Quicken Loans & Open Door Outreach Run for a Cause.

 

 

BY Chase Woolner

 

On the morning of Saturday June 20, Quicken Loans team members gathered at Walled Lake Northern High School to participate in the 16^th Annual Julie Run, a benefit run to support the Open Door Outreach Center in Waterford, Michigan.  There were two distances available for participants to choose from, a 5K (3.1 miles) and a 10K (6.2 miles).

 

We were running for a noble cause, The Open Door Outreach Center provides emergency services to families in need, such as food, clothing and referral services for emergency-related transportation and medical needs.  The run is named after Open Door trustee Julie LeBlanc who has been organizing this event for the past 19 years.

 

Along with the leisurely runners and walkers at the event, the day was also a competition between friendly rivals - Tony Nuckolls of Quicken Loans and Pat McInnis of Fathead -going head to head in the race for the second year in a row.  As team members arrived and registered for the event they also chose if they wanted to run for Team Pat or Team Tony.  Racers went to the starting positions and as soon as the starting pistol fired the race was on!

 

Runners started off strong running down the driveway of the high school and into the surrounding neighborhoods.  Each runner had a plastic tab clipped to their shoe that tracked their pace and made sure they stayed on course as they passed race checkpoints.  Soon runners started streaming back to the high school to finish the race.  The very first person completed the 5K race with an impressive time of 17:41.0 which is an average pace of 5:42 a mile.  Putting that run in perspective, the world record for the 5K race was recently run by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at a time of 12:57.82.

 

As the race concluded and runners crossed the finished line, they were greeted by the cheers of spectators offering complimentary water, fruit and ice cream sandwiches.  When every runner had returned and crossed the finished line, times were announced and trophies and medals were awarded.

 

The first annual Quicken Loans Chili Cook-off was also held in support of Open Door Outreach Center and was the precursor to the inter-office competition.  The cook-off featured over 14 contestants anxious to share their best crock pot of chili while other team members tasted and voted on the best chili for a donation of $5.

 

To See More Pictures From the Run: Click Here! 

 

 

Team Members Run Times

 

Male

 

Steve Marcero  - 5K Run

                Time:  19:02.1

Kevin LeBlanc  - 5K Run

                Time:  19:59.1

Jaime Rasmussen  - 5K Run

                Time: 20:31.5

Tony Nuckolls  - 5K Run

                Time: 26:25.0

Pat McInnis  - 5K Run

                Time: 31:10.3

Jason Freeman  - 5K Run

                Time:  48:13.4

 

Female

 

Allison Snell  - 5K Run

                Time:  25:54.1

Kelli Surma - 5K Run

                Time: 33:05.4

Summer Khoury  - 5K Run

                Time: 27:18.0

Angela Cini  - 5K Run

                Time: 33:28.5

Tabitha Treber - 5K Run

                Time: 47:20.3

Dana Gold -10K Run

                Time: 56:53.3

Jessica Kangas - 10K Run

                Time: 59:55.0

First Annual Quicken Loans Chili Cook-Off

By Chase Woolner

Quicken Loans experienced an effect of global warming on Monday, June 15th.  Team members at Quicken Loans and Fathead witnessed their conference rooms, known as the Alaska rooms, become the hottest, spiciest place in their world!  The First Annual Quicken Loans Chili Cook-off took place featuring over 14 contestants anxious to share their best crock pot of chili. The event was a fundraiser to support Open Door Outreach, which provides emergency services to families in need, such as food, clothing and referral services for emergency-related transportation and medical needs.

At each table there were three to four crock-pots of chili alongside a spread of various toppings such as cheese, sour cream, onions, and corn chips.  The really tasty chips were donated by Michigan-based Garden Fresh Gourmet.

One of the most universal and time-honored family activities is the sharing of food and recipes.  Many of the entrants had their own personal story behind their chili submissions ranging from “I made it this morning…” to “This recipe has been in my family for generations.”  One of those stories came from team member George Milian who entered a recipe that was passed down from his grandfather and had previously been a winner at a Ford Company Chili Cook-off.  The Chili recipes were collected to put into the Community Diff cookbook that is being created for future fundraisers.

Thanks to the number of entries, the chilies varied in texture, color, ingredients, and most importantly -- taste.  Chili samples from each of the contestants were judged by Vice President of Mortgage Banking, Tony Nuckolls, and Rannie Bawab, a President’s Club Banker. The two sat at a center table and judged each of the chilies on texture and overall flavor.  The First Place winner had their choice of tickets to the Target Fireworks Party in Detroit or the opportunity to enjoy a Tigers game in a luxury suite at Comerica Park.  Our judges struggled over who would be the top place winner…they debated numerous times until they were told they could pick a second place winner.  The Second Place winner would receive tickets to the event not chosen by the First Place winner.

Voting was also open to team members who came to enjoy the chili tasting and cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award.  Some chili-goers were creating their own nacho-inspired chili dishes with the Garden Fresh chips and their favorite chili…not bad for a $5.00 donation!  Each voter received a raffle ticket that they could use to vote for their favorite contestant’s chili. The winner of the People’s Choice received a Wolfgang Puck cookbook and cookware.

First Place Chili  -  Awarded to Bruce Schwartz
People’s Choice -  Awarded to A.J. Galgou
Second Place Chili -  Awarded to Doug Gartley

 

A special “Thank You” goes to all of the contestants, those who donated to the event, Garden Fresh, and our judges who endured the heartburn.

    To See More Pictures: Click Here!

