FROM THE CORNER

Booth and Beyond

Tuesday, November 15, marked National Philanthropy Day during Community Foundation Week November 12-18. The Community Foundation of Chippewa County (CFCC), a nonprofit organization, is fully embracing this time of year.

“This time of year is our opportunity to thank our donors, share our progress, and advocate for our availability to help meet the needs of Chippewa County communities, offers Jill Herriges, CFCC Executive Director.

The CFCC released its 2021-2022 Annual Report on its official website and held its annual social on October 25th, 2022 at the Heyde Center for the Arts in Chippewa Falls. An Outstanding Service Award to a Foundation Board Member was also revealed during the annual event.

“It’s a highly productive time of year for us, and very heartwarming. There is a lot of good that happens in Chippewa County.” reflects Herriges.

According to their Annual Report, the CFCC granted over 2 million dollars to local charities and nonprofits in the past year. The grants supported student scholarships, community projects and community resource support, and natural disaster response.

Its annual event, Seedlings to Shade Trees, recognized the donors and fundholders who make those grants possible. Event emcee, Terrence McCanna, gave a warm welcome to the individuals and families who established an endowed fund or seedling fund in the past year. McCanna shared each new fundholder’s inspiring story, as the crowd of over 150 people applauded all 12 new funds.

“These stories are truly meaningful, responds Jill Herriges, CFCC Director. “Funds are often dedicated in remembrance of a loved one who dedicated service to this community.”

Several impact stories are available for the public in the Community Foundation of Chippewa County Annual Report, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

A warm and well-deserved standing ovation was given to Chuck Frenette, who received the 2021-2022 Outstanding Service Award for his significant commitment to the Foundation’s work.

President of the Board, David Adler, had the honor of revealing the award saying, “Chuck has shown incredible dedication to his community and has exceeded the Foundation’s expectations with the heart and experience he brings to his work as Treasurer of the Board.”

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone for the award,” said Mr. Frenette. “Even though the award is presented to an individual it is a culmination of the efforts of many that provide for the successes of various organizations in the Chippewa Valley. None of us do this for recognition but to provide “For Good. Forever”.”

