News

Whitewater Community Foundation Announces the Retirement of Two Board Members: Mark Dorn and David Yochum

The Whitewater Community Foundation has announced the retirement of two board members from the Whitewater Community Foundation Board, Mark Dorn and David Yochum.

Mark has served on the Whitewater Community Foundation board as the At-Large Director for 5 years. Mark was also the chair of Community Action Grants as well as served on the Marketing + PR Committee. Mark stated, “I joined the WCF to be able to give back to Whitewater with time and treasure: positive action for a progressive community.”

David has served on the Whitewater Community Foundation board as the Secretary and At-Large Director for 5 years.  David also served on the Whitewater Banner, Marketing + PR, and Policies + Procedures Committee. David stated, “I joined the WCF Board of Directors as a long commitment to making Whitewater a vital community in which to live.  The Foundation has long been a source of support for students through the scholarships that are offered out of the generosity of our citizens.  The expansion of Community Action Grants enables the innovative ideas of our community members to become a reality.  The coordination of the Whitewater Banner shares news of our town and its citizens. A community thrives on the generosity of its citizens. I am a member because the WCF is an ideal avenue to channel that philanthropic energy into meaningful programs that form the cohesive center of our vital community. While individual efforts are laudable, when we combine our resources we can accomplish so much more.”

Current President, Danielle Frawley, stated, “We have been honored to have David and Mark on the board during the last five years of significant transformation within the Foundation. In the last five years, the Foundation has evolved to include Community Action Grants and greater community awareness. This could not have been done without their contributions.”

The foundation is seeking applications for board positions. For information please call Bonnie Miller at 262-458-4088 or click here for a contact form: https://whitewatercommunityfoundation.org/contact/

Mark Dorn
David Yochum

About WCF: The Whitewater Community Foundation’s mission is to “Enhance quality of life in the Whitewater area via educational, cultural, charitable or benevolent expenditures” through scholarships and community action grants. To donate and support the continuation of the Whitewater Banner, simply send a check made out to Whitewater Community Foundation to P.O. Box 428, Whitewater, WI, 53190, or donate online at http://whitewatercommunityfoundation.org by hitting the “Donate” button on top of the contact page. . For tax purposes, the Whitewater Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Corporation. 

Masonic Lodge Donates 2,400 Cans of Food to Local Food Pantries

St John’s Masonic Lodge #57 Whitewater/Palmyra presented the Palmyra and Whitewater Food Pantries with a combined 100 cases of Lakeside Foods canned vegetables on December 11th. 

Numerous individual lodge members and First Citizens State Bank provided the funding to purchase the over one ton of food.

The lodge appreciates the contribution of funds (and storage space) provided by First Citizens State Bank, and Lakeside Foods for the ability to purchase the large quantity of canned goods to donate to the local food pantries.

        The easy way this year to load at Lakeside Foods in Belgium, WI

        Lee Cushman in the middle of unloading at Whitewater Food Pantry

Warhawks Win Thriller, Punch Ticket to Stagg Bowl

by Chris Lindeke, Asst. Athletic Director, Strategic Communications & Branding, UW-W

The No. 7 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team broke a tie with a late field goal and made a defensive stop in the closing minutes Saturday, 12/14, for a 35-32 victory over No. 8 St. John’s (Minn.) in an instant classic semifinal game of the NCAA Division III Championship at Perkins Stadium.

The Warhawks (13-1 overall) will head to Stagg Bowl XLVII, the Division III national championship game, for the 10th time in the last 15 years and face North Central (Ill.) for the title this Friday at 7 p.m. in Shenandoah, Texas.

Junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica put UW-Whitewater ahead for good with 2:10 remaining in the contest on a 37-yard field goal, his fourth kick through the uprights of the contest.

The Johnnies (now 12-2) returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 42-yard line, but senior linebacker Matt Anderson posted an interception on the first play from scrimmage.

Junior running back Alex Peete recorded a 16-yard run on second down, and the Warhawks knelt out the clock to return to the national championship game for the first time since 2014.

