Noble & Associates takes on charitable causes for holidays

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

It's noble to think of your fellow man during the holiday season, so the employees of Noble & Associates, the Springfield food marketing agency, took up "A Noble Cause," this winter.

"A Noble Cause" is a program in which the employees of the ad agency work to collectively accrue up to 1,000 hours of community service during the holiday season. The program started Nov. 14 and ended Dec. 23.

"A Noble Cause" was a way for Noble's employees to give back to a community, where they all have deep roots, said Mark Gideon, director of corporate relations for Noble & Associates.

"We really wanted to do three things with this program: We wanted our employees to feel empowered to reach out and help out during the Christmas holiday; we wanted them to get recognition for a lot of the charitable things they are doing all year; and we wanted to make an impact on our community as a Springfield-based business," Gideon said.

"Bob (Noble's) roots are here in Springfield, and it has always been important to him that we be seen actively supporting his hometown, and it's the hometown for a lot of us, too," Gideon added.

To reach 1,000 hours of community service, the company divided the hours among each individual in both its Springfield and Chicago, Ill., offices. Each employee was to donate six hours of service, though employees could donate more time. The time didn't have to be actual clock time; employees could accumulate one hour of time for giving a monetary donation in any amount, two hours of time for donating goods, or three hours of time for donating blood.

"We recognized that everyone is crunched for time this time of the year, so we made it possible for people to get their six hours in with a blood, goods and money donation," Gideon said.

The program was not mandatory, but the agency's teams competed for the most hours logged. The company is divided into teams, or departments, that are named for the planets. Each team had its own goal of hours to reach based on the number of employees in that team, and each team could win prizes or recognition as a result of reaching or exceeding its goal, Gideon said.

Many employees at Noble were wearing buttons declaring, "I did my time," indicating that they had reached their goal of six hours spent helping others.

Gideon contacted several charities when the program began and asked those organizations what they needed. Many asked for goods; others asked for volunteers, he said.

The Noble employees who labored for the charities did such things as make buttons for First Night Springfield, label Christmas cards for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and serve dinner to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

The individuals who donate their time year-round got to count that time toward "A Noble Cause's" goal, Gideon said.

"We didn't just want to recognize the work people are doing during the holidays; we also wanted to recognize the people who are scout leaders or who work with the Humane Society or whatever charity all year long. We also wanted to introduce the notion that the volunteering is important all year long," Gideon said.

As of Dec. 14, the employees had put in 478 of their 1,000 hours, Gideon said, and he expected the project to reach its 1,000 hour goal before it ended Dec. 23.

Barbara Vallely, a Noble employee who has put in more than her six hours of time for the project, said she thinks it's important to do something besides what your job demands during this time of year.

"It's so easy to get wrapped up in your work, especially in a company like this where are jobs are so time-sensitive. This way, we're giving time to something other than our jobs or our normal daily routine," Vallely said.

Karen Frost gave time to the Humane Society, among other causes, and was amazed at the needs the Springfield home for wayward animals has.

"It takes constant work. Every time a puppy wets a paper, it has to be changed. They constantly need people to help the kids who want to hold the puppies. There's a lot to be done, and not a lot of money available to pay people to do it," Frost said.

Frost's work team, the Milky Way team, works with a Noble client, Iams pet foods, and so decided help the animals. The team donated food, newspapers and time to the local agency. The team was also able to give the Humane Society coupons for the purchase of Iams products.

"The project really enlightened me. I now know there is a need for help year-round, and it makes me want to go back and help them throughout the year," Frost said.

She added that the volunteer project was a team-builder for the Milky Way group.

"It really helped us internally by building up our spirit," Frost said.

Gideon said the company is considering doing the project year-round in some form.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Luann Schafer, Lori Fritz and Tracy Adams finish making buttons for First Night. First Night was one of many organizations the employees at Noble & Associates served with their "A Noble Cause" Christmas campaign for charity.

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