Bank wins Patriot Award as Appleton parade returns

It was a banner year for both the Appleton Flag Day Parade and North Shore Bank, as we participated in the venerable event for the 30th year.

June 12 marked the 70th annual appearance of the parade, which has the distinction of being the United States’ oldest Flag Day parade. Flag Day, officially celebrated every year on June 14, commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the American flag in 1777.

The theme of this year’s Appleton parade was “Home of the Brave: Honoring Frontline Workers.” While the parade typically honors a branch of the military, this year it also recognized the challenges and achievements of healthcare workers, police, emergency personnel, and other local heroes who have gone above and beyond throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s parade was canceled, along with most other large gatherings, because of the virus.

As in years past, North Shore Bank employees and family members rode on a float in the parade, joined by members of Girl Scout Troop 2032. Our float won the Patriot Award, which honors past and longtime parade committee members.

Our floats are built each year by Mark Klemme of Klemme Floats in Wauwatosa, said Northland teller supervisor Patt Kox, who often helps develop the design concept with him.

“I take what the parade committee sends me as a theme and maybe come up with a bit of an idea and send it off to Mark,” she said. “And then he’ll tell me what he’s come up with. Usually, he has so many good ideas, because he’s done so many of these.”

The bank has won six awards for our floats over the past 30 years, including this year’s award. We won the Grand Marshal Award in 2006, the Mayor’s Choice Award in 2009, and the John Bradley Memorial Award for the most patriotic entry in 2011. We also won the Patriot Award in 2018 and 2019.

“We have always felt that people have an important place in the float design, so we have been lucky to have employees and kids ride and walk along with the float,” Patt said.

“It was a beautiful day for a parade, and everyone was so happy to be there!” personal banker Wylee Meinhardt said.

Fox 11 News interviewed Menasha branch manager Deb Cumming about the bank’s longtime participation in the parade. “It’s very exciting to be a part of that,” she told them.

If you missed the 2021 Appleton Flag Day Parade, it is streaming on WeAreGreenBay.com. It will also be aired again on local CBS affiliate WFRV this Sunday at 11 a.m. •••

Feed, encounter giraffes this Saturday in Racine

Want to feed a giraffe? You have your chance this Saturday at the Racine Zoo.

In celebration of World Giraffe Day, zoo visitors will get to enjoy crafts, games, and other activities all day long. And North Shore Bank is letting guests feed Mac and Jabari, the zoo’s Masai giraffes, on us (until the giraffe treats run out). Guests will also be able to stop at stations and learn from conservation education specialists.

The bank sponsors the zoo’s Giraffe Encounter. Saturday’s event is part of the zoo’s Zoorific Saturday series. •••

All the plaques on the wall

“When credit rep asked about a bank for financing,” reads this comment card from a customer who recently leased an RV, “we saw all the plaques on wall from North Shore, so I said, ‘They must be a good bank — maybe we should use them.’” •••

WMBA, NeighborWorks Green Bay tap Boland for roles

It’s been a big month for vice president consumer lending manager Chris Boland, who was named to the Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association 2021-22 state board of directors and also named chairman of the board for nonprofit NeighborWorks Green Bay.

The WMBA is a trade association that supports members of the residential real estate finance industry across the state. NeighborWorks was founded in 1982 and has helped thousands of families in Green Bay achieve the goal of home ownership. Chris has been involved with the nonprofit since 2008; last year, he and his father helped out with service projects around town. •••

Exhausted? Stop and feel the well of energy within

If you’re feeling drained today, don’t worry — the well of energy within you is still there. Pause. Can you feel it? Can you draw on it?

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

I HAVE THE STRENGTH to get across the finish line. I can feel my body and mind recharging.

This meditation was adapted from A Mindful Day: 365 Ways to Live Life With Peace, Clarity, and an Open Heart, by David Dillard-Wright. How did it go for you? Share your thoughts and feelings in Shorelines and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the book!

If you’d like a daily email reminder to do one minute of mindfulness, email us with the subject “Mindfulness reminder.” —Pat Ingelse, AVP and PMP •••

Have info accessible in case of a hospital trip
Are you prepared for a surprise trip to the hospital? You probably want to be. If you were incapacitated, you’d want your family to have some idea of what your wishes were, if they had to make any decisions on your behalf. More to the point, you’d want them to know what medications you were taking and to be aware of your medical history, so that they could make sure your doctors and nurses knew too.

UMR’s Healthy You magazine has put together an article on how to be ready for an unexpected hospitalization. Among other things, they recommend having “medical documents and information organized and available” to your spouse or another family member designated to speak for you to healthcare providers. Essential information to give them includes a list of the prescription and over-the-counter meds you’re taking, a list of your allergies (if any), and copies of legal documents such as a living will, power of attorney, or healthcare proxy. •••