What little things can we do to spread kindness?

Little things can make somebody’s day: Last month, a parent from St. Joseph Parish School in Grafton reached out asking if North Shore Bank could contribute to the K-8 school’s April auction fundraiser. She was connected with Grafton branch manager Jennifer Mantooth, who arranged for us to donate a Family Four-Pack of tickets to the Milwaukee County Zoo.

“Wow, you are amazing! Thank you so much for your generosity, as well as your prompt and courteous reply. I truly appreciate it!” the parent wrote back, noting that with a full schedule of work and volunteering, she was truly grateful for our offer to deliver the tickets. “As a mom who is stretched thin but truly believes in the value of community and quality education, I can honestly say you have made my day with your kindness and help.”

Isn’t it often the case that a small gesture can make a big difference? This month, we’d love to hear your stories, ideas, and examples of “little things” somebody has done or can do to spread kindness.

Send your thoughts to shorelines@northshorebank.com. We’ll run them in Shorelines over the next few weeks! •••

Fundraiser brings in almost $9K for food pantries

Our February fundraiser for nine Wisconsin food pantries resulted in almost $9,000 in donations to help feed the hungry. North Shore Bank employees also volunteered at St. Joseph Food Program in Menasha and Grace Welcome Center in Kenosha. (And of course, those organizations and the Milwaukee Christian Center also collected food at our three Race for the Hungry events.)

“We all had a great time helping out,” Northland teller supervisor Patt Kox said. “They even let me use the pallet jack!”

Our final social media sharing winner for February was North End personal banker Breanna Rooney, who received a $75 gift card to Fanatics sports apparel and collectibles. •••

Give yourself time, say this week’s working moms

To celebrate National Working Moms Day on March 12, we asked our current and former working moms to share photos of their kids and thoughts on how they’ve balanced the demands of their careers and parenting.

“As a mom of three girls born in 1993, 1994, and 1998, I found that working full time was very challenging when they were young,” says district manager Kerri Collins. “When my first two daughters were born 13 months apart, I considered staying home full time — but I really enjoyed my job, so my husband and I did whatever was needed to make it work. When I was not working, my focus was finding the right balance of family time and me time. I took up walking, yoga, and biking to keep myself healthy and grounded. I always hoped I would not regret working while raising my family, and to this day I know it was the right choice for me. I believe my daughters admire the balance I found in having a successful career and raising three beautiful women.”

“One way I balance work and family life is by working 32 hours a week instead of 40,” says commercial portfolio manager and mother of three Julie Sterna. “After my boys were born, they had lots of weekly appointments, so I reduced my hours to be able to juggle everything — it also saved me from paying for day care times three! Even though all of my kids are in school now, I use my day off to meal prep, catch up on laundry, run errands, take the kids to various appointments, volunteer in their classrooms, and occasionally get a little me time. It’s also usually my one guaranteed day to get a workout in and helps save the weekends for some family fun and all of their various activities. I’m also fortunate that my parents live close by and are willing to help out with my kids.”

She adds: “One small time-saver I have found very useful is to buy chicken breast and ground turkey breast in bulk from Costco. I spend a few hours prepping and cutting the chicken and browning the turkey, and then I freeze it all. This saves me a lot of time when I’m trying to get dinner on the table after a day of work.”

“I am conflicted on the whole ‘Working Moms Day’ — I would call it Parenting Day instead, or even Family Day,” says video teller Erika Garcia. “All moms and kids are different. Not everyone will understand what some moms do, and many people will even judge other moms. Stay-at-home moms are ‘working’ moms too, and their ‘jobs’ don’t end. There are also grandparents who help parents out or raise children as their own, sometimes while also working themselves. Some moms get help from significant others or co-parent, as well as friends and co-workers. Even teachers and day care workers are like parents to our kids while we are working! So to be working moms, we need lots of other people too.”