Quicken Loans, Fathead and the Detroit Pistons Celebrate Black History Month

By: Brian Stevenson

In February, I had the honor of participating in the 4th Annual “Know Your Black History Tour,” held at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.  Legendary Detroit Piston Rick Mahorn joined Rock Financial, Fathead, IBM and the Detroit Pistons-Palace Foundation to make this celebration unforgettable.  The event focused on three Detroit-area schools; Henry Ford Academy, Kettering High School and Ferguson Academy selecting their two best students to compete to win scholarships courtesy of Rock Financial and the Pistons-Palace Foundation. 

The talented students performed a three-minute interpretation of the importance of knowing black history in the art form of their choice.  Spoken word, song, dance, acting and rap were all used creatively, as students competed before peers, faculty and guest judges Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock), Rhonda Walker (WDIV Channel 4), Rochelle Riley (Detroit Free Press) and Dr. Darrius (WJLB Radio) among other prestigious guest.  These special guests shared inspiring stories of their own personal challenges and the importance of knowing their history and using that knowledge to achieve success.  In addition to the program, all students and staff were treated to a tour of the Black History exhibits at the Henry Ford Museum, including the bus on which Rosa Parks made history. 

I was honored to share the stage with Rock Financial President and Chief Operating Officer Patrick McInnis (little did I know he would soon be joining Fathead as CEO) to emphasize the importance of having a dream, a competitive spirit and the drive to achieve them.  Rick Mahorn spoke of his own experience growing up and dealing with challenges by learning to respect himself and others.  He encouraged the students to not buy into stereotypes and to embrace their rich history.

The finalists were awarded six scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000, plus prizes such as a Pistons Fathead wall graphic and four tickets to a Pistons game at the Palace where they would be honored at half time.  All three schools were winners as well, receiving five new laptops each, courtesy of IBM.

As I reflect on that day, the chance to speak to the students during the “Know Your Black History Tour” was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had.  I want to thank Wendy Kemp and the Quicken Loans family for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a great event.

Students From the Flint Boys & Girls Club Learn the Importance of Budgeting

By: Victoria Araj

Is it possible to have a 3-bedroom home, a sports car and a 10-day vacation planned on a $3000 monthly budget? 

Questions like this gave 40 students from the Boys & Girls Club of Flint a few hours to scratch their heads and come up with an answer.  With all of the financial news in the media, local kids are learning about money a lot earlier in life thanks to the Rock Financial Junior Achievement Park in Detroit.   Kids are like sponges, they soak up all kinds of information by learning from their environment and from example.  They can learn first-hand how to manage money, balance a budget, and ultimately be a savvy financial consumer with the right tools and resources.  On Saturday, volunteers from Quicken Loans/Rock did just that by helping the students plan a simulated monthly budget.

Finance Park has a really cool set up for the students with stations that recreate offices and storefronts that reflect real-life choices.  The students were given a life scenario, which indicated whether they were single, married, with or without children and the monthly income they had to pay their bills and save.  From obtaining a mortgage, to securing insurance to buying monthly groceries, the students had to make decisions about their expenses and not be in the red at completion.  This was quite a task for the students as they picked out a house, furniture and even cell phone plans that seemed perfect on paper but when matched with their monthly income…not so realistic.  Some of the students had to make changes by buying a cheaper car or sacrificing high-speed internet in order to balance their budgets.  It sure was an eye opener as several of the students commented that they did not realize how many decisions their parents face and how they will appreciate being a kid for a while longer!

This was a great experience because it gave the students a glimpse of the responsibilities that come along with adulthood long before they are faced with them in reality.  The kids walked away with an understanding of needs versus wants and the value of planning ahead instead of spending frivolously.  All of the volunteers had a great time helping the students and are looking forward to the next opportunity to do it again!  Quicken Loans team member Sherry Wong said, “It allowed us to take everyday expenses and inspire children to think of how to manage their financial future. It was such a fun morning, and you could tell the kids learned a lot from it.”

What a BLAST down in Detroit!--Todd Albery

By Todd Albery

Man, Detroit can’t catch a break.  Every year Detroit plans its big Winter Blast, and every year it’s either bitter cold or unseasonably warm!  This year was no exception.  Out of the blue, last weekend we go from 30+ straight-days of beautiful cool, snowy, Michigan Winter to… WARM.  Ice sculptures melting, buckets of snow being thrown on the sledding hill, warming stations vacant, and an inch of water on the Campus Martius ice skating rink (which my son actually thought was the greatest slip-n-slide ever!).

Despite the last-minute climate change, my family had an absolute BLAST down in Detroit this weekend!  Crowds were great, people were friendly and the event was well organized.  Rides were operating, lines were moving and my two kids couldn’t get enough of the fun.  My son and I raced down a crazy-fast 50-foot sledding hill (he’s still bragging about beating me).  My daughter took a dream- pony-ride through the snow.  We ice-skated to live DJ music.  We posed with Santa’s reindeer, Dancer, who was kind enough to fly over for the event.  We watched a Reggae Band (while the kids hoola-hooped) inside the Compuware building.  Then we finished the day off with some roasted marshmallows & s’mores, compliments  of Quicken Loans (please disregard the pink backpack  – it’s a Dad thing)

Detroit did another fantastic job this year of creating a fun family experience in spite of the Michigan weather.  It was a great day to celebrate a Winter in Detroit… It was also a great day to sport a Quizzle t-shirt and celebrate the one-year birthday of a new project called Quizzle!

Thanks to Detroit and Quicken Loans for providing my family with the BLAST of fun memories in winter ’09!