The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport held its annual Heritage, Health and Hobbies (H3) Day Jul. 17.

H3 Day allows the NUWC Division, Keyport workforce to deepen their sense of community and inclusion by allowing the diverse workforce to showcase their cultural heritage, hobbies, and even personal health practices.

Jason Schaffer, an Equal Employment Opportunity specialist at NUWC Division, Keyport, has been responsible for organizing H3 Day for past three years. According to Schaffer, H3 Day aligns perfectly with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)’s “Campaign Plan to Expand the Advantage 2.0,” a blueprint for NAVSEA’s strategic vision. Schaffer said one of NAVSEA’s strategic pillars is to empower and equip its talented people, and H3 Day is one of NUWC Division, Keyport’s effective tools for doing just that.

“H3 Day is a great day for Keyporters to intermingle, and maybe learn something new,” Schaffer said. “It’s a great avenue to achieve a greater sense of community, and this results in our workforce feeling more appreciated and valued.”

Diversity Square is the centerpiece of H3 Day. Schaffer said he intentionally set Diversity Square in the center in order to promote the idea of diversity and community by locating the heritage and special emphasis program booths together.

“They have a lot of great information at the tables,” said Schaffer. “The managers of these programs are really great and have a lot of engaging activities. We try to make it a learning experience, a social experience and a fun experience so that people can step out of the cubicle for an hour or so and engage with their fellow Keyporters.”

Bree Anderson, a volunteer at the Keyport LGBT Alliance booth, said H3 Day is a significant and important means of deepening the sense of community at NUWC Division, Keyport.

“It’s important to show all the aspects of employees’ lives if we’re a community,” said Anderson. “I’ve found a lot of great friends here.”

Capt. Jon Moretty, NUWC Division, Keyport command officer, said H3 Day was the perfect example of the workforce at NUWC Division, Keyport coming together as a community. He set up his own booth to launch his ‘Tell Me Your Story’ campaign, an effort that he sees aligning with NAVSEA’s campaign plan and allowing him greater insight into the barriers his workforce has encountered or still encounters He believes this will help him and the senior leadership of NUWC Division, Keyport be better equipped to help their workforce thrive.

“H3 Day has been outstanding. It’s a great time to build relationships outside of work,” said Moretty. “The ‘Tell Me Your Story’ response has been outstanding. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from people who have stopped by the booth. The response has been positive that the command wants to hear what they have to say. It builds a sense of community.”

Schaffer said H3 Day is a great deal of work, but he enjoys it because it is a unique opportunity for the NUWC Division, Keyport community to come together and learn new things about each other’s personal lives.  Schaffer said this kind of interaction will only continue to strengthen the bonds between coworkers.

"H3 allows for a unique opportunity to gain perspective into the Heritage, Health and Hobbies of our fellow Keyporters,” said Schaffer.

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