News

UW-W Health & Counseling Services Thanks Sponsors at Fifth Anniversary of Providing “Cold Care Kits”

Editor’s note: Julie Martindale, Health Services Director at the University Health & Counseling Services of UW-W, provided the following information regarding the cold care kits that have been provided to students for the past five years. Martindale and Ann Dudzek, Medical Program Assistant, indicated that at this anniversary they especially wish to express appreciation to the sponsors who make the program possible.

Cold care kit idea began in 2016 when the clinic had student after student coming to clinic with complaints of cough and cold symptoms expecting an antibiotic. We would educate students about viruses and how antibiotics do not kill viruses. But then we had the idea of handing the student something – other than an antibiotic – that may help them care for their colds. Many students are on their own for the first time when they come to college and may not know how to care for themselves when they are sick but not quite sick enough to see a healthcare provider. As well, many come to college without a thermometer which is necessary especially during flu season. So UHCS started in 2016 to ask various business organizations to support a cold care kit for the students in exchange for advertising them as a sponsor on the kit. Also included in the kit was info on how the items can be used to help their cold from getting worse and when to expect an antibiotic. Kits were given to all those who came to the clinic for a visit related to cough/cold as well as to those who came for a flu shot.

Contents of the cold care kit

We also asked students to complete a survey on what they liked about the kit, what they learned from getting the kit and any suggestions they may have. Overwhelmingly the students liked the kits and over 80% said they learned something new. And the best part is that even though some may have continued to ask for an antibiotic, we were able to hand them something else to help with their cold while we explained why it was not a good idea to take antibiotics for a cold.

Now, in 2021, the kit is larger and becomes even more critical as we deliver services through this pandemic. We appreciate all of our donors as we not only keep our campus healthy but our community as well.

Sponsors/Donors:

Culver’s in Whitewater, WI
Fort Health Care in Fort Atkinson, WI
Mercy Health System in Whitewater, WI
Ball Corporation in Fort Atkinson, WI
SSM Health in Whitewater, WI
Whitewater Family Dentistry in Whitewater, WI
PremierBank in Fort Atkinson, WI
UW-Whitewater University Center
UW-Whitewater Dining Services

Below: Julie Martindale is depicted with representatives of some of the sponsoring organizations.

Whitewater Family Dentistry
Fort Health Care
Culver’s Whitewater
SSM Health / Dean Medical Group Whitewater
PremierBank
Mercy Whitewater Medical Center
Ball Corporation, Fort Atkinson

Grand Reopening of the New Turf WHS Athletic Stadium Field – Friday

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

On Friday, September 10, the Whitewater Unified School District will have a grand reopening of the High
School turf stadium field. The Whippet Stadium will be a full synthetic turf facility and will be the new home of
Whippet soccer and football teams. Additionally, Friday is Youth Night and WUSD will be honoring the 1980
State Champion WHS Football Team during halftime.

The celebration will start at 5:00 pm with the annual Booster Club Tailgate/Cookout, followed by the ceremonial
ribbon cutting of the turf stadium field at 6:45 pm. At 7:00 pm the varsity football team will take on the
Crusaders from Madison Edgewood.

Check out this site: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/whs-turf/ to see the progress of the fields, and how you
can support this project.

Come celebrate with WUSD the past, present, and future Whippets!

Hawk Bowl Juniors Bowling League, Ages 5-8, 9-12, 13 & up; Signup this Saturday

HAWK BOWL JUNIORS BOWLING LEAGUE 21-22

Sign-Up – Saturday, September 18, 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. – Paid sanction earns free bowling

League Start and additional Sign-Up – Saturday September 25, 9:00 A.M.

Certified/Registered Coaches Provided – Please call Judy Rauls – 262-594-2780

All ages welcome – 5-8, 9-12, 13 and up.

SENIORS:  Compete for college scholarship monies

Kathleen Geoghan writes, “This league has been a huge part of Whitewater for many years.”

The image on the homepage, “Brunswick 150 JUNIOR AWARD” by Leo Reynolds, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Five Former UW-W Athletes Win Paralympic Gold in Wheelchair Basketball

Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 5:

“USA Basketball domination in Tokyo continued into September.

Mere weeks after the U.S. men and women won basketball gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, the men’s wheelchair team also laid claim to gold with a 64-60 win over host Japan on the final day of Paralympic competition Sept. 4.

It’s the second straight Olympics in which the men’s team secured a gold medal.

Four members of the 12-athlete team hail Wisconsin, including Milton native John Boie, Nate Hinze of Cedar Grove, Matt Lesperance of Coleman (now living in Sun Prairie) and Jake Williams of Milwaukee. All four came up through the powerful Wisconsin-Whitewater wheelchair basketball program.

A fifth, Matt Scott, hails from Detroit but also competed at Wisconsin-Whitewater.”

Click here for the remainder of the article and associated photos.

