Shine United Named Best Place to Work in 2022 by Outside Magazine

Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Focus: Advertising, public relations, and marketing
Number of employees: 47
Average salary: Unspecified
Vacation time: Ten days of PTO to start

Perks: Half-day summer Fridays, free lunches, a full bar for “beer-30s,” flexible work hours and hybrid work-from home schedule, annual all-expenses-paid company gatherings, 100 percent of health insurance covered, an outdoor adventure incentive program, unlimited sick time, and a paid weeklong-plus sabbatical after 10 years that covers up to $10,000

What makes it great: “We live what we work. Anything that feeds that passion is encouraged, celebrated, revered. Need a coffee shop hangout to change up the scenery? Done. Need an afternoon hike in the big outdoors to get those creative juices flowing? See you later. Need an offsite collaborative get-together with your team? Make it happen. Shiners not only get paid to work on awesome outdoor brands but get paid to go be in the outdoors! You truly can’t beat that.”

Read the full article here

Ascendium: $100K Grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County to Support Local Students’ College, Career Success

A local program with a proven track record of helping area youth develop the skills, habits and experiences to be successful in their college and career journeys is getting an extra boost from a $100,000 grant. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County has been awarded one of Ascendium’s Good Neighbor Grants and is using the funds to support the operating costs of its Advancement via Individual Determination/Teens of Promise Program (AVID/TOPS).

AVID/TOPS, a partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), is a rigorous college and career preparatory program primarily serving students from low-income backgrounds, students of color and aspiring first-generation college students. Some of its offerings include academic support, college field trips, career exploration activities and internship opportunities. Almost 1,000 MMSD students participate in AVID/TOPS.

Ascendium’s grant will benefit students like Benjamin Davis, who participated in AVID/TOPS during his four years at Madison East High School. Through the program, Davis received tutoring services, visited organizations across Madison to learn more about the jobs they offer, participated in paid summer internships and toured college campuses. Davis is now a sophomore business major at Bryant & Stratton College with plans to transfer to Marquette University or the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee next year to pursue a career as a financial advisor.

“Receiving guidance on critical thinking, study methods and professional language really put me ahead of my peers. The college field trips were especially beneficial since, as a first-generation college student, you don’t know what you don’t know,” Davis said. “There were many people who helped me and with whom I connected as part of AVID/TOPS. For me, AVID/TOPS is more than just a program — it’s a family.”

“AVID/TOPS is making a difference in the lives of students by putting them on a path to realize their greatest potential,” Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, said. “We are able to do this through a robust program and dedicated staff who build impactful relationships with members to help position so many of them for success. This funding will allow us to maintain and grow the remarkable successes of AVID/TOPS. We are grateful to Ascendium for their support.” 

This grant is just one of 10 Good Neighbor Grants Ascendium awarded in the fall of 2022 for a total award amount of $1 million. The grants are unique in that they are entirely employee-driven. Ascendium employees nominate and vote for nonprofits that positively impact the communities where they live and work. The recipients use the funding to increase education and workforce training outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.

“We’re thrilled with our employees’ decision to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and students like Benjamin with a Good Neighbor Grant,” Brett Lindquist, Ascendium’s vice president – strategic communications, said. “Being able to continue our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and play a small part in helping these students realize their dreams is incredibly rewarding.”

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County is a leader in youth development programs, working with local businesses, foundations and community programs to produce positive outcomes for more than 7,500 young people and their families. Our core program areas include character and leadership, health and wellness, education and career development, sports and recreation and the arts. To learn more, visit bgcdc.org.

About Ascendium

Ascendium Education Group is committed to making education and training beyond high school a reality for more people. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we fund initiatives across the U.S. that help learners from low-income backgrounds achieve upward mobility; provide student and employee success solutions to colleges and businesses; invest in education-focused innovations to improve learner outcomes; and provide information, tools and counseling to help millions of borrowers successfully repay their federal student loans. While we have many roles, we have one goal — elevating opportunity by creating a world where everyone can rise to their highest potential. To learn more, visit ascendiumeducation.org.

Summit Credit Union Pays $2.5 Million in Member Dividends

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Stephanie Tervort
(608) 243-5000
publicrelations@summitcreditunion.com

Summit Credit Union Pays $2.5 Million in Member Dividends
Cooperative’s Cash Boomerang program puts money in members’ pockets

MADISON, Wis. (Nov. 10, 2022)—Summit Credit Union has announced a patronage dividend of $2.5 million for its members. Called Cash Boomerang¹, the member give-back is based on Summit Credit Union’s financial success and on an individual’s use of Summit checking, savings, and borrowing services between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022.

The annual program will send cash payouts to more than 72,800 members, an increase of 3,800 from last year. In the nine years since Cash Boomerang started, Summit has distributed $19.6 million in cash payouts.

Banks only offer dividends to stockholders, but Summit, a financial cooperative, offers the patronage dividend to members as reminder of the value of doing business with Summit Credit Union, said Kim Sponem, CEO & President.

 “We share our success with members who help build our cooperative. This dividend puts money in the pockets of members. In addition to Cash Boomerang, we work every day to offer members significant savings and financial education,” Sponem said.

“The more business you do at Summit, the more potential dividend you will get because our members are the reason for our success,” she added. “This is one of many ways Summit Credit Union values our members.”

With the October acquisition of Commerce State Bank in West Bend, Wis., Summit Credit Union has more than 50 locations and 235,000 members in south-central and southeastern Wisconsin. For more information about Cash Boomerang, visit www.SummitCreditUnion.com/cash-boomerang.

