For the City Times

United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Volunteer Center has announced the 2017 Volunteer Recognition Breakfast Honorees that will receive certificates and special recognition on April 20 at the Hotel Mead.

Registration begins at 7:45 a.m.; breakfast buffet upon arrival, and program at 8:00 a.m.

This year, 27 volunteers/groups were nominated for recognition during this annual event, which is now in its 26^th year.  Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Zach Vruwink will give a proclamation for National Volunteer Week, which will be April 23 – 29.

Anyone is welcome to attend.  All of this year’s honorees were invited to the breakfast and are welcome to bring along any friends or family members who wish to attend.

We also invite any agencies or organizations who have volunteer programs to attend and bring along their volunteers.  The Volunteer Recognition Breakfast is perfect for organizations who don’t have the time or budget to plan a thank you event for their volunteers.

The cost to attend the breakfast is $9.25; visit www.uwiw.org to register online or download a registration form.

2017 Volunteer Breakfast Nominees

American Heroes Café –Central WI- The American Heroes Café – CW has been in operation for 20 months. This group has set aside every Wednesday morning to help set-up, prepare refreshments and clean-up after every café. The café serves 85 to 110 veterans, police and fire fighters every week at the Woodlands/Crossview Church.

Troy Anderson- Troy started out as the IT/Computer Assistant intern at The Family Center, and went above and beyond when he realized they also needed help at the receptionist desk, and filled the seat himself. He has been an increasingly important part of the team ever since. He is always willing to help any staff or client, always going the extra mile to come alongside someone in need, with the utmost friendliness.

Backpack for Kid Program at Nekoosa Academy – The Backpack for Kid Program started in March, 2010 with five to seven Nekoosa Academy students being involved in the program.  At that time they filled anywhere from 15-18 backpacks full of food for the weekend.  The backpacks have enough food in them for two dinners, two breakfasts and some nutritional snacks, along with a $12.00 voucher for perishable items at the local Piggly Wiggly in Nekoosa.  As of now, they are filling 33 backpacks which serves 152 people.  The program continues to grow as more and more community members, churches and businesses have started supporting the Backpack for Kid Program.

Central Wisconsin STEM Academy (CWSA) Governance Council – The Council dedicates valuable hours of their time by planning for the success of the students by networking for CWSA and making decisions on behalf of CWSA. Their work is vital to the support of CWSA. The staff and families of the Nekoosa School District thank them for their time.

Rico Cesare – Rico is a volunteer handy-man at United Way of Inner Wisconsin. He has trimmed trees, power washed the building and fixed the railing post in front of the building.

Delbert Dietzler- Del is a hero at The Family Center! He has been handling maintenance for the last 10 years; he is the heart beat of The Family Center. Del’s dedication, mechanical knowledge, and loyal assistance with any and all of our day-to-day functions are priceless.

Frederick Ellis- Fred volunteers at Hilltop of Pepper once a month, providing a sing-along of old-time songs. He’s got a great big booming voice, and leads the residents in favorite songs. The residents enjoy music and singing, and Fred offers both of those. When he visits, he fills the facility with song.

Barb Enright- Barb Enright has been an excellent and dedicated popcorn volunteer this year at Mead Elementary Charter School.  Every single Wednesday morning, Barb is at the school helping with this fundraiser that supports the classroom teachers — her dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. She is welcoming of new volunteers and is always willing to give extra time when needed.  Mead staff appreciates her dedication in this program and believe it wouldn’t have continued without her dedication.

Family Center Donation Team – These volunteers process, sort, and display the received donations to serve the clients every need. They help with the community’s annual drives , like Stamp-Out Hunger, Scouting for Food, and Help for the Homeless.

Good News Club- The Good News Club has been volunteering at Adams Friendship Elementary School for many years providing Bible study classes to students after school. This year they have increased their participation to add family nights providing activities for families. Thank you for all you do.