Junior quarterback Max Meylor tallied 188 yards passing with one touchdown and 85 yards rushing with one score. Junior wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski tallied four receptions for 96 yards and added a rushing touchdown, and junior wide receiver Derek Kumerow collected five receptions for 45 yards and a score. Peete and senior running back Ronny Ponick combined for 81 yards.

Senior defensive back Nate Tranel, junior linebacker Kaleb Kaminski and junior defensive back Tommy Matoska totaled seven tackles apiece to lead the defense. Senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand registered five tackles, including three of UW-Whitewater’s seven sacks. Senior defensive lineman Justin Hansen and freshman defensive lineman Niko Lemke finished with two sacks apiece.

St. John’s took the lead near the midway point of the first quarter on a seven-play, 60-yard drive. The Warhawks responded with a seven-play, 47-yard drive capped by Gasienica’s 31-yard field goal with 4:10 on the clock.

UW-Whitewater forced a punt on the next drive, and sophomore running back Jaylon Edmonson found a gap and blocked the kick through the back of the end zone for a safety with 2:23 left in the period.

After a punt, the Warhawks recovered a fumble on the first play of the next drive, and Gasienica hit a 27-yard field goal for an 8-7 lead 19 seconds into the second quarter.

From there, the two teams traded touchdown drives on two separate occasions into halftime.

UW-Whitewater took a 15-14 advantage with 4:14 remaining in the second on a Wisniewski 4-yard touchdown run. The drive was keyed by his own 17-yard reception from Meylor on third down two plays earlier.

Following a touchdown by the Johnnies with 1:47 to go in the half, the Warhawks drove 63 yards on 11 plays as Meylor hit Kumerow on third-and-goal for a 6-yard score three plays after a 22-yard run to put UW-W inside the 10-yard line.

UW-Whitewater carried a 22-21 lead into halftime, but St. John’s took the lead back with 4:37 left in the third quarter on a field goal that capped a 16-play, 72-yard drive.

The Warhawks took the lead on the next drive as Gasienica’s attempt from 22 yards split the uprights with just over a minute to go in the period.

Following a punt by SJU, Meylor gave UW-Whitewater an eight-point lead on a 38-yard run with 13:47 to play in the contest. He set up the touchdown drive with a 19-yard completion to junior wide receiver JT Parish that put the Warhawks in St. John’s territory.

The Johnnies scored a touchdown and converted the 2-point attempt to tie the contest at 32-32 near the midway point of the quarter.

UW-Whitewater converted a pair of third downs on the ensuing drive, including a 17-yard strike from Meylor to Kumerow on third-and-8 from near midfield, to set up Gasienica for his go-ahead field goal.

Upcoming City & Community Meetings: Week of December 16 – 22

Whitewater Fire Department - Monday at 6:00 PM
Fire Department Meeting Room - More information 
WUSD School Board - Monday at 6:00 PM
Central Office of Whitewater Unified School District - More Information 
Whitewater Public Library Board of Trustees - Monday at 6:30 PM 
 Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Meeting Room -  More information
City of Whitewater Alcohol Licensing Committee- Tuesday at 6:10 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information
City of Whitewater Common Council- Tuesday at 6:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information
City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation Board- Wednesday at 5:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information
City of Whitewater Community Development Authority - Thursday at 5:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information

Local Knitter Goes Above and Beyond for Whitewater; Mitten Tree Collection Continues Through 12/20

Dottie is rarely found without her needles!

LOCAL KNITTER GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THE COMMUNITY OF WHITEWATER

Submitted by Jeanine and Rick Fassl, Co-Chairs of the Optimist Mitten Tree Project

Dottie Koenitzer has been knitting most of her life. She says she loves knitting and keeping her hands busy while watching TV. For nearly 20 years, she has been generously obtaining yarn from friends, family, rummage sales and resale shops to keep those hands moving. The UW-W/Community Optimist Club has been the grateful recipient of tens of dozens of pairs of her exquisitely beautiful mittens for our annual Mitten Tree project. In 2015, she donated 38 pairs of mittens, in 2016 she donated 35 pairs, in 2017, it was 85 pairs and this year, she graciously donated 105 pairs of the most beautiful hand knit mittens anyone would love to wear. That’s a total of 263 pairs in just the last 5 years!

