Lynn Binnie

Whitewater High School NHS members celebrated National Student Leadership Week by hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive, community service projects through a spring Silent Auction and developing a new program called the Big Buddy Little Buddy project.  Members traveled to Lincoln Elementary School on April 26 and shared reflections about the importance of demonstrating outstanding leadership, character, scholarship, and service with the 5th-grade class.  At the end of the presentation, President Aileen Perez shared, “These four characteristics will not only change our school but can eventually change the world.”  Children then had fun playing games with members outside at the end of the day.

Editor’s note: This article and photos were submitted by Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, Whitewater High School Counselor and National Honor Society Advisor.

WHITEWATER—May 1st, 2023—The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is proud to announce Crystal Singer is stepping in as the organization’s new Chairman replacing Larry Kachel who is stepping down. The group is excited for Crystal to step up as Chairman and feels she is a perfect fit for this role.

“Crystal has been a founding member and strong supporter of everything we do,” said GWC President, Jeff Knight. “While Larry will be missed, we understand that his commitments to the School Board and his business are important to him. Crystal is immensely qualified to take over this role, and we are excited to see what we can accomplish under her leadership!”

Crystal Singer is the CEO of Whitewater Manufacturing, a 4th generation female-owned business whose goal is to maintain continuous improvement practices and procedures that enable them to meet and exceed customer expectations in the community. Additionally, Crystal is very active in the Whitewater community, serving on many boards as well as the GWC. 

“I am very fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Larry Kachel, who has done an amazing job over the past 10 years,” said GWC Chairman, Crystal Singer. “He cares so much about this community, and I certainly have big shoes to fill. I wish Larry the best in his endeavors, and hope to demonstrate the same level of effective leadership as I take on this role.” 

In her time on the GWC, Crystal has served as treasurer and supports the organization’s initiatives in many ways. Her dedication to the group has been instrumental in its growth, providing the community with the support it needs to thrive. Additionally, Whitewater Manufacturing has been an ongoing Title Sponsor of the GWC’s Discover Whitewater Series half marathon and 5k event each fall, which is an excellent example of how valuable Crystal’s membership is to the GWC.  

About the GWC 

The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to working with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. Its goals are to advance the economic, educational, and social policies required to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.

Fort HealthCare announced on April 27 that it has earned the 2023 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence award for Purpose & Values. Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awards celebrate organizations that excel in specific areas of workplace culture. The award is determined solely from employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: such as alignment, execution, and connection.

The Top Workplaces for Purpose & Values award celebrates organizations that have successfully communicated the company mission and integrated those aspirations into the culture. The award highlights Fort HealthCare’s commitment to its Mission to improve the health and well-being of our community.

Fort HealthCare promotes both quality of patient care and a top workplace environment by practicing our RESPECT Values: Responsiveness, Excellence, Sensitivity, Professionalism, Empowerment, Cultural Diversity, and Teamwork.

“At Fort HealthCare we strongly believe in our core cultural values,” said Michael Anderson, MD, President and CEO of Fort HealthCare. “We are honored to accept the Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award for Purpose & Values, which recognizes the dedication of Fort HealthCare employees to our community-driven mission.”

“Top Workplaces is a beacon of light for organizations as well as a sign of resiliency and impressive performance,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward.”

Fort HealthCare thanks its employees for embodying its values and making Fort HealthCare a Top Workplace in Cultural Excellence.

About Fort HealthCare

Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long-term basis. FortHealthCare.com.

About Energage

Making the world a better place to work together.TM

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 16 years of culture research and the results from 27 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from Fort HealthCare.

The Whitewater 4^th of July Committee and Downtown Whitewater, Inc are excited to announce a schedule for the 2023 Whitewater 4^th of July Festival. We are pleased to partner with the following organizations in the planning and execution of this year’s festival: City of Whitewater, Whitewater Lions Club, Whitewater Area Regional Ministries PrimeTime High School Youth Group, Whitewater First United Methodist Church, Christo la Roca, Knights of Columbus, St Patrick Catholic Church, Whitewater Family Church, Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, and First Citizens State Bank.

The 2023 Festival will stretch over a period of days beginning June 30, 2023 and ending on the evening of July 4, 2023. We look forward to the return of family owned and operated carnival games and rides by Chrisman Amusements. Live music at the Cravath Lakefront Amphitheater includes a variety of local and regional performances concluding with the return of The Britins, a Beatles Tribute Band, as the headliner for July 4^th. The festival will also feature the 4^th of July Parade, 38^th Annual Car Show, 11^th Annual Miss Whitewater Pageant, food offerings from local church and civic organizations, fireworks, and Family Day powered by Generac featuring a free petting zoo, pony, and camel rides.  Please see our detailed schedule at whitewater4th.com for times and locations.

