Category: Board & Staff

Fort Atkinson, WI – July 19, 2022 – The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Ellis-Bols as its new Executive Director.

“I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this position,” said Ellis-Bols. “The United Way’s ability to bring out the best in a community and those it serves, is an inspiration. I am excited to share my passion for helping others as we prepare to kick off another campaign year.”

Ellis-Bols, a Whitewater resident, has a professional background in nonprofit work and donor relations. Most recently, Ellis-Bols worked in the office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has served on the Whitewater 4^th of July Festival board for over a decade, and with numerous other nonprofits. She is currently working on her master’s degree in Nonprofit Management at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy: IUPUI.

United Way Board Chair, Chris VanGundy reports: “Elizabeth brings so many new ideas and such creativity. I could tell from the first time we met her, that she had a passion for the job and a drive to help the community come together with her fundraising ideas.”

United Way Board Vice-chair, Marissa Weidenfeller added: “I am confident that Elizabeth will continue the amazing work of Megan Hartwick, our previous Executive Director, to better the lives of those in our communities.  The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is governed locally, and we are thankful to have another homegrown Executive Director that will continue to elevate the work of our hardworking partners in an effort to help as many people as possible.”

Elizabeth began her new role July 11,2022.

It is the holiday season once again and we have plowed through another year.  This has been the most challenging 20 months that I can ever remember.  We have all had to go through a holiday season with limited contact with our family members and now feel a bit of relief in being able to see them.

And even though 2021 has held many challenges for the United Way and its many partner organizations, our communities have pulled together and continued to assist those in need.

I would encourage all those who are able, to continue to do what you can to assist your fellow community members. Please look at all the United Way does in the local area, “like & follow” United Way on Facebook to keep abreast of the contributions made to the various organizations as well as to see what organizations need assistance in your area.  Maybe choose an organization or cause that you are passionate about and give them additional assistance.

Above all, I wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season.

Kevin Paynter
United Way Board Member
Collections Officer & Branch Manager, Fort Community Credit Union

My first experiences with the United Way came after I had moved back to Wisconsin and my hometown of Jefferson.  Moving back I knew I wanted to give back and make an impact.  Both my Grandfathers volunteered and gave so much of their personal time for their communities and others.  This spurred me to create Pack the Parlor Toy and Winter clothing drive. We started this Drive to help local kids and families in need during the difficult holiday season.  This is where 7 years ago I reached out to Megan to see which local groups could benefit from the generous donations we had received.  From then on we have partnered with the United Way of Jefferson & Walworth Counties.  With this partnership we have been able to help countless people during the holiday season.

Since this partnership, I’ve been wanting to expand on how to give back to my community and those around it.  When Megan asked if I was interested in the Board Position I knew it was a no brainer.  I knew this was a way for me to help make an impact in my communities.  What I didn’t know was how much the United Way did for those in our communities.  I was aware of various grants they would give to nonprofits. However, I wasn’t aware of all the other services they provide, such as free rides for those wishing to get vaccinated but didn’t have a way to get to their appointment.

There is something to be said about all the positivity that is associated with getting involved and giving back.  For me personally it is a great feeling knowing you are leaving something better than you found it.  I would like to think in some small way we have helped to leave a lasting impact on our communities.  Getting involved with the United Way has strengthened my sense of community and allowed me to learn and grow as part of a team. It has brought me valuable life and leadership skills that any person would find valuable as they are looking to thrive in their community and workplace.

Tony Wedl
United Way Board Member
Distributor, Frank Liquor

Robin Kennedy, a veteran United Way board member, is sharing her thankful messages with our United Way community this Thanksgiving season!

Robin Kennedy
United Way Board Member
VP Mission Advancement, Opportunities, Inc.

It is such an honor for me to be part of the United Way organization as a donor, volunteer, and board member.  In just a few months, I have already met many generous, kind, and smart people that share their time, money and talents to help United Way and all of the people we serve in the community.

