We Can't Do Everything, But We Can All Do Something

One of the things I like best about the holiday season is the spirit of giving that is embraced by all but   Most of us allow the sights and sounds of the holidays to soften us and make us a little kinder and a little more giving during this time of year.  As I was writing this piece, a family delivered boxes of presents for a family they “adopted”.  Their joy was infectious and the obvious care that they felt for their anonymous adopted family was touching.

the grinchiest of us.

As the world around us gets crazier and scarier, I often feel helpless and wonder what I can do that will make a difference or feel significant?  Let’s face it - terrorism, violence, poverty, inequality ….and the many other world problems are BIG issues, and we are just one.  And then, in came this family with care and concern for a family that they will never meet, and it was the reminder that I needed.  Do what you can, where you can, when you can, with what you have.  We can’t do everything, but we all can do something.  I recently heard about a giving box that was part of a family’s holiday traditions.  All members of the family suggested things that could be done that would help someone else.  Each item was written on a slip of paper and put into a small box.  At the beginning of the month a slip or more of paper was drawn and as a family the item on the paper was completed during the month.  I love this idea.  It keeps the holiday spirit of giving all year round.

For this holiday season and 2016, I am wishing for you the season of giving not gifting, which captures the true spirit of the holidays.

Paula Jero

Executive Director

The Holidays Are A Time For Reflection, Gratitude

It had been a long day.  With a small army of volunteers we had outfitted over 500 eager children for the start of the school year with backpacks and school supplies.  As the last of the kids were being served, my thoughts turned to the task of clean up that was ahead of us.  Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I expected it to be one of my volunteers with a question, instead it was a teenage boy.  He said to me, “I was here earlier today with my mom and younger brother and I got a backpack and supplies that I will need for the year.  When I was leaving I asked what time you would be done.  I rode my bike here in hopes that you would let me help clean up, to try to re-pay for what you have given me today.”  I have to admit a lump formed in my throat.  It was a wonderful reminder of the good that lies within each of us, and being grateful for what we have and what we have been given.

With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays upon us, it is often a time we take the opportunity to reflect upon all the things in our lives we are grateful for…family, friends, and health to name a few. And for some, things like food, shelter and clothing are also at the top of list.

As you think about everything you are thankful for this year, know that there are many others thankful for things, as simple as school supplies, they have received because of your generous gift to United Way. Your donation means more resources for our community's most vulnerable populations. It means food on the table for families facing hunger, it means a roof over the head of people facing homelessness, it means support for victims of domestic abuse, it means a healthier, stronger community and so much more.

Paula Jero, Executive Director
Marshfield Area United Way

The Value of a Dollar

Recently, I stumbled upon an article online, “What $1 Used to Get You vs. What It Buys You Today,” (mashable.com). Here are a few highlights from the article:

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          1808:  two pounds of coffee
2014:  3 ounces of coffee (and not from Starbucks either)

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          1941:  four movie tickets
2014:  ¼ of a movie theatre bottle of water

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          1955:  4 burgers, 1 milkshake, 1 soda and 1 fry from McDonald’s
2014:  1 small fry

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          1973:  10 Hershey bars
2014:  5/6 of a Hershey bar

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          1998:  1 gallon of gas
2014:  1 pine tree car air freshener

Needless to say, the dollar can’t buy you as much today as it once did, but your dollar here at United Way is still incredibly valuable. For just one dollar, United Way can provide a weekend food pack to a child facing food insecurity in his/her home. And, your donation of one dollar per week can do so much more, including this year, give you a chance to win some cold, hard cash.

With the generosity of several sponsors (Central City Credit Union, Thornton Trucking, and V&H Trucks), United Way will be giving out four $1000 cash prizes to donors to this year’s United Way Campaign through the GIVE & WIN Sweepstakes.

Two ways to be get entered to win include:  any donor making a contribution of $1 per week (annual gift of $52) to the Marshfield Area United Way campaign in 2015 is automatically entered into the Give & Win Sweepstakes for 50 chances to win,  and any Marshfield Area United Way donor who gave at least $52 or more to last year’s campaign and increases his or her gift by $1 or more in 2015 will double their odds and automatically be entered into the Give & Win Sweepstakes for 100 chances to win.

For official rules and to find out how to make your donation to Marshfield Area United Way, please visit marshfieldareaunitedway.org. Qualifying donations must be received by 4:00 pm on November 30, 2015.

