News

“Drive My Car,” the 2022 Oscar winner for Best International Feature Film, will be shown, Tuesday, July 26, 1 p.m., at Seniors in the Park. 

(Drama) Unrated film; 2 hours, 59 minutes (2021). Japanese, shown with English subtitles. Oscar winner for Best International Feature Film 2022. A renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with his wife’s unexpected passing when he receives an offer to direct a production of “Uncle Vanya” at a drama festival in Hiroshima. A taciturn young woman is assigned to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900 Turbo. The New York Times called this “a quiet masterpiece; considers grief, love, work and the soul-sustaining, life-shaping power of art.”

When we moved to Whitewater in 1978, we easily found resources such as grocery stores, hardware stores, our church, and our doctors. In the last five years, I have had to find new resources to help Rich and to protect our assets.

In 2015, Rich and I met with our lawyer and set up a trust. In 2019, Rich was treated at Fort Memorial Hospital for a hernia. The nurse on call suggested that I get an incapacitation letter from his general practitioner. His doctor, who was familiar with his case, agreed to write it and have another doctor sign off. This letter was given to the lawyer and the trust was changed to my having control.

The staff at Rich’s memory care location are involved in the community and connected to the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) that exists in each Wisconsin county. I talked with them as well as the Veterans Administration of Walworth County since Rich is a Vietnam veteran.  These agencies enable families to know what’s available to help them emotionally as well as financially.

Twice a month, a program called Rockin’ Respite occurs at the Living Word church in downtown Whitewater where caregivers can drop off their loved ones for activities and lunch.  The activity is held two Tuesdays a month from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.  Masie can answer questions about respite care by emailing her at masieallie@yahoo.com.  Also a Memory Cafe social hour takes place at Whitewater’s Library; it is rotated among several libraries (Whitewater, Jefferson, Palmyra, and Fort Atkinson).  For more information, contact Suzanne at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library—(262) 473-0530.  She also wanted me to share that with your library card, you can check out activity kits to keep your loved one occupied.  Helpful presentations about dementia can be found online, on YouTube and sometimes in person.  A nationally-known dementia trainer, popular and entertaining speaker Teepa Snow presented at Young Auditorium to an audience of about 400 in June. 

Finally I cannot say enough good things about hospice. After being approved by a doctor, Rich now has a new bed, a Broda wheelchair, a Hoyer lift, and a shower chair. Each week a nurse visits him and emails me her report. Also, an aide gives him a shower twice a week.  Medicare covers these expenses.

Thank you for letting me share how our idyllic retirement has been derailed by dementia.  During this time, you find out who your true friends are and how wonderful a community can be! Please contact me at jamesm@uww.edu if you want to continue the conversation.

-Marcia James

This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park.  
https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/273/Seniors-In-the-Park

More resources for caregivers:
https://teepasnow.com/resources/pac-videos-about-dementia/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-forgetfulness-and-aging-whats-normal-and-whats-not

Retired, local, American Red Cross (ARC) volunteer coordinator, Jeanine Fassl, began donating her 21^st gallon of whole blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive held Friday, July 22 at the Cravath Lakefront Center. She is seen here with the certificate and 20-gallon pin that honored her previous donation this past March.

Jeanine had been an active Red Cross Blood Drive volunteer since the Whitewater Jaycettes began assisting Arlene Newhouse, who then coordinated the drive. In 1979 Jeanine became Whitewater’s ARC local coordinator in charge of procuring up to 57 volunteers including nurses, EMTs, registrars, donor room aides, segmentors, canteen staff, churches to make and serve food and drivers to bring the collected blood up to the Madison Red Cross processing center. Serving with ARC was one of her passions, as she honored the memory of her mother, Clara, who passed away in 1979 from acute onset adult leukemia. Jeanine spent over 25 years with the local drive.

Human blood is one of the rare components of the body that cannot be duplicated in a lab. There is always a need, as someone gets a blood transfusion EVERY 3 MINUTES in this country! Please consider donating soon! Visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Our thanks to Jeanine Fassl for sharing this achievement and important request.

— 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!

Fort HealthCare is hosting its tenth annual Frosty Rock Challenge event on Saturday, November 12, 2022. The event consists of an in-person 12k trail/road run, a 5k run/walk, a 1-mile Kids Run, and a virtual option for the 12k and 5k races. The race and festivities are being hosted at the Fort Atkinson High School (925 Lexington Blvd.) this year and will begin in the morning and wrap up by noon. In honor of Veterans Day on November 11^th, veterans can participate in the run/walk for FREE this year.

New for 2022 is the Kiwanis club of Fort Atkinson will be partnering with Fort HealthCare and will be volunteering their time at the event. For each Frosty Rock registration, a portion will be donated back to the Kiwanis club towards local park improvement projects. Curt Polzin, Kiwanis Club member writes, “Our local Fort Atkinson Kiwanis Club is thrilled to be partnering with Fort HealthCare for this community run/walk event.  Kiwanis is a volunteer organization that is dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  All proceeds from this event will be going towards local park improvement projects.”

Lisa Jensen, Fort HealthCare Vice President of Nursing and Frosty Rock planning committee member, states, “Fort HealthCare is excited to be back in-person for the 2022 Frosty Rock Challenge, and this is a great way to promote wellness and create an opportunity to give back to the community. We have had so much success with this event in bringing people together of all ages and activity levels.”

