the culture was, which ultimately convinced me to apply as a teller. Outside of work I am a part of the UWO MMA club and enjoy lifting weights. I am also a big Packers fan. I currently live in Oshkosh but commute to work in Appleton.
Ayesha Fayza Yassin, Associate Banker at Martin Luther King Drive
PROMOTIONS
Congratulations to our January 2025 promotions!
Congratulations to all who received promotions in January!
- Dana Scherff was promoted from Vice President, Information Systems to Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer.
- Joshua Wallschlaeger was promoted from Associate Banker to Lead Teller.
- Jason Roloff was promoted from Infrastructure Manager to Information Systems Manager.
- Ann Marie Krecak was promoted from Assistant Controller to Vice President, Assistant Controller.
- Amber Gruhlke was promoted from Contact Center Operations Specialist to Contact Center Supervisor.
- Heather Stevlingson was promoted from Vice President, Controller to Senior Vice President, Controller.
HEALTHY YOU
February focus: Healthy hearts, healthy teens
Take proactive steps to reduce your risk of heart disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but up to 90% of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by taking steps to improve heart health.
- Clean up your diet: Reduce your intake of salt, saturated fats, and cholesterol and increase your intake of high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish.
- Limit alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can cause high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeat, and other heart issues.
- Get moving: Regular aerobic exercise conditions our hearts. Aim for 30 minutes at least three times each week.
- Reduce stress: Researchers believe stress worsens heart conditions.
For more information on keeping your heart healthy and warning signs and symptoms of heart disease, click here.
Excessive social media use linked to mental health issues in teens
Social media use by teens is nearly universal, with up to 95% of people ages 13 to 17 using at least one social media platform. Unfortunately, many teens are on social media for hours every day, which interferes with their sleep and in-person time with family and friends. It can also fuel feelings of addiction, anxiety, depression, and isolation.
If you have concerns about how social media is affecting a teen in your life, click here for tips and helpful resources.
What’s new with you? Share it with Shorelines!
Just a reminder that we’re always looking for fun and exciting things to share in Shorelines. Whether it’s a special event at your branch or a shout-out to one of your coworkers, a great trip you went on with family or friends, information about a half-marathon you’re running, or even just a fantastic photo you took over the weekend, we’d love to share it! Please email shorelines@northshorebank.com to have your news included in a future issue.
Customer Loyalty Tip of the Week
Start each day with a clean slate. Do not carry around past negative experiences that you have had with customers or co-workers.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Discover events and activities in and around your community
- Fox Cities Kidz Expo | Saturday, March 1 (9:00 AM) | Fox Cities Exhibition Center | 355 W. Lawrence St., Appleton, WI