Stepping Up to Stamp Out Hunger
As with most aspects of life these days, community service looks a bit different. Although we couldn’t gather together in person to support a cause, Team Truepoint/RhineVest recently took to the sidewalks and treadmills to help our community. And all of those steps generated results! We are proud to announce that out of 570 mid-sized firms, Truepoint and RhineVest earned second place in Humana’s Go 365 National Step Challenge. In recognition of our efforts, Humana donated 15,000 meals for people facing hunger in Cincinnati—a particularly pressing need during this pandemic crisis.
From October 14 through November 11, 16 of our employees competed in the challenge, logging a total of 7,997,696 steps for a team daily average of 17,852. Our team of steppers gave it their all and tracked as many steps as they could, staying near the top of the leaderboard for all four weeks.
Despite being physically distanced, this challenge embodied Truepoint’s core values: We are a team of good people who put forth relentless effort to serve others.
A Team of Good People…
Teamwork has looked a bit different since coronavirus took hold in March 2020. Most of us have been relegated to our homes, handling our families’ needs (including remote school) and getting less interaction with our Truepoint teammates—and our own friends, too. Often, it all feels a bit like the movie Groundhog Day—the same routine over and over again. The National Step Challenge gave us a welcome shot-in-the-arm and reminded our steppers why we love being part of Team Truepoint.
To boost our spirits, we created a team chat so we could cheer each other on (“We’re in third place, but let’s push hard to move up!”), share our struggles (“Oh no! My step tracker didn’t count my whole workout!”), and celebrate our accomplishments (“I got over 10,000 steps on a work day!”). In a time when “water cooler” talks aren’t happening, it was refreshing to have the opportunity to talk with colleagues informally and socially—aside from those brief moments before the next virtual conference call officially gets underway.
…Who Put Forth Relentless Effort…
Our team pushed each other during this four-week effort. Many team members woke up over an hour early in order to get their steps in before their kids woke up or their workday began. Others put in their share of late nights, hitting the treadmill after dinner in order to add a thousand or two more steps to our team tally. Many of our neighbors got curious about our repeated loops (and loops…and loops) around the neighborhood, and in Truepoint fashion, we eagerly shared our team’s mission and our personal goals. In this way, the challenge gave us multiple opportunities to connect with those around us and see our community with new eyes.
Notably, October brought a few 24+ hour stretches of precipitation, including some torrential downpours. Those were the toughest days. But we buoyed one another’s spirits—no days off when there are steps to take! Impressively, some team members hit the daily challenge limit of 35,000 steps multiple times. A few rigged up treadmill desks in their home offices so that they could keep moving, even when they were on calls or editing spreadsheets. Some of us took our biweekly all-team meetings outside on foot, as well.
…To Serve Others
More than any personal benefit, though, we’re honored that our steps will translate into 15,000 meals, especially when so many people today are confronting significant challenges. Truepoint is deeply committed to our local community, and we are proud to take action in support of those in need. We were grateful to have this opportunity to serve others, even though—and perhaps especially because—we couldn’t gather together at this time.
Across Truepoint, our team members volunteer for and actively support an impressive range of organizations, including those that empower women, educate children, battle cancer and addiction, and nurture creativity and public arts initiatives. Service is not something we just pay lip service to. It’s inherent to our culture and who we are as an organization.
Our Humana Go 365 result was just one more, small step in that effort. (I had to do it!) Congratulations to all 16 of our team members. Put your feet up! You’ve earned it!
