A little bit of fun and a little bit of giving, learn more about UWECI’s holiday festivities!

For three years now, United Way of East Central Iowa’s (UWECI) Employee Engagement Committee has organized holiday festivities for staff to participate in. Learn more about what this year’s lineup of activities included:

• Adopt a Family: We partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids—a UWECI funded partner—to adopt a mother and her two daughters for the holidays. From kitchen tools to glitter headbands, and everything in between, we had a great time finding the perfect gifts for this family this holiday season.
• Secret Santa: For the fourth year, staff had the chance to participate in a gift exchange. Not only were gifts delivered anonymously, but an extra level of suspense was introduced as each person had to guess who their Secret Santa was!
• Ornament, Tree, & Stocking Decorating: With holiday music buzzing in the background, UWECI staff sipped on coffee while crafting new stockings, building ornaments, and decorating the office tree.
  
  
• Window Decorating Competition: A friendly competition with a touch of creative talent, staff showed their artistic sides by decorating the windows around our office. Staff voted on a winner just before holiday break.
• White Elephant Exchange: Whether it was an old book or an unused baking dish, UWECI staff brought wrapped miscellaneous items from their houses for a hilarious gift exchange.
• Nacho Average Holiday Party: Who said the holidays couldn’t be spicy? The UWECI staff indulged in a potluck-style nacho bar including toppings like fresh jalapenos, guacamole, black olives, sour cream, & more!
• Ugly Sweater & Hot Cocoa Social: (Almost) everyone dressed in fun holiday outfits and we shared our plans for the holiday weekend while sipping on hot chocolate topped with marshmallows & peppermint sticks.

Other fun activities included a cookie party, a holiday matching game, and a saran wrap ball competition. A big thank you to our Employee Engagement Committee for planning this year’s Holiday Hoopla! We hope everyone had a fun, safe, and joyous holiday season.