Summit Credit Union is Wisconsin’s No. 1 Mortgage Lender and has been the largest credit union lender of SBA loans to small businesses in Wisconsin for over a decade. ²

¹No minimum balances are required to be eligible for the program. Any fees/charges applied to an account will reduce the account balance and result in fewer dividends earned. A checking account must be open as of 9/30 of the year of payment to be eligible for the program. Only members in good standing at the date of the payout will receive it if the Cash Boomerang computes to $10 or more, with a maximum of $1,000. Cash Boomerang is not guaranteed. Cash Boomerang is a dividend and subject to tax reporting.

² The Wisconsin #1 Mortgage Lender designation is based on the number of loans originated in 2021, gathered from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data compiled annually by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The results of the data were obtained through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website.

About Summit Credit Union:
Established in 1935, Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Summit holds $6.2 billion in assets and has more than 233,000 members and 882 employees across more than 50 locations throughout south-central and southeastern Wisconsin. Since 2002, Kim Sponem has been CEO & President of Summit Credit Union, formerly known as CUNA Credit Union/Great Wisconsin Credit Union. Recognized for its excellence in employee engagement, Summit was named a Top Workplace in the USA in 2021 and 2022 by Top Workplaces USA and a Top Workplace in the Madison area for 2022 and 2021 by the Wisconsin State Journal. For more information, visit www.summitcreditunion.com or call 608-243-5000 or 800-236-5560. For additional media information, visit https://www.summitcreditunion.com/about-summit/press-room or follow Summit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

One City Scholars to Tour Microsoft Corporation & Starbucks

Will Explore Careers in STEM Fields and Entrepreneurship

This week, 12 One City Scholars enrolled in One City Preparatory Academy will fly to Washington state with our Founder and CEO, Kaleem Caire, to tour Microsoft Corporation and Starbucks. They will also meet with some amazing leaders in the fields of Technology, Education and Philanthropy, and tour the University of Washington as well. Specifically, our Scholars will:

• Learn about careers at one of some World’s leading STEM and Growth Companies 
• Learn about the interests and programs of major philanthropy
• Connect with some of the nation’s leaders in educational technology and education reform 
• Tour one of the world’s leading universities and model cities 
• Broaden our Scholars’ geo-cultural experiences through visits to cultural and national landmarks 

Products of the Trip:

• Each Scholar will write a 3-5 page paper about their experience, what they learned, and new thoughts they have about possible career opportunities for themselves. They will also share how each company they have visited, and each leader they have met with, are having a positive social impact in the United States and/or globally. 
• Scholars attending will host a presentation about their trip to other One City Scholars, staff and families.
• Each Scholar will earn credit for completing a Field Expedition through One City’s Mastery Transcript.

We are so grateful for our local sponsors, Jaeckle Distributors, American Family Insurance Corporation, American Family Dreams Foundation, Summit Credit Union and Starion Bank, for their financial support of this important Career Expedition.

We are also thankful for Mr. Raghu Ramakrishnan, the CTO of Data at Microsoft Corporation, who also serves as a Board member of One City Schools Foundation, and Ms. Tyra Mariani, the President of the Schultz Family Foundation, and their team members, for their support in helping us arrange this trip. We are still looking for additional local sponsors to cover the cost of each Scholar taking this trip: it costs $2,100 per Scholar for flight, lodging and meals from November 9 – 12, 2022.

If you or your business/organization can help us, please email Eliza Waters at ewaters@onecityschools.org. You can also click the “Donate” button below to make your contribution online. Additionally, if our Scholars can take a tour of your business or organization, please email Gail Wiseman at gwiseman@onecityschools.org.

About One City Schools

One City Schools is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization that provides high quality educational opportunities for young children. Our mission is to seed a new model of public education that ensures young children are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory program from birth through high school graduation. We currently operate three schools: a tuition-based independent preschool that serves 2 and 3-year-olds, and two tuition-free public charter schools, authorized by the University of Wisconsin System, that presently enroll children in 4K through 10th grade. We will eventually enroll 926 children from age 2 through through 12th grade and serve as a national model for the transformation of PK-12 education in the United States. 

Lodgic Everyday Community: Nonprofit Night Out & Volunteer Fair

Madison is a pitch-in, lend-a-hand and help-a-neighbor town. To celebrate that philanthropic spirit, Lodgic Everyday Community is hosting a nonprofit night out & volunteer fair, Monday, Nov. 14, from 4-7 p.m. in its event spaces at 2801 Marshall Ct. in the Village of Shorewood Hills.

“We identified – as part of our mission at Lodgic – that we could fill a niche and utilize our community spaces to connect local residents with a wide variety of volunteer opportunities from a roster of great organizations looking for additional support,” says Madison-Based Margaret Ebeling, the interim CEO of Lodgic. “We constructed this event as a small step to answering the often-asked question ‘how can I help?’ especially now when the need for volunteers is so great and the supply so low.”

The volunteer fair runs from 4-7 p.m. and participants will include: The American Red Cross – Wisconsin Region; The Beacon; Big Brother Big Sister; The Canopy Center; Dream Bikes; GiGi’s Playhouse; Heartland Farm Sanctuary; Keep Calm Sensory Zone; The Literacy Network; Lodgic Everyday Community; Lussier Community Education Center; New Bridge Madison; Porchlight; Reach Dane; Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin; Special Olympics Wisconsin; Urban League of Greater Madison; United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County, the UW Arboretum, Ronald McDonald House Charities Madison, and more.

Post-volunteer fair, Lodgic will host a special-nonprofit-networking hour from 7-8 p.m. “For us, the 14^th will be a night of making connections and showcase all the good that people make happen here in Madison and beyond,” adds Ebeling. “It all part of our mission to ‘Do a Little Good Every Day’ here at Lodgic.” The nonprofit night out and volunteer fair are free to attend and open to the public. Free parking is available underneath Lodgic’s building, at the University Crossing medical complex on the north side of Marshall Court or on surrounding streets.