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(Memory Café Whitewater Public Library Press Release)

All Memory Cafés held at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, are cancelled until further notice.

Out of concern for the health and safety of all attendees, the Community Room will remain closed for the remainder of 2020.

Memory Cafés, designed as a free social event for individuals who are living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), early-stage Alzheimer’s or other dementia, and their care partners, have been held on the second Monday of each month in the Library Community Room at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater, at 10:30 am. As soon as it is prudent, they will be held again.

Library staff will inform the community as soon as they confirm when the Memory Cafés will resume.

For more information please call the library at 262-473-0530.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

In August, 2019 the City of Elkhorn Common Council denied, by a vote of 4-2, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for New Beginnings APFV to convert a former Aurora Medical Center in downtown Elkhorn to offices for the organization and a small domestic violence shelter. There would be four small one or two-bedroom apartments for families in crisis. The Plan Commission had forwarded the application to the council without a recommendation for or against. Among the concerns that were expressed was insufficient parking, driveway length, and whether the proposal was appropriate for the zoning.

New Beginnings filed a lawsuit against the city, saying it had met the criteria and should receive a CUP. Circuit Court Judge Dan Johnson held a hearing on April 29 and ultimately ruled that the City Council did not provide a factual basis for the denial. The judge told the city to reconsider its decision based on the established record.

New Beginnings issued a press release on June 19 encouraging supporters of the proposal to contact the councilmembers. Suzi Schoenhoft, Current Executive Director and Heidi Lloyd, Previous Executive Director indicated that if the use was approved the building was going to be donated to New Beginnings. The release indicated that “Domestic violence is on the rise. In grant year 2019, New Beginnings APFV helped 922 clients affected by domestic abuse, compared to 664 in 2018.” (Federal grant years run Oct. 1 through Sept. 30) It was stated that more than 800 people had signed a petition in support of the proposal.

New Beginnings’ website states that of their clients “in 2018, 62 families needed to relocate due to domestic violence. They were not safe in their own homes. The closest shelter for victims of domestic violence currently is 30-50 miles away, and rarely has openings for out-of-county persons.” Serving Walworth and Jefferson Counties, New Beginnings has an office at 143 W. Main Street in Whitewater. The organization provides a 24-hour hotline at (262) 723-4653.

On June 29 the City Council held a special meeting at which the CUP was approved by a vote of 4-2.

Recognizing that there will likely be considerable renovation expense to turn part of a medical clinic into small apartments, the Banner reached out to Executive Director Suzi Schoenhoft for comment regarding the projected expenses and funding sources for such work. Ms. Schoenhoft referred the Banner to the organization’s attorney, who has not returned the call as of this writing.

(Public Service Announcement by the City of Whitewater)

Following is a link for more information: https://arcg.is/zOzej

After the link is opened, click on the 2020 Smoke Testing map image for interactive viewing.

Fort Atkinson, WI – July 6, 2020 – The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties has issued their third and final round of COVID-19 relief support to five area school districts and two local nonprofit partner agencies.

“On June 30^th, we issued our final round of COVID-19 relief checks totaling $33,000. With our checks issued on March 31^st and May 15^th, our United Way distributed a total of $64,530 in grant support to our local schools and two emergency financial assistance programs,” states Megan Hartwick, United Way executive director. “A full 100% of the donations received for this fund were directly allocated back in support of those organizations providing support to those in need in our communities. We originally set a goal to raise and allocate $40,000, so to reach just under $65,000 was something we were very proud of and very humbled by.”

The $64,530 in funds have been allocated to five school districts in United Way’s service area: School District of Fort Atkinson, School District of Jefferson, Whitewater Unified School District, Lake Mills Area School District and then Palmyra Eagle Area School District. Funds have also been distributed to the emergency financial assistance programs through Bethel House and St. Vincent de Paul of Fort Atkinson.

“We were very fortunate to have some monetary support for our initiative right away, which allowed us to distribute support shortly after we opened the fund. We knew it would be important to provide some immediate aid, but we also wanted to be in a position to provide additional assistance after any federal or state aid packages stopped,” Hartwick states. “It was inspiring that so many individuals, organizations and companies understood the impact of COVID-19 closures were going to have a more lasting impact than the first month or so, and we are honored that they trusted their dollars to United Way and allowed us to allocate their donations to help children and families in our communities.”

