Mutual Friends: Many Hands Make Light Work

Mutual Friends is the volunteer program for Northwestern Mutual employees and brings together employees, retirees, friends and family members to collectively lend a helping hand to various community volunteer projects.

With Mutual Friends, there's a volunteer project that appeals to virtually every employee, such as donating goods, participating in a group activity or community walk/run or committing to being a mentor for a child in need.

Every year, hundreds of volunteers give of their time through the following programs:

Charity Drives/Collections: On a monthly basis, employees donate items such as school supplies, food, coats, and sporting equipment for local groups in need.

• The Giving Tree for the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee. Northwestern Mutual Foundation sponsors The Giving Tree and Northwestern Mutual employees donate holiday gifts to people who would otherwise not receive a gift. Each year we lead the donation effort by providing over 2,000 gifts that are distributed through local nonprofit organizations.

Group Activities: Three to four times a month, groups of 25+ volunteers gather to lend their helping hands for an activity such as food sorts, respite care, building homes and helping at special events. From welcoming people at registration to helping with silent auctions, our volunteers are present from set up to clean up.

• Food & Froth Fest. Food and Froth, a fundraiser for, and at, the Milwaukee Public Museum event showcases over 200 Midwest brews and culinary creations from some of Milwaukee's favorite restaurants. Each year, over 35 Mutual Friends volunteers help vendors with set up and assistance during the event, as well as provide hospitality to guests.

• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). VITA offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income people, including students, single parents, families and the elderly, who cannot prepare their own tax returns. In 2008, over 20 Northwestern Mutual volunteers helped return over $13.4 million in refunds to over 10,000 individuals and families in our community.

Volunteer Support Program: When an employee or retiree volunteers 40 hours of personal time to a nonprofit organization during a year, the Foundation recognizes the effort with a $500 grant to the nonprofit group.

• Urban Day School. Northwestern Mutual retiree Dick Hoffmann serves as a volunteer coordinator to Urban Day School and the school receives $500 in his name for his service. As a volunteer coordinator, Dick identifies volunteer needs within the school and then matches potential volunteers through an interview process.

• The Parenting Network. As a member of the Parenting Network's Board of Directors, Northwestern Mutual employee Thomas Guay volunteers over 75 hours each year to the organization. His time and leadership help The Parenting Network with their mission "to strengthen parenting and to prevent child abuse" in the Milwaukee community.

Mentoring: We offer employees several ways to be involved for a longer-term one-on-one commitment for youth through programs like Time to Read, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, Literacy Services, and YMCA Sponsor-a-Scholar.

• Time to Read. Our employees pause during their busy workweek to tutor Milwaukee schoolchildren in the Time to Read Program. During the school year, employees meet weekly with students in the company's cafeterias — employees who work downtown read with students from Bruce Guadalupe Community School, a nearby bilingual school, and employees at our Franklin campus read with Cedar Hills Elementary School students.
  
  The Time to Read program is designed to help students read, develop study skills and become more aware of career opportunities. The program also hosts visits from guest speakers and organizes field trips to museums, colleges and other businesses to give students a broader view of the world.

Walks, Runs, Rides: Between May-October, our employees participate in over 20 walks, runs or rides such as the MS Walk, United Negro College Fund Walk and the UPAF Ride for the Arts. The Foundation provides t-shirts for employees, friends and family members as well as a grant to the organization for groups of 10 or more employees.

• Walk MS team. Employee Bonnie Konop volunteers as a co-coordinator of the Northwestern Mutual Walk MS team, a Mutual Friends-sponsored charity walk to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. She was compelled in part by the Mutual Friends and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation team grant program where if 10 or more employees form a corporate team to participate in a qualifying charitable athletic event, the Foundation contributes $500 to the charity sponsoring the event; 20 or more and $1,000 is donated; 40 or more and the Foundation donates $2,000.
  
  Bonnie values Northwestern Mutual's tradition of community involvement and the spirit of service she observes in employees. "By volunteering through Mutual Friends, employees experience the joy of touching the lives of others," she said. "Nothing else gives you that feeling of joy.
  
  "Employees can volunteer for the Mutual Friends opportunities that interest them most, whether participating in a walk, run or ride, helping with the Franklin community garden, or by picking up a hammer to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Mutual Friends makes it easier for employees to choose how they would like to serve," Bonnie added.

Employee Board Service: Northwestern Mutual has approximately 200 employees that serve Milwaukee-area nonprofits as members of boards of directors and committees. The Foundation staff works to match interested candidates, with the appropriate background, experience and interest, with the right nonprofit partners that are funded via the Foundation. Board service allows employees the opportunity to learn new skills and network in the community, allowing for ongoing development.