Ashley Winch, Marketing & Campaign Coordinator
Marshfield Area United Way

Decisions Made Today Can Impact Tomorrow

by Paula Jero, Executive Director

     Decisions.  Hard ones, easy ones, routine ones and life altering ones, we all are making decisions all day every day.  Last February, staff member Ashley Winch and I had just finished up a day of our state conference and we were heading across the capitol square to meet up with family members to grab a bite to eat.  It was bitterly cold out, about 5 degrees with a nasty wind chill.  We had considered driving, but figured with parking in downtown Madison, we would end up walking about the same number of blocks.  So instead we bundled up and stepped out the side door of the hotel.  Lying on the sidewalk, was a man with no coat on and near him were a coat and a backpack.   Looking half way down the block there were people standing there and staring, but no one was stepping forward to help.  Ashley and I looked each other, and she said what do we do?  Decision time.  She ran back into the hotel for help and to call 911, while I bent down to see if the man was responsive.  I was joined by another conference attendee and our friend John and we quickly figured out that the man had a seizure.  We covered him up with his coat and began the long wait as we listened to the wail of the ambulance siren whine its way through the streets.
     It is six months later as I write this, but I often think of all the decisions that led us to that point in time.  In thinking about it, a lot of the decisions were easy: where to eat, walk or drive, what time to meet, what door to exit, are all pretty straight forward decisions.  And then came the big one.  Help or keep walking and pass him by.
     We are soon to be embarking on the United Way campaign for this year, and at first glance whether to give or not seems like a pretty straight forward decision.  Many people feel like it’s no big deal if they don’t give this year, but in fact it is a big decision.  Donations provide local services.  Less donations equal less services.  It means less food, housing, mentoring, respite care, counseling, and safety.  These things are life altering for those receiving the service.  When you are faced with the
opportunity to give to United Way this year please don’t pass us by, your community needs you.

2015 United Way Campaign Drive Chairs Announced

Dan and Mary Beth Knoeck

Marshfield Area United Way has named Dan and Mary Beth Knoeck Campaign Drive Chairs for the upcoming fall campaign. When United Way approached the Knoecks about lending their time and talents to support the effort, their first reaction was, “Why us?” But, It didn’t take long for either of them to realize that leading the annual campaign had little to do with them, and everything to do with supporting United Way’s work and the community that they love.  So they simply couldn’t say no.

Dan and Mary Beth have been longtime supporters of United Way and they are both passionate about being able to make a difference and give back to the community. “Being familiar with the wide range of community support that United Way provides and seeing the difference your time can make, it just makes you feel good,” said Mary Beth.

After living in the Madison area for several years, Dan and Mary Beth moved back to Marshfield in 1998. Dan, a Marshfield native, has been the Director of Public Works for the city of Marshfield for the past seventeen years. He is a member of Sunrise Rotary, member of the Rotary Winter Wonderland Board and is currently serving as its Chairman. Mary Beth is the Adult/BAAS Student Enrollment Coordinator and PEC Advisor at UW-Marshfield/Wood County. She serves on the Healthy Lifestyles Community Committee and is involved with School to Career and the Nutrition On Weekend program. Both Dan and Mary Beth are members of Our Lady of Peace Church and are actively involved as parent volunteers at Columbus Catholic Schools.

This fall, the Knoecks hope to raise awareness about issues people in the community are facing daily, “For most people, life is a delicate balance and it may not take much to throw someone you know out of balance – a job loss, a prolonged illness, a car accident, or other unforeseen incident.”  United Way and its partner agencies are critical resources in helping individuals get back on their feet. “We think of homelessness as a big city problem, but there are people struggling for basic shelter right here in our community, “said Dan Knoeck.

Please join the Knoecks this fall and invest in your community, support Marshfield Area United Way. Funds raised during the Campaign will support community programs that work to address issues such as hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, poverty and more. For more information about the impact of your donation, please visit marshfieldareaunitedway.org.

United Way Hires Community Impact and Volunteer Center Coordinator

Marshfield Area United Way is pleased to announce the hiring of Mary Wolff as the Community

Impact and Volunteer Center Coordinator. The responsibilities of this position include, directing the development, implementation and maintenance of United Way’s Impact agenda by way of supporting and collaborating with partnering agencies and community volunteers.

Wolff moved to Marshfield with her family in 2006 and graduated from Marshfield High School in 2012. She recently graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Community and Non-profit Leadership with an emphasis in rural and impoverished communities. While at UW-Madison, Wolff worked for the University and for the State Government at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection as a Consumer Protection Investigator.

 “I am thrilled to be working with United Way and all of its members to continue improving and supporting the community that has given me so much,” Wolff said about joining the United Way staff and her return to the community.

The Community Impact and Volunteer Center Coordinator position had been vacant for a number a years. “Thankfully, with the growth of our Nutrition On Weekends program from twenty-nine participants to almost 300 participants, the number of volunteers involved with United Way has also significantly increased.  The management of this program and the more than 200 volunteers really created a need for United Way to reinstate the Volunteer Center Coordinator.  We are excited to have someone to give the Volunteer Center the attention it deserves and anticipate that as a result even more individuals and families will become engaged in volunteering in our community,” said Paula Jero, Executive Director.

Marshfield Area United Way's mission is to increase our community's capacity to care for one another. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done, working with a diverse group of partners, companies and individuals from all walks of life to identify needs, create a strategic response and work towards long-lasting solutions.

For more information about the work of Marshfield Area United Way, the Volunteer Center and the Nutrition On Weekends program, please visit marshfieldareaunitedway.org.