NOTES FROM LORI
Hello, December! It's time to get your jingle on, even though we may not be feeling it this year. I can't say it enough: this has been an unusual year, and one that we all want to put behind us. This month will look different at OC, as I am postponing our annual holiday luncheons due to a virus that will remain nameless. I promise, that as soon as humanly possible, we WILL deck the halls and celebrate. The thing is, it might be summer. Personally, I am aiming for our birthday celebration on June 1, 2021 when OffiCenters turns 40. In the meantime, we press ahead and do our best to be holiday cheerful this month.

We have some great events to celebrate the season, starting this Thursday with Park CONNECT. Share your 60-second elevator speech with the group and play Pick-a-Donut to win prizes. Next up, is Slice of Woodbury, that will feature a fun virtual networking opportunity and Ugly Sweater Contest, with maybe even a secret Santa sighting! We added a PowerLunch this month and are excited to have Juan Ramirez present "Zoom" Your Sales. We're ending with a virtual holiday concert featuring our favorite local musician, Scottie Miller.

My tip for December is to take some positive steps this holiday season. I'm going to revive my Christmas card list as personal notes can lift spirits, make one of my mom’s favorite cookie recipes (I’m not a baker!), donate to a local food shelf since my holiday entertaining budget has been slashed, buy some Hats and Mittens for our OneCommunity project, adopt a family from Jesus in the City Ministries and make some drive-by holiday bags for people I know. What can you do to make the holiday more enjoyable, for not just you, but someone you may or may not know?

It looks like positive news for heading in to 2021. Vaccinations are on the horizon. We continue to maintain our pandemic procedures each day. For the safety of others and for state mandate compliance we are requiring that masks be worn in the workspace common areas. This is one of the only ways to safeguard on behalf of our staff and your community members. And, with January on the horizon, safe to say that we are all looking forward to A BRAND NEW YEAR. In fact, that's our theme for 2021 . . . more about that next month!

Cherish your loved ones and make some holiday memories. We will never forget 2020, so do something different to embrace the season. If you can’t have your usual holiday celebrations, get some new ideas to show your family and friends that you care. Bake and drop off treats, make extra phone calls and zoom events, have a pajama event or a virtual ugly sweater contest. Do SOMETHING! It’s good for your mental health. The team at OffiCenters wishes you a very happy holiday! Thanks for hanging in there with us during the MOST challenging year EVER. Be safe, stay healthy, try some Merry and Bright, and Jingle all the way!
Jasmine Brett-Stringer! We saw you on the Kelly Clarkson show as the Hallmark Holiday Movie Expert. You may remember, last year Jasmine and a friend won the Hallmark Dream Job where they got paid to watch 24 Hallmark Holiday Movies in 12 days. All that watching gave her the chance to cash-in again when Clarkson and Hallmark Movie stars Candace Cameron Bure, Holly Robinson-Pete and Lacy Chabert put Jasmine to the test on a recent episode. Will Jasmine be able to identify the fake Hallmark Movie plots? Will she win a trip to Park City, Utah or will she be stumped by the panel of Christmas stars? See HERE
Heimerl & Lammers joined the mission to relieve isolation and loneliness among the
elderly by sending care packages in the Twin Cities with Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly. For many, this year’s holiday season has drastically changed due to COVID-19. They strive for a community in which older adults are connected, valued, and loved. Loneliness and isolation negatively affect elder health and
pose significant costs to our community. 30% of older adults in Hennepin and Ramsey counties live alone and 33% of older persons describe themselves as chronically lonely. Learn more or see how you can get involved HERE
Dr. Verna Price, a WCCO radio host, and a series of guests from both the urban areas of the Twin Cities and people from outside the metro who have much less interaction with people of color, have come together to present “In the Room Where it Happened: Conversation on Racism that Matters to All of Us”. The goal is to have a conversation on the reality of racism, what racism actually is and how we can talk about it as a community. Dr. Verna tells WCCO, “Together we are creating the change we wish to see in our community. A place where racism is actively being eradicated at all levels beginning with everyday people.” For some, these might be uncomfortable conversations. For us, it’s a chance to listen, learn, and hopefully come to a place where we can all be, and do better. As Dr. Price says, there is only one race: the human race. The show kicked off on News Talk 830 WCCO at the end of October and will continue through June of 2021. The next show is on December 3, 2020 from 6:30-8:00PM and will focus on Racism in the Media. For more info on show schedule, topics and how to listen live click HERE
24 HR Care
Calvin Tran
Delphic Holdings, LLC
Diamond Care Medical Associates
Driscoll Consulting, LLC
Fan Gals / Fix Creative
Gifts of Hands Cleaning
Law Office of Nixon Ayeni
Magna Group, LLC
MB's Transportation, LLC
My Plan B Network
Oasis Child & Family Services, LLC
On Mighty Lane
RA KA BA, Inc.
Raplor, LLC
Sylvia Dobgima
Thrivedge Solutions
Transforward Company

Thank you for choosing OffiCenters!
So happy to have you as a part of our Work Awesome Community!
32 Years
Larsen Tax and Financial Services
27 Years
21 Years
Evergreen Shipping
15 Years
Robert Hartnett
13 Years
MN Lawyers
11 Years
Investors Financial Group
8 Years
7 Years
Professional Education Services
TOJ Financial
6 Years
Tucker Financial
5 Years
David F. Schmitz, P.A.

Thank You members for your support and friendship throughout the years!
Happy Anniversary!
Holiday Tradition Put on HOLD

We know, we're bummed too. Our annual holiday luncheons are always our best attended events of the year and the tastiest way for us to thank our members for their friendship and business. We promise, this tradition is not canceled, but being put on hold until we can safely welcome all of you into our spaces for fa-la-la lasagna. We don't have a definitive date, but hope we can celebrate with all of you by June when OffiCenters turns 40!
Hats & Mittens Collection Ends on December 18th

You still have time to make a warmer and more welcoming world for infants, children and teens in Minnesota. A $10 donation will buy a new set of hat and mittens. Or, if you prefer, purchase a set (or 2) and drop them in a collection box found in the lobbies of all seven OC locations. Because the world landscape has changed so significantly, the demand to keep warm during the winter months will be unprecedented. You can make a difference!
OneCommunity Partners Would Love Your Help!

Old National Bank wanted to do something to give back to MN communities, so they announced Choose Your Charity, a program that will give away $165,000 to local 501(c)3 nonprofits making a difference! The public votes will determine which organizations win! You can vote once a day, every day, between November 19 and December 17. After all the votes are tallied, they will give $15,000 to the top overall vote-getter from the 31 Minnesota communities where Old National banking centers are located and $5,000 to the top vote-getter in each of our other 30 communities. We hope you consider supporting one of the OffiCenters OneCommunity partners. See full list HERE. Ready to cast your vote? Get started!