This headline might make you think TDS employees invited their younger siblings to visit the office. While that does happen occasionally, in this case we’re talking about the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, Wis.
If you’re not familiar, Big Brothers and Big Sisters is one of the nation’s largest mentoring organizations. They pair kids (the Littles) facing adversity with adult volunteer mentors (the Bigs) and help support those one-to-one relationships. Their goal? To change lives for the better—forever—through those positive interactions.
Recently, Littles, ages ranging from 13 to 17, along with their Bigs and two program coordinators, came to visit our headquarters. Part of their career series, the Dane County BBBS chapter asked if TDS could share more about the company and inspire kids to think about a possible career path in technology.
Three TDS volunteers from three different departments spoke while the attendees munched on dinner. Missy Kellor, associate manager-Communications; Patrick Yates, manager of Diversity and Inclusion; and Eric Timm, senior network specialist, talked to the group. The topics ranged from the company history and career options, to the importance of soft skills, and finished with some show and tell and information about TDS’ fiber technology. Threaded through all the talks though, was an emphasis on the careers and opportunities TDS offers for folks of all experience and skill levels across a variety of disciplines, from sales and marketing, to finance, software development, and IT.
“This event was really an extension of both our employee resource groups and our culture of volunteerism,” says Missy. “As part of the Women in Technology ERG, I was happy to have the chance to get kids—including the girls in the room—thinking about pursuing a career in technology, share how inclusive TDS is, while also helping out such an awesome organization.”
Each speaker had their own story of how their career has evolved with the company—something that very much interested the attendees. In fact, they asked so many questions, and the speakers were having such a great time, the session ran nearly a half hour late!
We strongly encourage employees to volunteer in their communities and we invite you to do the same. Consider becoming a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and help change the life of a child. Tip: they even offer a school-based volunteer program so you can volunteer during the day if that works better for your schedule! Find your local chapter at www.bbbs.org.
