Reunited, and it feels so good! Not only was “ReUnite” the theme of Rappahannock United Way’s (RUW) 2022 – 2023 workplace campaign, but it was a welcomed reality for our Stafford employees who have largely been working remotely since 2020. Hilldrup’s workplace campaign took place over the course of two weeks, two days of which included activities in-person at our headquarters, to have fun and fundraise for RUW’s mission of improving the lives of those in our local community.

Stafford employees were encouraged to donate in a number of ways, and based on a variety of fun activities, to support our workplace campaign. From our highly anticipated balloon toss competition to a basket raffle and a silent auction, there was so many ways to have fun and give back! Below is a breakdown, with details and photos, of our Kickoff Week and the creative ways our employees strive to all “Be There!” for RUW and those in our community who benefit from the services RUW provides.

Monday, October 3rd

We kicked off our workplace campaign by encouraging all employees to donate – no matter the dollar amount to RUW. From ePledge cards to cash contributions, we’re so grateful to everyone who contributed! Congrats to our below winners who each received a $50 gift card as well:

• James Weickert for being the first person to complete a pledge card.
• Heather Frields who won among the raffle of employees who had a rollover pledge, continuing their pledge from prior years.
• Mary Katherine Wood who won the raffle of all first-time pledgers

We’re so excited that we surpassed our goal of 60 pledges this year, which was a record high! Employees could also purchase an All Access Pass for $25.00 to be able to participate in all activities for the week.

Tuesday, October 4^th

The second day of KickOff Week began with a delicious waffle breakfast bar, cooked by Hilldrup’s Senior Management Team, from 7am until 9am in our Training Room. Later that afternoon, we enjoyed our annual water balloon toss (an event that we were finally able to partake in again since before the pandemic). Congratulations to first place winners David Brooks and Devin Carter who each won $100 gift cards and second place winners Ashley Lamb and Eileen Williams who each won $50 gift cards. Finally, we hosted a flu shot and COVID booster clinic so that employees could take advantage of this important service while in the office!

Thursday, October 6^th

Hilldrup employees returned to the office for more in-person RUW activities on Thursday. We supplied all-you-can-eat pizza, desserts and drinks for $3/employee with all donations directly supporting RUW. Congratulations to Santos Reyes who was the winner of the “golden ticket” under his slice of pizza, winning him a $50 gift card. Employees were also encouraged to wear pink this day in support of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Bids for our silent auction also went live this day – 15 valuable items (including a KitchenAid Mixer, NutriBullet Blender, 2022 HP Laptop and more!) were up for grabs with pictures of the items displayed for employees to view.

Friday, October 7^th

By Friday, it was time to pick some additional winners – namely, our basket raffle, which employees participated in entering throughout the week! Employees purchased raffle tickets to put their physical ticket into a jar for the basket(s) they were interested in winning. With 8 creative baskets up for grabs, we appreciated the high turnout for this activity! Congratulations to our winners:

• Basket 1 – Flavors Around the World: Shelly Snyder
• Basket 2 – Bourbon Barrels: Akemi Piekarski
• Basket 3 – Mexican Fiesta: Kolby Yothers
• Basket 4 – Gift Card Tree: Angela Frazier
• Basket 5 – Date Night #1: Kim Gentry
• Basket 6 – Charles Basket: Kim Sarratt
• Basket 7 – Date Night #2: Robin Allison-Jones
• Basket 8 – Jumbo T: Eric Hill

Friday, October 14

After two weeks of donations, we had our last winner to select!  Our pot for the 50/50 raffle totaled $2,438, meaning the winner took home $1,219! Congratulations to Lidia Lungoccia who was our 50/50 raffle winner!

Hilldrup’s RUW KickOff Week would not have been possible without RUW Campaign Chair & RUW Board Member Jordan McDaniel Hinkebein, Marketing Director (left), and Co-Chair Onie Girton, Senior Vice President, Sales and Client Services (right). The week was packed full with creative, fun and engaging ways to give back!

We loved ReUniting with each other, supporting our community and raising funds for the work and services that RUW provides to our greater Fredericksburg community. THANK YOU, Team Hilldrup for your enthusiasm, participating and generosity! Together, Hilldrup employees raised $37,131.80 for RUW. Great job, team!

Jordan McDaniel Author