The school districts are able to utilize the funds in whatever capacity is needed in order to best serve their students during the remaining summer break and to assist with any and all changes they will need to make for the new school year in the fall. The emergency financial assistance funds will be available for individuals and families who are in immediate need of support to cover their living expenses.

“Our school districts have served as heroes to so many children and families in our communities. We know that will only continue as they work hard to further adapt and shift to determine how to best serve the kids in our communities in the fall,” Hartwick states. “Bethel House & St. Vincent de Paul of Fort Atkinson are two local organizations with huge hearts and the ability to directly impact so many through their emergency financial assistance programs. Both organizations have started to see an uptick in requests now that federal support programs have ended, and our relief dollars to them will allow for far greater support to those still facing financial hardship.”

Donations for the relief fund are no longer being accepted, but Hartwick wants community members to know that the relief and support from United Way is not ending..

“Technically our COVID-19 relief fund is closed,” Hartwick states. “But our United Way will continue to provide support to our communities as we always have, much of which will directly impact those who have been negatively affected by the pandemic. So although donations can no longer be made to that specific account, any donation to United Way, at any time of the year, provides a positive impact on supporting our mission to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our communities.”

A total of 48 individuals, four organizations and seven companies contributed to the relief fund. Approximately 85% of those donors were brand new contributors to the local United Way.

“The support we received was overwhelming, and it was even more inspiring to see how many dollars came from those who’d never had a previous relationship with our organization,” Hartwick adds. “That showed us our communities were pleased with our quick action to start a fund and also confident in trusting us to be strong stewards of their contributions. We look forward to continuing to build those relationships and also reaching back out to all of our existing donors this fall to join our efforts during our 2020 United Way Campaign.”

Anyone who would like more information on United Way can visit the website at www.uwjnwc.com or contact United Way at 920.563.8880 or unitedway@idcnet.com.

We hope you have been enjoying the WARM Walk at First United Methodist Church and invite you to come by this week and read our newest story, ColorGull by Dorena Williamson. Williamson is described as “a bridge builder, speaker, and writer who loves sharing God’s grace in stories for children” and this book is a celebration of “the colors God gave us.” Ending with great discussion questions for children and/or adults about issues related to race; translations available in English and Spanish. Stop on by 145 S. Prairie St in Whitewater and check it out!

Have you used the Storywalk® the summer? If so, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to email Beth at christianed@fumcwhitewater.org and let us know your thoughts or feedback.

The residents at Lakeside Acres condos, 701 E Clay Street, enjoyed a holiday parade on Saturday. Adaline and Everleigh Goske led it off with their patriotically decorated bikes while Sarah Linn and Grace Goske reprised their performance as the Lady Liberties.

Sarah Linn stated, “It was just such a fun time for everyone. Feels like we persevered despite Covid.  Many thanks to all the neighbors who enthusiastically cheered the parade on!” 

Whitewater Middle School students in the 8^th grade were invited to participate in a writing contest held by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, and the following students received awards:

Short story

1st — Ghati Binagi;

2nd — Cheyenne Bohman;

3^rd  — Viktor Goldsmith;

 Mentor Story

1st — Silas Baker;

2nd– Iza Tovar;

3rd –Andrae Alcala

Kiwanis President Lorrie Koppein said, “Our group was very impressed with the quality of the writing for this project.  Whitewater truly has a remarkable group of students with lots of talent.”

 Prizes for both the Short Story and Mentor Story categories included:

1st place – $50.00 and  Kiwanis Certificate; 2nd place – $20.00 and Kiwanis Certificate; and 3rd place – Kiwanis Certificate.

Please note that Whitewater Middle School Associate Principal Ben Holzem was on-hand to accept the awards on behalf of the students. 

This was the first of what the Kiwanis hope will be an annual writing contest.

The Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is made up of dedicated volunteers who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to projects and zero to administrative costs.  Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including Ferradermis, ELL Summer School Transportation, shoes for students, Badger Boys State and Badger Girls State, and scholarships.  Kiwanis helped to build and maintain the Flowing Well Shelter, the shelter and accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, as well as adopting a highway to clean up.  In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House and more.