Mammoth Hike Challenge Returns for 2021: Log 41 miles on Ice Age Trail in October and visit 3 trail communities

Ice Age Trail Alliance - Home

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Whitewater is an Ice Age Trail Community.

Cross Plains, Wis. (Sept. 1, 2021)— It’s back! The Ice Age Trail Alliance’s popular Mammoth Hike Challenge will take place again this October. 

This year, participants are challenged to walk/hike/run/backpack 41 miles on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and visit 3 trail communities. This is a one-mile increase over last year’s challenge, since 2021 is the 41st anniversary of the Ice Age Trail becoming a National Scenic Trail. Miles can be accumulated individually or as part of a team.

The Challenge is open to all ages and ability levels. That’s in line with the Trail, which offers a variety of trail types; from flat and paved in areas like Janesville or Manitowoc, to rugged and winding in Langlade County. It’s truly a Trail for everyone.

Participants who complete the Mammoth Hike Challenge will earn a 2021 limited-edition challenge patch and certificate. FREE registration is now open at iceagetrail.org/mammoth-hike-challenge.

Itineraries Highlight Trail Communities
To make achieving the challenge goal easier—and encourage participants to seek out new areas they’ve never hiked before—the Ice Age Trail Alliance curated Challenge itineraries, which are available at iceagetrail.com/mammoth-hike-challenge.

The itineraries provide trail maps and showcase the exceptional restaurants, attractions, and historical landmarks in each of the 15 official Ice Age Trail Communities: Antigo, Cornell, Cross Plains, Delafield, Hartland, Janesville, Lodi, Manitowoc-Two Rivers, Milton, Slinger, St. Croix Falls, Sturgeon Bay, Verona, West Bend, and Whitewater.

What’s more, participants are encouraged to download the StriveOn! mobile app. With the power of a smartphone, StriveOn! will activate and connect hikers to unique places along the Ice Age Trail and communities they come across.

The 2021 Mammoth Hike Challenge is sponsored by Duluth Trading Co. and supported by the Department of Tourism Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant. In fiscal year 2021, the Department funded 45 JEM projects, awarding $1,130,000 million statewide. JEM grant funds are available to non-profit organizations for the promotion of Wisconsin tourism events and destinations.

“The Department of Tourism is glad to support a campaign that gets people outside and enjoying the natural beauty of Wisconsin, and the Ice Age Trail is such a unique Wisconsin gem,” said Acting Secretary Anne Sayers. “The Mammoth Hike Challenge is a great way to take in glacial landscapes and explore communities near the trail.”

Fast Facts about the first Mammoth Hike Challenge in 2020

  • More than 7,240 people registered to participate in 2020
  • Generated visitation to all 13 Trail Communities (Sturgeon Bay and Antigo are new in 2021)
  • Brought more than $300,000 to local economies

About the Ice Age Trail:

The IAT is a 1,000-mile footpath contained entirely within Wisconsin. One of 11 National Scenic Trails, the IAT highlights the landscapes that were carved out by ancient glaciers, which happen to be some of the most beautiful areas in the state. Approximately 60% of Wisconsin residents live within 20 miles of the IAT.

About the Ice Age Trail Alliance:

The Ice Age Trail Alliance is a non-profit organization which conserves, creates, maintains, and promotes the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. For more information on our work, visit iceagetrail.org.

Happy New Year to Those Celebrating Rosh Hashanah

Sounding the shofar

Editor’s note: The following information is found on wikipedia.org

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎), literally meaning “head [of] the year”, is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה‎), literally “day of shouting or blasting.” It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים‎ Yamim Nora’im. “Days of Awe”) specified by Leviticus 23:23–32 that occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere.

Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration that begins on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. In contrast to the ecclesiastical lunar new year on the first day of the first month Nisan, the spring Passover month which marks Israel’s exodus from Egypt, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the civil year, according to the teachings of Judaism, and is the traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman according to the Hebrew Bible, and the inauguration of humanity’s role in God’s world.

Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a cleaned-out ram’s horn), as prescribed in the Torah, following the prescription of the Hebrew Bible to “raise a noise” on Yom Teruah. Its rabbinical customs include attending synagogue services and reciting special liturgy about teshuva, as well as enjoying festive meals. Eating symbolic foods is now a tradition, such as apples dipped in honey, hoping to evoke a sweet new year.

The image on the homepage, “Blowing The Shofar on Rosh Hashanah” by slgckgc, is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Happy Labor Day from the Banner


Editor’s note: The following information is from Wikipedia.

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September in any given year (i.e. a single day from September 1 through September 7) to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.[1][2][3] It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. In 1887, Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the United States officially celebrated Labor Day.[4]

Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 80 countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1, the ancient European holiday of May Day. May Day was chosen by the Second International of socialist and communist parties to commemorate the Haymarket affair which occurred in Chicago on May 4, 1886.[5][6]

The image on the homepage, “Happy Labor Day!” by oterrason, is marked with CC0 1.0