News

UW-Whitewater Celebrates Veterans in November

UW-Whitewater will hold a series of events throughout the month of November to show appreciation to the individuals who honorably and bravely served and continue to serve our country. Events include a month-long exhibit dedicated to female service members. The “Whitewater Women of Valor” exhibit will display uniforms of servicewomen from numerous military branches.

Other events include a veterans and military appreciation football game, free bowling, billiards and video games, a Veterans Day ceremony and two veteran resource fairs. Please join us in recognizing and appreciating our veterans and active military members. For details on all of these events and more, visit https://www.uww.edu/registrar/veterans-services#veterans-week.

Spectacular Annual Fall Sculpture Iron Pour at UW-W – Sat., 11/9

The Department of Art and Design hosts its annual Iron Pour on Saturday, November 9 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm with most of the activity happening between 11:00 am  – 2:00 pm in the courtyard of the Sculpture Studio in the Greenhill Center of the Arts Room 1036. Each fall semester, the Sculpture students at UW-Whitewater work together to create a spectacular iron pour event to present to the University as well as the community. Iron casters from all over the country are invited. In the past we have had students from SAIC, Alverno, UW-M, Carthage, UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh.  Alumni and professional artists from Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin and Alabama have participated.

The students work for weeks to break iron bathtubs and radiators into Doritos-sized bits so that those bits can be melted down and poured out into molds to create iron sculptures.  Not only do the students get to make work for their class projects, but the iron pour also acts as a fund-raiser for other events throughout the semester such as bringing in visiting artists, or taking regional field trips. The community is invited to purchase sand molds, called scratch blocks, so that they can create their own designs and, after watching the pour, can go home with their very own iron tile!

The event is free and open to everyone.  It will take place this semester on Saturday, November 9 with most of the action taking place between 11am and 2pm.  Come and go as you please or stay for the day.  Scratch blocks can be purchased anytime from the Sculpture studio, CA1036, up until 10am, November 9. For more information contact: Teresa at 262-472-5570 or lindt@uww.edu

Whitewater Small Business Owners May Benefit from Grant Received by UW-Madison Extension Business Retention & Expansion Program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension is using a new grant to help local small businesses grow and retain their employees. Extension was recently awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program to survey and support small business operators in the City of Whitewater.

The program’s goal is to increase social and relational capital to help sustain small business retention and expansion efforts long-term by identifying and addressing local issues and challenges.

“The City of Whitewater is hopeful those eligible will take advantage and apply for the program to help build or grow their business within the Whitewater community,” said Whitewater City Manager, Cameron Clapper. “Our community has many key elements including location, environment, access to many resources and eager and willing applicants to join their team that we hope business owners will find essential to helping their business prosper.”

Wisconsin’s job growth is slower than the national average and assessing small business needs is a critical piece for identifying potential areas for business growth. The program will begin with in-person interviews of individual businesses where the survey results will be used to develop educational workshops and technical assistance, and to inform policy recommendations and community planning.

Extension, in cooperation with local economic development partners will create Business Retention & Expansion teams to conduct face-to-face survey assessment visits with small businesses and develop educational resources to help address shared issues identified. Whitewater businesses with fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in annual revenue will be invited to participate in the program.

This approach to Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) program development builds on Extension’s work in Jefferson and Vilas counties in 2018 where 44 businesses were engaged in three communities. Common themes identified as key issues included workforce development, access to small business resources, broadband issues, and marketing. This BR&E program also identified the challenge for small businesses to access resources beyond their own business contact network. Based on findings, Extension educators developed multiple workshops to address the identified needs and connect available resources.

Business owners looking to take advantage of the opportunity can contact Steve Chmielewski, Community Development Educator with University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension for Waukesha & Jefferson Counties at (262) 548-7781.

Memory Cafe November 11, 2019

The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, is hosting a monthly Memory Café for individuals who are living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), early-stage Alzheimer’s or other dementia, and their care partners. This free social event is held on the second Monday of every month in the Library Community Room at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater, at 10:30 am.

The next meeting will be November 11th. The theme will be Gratitude.

The Memory Café offers participants a safe and fun way to share their stories and socialize with others who have similar experiences. Learn how staying physically, socially and mentally active is good for the brain.

If you are attending for the first time please call 800-272-3900.

Kiwanis Donates $1,400 to Friends of Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club again donated $1,400 to the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) for the Family Partnership Program.  The Family Partnership Fund makes the pool and fitness room available to everyone in the community, regardless of income.  Families that wish to use the center but cannot afford the fees may apply for financial assistance to join.  Raising funds for the Family Partnership Fund is one way that Friends of WAFC can help fulfill its mission of supporting the WAFC to maintain and improve the services provided with the goal of bettering the lifelong health and fitness of the citizens of the Whitewater area.  Kiwanis is a regular donor to help the center.

Kiwanian and Friends of WAFC Board Member Steve Ryan hands the donation from Kiwanis to Ron Binning, President of the Friends of WAFC.

Ron Binning, the owner of a local business, Binning and Dickens, who is President of the Friends of WAFC, said, “The Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center (WAFC) continues to be an outstanding facility for the local residents of Whitewater and the surrounding area.   The Friends of WAFC organization appreciates the longtime support of the Whitewater Kiwanis Club.  With the continued support of the Whitewater Kiwanis Club and the rest of the community, the Friends of WAFC will serve to promote good health and fun for the public of all ages.”

Lorrie Koppein, President of Kiwanis said, “Kiwanis is pleased to be able to help support the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center and the community it serves.  The donation helps to provide scholarships to community members qualifying for WAFC programming. In this way, all residents of Whitewater and the surrounding area can take advantage of this wonderful facility.”

All donations to the Friends of WAFC are processed through the Whitewater Community Foundation, a partner in managing the funds donated to the Whitewater Aquatic Center.  Donations via the Whitewater Community Foundation to the Friends of WAFC are tax-deductible.  To make a contribution, businesses or families should send checks payable to the Whitewater Community Foundation and mail them to:  Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center, P.O. Box 509, Whitewater, WI 53190.  Donations will help the Friends of WAFC improve the lifelong health and fitness of the citizens of the Whitewater area. Donations to the Friends of WAFC are separate from the fees to use the pool and gym at the WAC.

Members of the Friends of WAFC are also invited to share their ideas and thoughts for continued improvement.  Anyone interested in more information about the Friends of WAFC can email friendsofwac@gmail.com. 

The mission of the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) is to work to support the WAFC to maintain and improve the services provided with the goal of bettering the lifelong health and fitness of the citizens of the Whitewater Area.

Lakeview School’s Mrs. Brunner Selected as WEAC-Badgers Outstanding Educator

Lakeview’s first grade teacher, DeAnna Brunner, was selected as a WEAC-Badgers Outstanding Educator. DeAnna Brunner was nominated by a Lakeview parent who said:

“Mrs. Brunner has been an exceptional teacher to my children at Lakeview Elementary in Whitewater.  Her smile is contagious, has a positive attitude, is very patient and her heart is of gold.  She goes beyond. She offers an after school guitar class that my children have also participated in. Her love for children is easily viewed by anyone who walks into her class.”

Mrs. Brunner will be honored at the January 11th UW Badger Men’s Hockey game vs Ohio State.   Congratulations and thank you for your dedication to our students!