Funds are raised through annual Pancake Breakfasts that have been served continuously since the 1950s, the Discover Whitewater Series Half-Marathon Pancake Breakfast since it began, and yearly poinsettia and lily plant sales. More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

Written by Craig Schreiner of UW-Whitewater

An ongoing survey led by the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee shows how nonprofits across the state have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey and the resultant report, “The COVID-19 Effect on Wisconsin’s Nonprofit Sector,” is the first in a series of surveys that capture the impact of the pandemic. It’s intended to guide managers, funders and policymakers in responding to disruptions in critical services provided by nonprofits. The next survey will be released on July 10.

When the pandemic hit Wisconsin in early 2020, UW System faculty affiliated with the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at UW-Milwaukee began to consider surveying the nonprofit sector, according to Carol Brunt, an assistant professor who leads the nonprofit management program in the College of Business and Economics at UW-Whitewater. The Helen Bader Institute and the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies at UW-Whitewater took the lead on coordinating the survey.

Brunt said faculty from campuses at Milwaukee, Whitewater, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Parkside and Madison responded quickly, having worked together in the past. Adapting a model survey from the University of San Diego, the Wisconsin team reached more than 500 nonprofits with the online survey in April.

“We really wanted to understand the impact of the pandemic on the sector, to provide stakeholders with some real-time data and to get an idea of how some of those critical services are going to continue,” said Brunt. “We touch not only on issues of programs and service delivery, human resources, finance and revenue, but we also did little snapshots from the area where each of us came from. Those will be broadened into regional reports.”

Among the survey findings, almost 47% of the survey respondents reported a reduction in programming due to COVID-19, 80% reported fewer volunteers and 11% pivoted to supplying basic needs such as food and financial assistance. And, despite CARES Act funding, organizations are concerned about long-term sustainability and disruption of fundraising activities and programming.

In the City of Whitewater, which is home to more than 30 nonprofits, the pandemic impacted the number of volunteers working with local nonprofits as classes and students transitioned away from campus to finish the semester online, said Megan Matthews, a lecturer in management at UW-Whitewater and a colleague of Brunt. As the internship coordinator for UW-Whitewater’s nonprofit program, Matthews helps match students with internships at nonprofits in Whitewater and the region. 

“There’s no question that there is a symbiotic relationship between the nonprofits in Whitewater and the students on campus,” said Matthews. “And there has been for years. They (students) make things happen that wouldn’t otherwise happen.”

“Students not only positively impact the community, but they learn life skills and work skills and they have professional development opportunities,” she added.

Matthews also serves on the board of directors of one of those nonprofits, the Whitewater Arts Alliance. She said a student intern at WAA during the recent spring and fall semesters created marketing materials, wrote grant applications and continued her internship online when the pandemic hit.  

As volunteers and interns in the community, UW-Whitewater students help nonprofits provide food, clothing, rides and services for seniors, emergency financial assistance, day programming for adults with developmental disabilities, transitional housing, arts and educational programing and more. Warhawk interns also work with fundraising foundations assisting on fundraising campaigns, reaching out to donors and planning events.

Brunt said nonprofits often are misunderstood by the public as being government-funded or exclusively run by volunteers. Instead, she said nonprofits fill in the gaps in services that governments might otherwise have to provide. She said nonprofits often offer paid careers for managers and, when funding is available, internships are paid as well. 

UW-Whitewater offers a nonprofit management minor for both business majors and non-business majors, as well as a general management major with an emphasis in nonprofit management. Brunt said internships have been key for student success after graduation.

“Our program is interesting because it’s housed in the business college but the minor is open to students across campus,” she added. “It’s a multidisciplinary program. We’re very much about getting public-minded, publicly oriented students who are interested in doing social good.”

Matthews said the benefit to Whitewater nonprofits when students are able to return to campus will be powerful.

“There’s no question the nonprofits have taken a hit from the pandemic,” said Matthews. “Students coming back and stepping into the roles they did before, whether it be as a volunteer or a structured internship, will be huge.”

For more information, contact Carol Brunt, assistant professor of management, at 262-472-3956 or bruntc@uww.edu and Megan Matthews, lecturer of management, at 262-472-7022 or matthewm@uww.edu.