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40 Days of Giving: Cassling Employees Team Up to Give Back

by Mike Cassling on Nov 22, 2024

Heartland-Hope_2024This year, Cassling is proud to celebrate 40 years as a company providing innovative solutions to healthcare organizations and their communities.

As part of our celebration, we hosted “40 Days of Giving,” a service-focused challenge encouraging our employees to give back to their communities. Employees were paired into teams and set out on a friendly 40-day competition to see which team could raise the highest combined total of volunteer hours and monetary donations.

Through the 40 days, employees volunteered over 715 hours and donated nearly $14,000 to over 71 organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Association, Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House Charities and TeamMates Mentoring. The winning team alone had a total of 95 volunteer hours and raised $4,035 in donations.

These numbers are astounding, but I cannot say that I am surprised. There is no shortage of generosity in our organization. The results are a testament to the impact our employees strive to make, and this challenge highlights a small fraction of their ongoing commitment to strengthen the health of their communities.


Building Community


During the competition, Cassling partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha. The non-profit organization, which provides Omaha families with a path to affordable homeownership, is also celebrating 40 years of service to the community in 2024.

Over the course of two days, 21 employees volunteered on-site at Habitat’s housing development, Bluestem Prairie. A first-of-its-kind project, Bluestem Prairie will bring 85 multi-generational units to the area near 52nd and Sorensen, expanding access to safe and affordable housing to the Omaha community.

Habitat-for-Humanity-2024_group-photo
“Habitat for Humanity is an impressive organization,” said Lili Shim, Director of Service Operations at Cassling. “It was humbling to witness the collective efforts of their amazing staff and volunteers in the Bluestem Prairie development. It was a very rewarding experience to work alongside colleagues for a worthy cause while learning some construction tips along the way.”

With a little sweat, employee volunteers helped with framing, siding and roof installation, among other tasks, and put their power tool knowledge to the test operating chop saws, circular saws and nail guns.

I want to thank Habitat for Humanity and its dedicated staff for providing a wonderful experience for our organization and for the work they do to improve access to housing in Omaha and around the country.


Strengthening Community Across the Country


Here are a few more ways our team members impacted their communities through different regional and local organizations:

Joe-Gonzales-Headshot-1Cassling Account Executive Joe Gonzales, Covered Colorado, Aurora, CO
“Covered Colorado is an organization that touched my heart as soon as I learned about the work they do in the community,” said Joe. “They are a Colorado-based non-profit that helps sex trafficked individuals get out of the circumstances they are in and provides a safe place for them to live. They offer further resources through career education and counseling to nurture a life of self-sufficiency.”

Dan-Olson-Headshot-1Cassling Account Executive Dan Olson, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
“Since my brother-in-law was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, I have donated my time and money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society over the years to help find a cure for this nasty disease,” said Dan. “Their Light the Night event held in Omaha in September was inspirational and heartfelt. I had the opportunity to speak to individuals who have had or dealt with leukemia. The money raised for LLS will hopefully cure leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.”

Mike-Chayka-headshot-1Cassling Field Service Engineer Mike Chayka, Prairie Village, Madison, SD.
“I volunteered with a family member to help campers get to their sites at Prairie Village’s annual jamboree event,” said Mike. “At one point during the week, I helped a disabled couple move to a handicap site closer to the events rather than being a quarter mile away. They were grateful that I was able to help them and waved to me all week.”

Kathy-Osborne-2023-headshot-1Cassling Account Executive Kathy Osborne, Intercultural Senior Center, Omaha, NE
“My dear friend Carolina Padilla founded the Intercultural Senior Center over 15 years ago,” said Kathy. “Today ISC serves older adults from more than 20 countries. ISC's mission is to improve the dignity, quality of life, and physical well-being of seniors from around the world through advocacy, education, access to social services, and cultural enrichment activities that benefit the entire community.”

Tammy-Nelson-2023-headshot-1Cassling Sales Contract Manager Tammy Nelson, Heartland Hope Mission, Omaha, NE
“I volunteered with six coworkers to sort 72 boxes of Amazon donations,” said Tammy. “We also received a tour of their west location and learned more about their support services. It was such a positive experience that this place will be included in future CQ Cares volunteer events. I also provided monetary support. Their need for donations is high as they support families affected by the recent tornados and floods, and their food supplies are short. I am happy to help them to continue to bless those in need.”

Giving back to the communities we serve if a part of who we are as an organization. I am grateful for the generosity of our employees and the work they do to provide world-class service to you, our customers.

I firmly believe an investment in our communities is the best investment we can make. Thank you for choosing to partner with us year after year to strengthen community healthcare together.

Meet the Author

Mike Cassling, Chairman of Cassling, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in general accounting and marketing. He completed the Graduate School of Sales and Marketing at Syracuse University in 1992. Joining the Cassling team in 1985, Mike worked in sales and served as the vice president of sales and marketing before being appointed president in 1996. Under his leadership, the company earned the #1 spot on the "Best Places to Work in Healthcare" list by Modern Healthcare and Best Companies Group, the Platinum Well Workplace Award, was named a 2011 Best Places to Work in Omaha and Best Places to Work for the Advancement of Women, as well as the 2008 Omaha Chamber of Commerce Business in Excellence Award.

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