Jensen adds, “The Frosty Rock Challenge gives people a fun reason to come out on a Saturday morning, get some exercise, enjoy camaraderie with friends, and support the local community. The employees of Fort HealthCare spend a lot of time planning this event and are very passionate about donating back to a local cause [Kiwanis] and honoring our Mission and Vision.”

Frosty Rock committee member and Community Health & Wellness Department Coordinator, Tiffany Pernat, notes, “The last two years of the Frosty Rock Challenge have been virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m looking forward to being able to offer participants the opportunity to race in-person for 2022, while also offering a virtual option too. This race gives purpose to participants and allows Fort HealthCare to continue working towards our vision of being the healthiest community in Wisconsin.

Pernat adds, “Every year there is a great staff of volunteers, sponsors and partners that help make this event a success. We are still reaching out to local groups and businesses to assist with different sponsorship opportunities. We are so grateful for the support this event receives and look forward to another successful year after the break we’ve had!”

For more information about the event or to register, visit FortHealthCare.com/FrostyRock.

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. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

At a special meeting on June 30 the City of Whitewater Police and Fire Commission voted unanimously for an internal search for a new police chief to be managed by the city and Human Resources with one month to complete. This action coincided with the resignation and retirement of Aaron Raap, who served as chief since June of 2018.

The agenda for the City of Whitewater Police & Fire Commission special meeting on Monday, July 25 includes a closed session discussion titled, “Interview Of Chief Of Police Candidate.” The candidate is not named; however, it is obviously a current police officer in the department since the commission did not open the search to external candidates. The open session to follow the closed session includes the item, “Consideration Of Direction To City Staff To Proceed With A Conditional Offer And Negotiation For Chief Of Police Finalist (Name Will Be Included In Motion).” Per state statute, the hiring of a police chief is the responsibility of the Police & Fire Commission; however, the Common Council has sole responsibility for approving significant financial matters such as wages.

Also on Monday’s closed session agenda is “Nominations And Potential Approval Of Fire Department Command Staff Positions.” The Whitewater Fire Department, Inc. is in the process of finalizing a merger with the City of Whitewater, and has made nominations for the Command Staff positions that will take effect when the integration is complete. Per state statute, it is the responsibility of the Police & Fire Commission to approve the appointments to these positions. The concluding open session includes the item, “Announcement Of Recommendation Concerning Whitewater Fire Department Promotional Process.”

Whitewater Community Fundraising Partners is excited to offer this fun event to help support the Whitewater School District’s Family Emergency Fund. 

Our goal is that all students have the basic necessities to be healthy and successful.  This includes the basic necessities of safe lodging and food.  We raise the funds, then give them to the school, to help the students that are homeless.  Just in this past year, two families lost their homes to fires.  The school helps these families find temporary housing and provide gift cards for food.  Although we are a small school district, we have over 30 students that are homeless.  We want to help these children.

The following products are available for purchase (donation amounts listed):

20 oz. Stainless Steel Tumbler: either all white or with red borders – $25 ($15 will be donated)

16 oz. Frosted Beer Mug or Clear Glass: $19 ($6 will be donated)

15 oz. Coffee Mug: $15 ($5 will be donated)

32 oz. Sports Water Bottle: $30 ($8 donated)

Plus, we are super excited that you can add your name or your year of graduation to any item you order for only $4

Simply click on whitewater-community-fundraising.square.site to place your order. Our goal is to always have orders filled within 7 days from order received. We offer the opportunity for items to be shipped, or either picked up or delivered in the Whitewater area.

These are great for students, faculty, family members, gifts, and so much more.

It is our goal to raise $5000 for families in need.

If you’d like to strictly make a donation to WCFP and do not want to incur any fees, please feel free to utilize our Venmo account at @WhitewaterCFP. Please make sure to note that you are a friend of WCFP when doing so. WCFP is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

If you would like to submit a check, please mail it to:

WCFP, PO Box 182, Whitewater WI 53190

Helpful Ordering Tips:

1. Click on item of choice and choose quantity. The system will automatically take you to the cart.
2. To purchase additional items, click on the ‘home’ button to go back to product screen
3. If you would like personalization, click on ‘personalization’ on the home screen and choose which type of personalization you would like. If you want multiples of the same personalization, simply key in the number you would like.
4. At checkout, please provide us with any notes you may have for your order and any personalization information.

If you have any troubles checking out…please email us at whitewatercfp@gmail.com

We are truly grateful for your support.

About Whitewater Community Fundraising Partners: In 2017, the WHS Class of 1982 decided for their 35 year reunion, to find ways to give back to the community they grew up in and love so much. The group decided to plan a Poker Run with the proceeds to benefit the Whitewater Police Department K9 unit. After a successful event, the group decided to make the event an annual occurrence to fundraise money for a special cause each year. In 2018, the group took measures to become a recognized nonprofit – 501c3. A Run/Bike/Golf outing were the marquee events of 2018 and 2019; both of those events assisted in raising funds for local law enforcement K9 units. In 2020 and 2021, our efforts were focused on working towards eliminating homelessness in the Whitewater community. A run/walk in June created funds which were donated to the WUSD emergency fund; remaining funds were used to deliver dinners during the holiday season with the assistance of The Black Sheep.