Vote for North Shore Bank in the Best of Milwaukee
North Shore Bank is a finalist in the Shepherd Express‘s Best of Milwaukee 2020 contest. Through December 3, vote for the bank at the bottom of this page!

To vote for the bank, scroll down and click category “Services Rendered”:

When the new menu loads, scroll down to click subcategory “Bank”:

Click the green VOTE button next to North Shore Bank’s name and then enter your email address and name. For your vote to be valid, you must vote in at least four more subcategories, too.

You can only vote as yourself, and only the one time. Full contest rules and instructions are at the link. If you choose to vote, thank you! •••

Mindful challenge Week 2: Making the choice isn’t hard

Your Zen minute: Every experience you have is a system with two parts — there’s (1) the thing and (2) you perceiving it. Just as a TV image could be fuzzy or jittery or too dark because of the settings, so too can a conversation, an email, or a situation look funny or bad because of how you’re feeling. When you notice a negative response, pause and check to see where the negativity is coming from.

---

Last week, we began our mindful challenge with seven simple daily activities — instructions to focus on different obvious but often unnoticed aspects of your everyday life. How did it go? (We’d love to hear about it! See below.)

It takes some effort to keep a mindfulness habit going, but not a huge or demanding amount — it’s just about letting yourself pause and make the choice. And it will pay off in the end: The more you allow yourself to slow down and just be in the current moment, the better you feel physically, the calmer you become. It becomes easier to look at things in a more positive light.

Here are your activities for Week 2:

Mindful tactile exercise Pinch your arm and pay close attention to how it feels and what your emotions start to do. Notice the pain it causes, and how it radiates out from the point where you pinched, flowing through your body. This exercise really tunes you in to how your body deals with discomfort and what emotions arise.

Silent walking exercise At some point today, take 10 minutes to walk silently either indoors or outside. Stay silent through the entire walk, so you can hear what your mind is producing. As your attention is pulled to certain objects or sounds, call them out by naming them out loud three times. Notice what happens when you do this.

Mindful waiting Anytime you find yourself waiting today, take this chance to practice mindfulness, gratitude, or meditation. What if you were to practice being on the lookout for moments of waiting in the day? Instead of grabbing something to fill the space, honor it as a chance to be OK with just waiting. Today, be happy to wait!

Mindful tasting Taste something with a strong flavor, like a tangerine. Pay close attention to what happens in your mouth, and what feelings the taste brings out. Really try to appreciate how the object tastes and makes you feel. Breathe it in without thinking of anything else. Appreciate every aspect and emotion of the taste.

Mindful melting exercise Super easy to do anywhere! Sit, relax, and imagine yourself becoming so relaxed that you are melting into everything around you. Just let your mind clear when doing this, and purely relax and melt away.

Full sensory awareness Wherever you are, just stop and look around (as long as it’s safe to do so). Become aware of everything your senses pick up. How do you feel? Do you feel happy? Excited? Anxious? Take a moment and appreciate where you are and what is happening, along with how you are actually feeling in this moment.

Mindful hand awareness Grasp your hands together really tightly and hold that for 5 to 10 seconds before releasing. Pay attention to how your hands feel. Keep your attention focused on the feeling for as long as you can. Do this a few times during the day until you truly appreciate how it feels and how your body and mind deal with it.

Thanks for reading! If you’re trying this challenge, let us know how it’s going at shorelines@northshorebank.com. —Pat Ingelse, AVP, PMP •••

MLK Drive feasts on Red Lobster at Wrap-Up Rally

MLK Drive employees gathered for the Zoom Wrap-Up Rally on October 28. Assistant branch manager Shamika Harris handled table setting for the celebratory dinner, while teller Josh Moreno handled beverages. Teller Nazirah Tate took care of customers at the drive-up window until the rally began.

“What a great team and what an exciting evening!” said branch manager Angela Byrd, who picked up dinner for the team at Red Lobster. Josh also won a gift card in the drawing at the rally. •••

SOAR Together Tributes: October 2020
Last month’s winners of our Seymour Salutes awards are Carrie Feiker, Lori Zaleski, Andja Gligorevic, and Elise Lueneburg. Read more about their achievements here!

Zoo Boo attendance numbers down, but still strong
Final attendance numbers for the North Shore Bank Zoo Boo at the NEW Zoo are in, and the monthlong Halloween event can be deemed a scary success, even though head counts were down because of COVID-19. Over four weekends in October, the Zoo Boo drew a total 9,681 visitors. That’s down from 12,789 in 2019.

“We truly appreciate the opportunity to be the title sponsor for the Zoo Boo,” district manager Kerri Collins said. “While the attendance was down due to the pandemic, many people were thrilled to take advantage of this safe family event.” Here’s to an even more spooktacular 2021! •••

Kindness Crew ready to shop local
In honor of World Kindness Day tomorrow, Friday, November 13, and Small Business Saturday on November 28, our Kindness Crew will be shopping local this month. Crew members will receive $500 to spend at local businesses, purchasing items to give away within the community. Giveaway items will be marked with our kindness stickers, and we hope to get some photos of our crew in action.

We hope you’ll try to shop local this month too! Our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter feeds will feature posts using the #BankOnKindness hashtag. Happy happy-making! •••

Social media winners of the week!
Here are this week’s winners of our social media sharing giveaway: Loan servicing supervisor Kerry Carrasco and Northside assistant branch manager Cathy Straka each helped promote North Shore Bank content and won $75 to spend at Fanatics. Congratulations to both of them!

All you need to do for a chance to win is like or share North Shore Bank content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. More details here. •••

Branches raising funds to honor teacher lost to covid

Through the end of November, North Shore Bank’s northeast branches will offer free coin counting to raise funds for the Howard-Suamico Education Foundation’s Heidi Hussli Memorial Fund. The fund honors a 47-year-old Bay Port German teacher who died of COVID-19 in September.

Members of the public who take advantage of the free coin counting can donate some or all of the counted coins to the fund. North Shore Bank is matching donations up to a total $500.

“The funds will be used in a meaningful way to continue the traditions Heidi cherished with her German language students,” Howard-Suamico and Pulaski branch manager Katie Presser said in a press release. “We encourage everyone to please join us in donating.” Donations are also being accepted through the HSEF website. •••

New Hires for November 12
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Oak Creek personal banker Tiffany Cacciotti has lived in Racine all her life and was previously a branch manager at Tri City National Bank. “I enjoy camping with my family at our place up north,” she says. “We always camp Halloween weekend with our entire family, regardless of the weather. We play cards, ride four-wheelers and golf carts, and enjoy the campfire and outdoors.” •••