Last year marked the 100-year anniversary for Liberty Diversified International (LDI), a Minnesota-based manufacturer of packaging, office furniture, and building products with facilities across the nation. The spirit of community and gratitude embedded in the company’s culture of caring was the focus of their 100-year anniversary activities, including their workplace giving campaign.

To kick off the giving campaign, Community Health Charities (CHC) visited LDI’s headquarters in New Hope, Minnesota, to highlight partner charities and thank the company and its employees for their continued commitment to share their success with the community. The company also held mini-kick-offs for the various shifts at each of their locations.

As a complement to their 100-year celebrations, CHC created a 100 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude Through Well-Being Guide for LDI employees. This guide empowered employees to further engage with the campaign through fun and educational activities that highlighted paying it forward. Each of the fourteen weeks focused on a different cause, such as physical fitness, financial fitness, mental health, children’s health, and more.

In addition to the workplace giving campaign, company executives and advisory board members also celebrated by embarking on the Great Gratitude Tour, a 19-day journey that stopped in 17 communities where LDI employees live and work. Each stop of the tour featured thank-you events, activities and donations amounting to more than $1 million to national and local nonprofits, including several CHC partners.

“We’re lighting the torch for the next 100 years, by working to inspire people across the country to share their gratitude, do good for others and get involved in their communities,” said Mike Fiterman, chairman of the board of LDI and grandson of the company’s founder. “We are a company born from gratitude. It’s a core part of who we are that continues to this day.”

Employees are also encouraged to engage with the community year-round and are provided eight hours of pay a year for volunteering during the work day.

“The well-being of our communities is important to us, and we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to their growth and vitality,” said Fiterman. “At LDI, we do our best to make the communities in which we live and work just a little better. And we encourage our employees to do the same by donating what they can, whether its dollars, cans of soup, hats and mittens, or that most precious of commodities – their time.”

For ideas to engage your employees or launch your own gratitude movement, contact us at info@healthcharities.org.