Susan Wildermuth, Brian Huels, Keriann Kirkeng and fellow board member Lynsey Schwabrow are four of my colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater that have worked hard to raise money for the United Way through our workplace campaign.  When I asked Susan why she gets involved with the United Way, she gave me the most interesting answer:

“The short answer is COVID and international study abroad.  In Spring 2020, I had a sabbatical and I participated in a program called Semester at Sea.  I was on a ship for the semester (well, it was supposed to be for the semester—of course it ended early).  Anyway, we spent a lot of time in Vietnam and South Africa and experienced poverty and homelessness in ways I had only read about or imagined prior to teaching there.  I came home determined to do more to make a difference in my community.  COVID, the protests, and the summer that followed my spring abroad only reinforced that feeling as I saw how devastating the US cultural ideal of individualism was in a time of national crisis.  My family and I knew that it was time for us to practice more kindness and to do more to put our values in action.”

Susan takes time out of her days to help encourage her colleagues to donate some of their salary to this organization.  She helps highlight the value the United Way brings to this community and inspires others to “put their values to action.”

Whether you volunteer or donate, I want to thank each of you for practicing kindness and giving back. Because of the way you live your life, each of you make life a little better for our neighbors and we greatly appreciate you for it.

Ryan Grady
United Way Board Member
Associate Director of Pre-College Programs, UW-Whitewater

September is always a month of new beginnings for UW-Whitewater as we kick off the Fall semester of a new academic year. The 2021-22 year is especially exciting as we welcome students and their families back to campus in a very different way than last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year we are fortunate to have a majority of our classes back to face-to-face modality, large gatherings and events are taking place, and colleagues are reconnecting with in-person meetings and collaborations. We hope that this trend can continue for both our workplace and our community.

As we have so many members of our Warhawk family living and learning in our community, the well-being of everyone is tied to the vibrancy and health of the community. The university supports the United Way each year through its Workplace Giving Campaign. We are proud to have a team of volunteers support the campaign and promote the great work of the organization each year at this time. Our campaign will take place in October, and we continue to be impressed with the generosity of our employees that has yielded an increase in contributions each year that I have served on the Board.

Being a part of an organization that makes a difference in our own backyards has been such a rewarding experience, but to see how everyone found ways to go above and beyond during the past year has been incredible. I am looking forward to another year of making an impact when it is needed most.

Lynsey Schwabrow
Chief of Institutional Research and Planning, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater
United Way Board Member

The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is launching their second annual Season of Caring, scheduled to run for seven weeks from September 27^th – November 14^th.

“We are kicking off our 2021 campaign season focused on our theme of being “United For All,” and the greatest way we believe our communities can be United For All, is to generously spread kindness and caring power to as many people as they can,” states Megan Hartwick, United Way executive director.  “Our communities have faced very difficult times this past year and a half, so we want our campaign efforts focused not only on fundraising, but on taking care of one another and showing our appreciation. We want to help people recognize the importance of community engagement and give them easy opportunities to become more involved.”

The Season of Caring will consist of seven different small missions across seven weeks, beginning on Monday, September 27^th. The missions will be as follows: Join our Mission (week one), Praise a Community Worker (week two), Thank a Business (week 3), Commit to Volunteering (week four), Be a Local Champion (week five), Lend Your Support (week 6), and Practice Self-Care (week seven). There are no set requirements for completing each mission, and there is no sign-up for registration fee for participating.

“We wanted to make participation in this seven-week series as easy as possible,” Hartwick states. “We will be offering a lot of suggestions and information that will help people determine what specific acts of caring will work best for them, but we also want community members to get creative and express themselves during these small missions. Mostly, we want people to remember that small, simple acts of kindness can have a huge ripple affect across communities. And I think we can all agree that our communities need as much caring power and support as possible right now.”

Some of the suggested acts from United Way include signing up for United Way newsletters (Join Our Mission), sending a thank you note to a healthcare worker (Encourage a Community Worker), posting a positive review about a local business (Thank a Business), registering on United Way’s volunteer platform (Commit to Volunteering), reaching out to a local nonprofit to learn more about their work (Be a Local Champion), delivering a homecooked meal to a neighbor (Lend Your Support), and taking time to enjoy a favorite activity (Practice Self-Care).