Jeanine Fassl, on behalf of the Optimist Club, accepts the 105 pairs of handmade mittens from Dottie Koenitzer.

Her commitment to our Mitten Tree project has helped us keep our school children, families in fire disasters, and community members in need, warm and cozy over these many years.

She does it to make sure no one has to go without during our typically cold Wisconsin winters. She has agreed to get them to where they are needed whether it’s at our schools or other places that help those in need.

Although the project is known as the Mitten Tree Project, in partnering with the Whitewater Unified School District, the past several years have seen needs in other areas arise where each school building has “comfort stations” to assist a child in whatever issue comes to find them without socks, underwear, boots, hats, or scarves. So, when you see those little “mitten trees” at Young Auditorium, Associated Bank, First Citizens State Bank, or PremierBank, Fort Community Credit Union or First English Lutheran Church, stop by and add to the collection, knowing your gift to help out someone in our community stays in our community. Last year, we had a couple families affected by tragic fires in December and were able to also help all of them as they rebuilt their lives.

A great big THANK YOU to all who have made contributions so far. The collection continues through Dec. 20th, so there’s still time to add items to help those in need throughout the year. If you’d like more information about this project or how you can become a member of the UWW/Community Optimist club, contact Jeanine or Rick Fassl at fasslj@uww.edu .

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

SR Egg Farm Family Donates Eggs to Whitewater Food Pantry and Friends of Lakeland School

Amanda Sears and family from the SR Egg Farm donated 30 dozen eggs to the Whitewater Food Pantry and 60 dozen to the Friends of Lakeland School (FOLS) “Waffles with Santa” fundraiser last week. This is the 3rd year in a row they have donated to the WW community and FOLS.  Pantry worker Kian Sonn accepts the donation at the food pantry and stocks the eggs in the refrigerator for distribution Christmas week.   

Kwik Trip Plans to Begin Construction at the Roundabout in 4/21

A Kwik Trip representative told the Plan Commission on Monday, 12/9, that they anticipate beginning construction of their store at the roundabout in April, 2021. She indicated that they would like to start in 2020 but simply have their calendar full with other projects. On the positive side, it seems that the delay since Kwik Trip’s purchase of the land in 2007 has worked in our favor with respect to the size of the store. Their model store at that time would have been 5000 square feet, but their plan now is to build a 9000 square foot store. This allows for a larger product line including fried chicken and take home meals. The store will also feature a car wash and diesel pumps designed to accommodate semis.

Whitewater Individuals Graduate from UW-Milwaukee

The following individuals from the Whitewater area are among the more than 1,800 prospective candidates for degree attending University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee commencement exercises Sunday, December 15, 2019 in Milwaukee: Tanner Musgrove, Bachelor of Arts, College of Letters and Science and Abigail Ramirez, Bachelor of Science, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.

 

Whitewater Middle School Students Help Serve Meals to Community

The Whitewater Middle School Builders Club, part of the Kiwanis family, volunteered to work at the weekly Spaghetti Dinner at the Congregational Church in Whitewater on Monday, December 9. The students served nearly 200 free meals to members of the Whitewater Community. 

Ben Holzem, Associate Principal of Whitewater Middle School, said, “Our kids did a great job and worked very hard the whole night. It was great hearing the people who worked at the church and community members eating at the dinner saying things like ‘they really have great kids at the middle school’. The best part was that this was reported to me by several students who overheard the adults talking.”

Builders Club is a new group at the Middle School this year. The primary focus is providing students with public service opportunities. In a relatively short period of time the club has grown to over 20 members in grades 6-8. The group is a partner with the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.