Bruker's Annual US Picnic

Splashdown at Bruker’s Annual US Picnic!

The Bruker US Annual Picnic is an annual get-together for staff – a chance to relax, have fun, enjoy some great food and this year, a chance to enjoy some never-to-be-repeated scenes of water tomfoolery and charity fund raising! Read on…

The tent was up, the tables set, the grill fired up and colleagues from the four buildings on the Bruker campus gathered together for the annual employee summer event.

We were treated to an all-American picnic of hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken with all the fixings and colleagues were able to relax in the cool shade of the tent while chatting and enjoying a leisurely lunch.

In addition to the great food, some fun entertainment and charitable fundraising was on the menu. Bruker CEO, Frank Laukien and CFO Charlie Wagner had been challenged to the ALS ice bucket challenge.

In case you haven’t been on social media lately, the ice bucket challenge is a grassroots effort to raise awareness and funds for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The challenge began in Boston and has swept the globe, going from college students, to families, to celebrities. The rules are simple, dump a bucket of ice water over your head and donate $10, don’t do it and donate $100.

Frank and Charlie graciously accepted the challenge and surprised us by performing the challenge at the picnic.

Since the point of the challenge is to raise money to support ongoing research, colleagues dug deep into their wallets and donated a bucket-full of money, while cheering Frank and Charlie on!

Blue Man!

Blue Man!

And the fun was just beginning.

The ‘dunk tank’ opened for business, and our first volunteer was Blue Man.

People lined up to purchase the opportunity to throw a ball and try to hit a target to dunk our colleagues.

Volunteers included a few Vice Presidents, an IT manager and… back in the water, CFO Charlie Wagner.

While the rules are that you have to hit the target with a ball, a few adventurous people took matters into their own hands to ensure their colleague was dunked. All was done in good fun and with temperatures in the high 80s, our volunteers cheerfully took a swim!

Making sure the 'dunk' happens!

Making sure the ‘dunk’ happens!

All was done in good fun and with temperatures in the high 80s, our volunteers cheerfully took a swim!

All proceeds from the dunk tank were donated to the Billerica Senior Center, a community center which offers activities and services for older adults age 60+.

We had a great day, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and raising money for a few good causes. Just your typical Bruker-US annual summer event!

Take a look at our fun photo gallery and enjoy seeing your Bruker friends and colleagues getting wet!

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