Welcome everybody to Midday magazine for this August 19th, 2024.
Have your host James here and I am joined by our great friend CEO of your
night away of Southwood and Amnesty County's Terry Johns.
Hello.
Hey, Terry, good to see you.
Great to be here.
We have our business hats on.
We are ready to talk shop.
And I wanted to start off actually rewinding a little bit if you don't mind.
You guys wrapped up one of your bigger campaigns of the season.
One of your bigger efforts of the season was stuff the desk and stuff the school bus.
Yeah, absolutely.
So jumping all the way back to the start of August was our school supply drive,
which we call stuff the bus, where we leveraged a lot of school supplies and
a good number of monetary donations, which allowed us then to put it in order
for the things that we're missing.
So that's a key kind of integral part there is when we have those monetary
donations, then we're able to order, you know, what doesn't just come in off
off the street, so to speak.
So that was really great.
And again, that happened on August 1st.
And then, you know, we fast forward a couple of weeks and had a really busy week
last week on Thursday.
We had a whole bunch of high school students that came to pack backpacks.
So we certainly thank them.
We packed one thousand ninety three backpacks, which is a lot.
And those are packed based on registration, right?
So if a family registers, you know, let's say they have a kindergarten or a
third grader and a freshman, obviously the same things don't go in those
backpacks.
So so we have a bunch of little slips, you know, cut up.
So just kind of walk people through the process.
We set up at the old East junior high in their in their gym.
And then the students just grab, you know, we know let's say that we need
96 third grade backpacks.
So we've got a list of what goes in those backpacks.
They grab the slip.
They go grab a backpack, fill it with what it needs, put it on the third
grade pile.
I mean, sounds sounds easy, but it takes people to do that.
And it's a lot of handling a lot of items.
Yeah, so when we have, you know, when we have a thousand 93 to pack,
that's pretty significant.
So, you know, certainly our hats off to those, those students who, you know,
took time out of their summer, still summer break, right?
And came and helped us pack.
And then on Friday and Saturday was the distribution.
And so this is, you know, these are prearranged time slots that families
had to sign up for in advance.
And then you come during the hour that you chose, right?
So you might have chose the four o'clock hour on Friday.
And that's when you, you know, that's when you come for your pickup.
I know that we are fighting some things, right?
Some rain, some, you know, some different things, but, but overall,
distribution went really well.
And that happened Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
And in total, we had 946 backpacks distributed.
So very significant.
We know that sometimes things pop up or something happens and we know this
because our phone has been blowing up all morning today.
So if you were registered and we're not taking any new because we just,
you know, we open registration May 1st.
So we had May, June, July, three months of registration.
And we had a walk-in time slot last Saturday.
But if you were registered and for whatever reason didn't get there,
you should call your school's counselor.
So they took those backpacks with them back to school.
And so they have those at the school.
And if, so if you are in need of school supplies,
you should just go ahead and get a hold of, of your, you know,
the school where your children will be attending.
Get a hold of them for supplies.
I was actually able to, I haven't gotten, we've been talking about this for so long
in so many years.
I've never been on the end of receiving these supplies.
And I wanted to go with somebody to see what this is like and everything.
And I went the other day to go see, so for pickup, yeah, pick up.
And I just want to send a shout out to Ben and the gang over there who were
amazing and so efficient.
Like I thought you had to get out and grab the backpack and all that.
No, no, they just put it right in the car for you.
Yeah, it's pretty slick.
I wasn't, I just thought for the heck of it.
I would just time it, you know, this is loosely off the top of my head.
And we weren't even there five minutes.
Like it was incredibly well done.
So just a shout out to the staff over there, the volunteers did such a great job
of getting those backpacks in the car so quickly and everything.
But the other part of it that really that hadn't dawned on me until I was
actually in that position is I was with a friend and the relief that I saw
at her face when those backpacks got in the car.
Like I she was in a good mood.
She was doing fine and everything.
Those backpacks get in the car that back door comes down and you could
literally see her shoulders come down with relief.
What we're doing for families with that.
I focus so much on the kids and we should.
That's first and foremost.
But it shouldn't be lost in the shuffle that what this does for parents and
how this takes a little bit off of their plate, maybe a little less anxiety.
Maybe they're not they're getting better sleep because they're not up all
night stressing about something that they're not able to do or or something
like that to anybody out there as a parent.
Tell me you haven't had a moment as a parent where you weren't able to do
something for your kid.
And what did that feel like?
You're helping with that with this.
You're helping when it comes to these kind of things.
And it segues me right into the campaign season Terry and we're getting
right there for you guys.
And I want people to remember these things when when campaign season is going
on the impact you can make.
Yeah.
And this is a big deal.
You know, so for everyone who donated a school supply, a dollar, a pencil,
you know, whatever it might have been, it really does make a big impact.
And certainly we are not lost on, you know, you called out Ben from our team.
But but just, you know, everybody who who made this happen because it doesn't
happen alone and we have some really great volunteers from each of the school
districts that we serve.
