When your days are filled with meetings, deadlines, customer needs, product releases, and everything else that comes with doing meaningful work, it’s easy to move quickly from one thing to the next.
Sometimes, you need to make time to reconnect.
That’s exactly what we did at this year’s Northwoods All Staff.
For two days, our team stepped away from our normal routines for Camp Northwoods: Recharge & Reconnect, an opportunity to learn together, give back, celebrate our people, and simply enjoy being in the same place.
For a team that works across locations and spends much of the year connecting through a screen, that time together matters.
Learning More About Our Industry and Each Other
One of the goals of All Staff was to create space to step outside of our individual roles and reconnect with the bigger picture of why our work matters.
We had the opportunity to hear from Justin Brown, who helped our team deepen our understanding of the human services industry, the challenges agencies are navigating, and the realities facing the professionals and communities they serve.
Whether you work in Product, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Delivery, Finance, or another part of Northwoods, understanding that bigger picture matters. The closer we are to the industry and the people doing this work every day, the better equipped we are to serve them.
We also welcomed Mary Kaufmann for a conversation inspired by Multipliers and the impact we can have when we bring out the best in the people around us.
And we heard from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, whose mission hits especially close to home for a company that works alongside child welfare professionals every day. Their team shared more about the work happening through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and the impact dedicated professionals can have in helping children waiting in foster care find permanent families.
Together, those conversations gave us a chance to learn more about our industry, our impact, and how we can continue showing up better for the people around us.
Putting Our Mission Into Action
Learning wasn’t limited to our speakers.
Throughout Camp Northwoods, employees participated in breakout sessions centered around a few important themes: connection, reflection, problem-solving, and giving back.
One of the highlights was coming together to assemble 150 care kits for children and youth in foster care, filled with everyday personal care essentials.
It was a simple way to put our mission into action and support the communities at the heart of the work we do.
Our mission is to elevate humanity, and that shouldn’t only show up in the technology and services we provide. It’s also reflected in how we show up for our communities and for one another.
Making Time for Connection
Some of the most valuable moments of Camp Northwoods weren’t on the agenda at all.
They happened over meals, between sessions, during team time, and in conversations between coworkers who may spend most of the year connecting through a screen.
Throughout the event, we intentionally created space for employees to step outside of their day-to-day roles, spend time with people across the company, and simply have fun together.
Because connection doesn’t always happen in a meeting room. Sometimes it’s finally getting to know the person you’ve seen on a screen for the last year or sharing a laugh with someone you don’t normally get to work alongside.
Those moments matter, too.
Celebrating Our People
We also took time to recognize something we don’t want to take for granted: our people.
Our awards ceremony gave us an opportunity to celebrate employees who consistently demonstrate what it means to show up for their coworkers, our customers, and our mission.
Behind every product we build, every customer we support, and every problem we solve are people who care deeply about doing good work.
Taking the time to recognize them was one of the highlights of our time together.
Recharged. Reconnected. Ready for What's Next.
All Staff isn’t about stepping away from the work because the work isn’t important.
It’s about stepping away because it is.
When people have opportunities to better understand the industry we serve, build relationships, learn from one another, celebrate wins, give back, and remember the bigger purpose behind what they do, they return to the work a little more connected to the mission and the people doing it alongside them.
That’s what Camp Northwoods was about.
We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s All Staff possible, from our speakers and facilitators to the employees who showed up ready to participate, connect, and make the most of our time together.
Until next year, Camp Northwoods!
