July 30, 2021
KANDU Welcomes Our Newest Board Member
Please join us in welcoming Aron Bussan to the KANDU Board of Directors! A graduate from UW-Platteville with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Aron is the vice president and commercial banking officer at First National Bank and Trust Company in Janesville. Aron is very active in the community. He is the current board president for the Janesville Community Day Care Center and serves on the Hedberg Public Library Foundation Board. He is also dedicated to several roles with the Our Lady of Assumption Grade School in Beloit, including the Parish Finance Council and is the committee chairperson for both the Annual Fund and "Spring Fling," the school's largest fundraiser. “I know several current and former board members and have always held KANDU’s purpose and mission in high regard. I am humbled to be chosen,” said Aron.
A Classic Fun Day Cookout
Clients and staff at both locations enjoyed an All-American Barbecue for this month's Fun Day. It was a lovely day for a cookout and there was an abundance of red, white, and blue... and smiles! A few lucky winners received gift cards, paid time off, and free lunches! A very special thank you to the donors who made this day possible: Sandi and Steve Elmer, Nicole Noll Ritter, Brent & Bekka Hagen, Festival Foods, Jake Reed & Family/A&W Edgerton WI, Rodney Oksuita, David Daniels, and Reinhart Foodservice.
Thank You, TRICOR Insurance!
Thank you to TRICOR Insurance and Gina Erickson for hosting KANDU's Executive Director Kathy Hansen at their golf outing! TRICOR presented KANDU with the proceeds from the outing and auction in the amount of $5,525. A special thank you to Keith Kruse for bidding $525 on a Milwaukee Bucks print and donating it back to KANDU to sell in a future fundraiser. We are overwhelmed and so appreciative of the recognition of our work and the contribution to our mission!
Exciting Additions to Dragons on the Rock!
KANDU's annual dragon boat race and festival is only six weeks away and the list of participants continues to grow! So far, 15 teams have signed up to compete in the dragon boat race and well over a dozen food trucks will be available throughout the day. New this year, several vendors will compete in the Street Chef Challenge offering specialty dishes that incorporate Kerry ingredients. Current participants include Gracie’s Kitchen, Rock City Roasters, and Route 26 Hamburger Stand. Winners will be chosen by expert Kerry chefs and the public.
Beverages from Kerry, Rock County Brewing, Gray Brewing, and Timber Hill Winery will be available in the beer tent and attendees can sign up to participate in a keg toss. Various family activities will also be offered throughout the day along with live music from the John Nelson Band, Prone to Sorrow, Candace Griffin, Bree Morgan, and Tim O’Grady Jr. Dragons on the Rock is scheduled for Saturday, September 18 from 9 AM-8 PM at Traxler Park in Janesville. Admission is free with $5 parking to benefit the Rock Aqua Jays. Dragon boat races begin at 9 AM.
There's still time to become a part of Dragons on the Rock! Gather a team for the dragon boat race, join our wonderful volunteer team, or support our mission and increase exposure by becoming a sponsor.
New Bus
Introducing KANDU's new bus! Special features include a wheelchair lift, heated steps, retractable wheelchair tie-downs, separate heat and A/C for the front and back of the bus, and even a PA system! Special thanks to Dan Reed for traveling all the way to New York to inspect and deliver the bus to its new home. This new addition will allow us to be even more active in the community. It has already been tested out to go fishing at Traxler Park! Let the adventures begin!
New City of Janesville Accessibility App
We are excited to share a new campaign by the City of Janesville allowing residents and visitors to report accessibility issues with facilities and infrastructure. AccessJVL is an interactive online tool designed to make our community more accessible to people with disabilities, forwarding submissions directly to city staff. There is also an app!
Bowling Party
Clients, staff, and volunteers enjoyed an after-work bowling party July 1st at RiversEdge Bowl. Everyone had a wonderful time connecting with friends outside of work and participating in some friendly competition.
This Could Be Yours!
Calling all Bucks fans! Fresh from their NBA championship victory, we are auctioning off this "fear the deer" canvas print, measuring 13x31 in. Special thanks to Keith Kruse for bidding $525 on this artwork during the TRICOR Insurance golf outing and donating it to KANDU as a fundraising opportunity! If you are interested in submitting a bid (starting at $500), contact Linda at ldiedrich@kanduindustries.com
Livin' and Learnin': Cows and a K-9
KANDU's newest program, Livin' and Learnin', offers skills training and experiences to enhance independent daily living within the community. Clients participate in numerous activities and training sessions throughout the month. For example, Officer Drew Severson stopped by with his K-9 Fred to demonstrate commands and discuss his role as a police dog. They also visited Rebout Farms, which is owned and operated by the family of Livin’ and Learnin’ participant, Natalia! The group received a tour of the farm including tractors, cows, and some one-on-one time walking with adorable Jersey calves.
Offsite Action Planning Session
KANDU’s Executive Director Kathy Hansen and the organization’s management team recently spent the afternoon offsite working together to develop strategic departmental action plans. The team analyzed strengths and opportunities and began the process of putting specific actionable items onto paper that will be used as a road map for accomplishing goals over the next 18 months. In addition to planning, the group discussed best leadership strategies and participated in several team building exercises. Thank you to Linda Ross from the Leadership Development Academy of Rock County for helping facilitate that day.
Community Partnerships: Production
KANDU's production services offer a wide range of jobs for our team that benefit many local businesses. Tina takes pride in her current job of placing spark plugs into packages for Generac to sell in their spare parts division. Partnerships like this provide our clients and production team with work they love and in return, companies receive efficient, quality results. Visit our website for more information about the various production services we offer!
Thank You for Going the Extra Mile!
KANDU Kudos gives all employees the opportunity to acknowledge their fellow coworkers for their exceptional efforts. Bulletin boards are available at each location listing the names of each recipient and why they are being recognized.
July Kudos Go To:
KANDU Industries, Inc. 1741 Adel St. Email not displaying correctly? |