Got any words of wisdom or advice about being a working mom? Share with us at shorelines@northshorebank.com. Winners of our prizes — The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown and a paid half day off — have been selected and will be announced on March 10. •••

Neuville, Speich win Q1 drawing

Sturgeon Bay teller supervisor Tara Neuville and Muskego universal banker Sara Speich are the winners of the Employee Recognition Program drawing for Q1 of 2022. Tara won $150, and Sara won $100.

Employees who earn two or more recognition points in a quarter are entered into the drawing once for each point. Employees earn points for being mentioned positively by name in customer survey responses or other communications from customers. Employees who get at least 10 recognition points in one year are entered into an annual drawing for one of two prizes of $200. •••

March auto refi promotion offers nice options
Through March 31, North Shore Bank is offering a 3.25 percent APR for up to 72 months on refinanced auto loans. Customers who qualify can also choose to defer payment for three months. Customers who choose not to defer their payments can get payment protection, which can shield them from serious financial harm if illness, death, or another life emergency interferes with their ability to make payments later on.

This promotion includes some other nice new features, including expanded terms and fewer documentation requirements for loans under $50,000. Our rates are highly competitive both with and without promotions like this, so if you know someone or talk to a customer who might save money by refinancing their auto loan, be sure to mention this valuable opportunity. •••

For improving credit, try a Credit Builder Loan
Know anybody whose credit score could use a boost? A North Shore Bank Credit Builder Loan can be a great way to help make that happen. Here’s how it works:

Once a borrower is approved for a Credit Builder Loan between $1,000 and $4,000, those funds are placed in a certificate of deposit account — the borrower does not get to use the money. The borrower then makes monthly payments for 12 or 24 months. When the amount is paid in full, the borrower then has access to the funds in the CD account, plus whatever interest has accrued.

Making the monthly payments on time shows credit bureaus that the borrower can manage debt responsibly. And when the Credit Builder Loan is paid off, the borrower now has money in savings and most likely a higher credit score. (Most borrowers will see a boost, but it also depends on their other financial activities during the loan period.)

Credit Builder Loans are perfect for students and others with a limited credit history, or for borrowers who want to improve their credit scores. Let your family, friends, and customers know about this great option. You can find more information on the bank website, and download handouts to print out through Ask Seymour. •••

Peace doesn’t just happen — it takes work

We seem to have a mistaken belief about peace, whether we are talking about peace in our individual lives or on the world stage. We think it is a kind of absence, an absence of conflict or antagonism. That gives us the false idea that peace is something passive, that it just drops out of the sky. Peace is actually something we can bring on through our own efforts. On a personal level, it means cultivating it through meditation, and perhaps more. Dig deep and be determined to stick to your plan for peace.

Try this meditation for one minute every day, or longer if you want to:

TAKE A MOMENT to think about what you can do to achieve peace for yourself. It may be taking five minutes to simply be, writing a letter on behalf of a cause that means something to you, or something else.

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. —Saint Francis de Sales

How did this meditation go for you? Share your experience at shorelines@northshorebank.com and you’ll be entered to win a copy of A Mindful Day: 365 Ways to Live Life With Peace, Clarity, and an Open Heart, by David Dillard-Wright.

If you’d like a daily email reminder to practice one minute of mindfulness, email us with the subject “Mindfulness reminder.” •••

Weekend offers Family Free Day at zoo, CP telethon
Looking for something to do? Here are suggestions from the bank’s event calendar.

Family Free Day at the Milwaukee County Zoo is this Saturday, March 5. Sponsored by North Shore Bank, the day lets the public — including YOU and your family and friends — enjoy the zoo at no charge. (Parking and concessions fees are still in place.) Come explore between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.!

The 2022 Cerebral Palsy Telethon takes place this Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6. This virtual fundraiser helps infants, children, and adults with CP throughout northeast Wisconsin. North Shore Bank employees will be answering calls again this year, and you can help by calling your friends for support or taking calls from the community as well. More information here. •••