2024 Mid-Year Recap
Happy Independence Day from your friends at Rhyme! The year has been flying by, so we want to take a moment to reflect on the first half of the year and share all the ways we’ve come together as a company and in our communities.
Rhyme Health & Wellness Program
One initiative for the year at Rhyme, which has been a catalyst for many of the events that have taken place in the first half of the year, is our company health and wellness program. With this program, we have the goal of one company-wide event per quarter, wellness resources shared monthly, and increased volunteering to contribute to community wellness.
Our first wellness event of the year was in partnership with Gilda’s Club of Madison. They shared with our team at Rhyme the important work and services they offer, ways to get involved with the club, and gave us a great way to de-stress, teaching us a ‘laughter yoga’ exercise.
Our Q2 wellness event was in partnership with NAMI Wisconsin. This event discussed mental health and workplace wellness and provided valuable tools and resources to find not only work-life balance but harmony.
These events have offered us a great way to connect with each other, learn more about mental health and given us tips on how to take care of ourselves and others.
Rhyme Week of Caring
Being of service to others contributes to the well-being and happiness of the person performing the service in several ways: providing a sense of purpose and fulfillment, strengthening social bonds and creating a sense of community, and numerous other psychological, emotional, and even physical benefits. This is why we knew it had to be a part of Rhyme’s Health & Wellness Program. As a group we arranged three different volunteer opportunities for the first week of May. We had groups volunteer at the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, Portage River Haven Shelter, and Habitat for Humanity of Dane County. These efforts resulted in a record setting number of employees utilizing their Volunteer Time Off at Rhyme and we hope to continue that growth in the future.
Supporting Local Youth and Nonprofits
At Rhyme, we believe in supporting the youth in our communities to foster a brighter future for everyone. One way we contribute is through our annual scholarships for high school seniors. Additionally, we collaborate with local nonprofits to extend our impact.
The Steinhoff family, deeply rooted in Janesville, values giving back to the community. Recently, they donated $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Janesville to support their Capital and Endowment Campaign. This campaign aims to build a new facility to better serve local youth through after-school programs that promote academic achievement, healthy lifestyles, and character development.
We are also proud to support other community initiatives:
- A $30,000 donation to help build the new Children’s Museum of Rock County: Learn more.
- A $20,000 donation to Faith Community Church Community Kitchen to help feed those in need: Learn more.
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club campaign, you can watch this video.
Rhyme Time Scholarships
Every summer Rhyme hosts the Steve Ennis Memorial Golf Classic to raise funds for scholarships awarded to high school seniors affected by cancer. Please join us on Saturday, September 14th at the Edgerton Towne Country Club for our 16th Annual Event! This year we awarded 15 scholarships, bringing our total to 112 scholarships in the past 15 years!
This year’s Scholarship recipients include:
- Michael Barahona – Baraboo High School
- Jacob Jensen-Moyer – Belleville High School
- Amber Reeve-Denu – Evansville High School
- Kaylee Peterson – Ithaca High School
- Elizabeth Sarauer – Janesville Craig High School
- Grace Marotta – Janesville Craig High School
- Brooklynn Jones – Janesville Parker High School
- Roman Richardson– Lodi High School
- Jillian Jorgensen – Luxemburg-Casco High School
- Trevor Jandrin – Luxemburg-Casco High School
- Kylie Slark – Markesan High School
- Ashley Rangel – Milton High School
- Jaden Bargholz – Milton High School
- Perla Jade – Monroe High School
- Fallyn Breunig – Portage High School
Lee Lake Polar Bear Plunge 2024
Saturday, February 24th was the 24th annual Lee Lake Polar Bear Plunge. The Polar Plunge benefits the American Cancer Society and G.R.A.C.E. (Greater Richland Area Cancer Elimination). The event raised a record-breaking $44,000 this year, with the Rhyme Time group raising over $5,000 through donations, pledges, and purchasing auction items! This brings the 24-year total to over $520,000! If each of us does just a little – together we can do BIG things!
Final Thoughts
Rhyme has added seven new people to the team in the first half of 2024 and are currently looking to fill positions in our Sales, IT, and Service departments. Every year we are determined to get better at what we do and develop our knowledge and skills in order to better serve our customers. We are always looking to add good people to our team, if you or someone you know is interested, contact us or learn more on our Careers Page!
