Impact in the Chippewa Valley

As we think about the changing of seasons, we'd like to focus on thinking about families, students and teachers who are transitioning into a new school year. Unfortunately, our situations are not all created equal, especially when we think about the more than 4,500 children in the Chippewa Valley living in households that struggle to make ends meet (at or below the ALICE Threshold). As a reminder, ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - earning above the poverty level but still living paycheck to paycheck. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai speaks from her experience with adversity, knowing that "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world," as she does and continues to do. United Way's Education Initiative invests your donations into organizations that are dedicated to preparing children in our communities to enter school ready to succeed. Give today at uwgcv.org/give.

We too are transitioning here at United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV), growing and adapting with our new Executive Director, Ryan Ludy. He's bringing all of his enthusiasm and passion to our organization. Making new connections, supporting our flexible workplace and being the leader we knew he would be. We're thankful Ryan chose to step into this leadership role, as he shares his ideas and goals, his drive to support the greatest needs and mission of United Way is apparent. If you see Ryan around, give him a high-five and tell him he's doing great, because he is! Read on to learn more about Ryan and his family.

Many 2023 campaigns have kicked off, and we greatly appreciate all of those Employee Campaign Coordinators helping to run special events and growing our support! We're also quickly approaching our 2023 Day of Caring event, it's happening Friday, September 22. This is a great opportunity to give back to the Chippewa Valley, sign your team up today! Or reach out to us if you're in need of having a project completed.

Read on to learn more about Digital Equity's Community Conversations, September's Impact Tour and much more. We appreciate your dedication and support! We're better together!

Dear United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley Family –

I am honored and humbled to be your new executive director. I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome and well wishes. This is a great example of what makes the Chippewa Valley such an amazing place to live. Since moving to the area almost five years ago with my wife Beth, and our three children Joseph (16), Lily (14) and Reagan (11), we have absolutely fallen in love with the area.

I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to Kelly Christianson, who served as interim executive director, our board, our staff and our gracious volunteers for the work they continued to do during this period of transition.

From the very first Impact Tour I attended, it inspired me to get more involved with United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley. I truly appreciated having the opportunity to see firsthand how local organizations are touched by our support. Seeing the impactful work, experiencing the value of volunteering with UWGCV and now being given the opportunity to be the executive director is truly an honor. I am committed to doing everything I can to support and strengthen our communities’ greatest needs. This is not a responsibility I take lightly. My goals are to preserve what we have done in the past while building off the momentum we have going into the future.

With the need for support never being higher, we will do our best to utilize every precious dollar given to its highest potential and make the most positive impact on our neighbors and our communities. I am dedicated to supporting our local organizations, those who work every day to improve the lives of Chippewa Valley residents with our support of mental health, kindergarten school success, financial self-sufficiency, access to food, shelter, and medical care and bridging the digital divide.

I am confident that with the help of our passionate board, staff and volunteers we will continue to maximize the good that we are doing in the Chippewa Valley. As part of our “family” I would be eager to hear your thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to reach out to me at 715-834-5043 or rludy@uwgcv.org. Again, I am ecstatic to be in this new role and thank everyone for the support you have given in the past and the support you are able to give in the future. LIVE UNITED!

With gratitude,

Ryan Ludy

Executive Director

United Way of the

Greater Chippewa Valley

our Sept. Impact Tour!

The next tour opportunity is Wednesday, Sept. 13 in the morning. Meet at UWGCV at 7:50 a.m. and we'll have you back by 12:15 p.m. Click the button below to learn more and register!

Impact Tours provide the opportunity to learn more about the issues affecting our community and how you can support the efforts of local nonprofits by donating to United Way.

For each tour, we visit multiple United Way Program Partners throughout the scheduled time. You'll get an up-close look at the amazing work that is being done right here in the Chippewa Valley.

Are you interested in being a part of the largest volunteer event in the Chippewa Valley? Day of Caring 2023 is quickly approaching on Friday, September 22. Click the button to get to our Day of Caring page. Choose your team lead, pick a project, get your team registered and order your shirts! Thank you for volunteering!

Thanks again to Studier Insurance for supporting United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley's Basic Needs Initiative with their Cookout With A Cause event! $4,227 was raised and will go toward helping those in need in the Chippewa Valley.

Our neighbors and our friends need help. United Way is committed to connecting individuals with resources to ensure financial stability.

The new United Way of Wisconsin ALICE® Reports over One-Third of Wisconsinites Struggle to Make Ends Meet Financially.

Wisconsin households had difficulty affording basic necessities like housing, food, transportation, child care and internet access.

READ THE ALICE REPORT HERE!

GIVE TODAY TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS!

The Chippewa Valley Village Child Care Provider Network, a dynamic community initiative aimed at supporting and empowering family child care providers, has received funding from the Wisconsin DreamUp! Grant to support the community-led effort.

The Chippewa Valley Village Child Care Provider Network holds monthly in-person meetings, providing a supportive space where child care providers can come together, share experiences and exchange valuable insights. These gatherings foster a sense of camaraderie and collaboration, as providers connect with like-minded individuals facing similar challenges and accomplishments. The network meets the second Tuesday of every month from 6-8 p.m. in the Pines Room at 29 Pines Family Restaurant & Lounge in Eau Claire.

