Wipfli associates give back, log 8,000 hours during 2022 Community Day

Community Day is a day set aside at Wipfli each year when we encourage our associates to go out into their communities and volunteer.

This year, on September 28, our associates donated roughly 8,000 hours in their communities on projects ranging from building houses and packing meals to cleaning up the environment.

“Community Day saw almost half of our 3,100 associates participate in giving back to those communities we serve,” said Wipfli Managing Partner Kurt Gresens. “It’s a tremendous way to celebrate our Wipfli culture of caring.”

In Menasha, Wisconsin, a group of 33 associates cleared buckthorn, an invasive species, from woods adjacent to a much-used trail at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve. Emma Neuman, reserve habitat manager who oversaw the effort, estimated the work equaled about 130 manhours for her team.

Appleton/Fox Cities Wipfli associate Hayley Honeychurch was glad to be able to participate.

“The Heckrodt Wetland Reserve is a great place that delivers not only a great experience but also an educational one, all while giving me a great location for my outdoor walks,” she said. “The employees truly care about the reserve, and it’s so great to be able to help them out.”

Associate Nick Patrick said this was his first visit to the reserve, so it was a learning experience to understand how the preserve operates and what benefits it offers to the community.

“Outside of always enjoying Community Day, it was great to see the reserve in person and understand some of the big-ticket projects that are ongoing throughout the year,” he said. “One of my biggest takeaways from Community Day this year was simply seeing the large amount of progress our team made during our volunteer time. We were able to accomplish a lot of tasks in a short period of time and visually see our progress from start to finish.”

Some associates, like Colorado’s Reed Sellers, support causes not just on Community Day.

Reed is the organizer and chief cheerleader for a team of 36 Wipfli associates who are committed to raising $30,000 for children’s cancer research through The Great Cycle Challenge.

“Kids should be living life, not fighting for it, so each year I raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund,” Reed says. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping them, but also for myself.

“I can’t imagine my time at the firm without The Great Cycle Challenge. It’s provided me so many opportunities to collaborate with others and build a network of friends and colleagues. It brings to life so much of the culture that makes Wipfli a special place to work.”

In addition to Community Day, Wipfli encourages associates to volunteer any time of the year, which helps us achieve our firm’s vision:

Create a lasting, positive impact for every person, organization and community we engage.

So far this year, associates have logged 20,000 hours of community service.