Any community member can participate in the Season of Caring, and United Way is encouraging workplaces to join in and use it as a team building exercise, or for parents to engage their children and make it a fun family activity. The acts can be as small or as big as an individual determines and can include acts that are completed very quickly or tasks that require a longer commitment.  The one request from United Way, is that folks share their participation and encourage others to join.

“We want to see all of these amazing acts of caring and we want the participants to share their positive impact with others and encourage them to join in,” Hartwick states. “We have created specific hashtags for the week that we ask people to use anytime they post their participation on social media. We’d also love for United Way to be tagged in any postings so we can help share the information. But mostly, we want participants to find any way to share – text your friends, post something up in your break room at work, or email your family members. We want to see this have a profound, positive impact on our communities.”

Full details for the Season of Caring, including instruction sheets for each individual day, hashtag details, Facebook images and more, can be found on the Season of Caring page on the United Way’s website – https://uwjnwc.com/events/week-of-caring/.

“We’ve put together lots of details and marketing information to make it very easy for people to participate and to promote each week’s task,” Hartwick states. “I’ll be sharing my personal participation each week, as well as our board of directors’ involvement, because our United Way is fully committed to spreading caring power throughout our communities. At United Way, we see one of our main responsibilities as creating connections throughout our communities – connecting individuals to needed help and resources, connecting volunteers to organizations who could benefit from their time, connecting donors to causes and missions they care about, and now connecting the power of kindness and support to those who need it.”

To join in on the week’s events, people are encouraged to visit the United Way website and subscribe to their newsletter and to “like and follow” their Facebook page (@uwjnwc). Participants are encouraged to share their acts of caring by sharing to their social media pages and using the following hashtags: #uwjnwc #seasonofcaring #2021campaign #unitedforall.

“We’re so excited to launch this extended version of of this caring series and we think it’s the perfect way to begin our campaign season,” Hartwick adds. “We look so forward to seeing community member participation, and to see witnessing the impact that simple acts of caring can make in our communities. Thank you to those who will join us in our efforts to be “United For All.”

Anyone who would like more information on United Way or who has any questions on the Season of Caring, can visit the United Way website at www.uwjnwc.com or contact Hartwick at 920.563.8880 or unitedway@idcnet.com.

I feel both blessed and grateful to be on the United Way Board of Directors as well as serving in my role as the Office Coordinator for Valero Renewables in Jefferson.

Valero Renewables Jefferson holds an annual kickoff where employees gather for a meeting, enjoy munchies, and participate in games & challenges. At the meeting, Megan (the United Way executive director) delivers a heartfelt “Thank You” to our employees and fills us in on the challenges that our communities are currently facing.

Valero encourages each employee to give from the heart. Our employees are an inspiration to me with their selflessness and willingness to help others.

Each year, Valero Jefferson employees generously pledge to the United Way. We continue to be the top workplace campaign supporter for our local United Way, providing almost 1/3 of the total contributions raised each campaign season.

Valero employees are able to choose from any of the thirty plus local agencies that our United Way supports. The employee can designate their donation to an agency that means something to them, or to a cause that is close to their heart.

I have volunteered for as long as I can remember and being on the United Way Board allows me to be involved in my communities more than I thought possible.

We are still in uncertain times, but one thing is for sure – the United Way is here to support those in need and is remaining focused on our mission through tough times.  I am proud to be part of it all.

Helen Mortazavi
Office Coordinator, Valero Renewables Jefferson
Board Member, United Way

Has a child ever looked you in the eyes and told you that they can’t participate in an activity they love because they can’t afford it? It’s a heartbreaking moment that I experienced multiple times throughout my tenure as coach of the Fort Atkinson High School Poms Squad.

When you see the passion and dedication of these athletes, you want to do whatever you can to help them be successful and realize their full potential. High school is a hard time for anyone, and when you find your group of people or your passion, it is imperative that you have the tools to continue on a trajectory that supports you for who you are.

