Old National Bank’s “Better Together Days” support Minnesotans battling kidney disease

Living with end-stage kidney disease in Minnesota can mean spending hours attached to a machine several times a week just to survive. “If folks are waiting for a kidney, they are going to dialysis and spending several hours a day, three to four times a week having their blood filtered,” explained Julie Zamora, development manager with the National Kidney Foundation. “I’m told it is pretty uncomfortable... folks tell me you just don’t feel well.”

To offer encouragement to those undergoing treatment, Old National Bank volunteers assembled 400 care packages in Maple Grove. “The bags we are packing today include some pick-me-ups and are just a really great way of letting folks know we are thinking of them, that we support them,” Zamora said.

The Maple Grove packing session on Sept. 17 was part of Old National Bank’s fifth annual Better Together Days event. Across four locations over two days, volunteers assembled 1,600 comfort bags that employees are hand-delivering to nearby dialysis treatment centers, hospitals, and kidney care clinics.

The effort marks a new initiative for the financial institution. “This is our 5th annual event. This is our first time partnering with the National Kidney Foundation,” said Katie Eastman, business banking relationship manager at Old National Bank. “So we get as many team members together as we can for a two-day period and pack bags for something that we feel passionate about. It’s a way for us to step away and do something that matters in the community.”

Eastman noted that the initiative double-dips as an educational experience. “It’s an excuse to get out of the office while also learning about kidney disease,” she said. “We learned a ton this morning from Julie [Zamora].”

Before the packing began, Zamora educated the group about kidney conditions, noting that one in three Americans is at risk for kidney disease and 90% of those affected do not realize they have it. Because obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are top risk factors, early screening through routine doctor blood and urine tests is critical. Without early detection, many individuals only learn of their condition when immediate dialysis becomes necessary.

“Our mission is to educate people on kidney disease, how to detect it, how to prevent the progression into needing dialysis or a kidney transplant,” Zamora said. She added that community initiatives help spread awareness about living and deceased organ donation to reduce the transplant waiting list so patients do not have to rely on dialysis.

For Old National Bank, giving back is embedded in its corporate culture. The institution provides each employee with 24 hours (or three days) of paid time off every year specifically for volunteer work. Across its 10-state footprint, Better Together Days brings cross-functional teams together to work alongside one another outside the typical office environment.

“Community engagement and involvement is a huge part of our culture,” said Julie McDonough, Old National Bank private banking president and Twin Cities market president. “This is a way to bring people together to demonstrate that, but then it also builds a lot of teamwork and camaraderie with people who don’t sit in the same location or don’t work with each other every day. It gives us a chance to meet each other across different cross-functional teams and geography.”

McDonough emphasized how central this mission is to the bank's identity. “It’s just core to the culture of who we are,” McDonough added. “Banks provide all the same products and services, so how do you differentiate yourself? You do it through your people. People just love it. People love a chance to spend time with colleagues outside of the office in a different environment, and it makes people feel good about the bigger picture. I know what I’m supposed to do every day when I show up at work, but is there a bigger purpose?”

With more than 200 locations in Minnesota, Old National Bank continues to pair its commercial presence, including partnerships as the official bank of the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota State Fair, with hands-on local service.

“That for me is the bread and butter of all of this, what brings me joy,” Eastman said about the packing event. “And I can only assume team members feel the same way.”