35 years in, Beth Williams stays busy — and positive
Five years ago, Beth Williams had a different job title — system processes support specialist. But although her business card now says “data analyst,” she says the actual work involved hasn’t really changed. “It’s just different week, different stuff,” she says with a chuckle.

She talked with Shorelines about how things are going as she marks her anniversary with North Shore Bank. Read more now!

Mobile concert takes Shorewood back to the ’80s

North Shore Bank helped bring some retro fun to Shorewood on September 18, sponsoring Milwaukee’s Mixtape MKE to play ’80s hits on a stage behind a truck that took the band through the neighborhood and beyond.

The “We’ve Got the ’80s” mobile concert was the latest installment of a series of monthly musical events put on by the Shorewood Business Improvement District. “The idea is to get people to come out, pick up dinner at local restaurants, and enjoy being outdoors while social distancing and listening to the music,” Shorewood branch manager Shannon Weber said. “This also supports the local stores and restaurants.”

For the first hour of the performance, the band stayed on Oakland Avenue. The next two hours, they played while being driven around the surrounding area, with a livestream letting others tune in for the show.

“I am so glad we were able to help host an event that brought the community out to enjoy the evening together, while everyone was still able to socially distance,” Shannon said. “I also loved being able to watch and enjoy it through a livestream. It was a lot of fun.” •••

Boland and father pitch in, do part for NeighborWorks

VP consumer lending manager Chris Boland was out and about last week, as part of NeighborWorks Green Bay’s volunteer effort to clean and fix up the community.

Chris, who serves as vice president of the nonprofit’s board, helped repair and update a front stoop at an apartment building on the city’s west side. His father pitched in on the project, too. North Shore Bank was just one of many sponsors for the Good Neighbor Week event, he said.

“This was done since we could not do our normal annual meeting and fundraiser,” Chris said. “So the organization partnered with the city and did service projects all week, with ours being the last one at a group of apartments that NWGB owns.”

Local news media covered the event, with stories on Fox 11, WFRV, and other stations. •••

Mindful Minute: Week One of the Gratitude Challenge

By Pat Ingelse, Assistant Vice President, PMP

Gratitude… it seems like such a little thing, yet its impact is enormous. A simple “thank you” may be the one bright spot in someone’s really dark day. Think for a moment about the first taste of your favorite food — I bet you just smiled, didn’t you?

Being grateful for things in your life, no matter how large or small, makes such a difference both inward and in what we share. Studies have shown that gratitude provides a host of benefits, including a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, and more and stronger feelings of optimism and happiness.

October’s Mindful Minute will be in multiple parts. Welcome to the Gratitude Challenge! Each issue of Shorelines will include six daily challenge prompts to help you identify some reasons to be grateful. Simply write down your responses (maybe in a journal or a special tablet). As the month progresses, take time to truly reflect on the things that are important to you, especially in these uncharted, challenging times. Realize there really are great things around you.

Let’s get started! Here are your prompts for the next six days:

• Day 1: Who is a person you are grateful for and why?
• Day 2: What is a place you are grateful for and why?
• Day 3: What is a food you really love? What special memories come up when you think of it?
• Day 4: What is an experience you treasure? What makes it special?
• Day 5: Who is a teacher who had a positive impact on you?
• Day 6: What skill are you grateful for? How are you using it?

More prompts next week — thanks for reading! •••

Spooky fun awaits at Zoo Boo

Reminder: Tickets for the North Shore Bank Zoo Boo are on sale at the NEW Zoo and online at newzoo.org. The Halloween event takes place Fridays and Saturdays starting next week and includes a whole bunch of fun for the entire family, like treats, a scavenger hunt, and the Happy Haunted Maze. Social distancing will be enforced to ensure the safety of guests and employees. •••

Fox Point’s Levine gets engaged

Fox Point universal banker Anna Levine got engaged earlier this month, while visiting friends in Watertown with her boyfriend (now fiancé), Tony.

“His best friend’s girlfriend and I have grown very close, and she said she wanted to take some pictures of all of us, because we don’t have any really nice ones together,” Anna said. “They said there was a river by their new house that would be cute to take the pictures at. We got there and started feeding the ducks, and after we were down there for about an hour, Tony told me to go closer to the water. When I turned around, he was grinning so hard and grabbed something from his pocket and got on his knee. I was completely shocked, but SO happy.”

The couple are hoping for a wedding in spring 2022, assuming that COVID-19 restrictions are less stringent by then. Congratulations, Anna and Tony! •••