Join the functionally creative DTNTECH team at DISNEYLAND for the 18th Annual CHOC Walk this year! Our Friends and Family are all welcome! We’ll be walking for a cause and would like to invite you to walk side-by-side with us and celebrate! We support CHOC and also work with them, and we gladly take this opportunity to show that support! So bring your friends, fellow organization members, family, etc. on October 19th.

INFORMATION:

WHAT: CHOC 5K Walk @ Disneyland Resort
WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2008
TIME: 7:00AM-Opening Ceremony on Main Street (Disneyland); 7:15am - Walk Promptly Begins; DTNtech team will meet at 6:30AM at a Disneyland location TBA!
WHERE: Disneyland Resort & Disneyland California Adventure (Anaheim, California) before the parks open (Park Hopper special tickets on the day-of for $61 to enjoy the park after the CHOCWalk)

TO REGISTER:
1) Go to www.chocwalk.org and register under our team *DTNTECH MARKETING TEAM*
2) Raise or pledge at least $50 in order to get your wristband from Disney! Pledge ONLINE, drop off your pledge at DTNtech by Friday October 17, or at the CHOC registration office days before the walk. But you MUST do this before the day of the walk!
3) A DTNtech Rep will CHECK-IN and PICKUP CHOCWalk wristbands/tshirts for EVERYONE on the team, unless you choose to check-in yourself. You MUST check-in either ahead of time (week of the CHOCWalk) if you choose to do so individually.

Why Walk w/ Us:

1) Receive a team t-shirt to wear that day (printed by us, of course!) & a goodie bag
2) For those joining our team, DTNtech will provide lunch
3) $50 DTNtech Gift Certificates will be awarded to one representative per organization!
4) Come network & socialize with other companies and organizations!

CHOC asks: In order to help CHOC reach its goal of providing quality healthcare to the county’s one million children, CHOC Walkers pledge to raise a minimum of $50 to participate in the Walk. When a walker registers, they will have the option of donating $50 themselves or they may pledge to raise $50 to help CHOC accomplish its’ mission to nurture, advance and protect the health and well being of children. CHOC Walkers will have from August 1, 2008 to October 18, 2008 to raise $50.

For more information on joining DTNtech for the CHOCWalk, email liz@dtntech.com.

With our wide variety of clients from every sector from community service organizations to Fortune 500 corporations, us team members at DTNtech are proud to be affiliated with some of the outreaches our clients do. I’d like to rant a little bit about one of our clients from Portland, Oregon, who had done a missionary trip to build homes for the poor in Vietnam this past summer. After DTNtech had aided in designing and making their team t-shirts, the group from Lavang Parish were off to do a deed that will change lives.

The picture above is of a home in an actual village of B’Dor, a village so secluded and unknown that it’s not even on the map.

This is a home housing SEVEN people.

The Lavang team built homes for people in this village at a ridiculously affordable price of $600 per home (for materials, not including labor). After much fundraising and community support, they were able to build a few houses and will continue this mission again next year.

Building homes, giving rice to the local families, clothing and aid to the children, and making a presence in this small village were all part of the vision this group had.

Thanks for ROCKING those shirts and for doing good GLOBALLY.

If you are interested in more information or donating to this cause, email thao_nguyen_81@yahoo.com.

Do you have a cause or team or organization that you feel is worthy of being represented here on the DTNtech blog? Send us your pictures with your DTNtech shirts and blurbs about what you’re about to blog@dtntech.com! We’d love to hear what you’re doing!

Ella… ella.. ella ay ay… under my umbrella…

Featured Umbrella: our Sky Umbrella. Other styles available.

Through economic slowdowns or business uproars, employee and customer appreciation should be a value within any company that’s serious about lasting in the long-run. Statistics have shown that the right kind of employee appreciation (intrinsic AND extrinsic) can improve productivity and customer satisfaction. A happy employee can contribute to having a happy customer, and in return can make the business owner happy!

As you may be familiar with Maslow’s Need Hierarchy in the theory of human MOTIVATION, in which each person has FIVE needs: Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness needs, Esteem needs, and Self-actualization. This is related to EMPLOYEE motivation. (you can wiki it here)

Whether you are a small business owner or big corporation, your employees are still assets and representatives of what your company stands for. Small gestures such as “thank yous” and giving feedback are forms of encouragement and improvement motivators. Don’t feel like you’re a cop-out if you give your employees appreciation – remember that the majority of companies FAIL to show enough appreciation.

Sure, extra mula is always nice if you can afford giving it out. But here we talk about more of an intrinsic reward, something that can be talked about at dinner or remembered in a more heartfelt manner. These inner values make the employee more loyal to the company as well.

IDEA: As a company motivator, organize a sports league or group to do a community service event (such as a Walk or Marathon for a greater cause). This can increase a sense of belonging for each employee. This gives each employee to be involved with no pressure of performance, and for teamwork to be built. The janitor can bond with the CEO, or the VP of Finance can bond with a lower level associate. Giving a sense of community rather than an office hierarchy.

Where does DTNtech fit into this picture? If you visit our site or showroom, we can give you many examples of what to do for Employee Appreciation.

Some of our ideas that you can play off:

• Perhaps your company is going through turbulent changes. SHOWER your employees with appreciation. Put a message related to “we stick together through rain or shine” on an umbrella. It’s useful and gives a simple message.
• TEAM t-shirts (team identification) for organized extracurricular activities such as a baseball league or walk-a-thon.
• Matching mouse pads or office supplies for everyone in the firm, with your company name
• Giveaways or raffle prizes for staff appreciation lunches/dinners (customized)
• Celebrate success with matching gift baskets or duffel bags
• Encourage GOING GREEN to benefit the environment & community be spreading the message with eco-friendly items
• Stress relievers such as hand massagers, personal care kits, desk gadgets, etc

Employees contribute to your bottom line, so don’t forget about showering them (in a healthy way) with new things every once in a while.