As parents know, sports and extracurricular activities come with a cost. Costs that some families can afford, and some cannot. With my previous background in financial literacy, I tried my best to make costs for poms as low as possible. Even so, I had families that could not afford the $200 (or so) cost of poms, shoes, shorts, turtlenecks, dance tops, warm-ups, etc. Multiple times I was approached by athletes who couldn’t make eye contact with me, tell me that they have to drop out because they could not afford it. I refused to let them leave the team and promised that we would figure something out. That’s when I learned about the Fort Family Connections program through the partnership of the School District of Fort Atkinson and the United Way. My athletes were able to apply and get the funding they needed to support their passion. I am truly grateful for the kind people who donated to the United Way to make this program possible.

This example was the start of my ‘why’ for joining the United Way workplace campaign team at the School District of Fort Atkinson, and later, becoming a Board Member. The more I learned about the programming and services that the United Way provides for the people in our local communities, the more I wanted to do.

Workplace campaigns are SO important for our local United Way. Every dollar donated stays here locally, positively affecting local people, and local businesses. It truly brings kindness, generosity, and hope for the future, full circle. The pillars of the United Way’s work (health, education, financial stability, and equity) speak to how to truly teach, learn, and support one another to improve lives, causing a ripple effect of positive change.

Thank you to the businesses who run workplace campaigns – you truly play a large role in affecting positive change. To the businesses who are considering running a workplace campaign, please reach out with questions. There are so many people who are willing to help make it a success. As we say here at the School District of Fort Atkinson, we are one team, one district, and one community. We each play a piece in a larger puzzle. Same for the United Way, when you participate in the workplace campaign, you become a part of something much larger.

Marissa Weidenfeller
Communications & Community Engagement Specialist, School District of Fort Atkinson
United Way Board Member

I’ve always valued being an active member of the communities I’ve lived in throughout my life. Whether its volunteering or donating, its been a part of my sense of duty to myself and my community. Helping others helps us all! But I admit I wasn’t always sure if I was “doing it right” or “giving enough”. It can be intimidating and hard to feel like you’re making a difference.

Most of us live in smaller cities, towns or rural areas. It can be hard to know where to give, much less who to give to! Many of us live in one community, and work in another. When we give our time or money, we want to know that its going to be invested in the place we’ve made our home, and that’s a reasonable expectation!

It wasn’t until I joined the board of the United Way that I really understood and was able to see the benefits of giving to the United Way. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into ensuring your donations go where they’re needed most and will make the most impact. As trustees of your funds, we take our job seriously, and want to honor the wishes of our donors. We’re always looking for ways to ensure you get “the best bang for your buck”. We carefully select our partner agencies at a local level and ensure that they are using funds appropriately and impactfully. We’re here to help take the guessing game out of it for you!  No donation is too small. The mission of the United Way is to ensure every donation, no matter how big or small, gets put to good use on quality programs that are relevant and beneficial to our community.

Whether you have certain causes near and dear to your heart, such as health, education, or financial stability, or if there’s a specific agency that you feel matches your personal values best, the United Way has multiple avenues for you to donate and have a say in where that money goes. If your place of employment partners with the United Way campaign every year, that’s the easiest way to give. Know that your money is going directly to fund local agencies, and if you work in one city and live in another, you are able to direct your donations to the United Way that serves the community where you live. If there is a specific agency that you prefer to give to, you may designate those dollars to that specific agency, whether it’s a United Way partner agency or not. We will ensure your money goes where you’ve designated!

2020 was a rough year for many, and although things are looking up, 2021 has still brought many new challenges. Needs are constantly changing within our communities and the United Way is rising to the occasion. We’ve listened to what the communities we serve have voiced as their most pressing issues, and shifted our focus and energy to ensure we’re meeting those immediate needs. As a new campaign year begins in the next couple months, we hope you will choose to give to the United Way and help us pursue our mission to fund the agencies and programs that help our neighbors, friends and families and make our communities stronger. As I said before, helping others helps us all!

Chris VanGundy
Senior Health, Safety & Environment Engineer, Valero
United Way Board Member