Holm's To Be First Family To Lead United Way Campaign This Fall

Traditionally, Marshfield Area United Way selects two volunteers as Campaign Drive Chairs to help bring awareness to and to help steer the annual fundraising campaign. This year, things will be a bit different. United Way is thrilled to announce the very first family that will be leading the community fundraising campaign this coming Fall. Jay and Jill Holm, and their three children, will take the lead as the United Way Campaign Drive Chairs for 2016.

Jay, born in Green Bay and raised in The Woodlands TX before moving to Marshfield in 2005, and Jill, a farm girl born and raised in Auburndale Wisconsin, are the proud parents of the three children, McKenzie (age 9), Max (age 7), and Madden(age 4). Jay and Jill are also the owners/operators of  RiverEdge Golf Course and Banquet Facility. Since purchasing RiverEdge in 2009, the two have worked side-by-side in an effort to provide a multitude of services to the local community.

The Holm’s feel honored to have their family be the Drive Chairs for the United Way Campaign. “Reflecting upon the impressive list of past Drive Chairs that’s filled with so many community leaders and influential role models, it’s humbling that we would even be considered for such an important position for the 2016 Campaign,” said Jay. “We truly appreciate the opportunity to represent United Way and the community as a whole.”

Jay and Jill look forward to bringing awareness to needs in the community to a different generation. When asked about their goals as Campaign Drive Chairs Jill said, “As a young family with kids in the school system it’s hard not to notice what appears to be a decline in community needs awareness, among our age group. We feel, for future society leadership, that it’s imperative for our youth to understand that we as adults have a responsibility to give back to our community and help where you can. We understand that not everyone is in a position to donate financially, but everyone can do something whether that means giving resources, donating their time or helping bring awareness to needs in the community.”

As the owners of a facility that hosts some of the area’s most prestigious charity events and banquets, Jay and Jill have noticed that the younger age group makes up only a small percentage of a large majority of people who are committed to and participate in supporting these community organizations. The Holm’s want to see that change. Jay said, “It would be our position that this needs to be addressed sooner rather than later to ensure the longevity of all the great organizations in our community.”

Please join Jay and Jill and their children this Fall by participating in the United Way campaign. For more information about Marshfield Area United Way’s work in the community and to find out how you can become involved, please visit www.marshfieldareaunitedway.org.

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

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.

Have you given to this year's Marshfield Area United Way Campaign? No?...

In today's world, a dollar doesn’t buy much anymore, but when your dollar is going to Marshfield Area United Way it is making a difference.

Here is what giving just $1 a week can buy at United Way. Your donation of $1 per week…

• Is enough to provide a weekly supplemental (weekend) food pack to one child that is facing food insecurity in his/her home. 
• Will provide supportive services to one family with a disabled child through the Child Disability Resource Center. 
•  Will allow a child participate in a sport/activity that promotes health and well-being through a Right To Play For All Scholarship. 
•  Supports early childhood literacy by providing a book to a child during his/her well-child visit. 
•  Provides one day of food for a family of four through Soup Or Socks food pantry. 
•  Gives 2 area youth the opportunity to participate in Boys Scouts or Girl Scouts.

These are just a few of the ways your generosity is making an impact in the lives of thousands of individuals in our area. To learn more about United Way’s work and the work of its funded partners please visit, www.marshfieldareaunitedway.org and click on “Our Work.”

Please be generous and give today. Any donation, no matter it size, is helping make a difference right here in the Marshfield community. You can give through your workplace campaign, online at www.marshfieldareaunitedway.org, or by mailing your donation to PO Box 771, Marshfield, WI, 54449.

Marshfield Area United Way’s service area includes the city of Marshfield and these surrounding communities: Arpin, Auburndale, Chili, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Neillsville, Pittsville, Spencer and Stratford.

Have you heard? Brian and Beth Kief Named 2014 Campaign Drive Chairs

Marshfield Area United Way is pleased to announce Brian and Beth Kief as the Drive Chairs for the 2014 United Way Campaign. The Kief’s will lead the annual fall campaign in the community and help United Way in an effort to reach the $830,000 goal set by United Way’s Board of Directors this Spring.

Though the Kief’s have lived in Marshfield for a short while, they feel compelled to ‘pay it forward’ since being so well-received in the community. “We have only been in Marshfield for five years and it seems there are so many other outstanding people in Marshfield.  In the end, though, we said yes because of how we feel about Marshfield; how welcoming so many people have been to us and we believe that United Way is the premier safety net organization in our community.”

Brian is the President of Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Beth is a former Physical Education/Health Education teacher who is now an active volunteer in the community. Brian and Beth have two children, Jared and Anna. Jared is a student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, and Anna will be a senior this fall at Marshfield Senior High.

The Kief’s are long-time supporters of United Way and learned at an early age the importance of volunteering and giving back to their community. In fact, Brian’s mother was a Campaign Drive Chair for United Way in the early 1980s.

Throughout the campaign this fall, the Kief’s hope to broaden the base of people who are aware of the needs in the community and are willing to engage in finding solutions. “A strength of United Way is to identify organizations in the community that not only help people through a crisis or difficult time but also help them attain skills and identify resources to become self-sustaining members of the community.  As a result, every dollar given to the United Way has a multiplier effect in terms of how it helps people,” said Brian.

When asked what needs they have seen in the community that have surprised or left an impression on them, Brian and Beth were surprised in two ways. “Every individual has a story and a unique life experience that has created their situation of needing help from community organizations.  We are surprised at how often members of our Central Wisconsin communities find themselves in need of help.  What surprises us even more is the amazing commitment and the loving care shown by the people who work and volunteer in the various agencies.  They are role models and inspiration for us all.”