Tom Heiser- Tom hosts and produces a television show called “Thank You for Your Service” at the studio of Wisconsin Rapids Community Media (WRCM).  “These veterans are true heroes that walk among us everyday.” said Heiser. He is also the Junior Vice Commander of local VFW Post 2534.

Carla Johnson- Carla has been volunteering at Adams Friendship Elementary since her children started in school. She also volunteers in other schools. She has been a great asset to the district while implementing Academic Parent teacher teams.

Riley Kubisiak- Riley Kubisiak is a junior at Lincoln High School.  As a junior, she has already put in 462 Hours of volunteering in school and the community.  She has volunteered through her church, two weeks at Camp Luther during the summer, coaches recreational soccer and basketball, she is a referee at the YMCA, and she is the student representative for The Neighborhood Table.  Besides being busy with volunteering she is also involved in after school activities including: Name It Claim It Stop It; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; and she is the secretary for Key Club.  Riley is a great role model to all of her classmates and community.

Light of Christ Church Community Outreach at Washington Elementary School – Light of Christ Church has adopted Washington School as an outreach mission for the past several years. Church members contacted Washington staff to determine what needs existed, and they have generously responded. They helped create the outdoor classroom and upgraded the school sound system. They have donated school supplies, winter gear and clothing for students, and covered the cost of snacks and milk. Church members have given of their time and talents to read with and/or tutor struggling students weekly.

Lincoln High School (LHS) New Student Committee  – This group of students was given the task of helping new transfer students, foreign exchange students, and any other student new to the school (not just all sophomores) become acclimated to Lincoln High School and to feel welcome and make connections with students. They sit with them at lunch when they come, provide monthly lunchtime gatherings for all new students and assist new students any way they can.

Lincoln High School “Sportainment” – Fifteen years ago the Sports and Entertainment Marketing class branded an event named “Sportainment Night” in the Wisconsin Rapids community. This event is an end-of-term real world project in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing class. The project started off to be a fun, hands-on tool to evaluate students on their skill and knowledge of business and marketing concepts. It has evolved into much more for LHS students and the Wisconsin Rapids community. Over the past 15 years, LHS marketing students have raised over $50,000 for 18 non-profit organizations by creating partnerships with local businesses. These partnerships not only created sponsorship opportunities, but created promotions that generated income for businesses and more donations and excitement for our entire community. Lifelong lessons of hard work, dedication, teamwork, planning, volunteering and giving back to our community are gained from this community partnership. The latest Sportainment Night set a new benchmark and raised $8, 010 for Josh Uttermark in the Fight Against Leukemia.  Three students – Caitlyn Whipple, Clinton Hellner and Chasten Vruwink – went above and beyond the call of duty for this event.

Bonita Macedon –Bonita Macedon has graciously volunteered at Childcaring, Inc. over the past two years.  Her easy-going, dependable, fun personality makes her incredibly helpful in whatever volunteer task we ask her to help out with.  Childcaring, Inc. offers many child care trainings throughout the year and Bonita assists with clerical duties like making copies, collating, laminating projects and data entry.  She is a great organizer and she has helped to organize information for community projects like child development days, children’s festivals and the annual “Once Upon a Book Drive.” She is a friend to everyone at Childcaring, Inc., and they all so appreciate the way she unselfishly devotes her time and efforts to helping them.

Mead Elementary Charter School Americorp Members – Mead School is fortunate to have two outstanding Marshfield Clinic After-School AmeriCorps members, Brooke Porter and Mitchell Wendt. They serve Mead School during the school day and in the after-school program, putting in over 1,700 hours a year. They mentor students in classrooms, large groups and one-on-one. They have a significant impact on the students they work with by leading them in fun and engaging activities to promote learning and healthy lifestyles. They motivate students to get their homework done and be involved in their community by volunteering and giving back.