And so that's really important to I think is, you know, they're showing,
they're showing up for the cause for their students, but then also bringing
students to help with this process.
And you know, one of the things about the distribution process, you know,
when we started this in 2009 was really when we said this should be a community
one effort, you know, versus all these little school supply drives that we're
going on and that kind of thing.
And so when we did that, you know, then it was, it was kind of what you
described first, like you're like, oh, we didn't have to get all the car.
Well, it used to be, you know, you got there and then you came and you kind
of took that list, right?
Like, oh, you have a third grader.
Okay, here's what you get for having a third grader.
You know, and they went around and got it.
Um, COVID forces to think about that a little bit differently.
And how are we going to do this, you know, kind of like touch free.
So to speak, and we just have kept it that way.
Now this is the fifth distribution that way because it's so much more efficient.
And it's so much, I mean, it's so much easier.
And then when you register, you just pick your time slot, right?
Like I, you know, if what if we started at two o'clock on a Friday and someone's
like, well, there's no way I can get there at two o'clock on Friday, right?
But instead you sign up for nine AM Saturday or whatever, you know,
whatever works.
So, so I think we've, um, you know, we've really tried to learn through the
process and not just about efficiency for the process and for volunteers,
but what makes sense for families, um, waiting in a great big, long line is
not, you know, it's kind of, I guess sometimes it's kind of demeaning for
families, right?
Like in it diminishes.
So it's like, if you can sign up for a time slot and just be like, Hey, I just
got to show up, bring my little, you know, by my mailing and then I'm good
to go.
And like you said, five minutes, I mean, sometimes there were a few times where
I think we were backed up as far as 10 minutes, but still 10 minutes versus
what could be hours per say.
So, you know, I think they've got it down to a pretty good science and, um,
you know, hopefully we were able to provide in the backpacks like 90% of what
was on the list, you know, of what the teachers have on the list.
So there may be a few unique items that a certain teacher was looking for
and that happens.
It's, you know, it's up to what they need in their classroom, but, but we were
able to really provide the majority of what is needed and, and for sure,
the basics.
So, um, you know, again, hats off to this community.
It doesn't happen without support of the community.
It doesn't happen without individuals.
It doesn't happen without businesses that are willing to be a drop off point
or to say, hey, we're going to encourage, you know, we have 200 employees.
We're going to encourage our employees to bring stuff and then we'll bring it.
So there's just so many different facets to this and 946 backpacks were given
out in, you know, what, two, three hour time frames.
So it's pretty, it is pretty remarkable.
So yes, hats off to everybody involved.
And, and certainly for those who are recipients, you know,
we hope that this gives you some, some level of relief and some sort of hand up,
you know, maybe it freed up dollars that can be used on something else or,
or whatever the case would be, but, you know, we are certainly happy and proud
to be able to offer this in the community.
Yeah, kids are the, they're, they're just a black, like, whole as far as, like,
funds go.
Like there's always, there's always something that a kid needs or something like that.
I mean, that lovingly, I'm joking about that.
No, but, but you're the free up that you're talking about there.
Maybe it, they can get some clothes.
Maybe they can.
Yeah, they need tennis shoes and they need, you know, you're going to,
it's going to be hat and mitt and season really soon.
Yeah, sure.
You know, I mean, like, you're right.
There just is no end to it, but, but also, you know,
sometimes I think what we find is families are doing just fine, right?
And able to do everything on their own, but then one thing happens, right?
And it causes a spiral or, you know, maybe you really need a new car tires.
Like it was at a, at a crisis point, right?
So it's, it's, it's just thinking through that there are challenges and hardships
and we all go through those.
And this is one way, obviously, we come together as a community
because we wouldn't have been able to serve this many kids.
If the community wasn't behind it, speaking with CEO of your United
Way of Southwood and his counties, Terry Johns, that impact that we're talking about
there, it's very similar to other conversations you and I have had about
the impact the United Way can make.
It's one of the greater impacts you can make in a community is through the
United Way and that's part of why we call on the community during
campaign season to help with these sorts of things, whether it is an event
like this or it is other events the United Way does, we're able to do
this good in our community because of it.
And we've got a community that's very supportive of this.
And campaign season is right around the corner.
It is. We are kicking off our campaign on September first as, as per
always, and yes, I know that that's a Sunday, but we just, we just follow
the calendar month, right?
So September and October are truly United Way campaign months, but I
will tell you that we run all the way actively until the last the Friday
right before Thanksgiving.
And the reason that that happens is because that is our sweepstakes deadline
and that is something that, you know, a lot of people resonate with and
contribute to our campaign because, you know, sometimes it's fun to do
when there's a little bit of an incentive.
Yeah.
So I'm just throwing that out there, you know, right off the bat, we encourage
individuals to make donations and one of the, one of the ways that we do
that is to suggest that you donate $1 per week.
Okay.
So $52 a year and that does get you entry into our campaign sweepstakes.