We invite the Whitewater community to join our excitement now as we approach the festival by joining us as a volunteer, supporting the festival through donations, and signing up to participate in the 4^th of July Parade. We couldn’t host this event without all of you, and it certainly could never be the same.

To volunteer, join us at our next committee meeting on Thursday, May 4^th 5-7 p.m. (open house style) at 150 W Main Street, Whitewater – the shared offices of Discover Whitewater or email us at director@downtownwhitewater.com for additional information on participating as a volunteer at this year’s festival.

To donate, find additional information on our website and become a Friends of the Fourth member: whitewater4th.com

To sign up to participate in the 4^th of July Parade, find additional details and complete our online registration here: https://forms.gle/TsNTBuzsbwKAquD78

We can’t wait to celebrate our nation’s independence with you this summer!

Our thanks to Steve Watson for sharing more great photos. Steve, you sure know a lot about the creatures in our area!

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!

We are excited to announce the season kickoff for both the Whitewater City Market and the Whitewater Farmers Market! The Whitewater City Market operates Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at 301 W. Whitewater St. in front of the Historic Train Depot Museum starting May 2nd and ending October 31st.

As the City Market enters its 8th season, shop 25-30 farmers and artisans selling a wide variety of products, including produce, fresh baked goods, popcorn, locally roasted coffee, sweets, local meat and eggs, handcrafted pottery, jewelry, wooden signs, books, and more! A handful of vendors accept WIC and SFMNP.

Grab dinner from food vendors, relax at a picnic table or on a blanket in the grass, and enjoy live music from local musicians, both professional and students. This year’s music is powered by Generac! Kids crafts and activities are always available. In honor of Opening Day, stop by the Whitewater City Market tent to be entered to WIN a basket of goodies!

The Whitewater Farmers Market operates Saturdays from 8 to noon (rain or shine!) starting May 6th and ending October 28th at 301 W. Whitewater St. in the lot next to the Historic Train Depot Museum. The Whitewater Farmers Market enters its 32nd season. Vendors offer local produce, baked goods, homemade pasta, mushrooms, prepared foods, and plants.

Farmers markets continue to be a great place to connect with your local farmers and artisans and offer an opportunity to build memories with friends, family, and community members. Frequent the markets this season to not only enjoy what’s in season, but to support your neighbors’ skills, talents, and hard work.

On Friday, April 21st, a group of members from the Whitewater Alpha Gamma Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators met to sort through dozens of crates of used books to put into three Little Libraries in the area.  The local chapter manages: the Depot Museum, Starin Park and Wright’s Trailer park Little Libraries.  Books are collected from donors throughout the year and categorized by age level and put out in the Little Library boxes.  There are books for primary elementary children, middle aged children and high school through adult levels.  Anyone is welcome to take a book and leave a book and they are free to keep any book they really enjoy.  Those three Little Libraries are maintained from May through October.

The Alpha Gamma Chapter has been sponsoring this program for 10 years, with the goal, “If you give a child a book, they might just keep on reading!”

The Chapter is celebrating its 60^th year of service with a Diamond anniversary this year.  The current officers are:  Lori Heidenreich, President; Linda Jentzsch, Vice President; Mary Kenne, Recording Secretary and Dee Simon, Treasurer.

Editor’s note: This article and photo were submitted courtesy of Jeanine Fassl.

City of Whitewater Equal Opportunities Commission – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
VIRTUAL MEETING AGENDA
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/625581461
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 625-581-461
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

Whitewater School Board/Whitewater Education Association Bargaining Session – Tuesday @ 4:00 p.m.
Whitewater Unified School District Central Office
419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
PUBLIC NOTICE: Pursuant to §111.70 and §19.82(1), Wis. Stats., you are hereby notified that representatives
of the School Board of the Whitewater Unified School District and the Whitewater Education Association will
meet on May 2, at 4:00 p.m. at the Central Office Board Room, 419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater,
Wisconsin, to exchange 2023-24 proposals. The meeting will be open to the public. In addition, the parties may
caucus individually in closed session. Subsequent negotiations will be conducted in closed session unless the
parties agree to open sessions.

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes combining Pedestrian & Bicycle Committee with Parks & Recreation Board, and strategic plan review and adoption. Closed session, to reconvene, includes vacant land offer to purchase, and Lease and option agreement with ClearPath Energy LLC for a solar energy project to be constructed on the City of Whitewater
closed landfill site located at the end of the north terminus of Jefferson Street.
This will be an IN PERSON and a VIRTUAL MEETING. (not in person).
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join us via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88580517081?pwd=ZmpzQWptNkV5d3JoRDZBY2gweHNMQ
T09
Passcode: 965531
Or Telephone: 1 312 626 6799 US
Webinar ID: 885 8051 7081

City of Whitewater Landmarks Commission Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Cravath Lake Front Room
312 Whitewater Street
Agenda:https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05042023-1692

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://meet.goto.com/910188549
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 910-188-549
United States: +1 (571) 317-3112