Mead Elementary Charter School Learning for Life Reading Mentors –Mead Elementary Charter School would like to recognize 35 outstanding community members – in partnership with the United Way of Inner Wisconsin and the Women United – who come into the school weekly and read with students in grades Kindergarten through third grade. These “Reading Mentors” have become a part of Mead School and many students lives beyond just reading with them once or twice a week. They are making a difference in many children’s lives by sharing the joy of reading, building relationships and being role models. Mead School appreciates their faithfulness and compassion for the school.

Art and Marcy Napgezek – Art and Marcy Napgezek spend hundreds of hours throughout the year filming and producing events for the community on Wisconsin Rapids Community Media outlets. They cover high school football, concerts, graduations, music events and so much more. Without their positive attitude and willingness to help, people in the community wouldn’t be able to see the events to learn more about the community they live in and no record would exist for future generations.

Tom Osowski- Tom joined the American Red Cross Disaster Team in 2015. After completing his training, he started his service by providing assistance to those impacted by home fires. In July 2015, Tom embarked on his first national deployment to assist with the Louisville Kentucky flooding response. In the two years he has been with Red Cross, Tom has deployed to ten large scale disaster events. Along the way, Tom has learned to drive the Emergency Response Vehicle, provide onsite disaster assessment, and learned to drive a forklift. On the local front, Tom has taken the lead position for disaster assessment and helps to maintain the Emergency Response Vehicle. Tom always has a smile, a kind word and shows his compassion for others through his dedicated service.

Barbara Paige- Barbara is a volunteer at Immanuel Lutheran School who serves out of the love for children. She is a silent shining star who comes to light whenever there is a need for recess duty, serving in the library, or helping out in the classroom. She is an amazing volunteer with a passion to serve without asking for anything in return.

Port Edwards Elementary School Morning Reading Volunteers and Learning for Life Mentors –Port Edwards Elementary School is fortunate enough to have two groups of dedicated community volunteers:  morning reading program volunteers and United Way reading mentors. Morning reading volunteers take part in a daily before-school program by reading stories to students, bringing in therapy dogs and assisting with craft projects. United Way reading mentors join first, second and third grade classrooms weekly to read one-on-one with students.

Monty Reinicke – Monty is the resident Mr. Fix-It at United Methodist Church and because of that, he got involved with The Neighborhood Table. The Neighborhood Table recently received a grant to upgrade the kitchen at the church so that it was more compatible with the needs of The Neighborhood Table. He lead the efforts to upgrade all of the power requirements and the entire remodel program. Monty is also very active in the Boy Scouts of America. He is quick to volunteer his talents whenever needed.

Craig Timm- Craig Timm has served Junior Achievement (JA) since 2009. His desire to see local students learn about financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work-readiness skills in grades Kindergarten through 12^th grade is a clear driving force in his personal and professional life. As a Board Member on the local Board of Directors for nine years he has devoted many hours into shaping the future workforce of Wood County. He consistently attends monthly board meeting where JA programming, volunteer and funding needs are all discussed. He then collaboratively works on those needs with his other board members to fill the local needs of Junior Achievement for our local students (our future workforce). Craig is a dedicated and encouraging member of the board and JA thanks him for his years of service.

Milton Van Natta –Milton Van Natta does a wonderful job for Wisconsin Rapids Community Media as a volunteer.  His voice echoes for the Riverkings programs, football and local political candidate interviews.  He has been a volunteer since the 1980’s and loves helping out this community by sharing his knowledge as a broadcaster to others.

Grace White- Grace White is a senior at Lincoln High School.  During her time in high school she has served 533 volunteer hours.  She has volunteered in the LHS Volunteer Center, spent her summer life guarding at a summer camp called Fort Wilderness, has done many hours through The Neighborhood Table, a mission trip in South Dakota to work with kids on a Native American Reservation, and has volunteered through basketball tournaments.  Through LHS she is also involved in extracurricular activities including: basketball, Central Cities Health Institute, and Health Occupations Students of America.  She has put a lot of time and effort in and outside of her community.

For more information, please visit UWIW.org