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I have had the honor of being a United Way Board Member for several years.  During this time I have been inspired by the Director and the Board for their dedication and leadership to continue to build a strong community and help ALL people in need.  Each year we review many grants that have wonderful ideas and programs to help serve people.  That is what this world is all about…helping other people.  It is always extremely heartfelt each year when we review grants and interview representatives from local organizations.  I am always inspired to hear from community members that lead organizations to make Jefferson County a better place for our citizens.  Thank you to all of the local organizations that are making a difference in the lives of people.  Your work is truly admirable!

Dave Geiger, United Way Board Member
Principal, Luther Elementary School

Over the course of the past year, I have utilized the term “ecosystem” on a more frequent basis as we look to and envision the future of the County.    An ecosystem is defined in two ways 1) a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment; or 2) any system or network of interconnecting and interacting parts.  As we begin to look at the County as an ecosystem, there are many interconnected elements that must work together to change the trajectory of the ecosystem in a positive way.  This includes work of local government, community groups, non-profits and private sector working together to achieve positive outcomes.

Jefferson County has been working in the planning phases to help define what the future of the ecosystem is.  This started with the development and on-going refinement of the County’s Strategic Plan.  Building off this the County has begun it Comprehensive Plan process.  Like our municipalities and townships, counties have a statutory requirement to update this document every 10 years.  Requirements of this plan include looking into areas of Housing; Transportation; Community Facilities & Utilities; Agricultural, Natural & Cultural Resources; Economic Development; Intergovernmental Cooperation and Land Use & Regulations.

So what does this have to do with the United Way?  As you see, many of the requirements of a comprehensive plan are areas that the United Way has been a part of improving through grant dollars raised in the annual campaign or through direct resource coordination and engagement by our Executive Director Megan Hartwick.  So accordingly, the County has asked Megan to serve on the Steering Committee of the Comprehensive Plan to represent non-profits as we look to the future of the ecosystem of Jefferson County.

As we look to define what is a successful ecosystem, data is part of this analysis.  The United Way of Wisconsin helped produce a report called the ALICE report, which recently published its second version.  ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.  In essence, this data looks at those households that are above the Federal Poverty Level but still have difficulty in affording basic household needs.  This report has developed a household survival budget for each county in the state and compares it to the number of households earning fall below this budget. This is the ALICE Threshold.  Per this report by United Way, in Jefferson County, 10% of our households are in poverty (state average 11.7%) and 27% of households are beneath the ALICE Threshold (state average 25.8%) (2016 data).

The goal of our United Way, the County and other stakeholders in our communities is to collectively work together to improve upon this data set by looking at ways to improve the lives that are impacted by services and opportunities provided by all.  This data is part of the ecosystem we look to improve upon as we make plans for the future.

Please continue to support the United Way and please engage in the County’s Comprehensive Plan process to help envision the future.

Ben Wehmeier
County Administrator, Jefferson County

People often ask me if it’s hard that so much of my job is focused on fundraising (aka, asking people for money). I’ve always been able to very easily and quickly answer that question with a genuine, truthful “no.”

United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties (UWJNWC) fundraising events create a unique intersection of the public, volunteers, business owners, and UWJNWC staff and board members. These events help the community understand UWJNWC’s role in improving the quality of life in our area by providing a public forum for the Executive Director and board members to talk about what they do and why they do it.

Business owners who host fundraisers meet other philanthropic members of the community, demonstrate their hometown commitment to their customers, and have an opportunity to establish new collaborations.

Volunteers, the heart of UWJNWC and the partner organizations we support, act as role models at these events; through their dedication and enjoyment they recruit others to give of their time and resources to help their neighbors in need.

Participating in a local fundraiser is a great way meet people, to give back to your community, to work towards a common goal, and to simply have fun. We hope to see you at one of our future United Way fundraisers!

Make sure to “like” our United Way’s Facebook page (@uwjnwc) to stay up to date on all future fundraising events!

Kristen Burton
UWJNWC Board Member
Operations Manager, Business Outreach
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

This month I had the honor of performing one of my favorite duties as chair of your United Way Board and signed the 2019 Partner Agency Agreements. This act was the culmination of a three month process to thoughtfully and responsibly distribute your donations. On December 3^rd 2018, your United Way Director began taking applications from nonprofit agencies in Jefferson and Northern Walworth counties for board and community review. When the application process closed on January 18^th, 33 local agencies had applied.

In February, we invited community members to help us interview all of those agencies. It is a remarkably humbling experience – there are so many wonderful programs in our community! In March, the Board held our annual allocation meeting, where we once again go over the applications, look at the financials and history of the requesting agencies, and do our very best to distribute your donations where they will work the hardest to strengthen our community.

This is the best, and the most difficult, part of serving on the United Way Board. Every single organization that applied is doing WONDERFUL things for our communities, but we can’t fully fund every agency that serves you. Thanks to your generosity, your United Way had a record setting campaign this year and we will be able to give more help to our neighbors, our friends, and our community than ever before.

In the end, we sent out 30 Partner Agency Agreements!

Think of that – the dollars that you donated are going to help THOUSANDS of people through the work of 30 agencies right here in our very own communities.

I hope that warms your heart as much as it does mine.

As always, I am truly humbled, and I thank you for entrusting me with the stewardship of your donations.

Penny Ardelt,
United Way Board Chair
Customer Service Supervisor
First Citizens State Bank

Every February, our United Way has the honor of reviewing the applications from local nonprofits applying for grant funding, and then also sitting down with each of them for an interview.

