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.

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.

Volunteer Reception Center Training This March 24th & 31st

When disaster strikes many organizations are quick to respond. Fire, police, and other emergency services are the first to arrive and provide vital services to help people and communities affected by the disaster.  Significant disasters often bring individuals, sometimes from all over the country, to communities affected to offer their assistance. A Disaster Volunteer Reception Center organizes and screens these volunteers and disperses them throughout the disaster area to help rebuild these communities.

Marshfield Area United Way will be holding two-day training (March 24^th and March 31^st) for individuals interested in joining the Disaster Volunteer Reception Center Response Team for North Wood County. On Tuesday, March 24, 2015, participants will learn about a Volunteer Reception Center and all of the duties and responsibilities of the response team who are called upon to build and maintain a center in the wake of a disaster. The following Tuesday, March 31, 2015, will be a trial run of a plausible disaster scenario and the building of a Volunteer Reception Center with members of the North Wood County response team. Both sessions will begin at 5:00 pm and will be held in the back of the United Way office (106 W 1st Street).

Dinner will be provided on the evening of March 24, 2015, and snacks will be provided on the evening of March 31, 2015.  Please register for the training by calling 715-384-9992 or by sending an email to unitedway@tznet.com. For more information, please call Marshfield Area United Way or visit www.marshfieldareaunitedway.org.

Volunteers Are The Heartbeat of Marshfield Area United Way

Some of our smallest but mightiest volunteers on Make A Difference Day.

In order to operate year-round, Marshfield Area United Way relies heavily on the support of hundreds of volunteers throughout the year. From the governing Board of Directors to the committee of individuals who decide ho

w your generous contributions will be distributed, volunteer community members help United Way leverage resources to do the most good and address our community's most pressing human service needs.

Our small United Way staff (2.5 employees) certainly wouldn't be able to successfully execute the annual fall campaign without the generosity of volunteers. Every year, Campaign Drive Chairs make the commitment to volunteer their time and their voice to lead that year's United Way campaign, while volunteer employees from numerous companies city-wide take on additional duties every fall to represent United Way during their company's workplace campaign, acting as an advocate and facilitator for our organization. Marshfield Area United Way also uses volunteers to help with fundraising events throughout the year. These volunteers play an integral part of making sure the events run smoothly.

Thank you to all the individuals involved with the following United Way committees and efforts throughout the year:

• Board of Directors
• Community Impact Committee Members
• Finance Committee Members
• Campaign Committee Members
• Campaign Volunteers
• Employee Campaign Coordinators
• Special Event (5K for United Way, Wipeout) Volunteers

Marshfield Area United Way has year-round initiatives that are volunteer-based as well. Our greatest appreciation goes out to everyone who helps with the following United Way initiatives: the Annual Backpack & School Supply Drive, Make a Difference Day, the Tax Preparation Assistance program, the Volunteer Reception Center Response team, and the scores of businesses, organizations, and individuals (and they are too many to list by name) who make the weekly implementation of the Nutrition On Weekends program possible:

Thank you to the 2014 Leadership Marshfield group who helped and continue to help with the organization of the NOW program and scheduling of volunteers.

Volunteer Businesses, Organizations, and Groups:

• Alternative High School students and staff
• Marshfield Door Systems employees
• Youth Group - First Presbyterian Church
• Festival Foods employees
• City of Marshfield employees
• V&H Truck employees
• Associated Bank staff
• Forward Financial Bank employees
• Wipfli staff
• Marshfield Clinic employees
• Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital staff
• MCIS employees
• Prince Corporation employees
• United Way's Women's Group members
• 4H group members
• Girl Scouts members
• Gosse Chiropractic
• Heritage Bank - Marshfield and Spencer
• Burnstad's Market
• United Methodist Church (Spencer)
• Granton Rotary Club
• Roger's Grocery
• School District of Marshfield
• School District of Spencer
• School District of Granton

A special thank you to the countless people who have donated food items for the program, to Rotary Winter Wonderland for the donations of peanut butter & jelly, and to Nasonville Dairy for their weekly donation of cheese for the children.

This all amounts to hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours of time donated by individuals, groups, businesses and community leaders who care about our community. The appreciation United Way has for all these efforts to make the Marshfield area a better place to live is too much to express with words.

Humbly, graciously, "thank you all."

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

A while back, our office decided to order Chinese food for lunch. My favorite part about eating a meal from a Chinese restaurant is the fortune cookie at the end. I, myself, try to always “pick” my fortune from the pile before the last fortune is left to me by process of elimination. The fortune I picked that day is still hanging in my office as a constant reminder. The fortune reads, “The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” This “fortune” has really affected me, because it is so true. I feel often, in life, we have many great intentions (whatever they may be) that we actually never act upon.

Time seems to be something that we all feel we never have enough and so we find it difficult to give up the time we do have for ourselves to help others. I will be the first to admit that this has been my mindset (excuse) for not acting on some of my greatest intentions. But, once you take the time to help someone else you realize how great it makes you feel, and you may also realize you have more free time than you originally thought.

VolunteerMarshfield.org is a one-stop volunteer opportunity shopping site. Numerous organizations and groups in Marshfield have posted a wide-variety of volunteer opportunities. These opportunities range from asking an hour of your time to opportunities that are on-going over a longer period of time.

My advice to you is to start acting on your greatest intentions and find out how giving just a bit of your time can make such a difference in our community and, more importantly, in your life. Find an organization or a cause you are passionate about; or offer a skill you have that could be beneficial to someone or some organization. Whatever it is, just decide to act.

Next Saturday, October 26, 2013, is National Make A Difference Day. Every year, Marshfield Area United Way organizes volunteers to help rake lawns for local residents whom are physically unable to do so themselves. This is a simple way to give back to our great community in just a few short hours. All it takes is a little bit of muscle and a lot of heart. Please visit VolunteerMarshfield.org and click on “MADD Sign-up” for more information and to register to help for a few hours on this day.