The purpose of culture and engagement is to support employees by fostering a
sense of belonging whereby they can connect to the organization and each other, to reinforce
shared values and purpose, foster a positive and inclusive environment that encourages trust,
collaboration, and innovation while supporting employee well-being, such as respect,
recognition, and work-life balance. We aim to motivate and inspire employees to contribute
their best efforts and ideas, drive retention and loyalty by making employees proud to be part
of the organization and the work they do, and encourage an environment where continuous
improvement, growth, and development are the norm.

This program commenced in 2017 and was relaunched in October 2022 after it halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We built this program around the School’s mission, our Department’s Core Values, goals, and the importance of our employees in delivering our service mission, which is an essential element of our department’s success.

Goals & Objectives:

• Connect our greatest asset—our people—with the workplace.
• Help our employees and campus partners recognize the importance of our work and its impact on clinical care, research, and education.
• Allow employees to network cross-functionally.
• Show appreciation for our employees.
• Improve communications and connections within our Department.
• Connect employees with University resources and initiatives.

Upcoming events

Previous Events

Events

Clothing Drive

During FY 25, the department hosted a clothing drive to donate to ReFresh, which is a nonprofit resale store in St. Louis, Missouri, that offers adult-sized clothing. The store’s goal is to raise funds for children affected by foster care, ensuring they have access to essential resources. It is owned by the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. During the drive, the department collected over 2000 lbs of clothing and textiles.

Following the same plan during FY26, the department will continue to donate clothes to ReFresh and include the St. Louis Empowerment Center. The Empowerment Center’s goals are to provide peer support, recovery services, and a sense of community to individuals in the St. Louis area who have lived experience with mental health and/or substance use disorders. Both these organizations will use these items to assist members of the St. Louis Community.

Dresser Build & Packing Bags

In October of FY25, the department hosted a dresser build for Home Sweet Home. This organization’s mission is to give underserved families a sense of pride and improve their quality of life by providing basic household furnishings. Our employees formed teams and committed to building a dresser either at the event or in advance. This allowed teams on all shifts to participate in the event.

During this event, we also hosted a bag-packing event. Employees were able to donate personal hygiene items and snacks. We packed 200 personal hygiene bags containing wool socks, Chapstick, body wipes, bandages, lotion, gloves, a hat, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other items. We also packed 200 snack bags containing a bottle of water, beef jerky, applesauce, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, and other items. A handwritten, inspirational note was also included in each bag and dresser. The bags were
distributed to BJC Social Services and WashU Medicine Protective Services to be handed out to those in need.

Holiday Outreach

Throughout the year, OFMD holds 50/50 raffles and collects donations to support our holiday
outreach initiative, in partnership with the WUMC Adopt-a-Family program. These funds allow our department to sponsor one or two families by covering their entire holiday wish lists, paying their utility bills, and providing enough support to ensure they have ample groceries for the season. Our team enjoys shopping for and wrapping gifts each year, and everyone takes pride in participating in the initiative throughout the year.

Food & Hygiene Drive

During the OFMD FY 25 June People + Place event, we hosted a food drive to support our
Environmental Services Pantry and the St. Louis Empowerment Center. We collected
approximately 100 pounds of ready-to-eat food for the EVS team and 150 pounds of food and
hygiene products for the St. Louis Empowerment Center. Events like this underscore our team’s commitment to support others in our community.