OneDigital Hartford Celebrates The Team With A Week Of Giving, Caring And Sharing!

During the holidays it's natural to want to find a way to give back to your colleagues, and several of us at OneDigital Hartford had been itching to find a way to say thank you to our entire team. One simple lunch outing or happy hour or company gift just didn’t seem to cut it. Our fellow employees--our friends--deserved to be well-celebrated.

Leadership, the marketing team and a few other holiday cheermeisters in the office collaborated in this effort to say thanks and the idea of OneDigital Week of Give-Care-Share was born.  We decided that not one, two, or even three events could appropriately express our gratitude and appreciation, so we took over an entire week! Each day held new holiday-themed happenings, with some ongoing, week-long treats as well.

The five-day yuletide spree was kicked off with Monday's event, How the Grinch Stole Waffles. This holiday treat, hosted by our team of dapper sales guys, was a yummy early morning breakfast complete with made-to-order waffles, whipped cream, fresh fruit and the star of the show, Jeff Worley's homemade syrup, Breezy Hill Maple.

We continued the fun with Tuesday's event, A Fashion Swap Story. OneDigital ladies brought in clothes, shoes, bags and accessories to swap and share with each other! Whatever wasn’t scooped up was donated to a local charity. The event was a great way to clear out the closet in anticipation of new holiday additions and also to help out others in need.

During Wednesday's event, It's A Wonderful Lunch, the whole office joined together for a fun and social lunchtime gathering. Principal George Papagelis and Managing Principal Brian Driscoll welcomed the crew with a holiday message, encouraging us all to celebrate the true meaning of the holidays with the people that mean the most to us. The event wouldn't be complete without a few laughs along the way—in the form of a video featuring George, Brian, and Managing Principal Bill Carew in their Elfish best.

Our loveable cast of jolly characters spared no bell or sparkle in showing their true yuletide spirit with Thursday's event, the OneDigital Hartford Elf Yourself Contest.  We had everything from Christmas sweaters, to holly berries, to Santa hats, to reindeer antlers, and more. Even the Grinch made an appearance! And not only were visions of red and green bobbing through the office, but glimpses of holiday cheer could also be spied beneath our shoes!

We ended our Week of Give-Care-Share with Friday's event, Drinks in Toyland, a happy hour put together by our Director of Marketing Allison Lantieri and yours truly.  Complete with a signature cocktail--the Peppermint Patty--we also popped open a bottle of wine or two, and brought a few beers to life.  Guests were also treated to fancy appetizers (many thanks to Office Manager Lisa Hathaway and Workforce Health Consultant Nicole Consiglio for jumping in to help on the food front). Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, and The Temptations provided a festive soundtrack to the night as we toasted to a successful week of giving, caring and sharing--The OneDigital Way!

In the background of each day’s specific events, a few other projects tied the week together, and truly brought out the theme of giving, caring and sharing.

We wanted to give our friends in the office a chance to let each other know just how much everything they do matters, and OneDigital Hartford's First Annual Gingerbread Shout-Out Tree came to life. To sweeten the deal a bit, we decided to offer the chance to win one of three awesome prizes by raffle. So, gingerbread cutout ornaments were acquired, raffle gift baskets were crafted, and an empty tree awaited. Day by day, the tree grew more and more abundant with gingerbread men and handwritten messages expressing fondness, praise and esteem.

People could receive raffle tickets in two ways: writing a shout-out or receiving a shout-out. They could then drop their tickets for any of three different gift baskets assembled by OneDigital Hartford's Marketing Team. Walking into the kitchen and seeing the tree teeming with swaying ornaments holding such kind thoughts was an instant mood-lifter. At any time during the day, one could catch an employee or two sifting through the dangling gingerbread men with a smile. The office was a-buzz with a warm feeling that was palpable to anyone who came through.

Another initiative was a company-wide food drive that benefits the Farmington Food Pantry. All week long, employees brought in cans, boxes, and other delights to be donated. By Friday, our table was overflowing with food. Not only did we have physical contributions, but also our team would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Wire and Cable Manufacturers Alliance who donated to our drive for the Farmington Food Pantry with a substantial check. Thank you! Your donation will undoubtedly bring some holiday cheer to families who are very much in need.