This year, we had 33 applicants, all which provide incredible services and bring tremendous value to our communities. To say that our United Way board of directors has a tough task ahead of them determining grant allocations would be a drastic understatement. Each year, I continue to be more blown away by the tremendous work of these lean but mighty organizations.

People often ask me if it’s ever difficult that a good portion of my job is spent fundraising (aka, asking people for money). It’s always really easy for me to answer “no, not at all” and that’s mostly because of this annual process. When I have the opportunity to sit down with over 30 local organizations that are making such a difference in our communities, providing such crucial services to those in need, and helping to level the playing field so that everyone in our towns has the ability to thrive… well, that makes fundraising very easy. Because I know the funding is important and I know how much it is needed.

What is it needed for, you might be asking? Well here are just some of examples of what United Way grant funding helps our local nonprofit partners provide:

• scholarships to low-income families for early childhood education
• medical and dental care to low-income and uninsured individuals, families and children
• ESL, GED, computer literacy and citizenship classes
• legal advocacy services for victims of domestic or sexual abuse
• emergency assistance for housing, utilities and food
• job preparation, financial literacy and family budgeting lessons
• affordable mental health services
• sober living environment and recovery counseling
• opportunities for families to connect with one another and their communities
• early childhood literacy programs
• creative outlets for those with barriers or disabilities
• activities focused on confidence, leadership skills and courage for young girls
• mentorship, after school programs and youth empowerment services
• services for end of life care and to help residents remain in their homes with dignity
• financial assistance to families to help with the costs of their child’s extracurricular activities
• lessons for children on nutrition, healthy habits, and the importance of being active

It’s pretty amazing to know that all of this work – and SO much more – is happening in our communities every day. People are working tirelessly – everyday – to be there to support families, individuals and children who are in need of assistance.

So for those in our communities who think there isn’t enough being done, I encourage you to look harder, get more involved, and offer help yourself. Although our nonprofit partners are doing an amazing amount of work, they are also limited by their resources and capacity. They can always use more support from more community members.

And to end, on behalf of United Way, I can’t begin to thank our supporters enough. Every donation we receive puts us in the honored position of being able to help support all of those services listed above. We’re so proud of our partners and grateful to be a small part of their work.

With sincerest thanks,
Megan Hartwick, United Way executive director

I have been on the board for the United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties for almost 2 years now.  I have always known that the United Way is a great asset for any community.  Serving on the board has given me a whole new perspective.  The work that goes into any organization like the United Way is huge and it takes a great organizer to get that done.  We are fortunate to have Megan to take care of that for us.

Serving on the board has allowed me to opportunity to listen to many organizations that the United Way supports and see the work that they also put in to make a difference.  This has been one of the highlights in my service.  I have also had my eyes open to the great need that our community has.  Every community has those that need help in one way or another but since I have served on the board and heard the presentations of the various organizations I have been amazed at the number of people that they serve.  Prior to serving on the board I knew that there were people in our communities that needed assistance I was however unaware of the extent of the need.

During the Christmas season we all are preoccupied with our lives.  Making sure that our families have memories to look back on and smile.  I think it is important to remember that there are those that don’t have the luxury to be preoccupied as they struggle just to put food on the table and maintain shelter for their families.  This is the season of giving and I know we all do what we can, and I hope that we can take the spirit of the season and continue it through the whole year.

The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is a great place for the people of our area to go to not only for help but to find out where help is needed and to either give  financially as they can or to find a place where they can physically do something for someone.

Wishing everyone a great Holiday season.

Kevin Paynter
Consumer, Mortgage and Commercial Loan Officer, FCCU

As a United Way Board Member, I am constantly amazed at the generosity of our community. And at Fort HealthCare, where our mission of “Improve the health and well-being of our communities” is truly our culture, the generosity and engagement of our employees is truly a gift. Our campaign energy is amazing!

Team members have donated over 50 silent auction items—everything from a day on the golf course outing, to “cut your own Christmas trees,” to pet care and other themed baskets – and of course, lots of chocolate! There have been multiple “jeans days” scheduled, which permit  team members to don a Packers Jersey and jeans for a small monetary donation to the United Way.

Employees have engaged in various fundraising events — all with proceeds going to the United Way campaign. New to this year’s activities are our friendly competition of Penny Wars, a Family Movie Night, and bids for a Packers football donated by the Green Bay Packers GIVEBACK program. All of these efforts have been creative and fun team-building ways that our workforce has come together to raise funds supporting the United Way.

My roots with the United Way go way back. Growing up, I witnessed my parents leading by example, supporting the initiative. In my early twenties (just a few short years ago!) I witnessed the generosity of the United Way first hand, when a close friend received much needed assistance through the organization. I have never forgotten the kindness and charity of that United Way Ambassador, or the United Way itself.

As my way of giving back, I have served as Campaign Chair frequently throughout my career, which gives more back to me than I could ever provide to a campaign! There are times when we are able to contribute, and other times when we are the recipients, who may someday wish to contribute. The United Way is there for all of us.

Our special thanks is extended to our Executive Director, Megan Hartwick, for attending our Leadership meeting to help kick-off this year’s campaign. Megan shared the United Way video and special stories showing the impact of Ride United and other United Way solutions that remind us of how the campaign so generously supports our community members.

I am truly proud to serve as a Board Member for the United Way of Jefferson and North Walworth Counties, where we truly follow the LIVE UNITED theme. Thanks to the United Way for its 75 years of support!

Nancy Alstad
Senior Director of Human Resources, Fort Healthcare