LEARN MORE HERE!

This newsletter's Program Partner Spotlight is featuring Family Support Center:

When you support UWGCV, you are investing in collaborative, innovative, research-based and results-focused initiatives. These initiatives coordinate the work of local programs, service providers and community stakeholders in the Chippewa Valley. Together, we're working to solve our community's most pressing problems. Each Program Partner is funded under a specific initiative that is driven by a bold goal that keeps everyone working toward the same mission. Each newsletter we'll talk about how the featured program fits into our initiatives.

HEALTH BOLD GOAL:

Mental Health of Chippewa Valley residents will improve by utilizing prevention and intervention programs.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of Family Support Center’s (FSC) Domestic Violence Program is to promote the overall well-being and safety of adult and youth survivors of domestic violence. The program provides comprehensive trauma-informed services to adults and youth in both one-to-one and group settings designed to increase emotional and physical safety, increase protective factors, build resilience and prevent future mental health crisis and violence.

Domestic Violence Program staff (from left to right, Jeni, Erica, Krista, Victoria, Cara)

and our Executive Director (Geri) during our 2022 Domestic Violence Awareness

Month's Open House.

We're here to give you an overview of what our Program Partners do to impact our communities. We asked them to answer a few quick and direct questions for better insight as to what they do, how they do it, how United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV) supports them, any immediate needs they may currently have and any other notes they'd like you to be aware of. Here's what Family Support Center had to say.

Please tell us who you are and what you do to strengthen the Chippewa Valley:

Family Support Center's mission is to empower all individuals, families and communities to live free from domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and interpersonal violence through education, prevention and intervention.

Our Domestic Violence Program provides services to hundreds of children and adults affected by the trauma of domestic violence and other interpersonal violence-related traumas throughout Chippewa County. All of our services are free and confidential and available 24/7/365. We work with participants on creating emotional and physical safety plans, emotional regulation and coping skills, advocacy and support through multiple

different processes (i.e. criminal justice, housing, restraining orders).

How does UWGCV strengthen your program?

United Way funds are a vital part of our ability to provide services to survivors of violence and we are very appreciative of their long-standing financial support. Apart from finances, however, there is other valuable support given in staying

connected to the community through Program Partner meetings and Advisory Councils.

This past fall, we were able to plant a Peace Garden on our property to be enjoyed by participants and staff. This was made possible by United Way's Day of Caring and dedicated volunteers from Associated Bank.

What is your greatest

program need?

We are in need of volunteer On-Call Advocates to respond to our crisis line during times our building is not open.

For participants, one major need is assistance for short-term motel stays when individuals and families are fleeing violent situations.

For more information about

Family Support Center

please contact:

Jeni Haddad

(715) 723-1138 or 1-800-400-7020

P.O. Box 143

Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

Or visit their website at familysupportcenter.org and follow their social platforms.

FSC staff wearing purple in solidarity with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, in our Peace Garden.

Thank you Family Support Center for providing safe space, support and resources to residents in the Chippewa Valley who are in need.

Order your Day of Caring 2023 team T-shirts today! Or if you just want to support and own a comfy new T-shirt, we appreciate it! Please place your order by Thursday, August 31, sales close at the day's end. THANK YOU!

ORDER YOUR DAY OF CARING T-SHIRTS HERE!

DIGITAL EQUITY and COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.

How's your internet access? We want to hear from you about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to your internet access. Take the Digital Access survey from United Way of Wi today to share your input: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7478805/Digital-Access-in-Wisconsin.

Have lots to share? Consider joining us for an upcoming Internet Community Conversation in the Chippewa Valley!

Wednesday, August 30 from 4-7 p.m. in conjunction with Lake Holcombe School District's OPEN HOUSE, 27331 262nd Avenue, Holcombe, WI 54745. Fill out an Internet Survey and join us for a quick meeting at 6 p.m. in the Elementary Science Room. Cookies and Brownies will be served!

Friday, September 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Fairchild Community Center, 121 Farmer Street, Fairchild, WI 54741. Join us for dinner.

Each event will provide opportunities to win a $25 gift card!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS!

Fill out the Chippewa Valley Community Health Survey by September 24. We're looking for feedback from residents in Chippewa, Dunn and Eau Claire counties.

To get a paper copy, contact Alex Craker at the Eau Claire City-County Health Department by phone 715-271-9902 or email (alex.craker@eauclairecounty.gov).

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY!

Helping others is proven to induce warm fuzzies. Don't believe us, try it for yourself!

Check out our new ULTIMATE ONLINE VOLUNTEER RESOURCE, ChippewaValleyVolunteer.com!

In collaboration with Visit Eau Claire, we’re able to bring local volunteer opportunities to one accessible digital platform. ChippewaValleyVolunteer.com is a one-stop shop when you’re looking to be a volunteer or to recruit volunteers.

Volunteer. Recruit. Visit Now.

VISIT CHIPPEWAVALLEYVOLUNTEER.COM NOW!