The Community Foundation of Chippewa County responds to community needs to benefit people, nonprofits, and charitable organizations in Chippewa County with donations and with sustaining endowments. Through Foundation, donors achieve their philanthropic goals. Learn more about ways to give and be involved with philanthropy by calling (715) 723-8125, visiting www.yourlegacyforever. org, or following social media pages.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Hope you have a wonderful day with family or friends. This should be a day when we remember all of our BLESSINGS! *** After the never ending ads for politicians running for public office I wanted to share the following from the “Blooms” in Bloomer” column last week. “Years ago the Democrats held their national convention in Chicago next to the stock yards and the Republicans held their convention near the San Francisco Cow Palace. Apparently in those days politicians were more transparent about slinging the bull and milking the public.” *** Here is an interesting read and why car batteries need to be disposed of properly. According to the American Automobile Association, “Vehicle batteries contain 21 pounds of lead, 3 pounds of plastic and 1 gallon of sulfuric acid. When a battery is recycled, the lead is re-smelted into new plates, the acid is neutralized and reclaimed, and the plastic is used in new cases.” Sounds pretty much like total recycling!! Interesting, and it makes me wonder what other products can claim such a total recycle? *** Here is something to be aware of. Christmas is one month away (Christmas Eve) and according to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2015 and 2019, U. S. Fire Departments responded to an average of 160 house fires each year that started with Christmas trees. So if you have a fresh tree make sure it is properly watered, and if you have an artificial tree make sure it is fire rated. And in either case, make sure your fire alarms work. It’s time to put up the tree. Have a safe Christmas. *** Did you know? As of 9/20/2022 there were 4.1 million refugees from the Ukraine in Europe. All caused by an insane/cruel Russian Ruler! +++ People 50 and older owe almost a quarter – $383 billion – of the $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt. Whoa! Thank you mom and dad for working your butts off to put us kids through college. And thank you UW-Eau Claire for jobs mixing clay and cleaning in the Art Department and work in the Student Union Cafeteria for $1 per hour, which also helped pay for college. +++ Those 50 and older reported in an AARP survey that 79% of them want to stay in their community as long as possible, 84% want long term care at home with daily activities, and 13% prefer care at an assisted living facility. No surprises there! +++ One of those occasional little annoyances one has to deal with, are electric power interruptions, that require the reset of all electric clocks in one’s house. While the average American experiences about two hours of power interruptions each year, in 2020 the average was eight hours of lost power when weather events are figured in. Many Stanley households will increase that figure for 2021, when as a result of the tornado that hit Stanley on December 15, 2021, we lost power for nearly four days and that was nearly 96 hours. *** Election leftovers. Reports indicate that Tim Michel’s spent $16 million of his own money on the recently held race for Wisconsin Governor. It is hard for me to comprehend what drives a person to spend that kind of money for a political office. I think back in 1998, when I ran for mayor the first time, I spent around $16 to print a one page handout asking for votes. Plus, after being elected I put a thank you ad in the Stanley Republican, which back then cost less than $30. There is obviously something us lay people don’t know when somebody spends $16 million of their own money on a campaign. I wonder if rational people are ever going to decide on a ceiling that candidates can spend? This would seemingly make it fair for both candidates to spend the same and would eliminate the need for us to be deluged with negative ads that are a part of any campaign. With limited funds perhaps we would hear the candidates goals as an elected official rather than all the negatives of their opponent. Then the voters could decide who they wanted to hire to work for them. *** Here are some snippets from reports that caught my eye. They relate to some pertinent concerns of anyone traveling our highways for any reason. “Drivers using cellphones are 2 to 8 times more likely to be involved in a crash,” according to J. Skyler McKinley of AAA Colorado. *According to the National Highway Administration, dangerous driving distractions include eating, day dreaming, fiddling with the radio and grooming your hair. * Speeding was a factor in 29 percent of fatal crashes in 2020, as it lowers reaction time, raises the odds of losing control of your vehicle and increases the distance you need to stop when danger’s ahead. *** Here is a SCAM ALERT from the Social Security Administration. Scammers are pretending to be government employees. They may threatened you and may demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal action. Do not be fooled! If you receive a suspicious call: 1.) Hang up! 2.) Do not give them money or personal information! 3.) Report the scam at OIG.SSA.GOV *** Brayden Sonnentag, a wrestler with the Cadott Hornets, is going to be watched by many area wrestling fans. He will be going for his 4th State Championship during the soon to start wrestling season. Brayden has committed to wrestle next year at the University of Wyoming. *** Did you know that the cross, placed on the site along Highway P near Chippewa Falls, that serves as a memorial to three Girl Scouts and one of their mothers killed on November 3, 2018, was made at the Stanley Correctional Institution. The huge memorial cross is 20 feet tall and weighs more than 1,000 pounds. A metal fabrication shop at the prison, known as the Bureau of Correctional Enterprises, did the design work and then manufactured it. *** Smile time. Oddball requests received by librarians from patrons: A patron wanted a librarian to find her a book to teach her dog German. A patron on the way to a casino asked to rub the librarians red hair for luck. A patron asked a librarian for her phone number so she could call her with a reference question when she was not at work. +++ When volunteering in a soup kitchen a young lady hit it off with a very attractive single man. It was a relief, since her mother and her always laughed because the men whom she was drawn to were inevitably married. So optimistic about her chances, she asked her new friend what he did for a living. He replied, “I’m a priest.” +++ Dilemma: How worried should a cat owner be if the neighbor’s dog is named Curiosity? +++ A friend tricked me into going to Wimbledon by telling me it was a men’s single event. +++ Grow stronger. Open your arms more widely. +++ My tolerance for idiots is extremely low these days. I used to have some immunity built up, but obviously there’s a new strain out there.

BY DAVID JANKOSKI