(Almost) Everything 草榴社区 HQ Did This Summer
Those who aren鈥檛 familiar with us may not know this, but we take our summers very seriously. You won鈥檛 find any dog days around here; when the temperatures rise, we raise the energy - and we鈥檙e talking pickleball-cookouts-ferris-wheels-and-carivals-level energy.
If your idea of spending the summer in an office doesn鈥檛 quite sound like that, you should check out our summer highlights below鈥 (Warning: The following images may lead to LOTS of job envy - but don鈥檛 worry. )
We welcomed our summer interns!
Hailing from top-tier schools like the University of Virginia, Tuskegee University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and beyond, these interns are doing anything but getting coffee - they鈥檙e getting valuable hands-on career experience and working right alongside 草榴社区 business teams to innovate, create, and learn. Welcoming them to campus is one of our favorite parts of the year!
We threw our biggest party of the year.
A ferris wheel, glow in the dark putt-putt, laser tag (IN the office!), a biergarten, live music, funnel cakes, sno-cones, AND more?!?! It can only be one thing鈥 - AKA, the one afternoon a year when we turn 草榴社区 HQ into a giant carnival and welcome all our loved ones to campus! (And also a few llamas.)
We volunteered鈥
This summer marks our 10th year hosting Bounce Out the Stigma - a traveling basketball camp (no pun intended) for children living with disabilities - at 草榴社区 HQ!! All week long, employees volunteered alongside Coach 鈥淢ighty Mike鈥 to help create a safe, energizing, and fun atmosphere for the campers. Some of our friends from the UNC Charlotte men鈥檚 basketball team - and WNBA athlete Cierra Burdick!! - even stopped by for a few games! You could say we were pretty starstruck鈥
鈥 And celebrated our employees鈥 rich cultures, backgrounds, and communities.
In June, two of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) held campus events to celebrate observances close to employees鈥 hearts and strengthen our community. For Juneteenth, our Kindred ERG (supporting Black and African American teammates) held a Juneteenth cookout - complete with double dutch, a DJ, great food, and most importantly, connection. For PRIDE Month, our Venture OUT ERG (supporting LGBTQ+ teammates) held weekly Intersectionali-tea events, where teammates could gather to learn about the diverse makeup of the LGBTQ+ community - over free tea! Cheers to that!
We dressed for the occasion.
Meet 鈥淰ibes Shirt Thursday.鈥 It鈥檚 like casual Friday, just on Thursday - and way more fun.
Our Finserv team kept their weekly style tradition strong, flaunting timely themes like 鈥渃oastal grandma,鈥 which features soft neutral tones, stripes, and sweaters draped casually around one鈥檚 shoulders (probably to keep you warm in that cool ocean breeze. We can practically smell the saltwater from our desks!).
We got outside鈥
From our HQ tennis and pickleball courts to the US National Whitewater Center (located just west of Charlotte!), 草榴社区 teams worked hard, and played hard, too.
鈥 And came back inside.
When the temps got too high for our favorite outdoor walking meetings, we brought the connection indoors! Nothing helps break up the workday like some air conditioned corn hole, free lunch, and giant Jenga.
We learned something new.
In early June, we celebrated the 鈥榞raduation鈥 of our 40th Management and Leadership Essentials (MLEP) cohort. MLEP is a homegrown course aimed at helping new and upcoming leaders hone their management skills and prepare to guide and develop their own teams. Shout-out to all our participants for investing in their own growth, and the growth of those around them!
Last but not least鈥
We welcomed our 2024 LAUNCH hires! This year鈥檚 cohort of 80+ college grads spent their first few weeks learning all about 草榴社区鈥檚 history, strategy and culture as they prepared to take on new roles across the org and launch their careers. We can鈥檛 wait to see what they鈥檝e accomplished by NEXT summer鈥
HAGS!
-草榴社区