So we have five local businesses that donate those sweepstakes prizes.
And I know, I mean, I, I harp on that when I talk about campaign, but I
don't feel like I can say it enough because there's no campaign dollars,
right?
So James, when you make a donation, none of your donation is going towards those
prizes.
Those five local companies are willing to put up the prizes so that we have
those because they see the value in getting new donors and also in getting
donors to, you know, maybe somebody works at a local business that allows
them to have payroll deduction.
That is really a nice, very nice option and a nice feature because if you
can have, you know, $5 taken out of a paycheck, that is a little
easier than just writing one big check, right?
So we encourage folks to give a dollar dollar a week.
So that would be if you're paid every other week, that would be $2 a paycheck.
We know that we can't even go to the vending machine, probably for a snack for
that, but if we brought our snack from home one day a week or two days a
week, we could make a donation that would have great impact on families,
like specifically, like what we were just talking about, stuff the bus,
stuff the desk, but there are 30 programs that are United Way helps to
fund in the communities that we serve.
So we serve Southwick County and Adams County, nine of the programs
serve Adams County, 21 of the programs serve Southwick County.
And these are all in our strategy, strategy areas of education,
which is really, you know, youth opportunities from birth all the way up
until out of school, but really, you know, what's available to youth in
our community and what does that mean?
Then we have income or financial stability and this, you know,
this is thinking about families who are struggling or not struggling
but don't have maybe any emergency fund or any savings, right?
So we can all, I mean, we all have been ourselves currently are or
know someone who lives paycheck to paycheck literally.
And so when there's no money set aside for a crisis for an
emergency, that money has to come from somewhere, right?
Because if the car breaks down, we need the car to get to work,
we need the income to pay the, you know, pay the house payment, you,
you know how that goes.
And so, so financial stability is a big focus of ours and thinking
about how to help community members get to a point where they're able to
think about, right?
Because at first, we have to think about it and have a plan because no one
can get the other things like no one can make you do this stuff, right?
Like you have to, I feel like you have to understand it, have buy in
with it and be like, yeah, I can see how that benefits me or benefits
my family or so, so working through that process around financial
stability, another strategy area of ours is health.
So you think about, and when we say health from the United
Way perspective, we don't mean health insurance.
And I know that that's, I mean, I know that that's a thing, right?
But that's, you know, it's, it's not necessarily that it's, it's more
about healthy community in general, right?
So, so what is the overall health of our community?
And that can mean a variety of different things.
I mean, that can mean access to even just like health and fitness
kind of kind of opportunities.
But it can also mean respect care for someone who's keeping a loved
one at home, as long as they possibly can.
And they need assistance so that they can get a haircut, get groceries,
whatever it might be.
So it might mean, you know, assisting someone and caring for a loved one.
So, you know, it's a, it's a wide variety of ways that, that a healthy
community comes to be.
But United Way, we certainly are present in that space and we want to be
present in that space to make sure that we have the best offerings
for our community members.
And so, once we get through, you know, education or youth
opportunity, financial stability, health, then we also have safety
net service.
You know, so when you think about basic needs shelter, and that could be
emergency shelter of, you know, one of our funded programs is the
family center, right?
So that is, that is crisis shelter, right?
So someone who's experiencing domestic violence.
We also have to fund eviction prevention.
So this is, you know, helping people not lose their housing.
And, and how, you know, what, what steps need to be in place or what,
what things do they need to do to not get evicted?
Maybe they have an eviction notice, maybe they know they're getting behind.
You know, like you're, that snowball starts and you can be so many things.
And you know it, but like, you don't always react right away because
you hope it'll go away.
You know, I mean, I mean, that's fair, right?
So, so eviction prevention is a big part of our service when we think
about housing, and that's both for Southwood and Adams counties.
And then the other area of safety net services food, of course.
And it's access to food through the food pantry.
It's access to food through community meal sites, which also, you know,
offer that socialization piece that that is often missing, especially
for our seniors who are, you know, in many cases, living in isolation.
So food pantry, community meal site, and then backpack programs.
So this is weekend food for families.
And so there, there's a lot, there's a lot happening.
And those are just strategy areas of the funded programs that we helped
to fund, but then we also have 10 initiatives that our own staff are doing.
So there is, there's really a lot going on.
And I think, you know, the beauty of this time of year when we're thinking
about asking people for money, because that's what we're doing, right?
Like we are out literally, I'm, I'm asking you, looking you in the
face saying, hey, you know, will you, will you join me?
Will you come along?
Will you donate?
And it's important because we're helping to fund these programs and we're,
we're funding these initiatives.
But then there's other pieces that hopefully build confidence in your donation.
One is that all of your donation stays in this community or in the Adams
community. So again, we serve both, but we keep the campaigns separate.
And sometimes that's really, really important to people.
Sometimes people say, well, we'll use it where you need it most.
But, but sometimes, you know, folks say, well, this is where I live.
I want my money to come right into my community directly.
Same goes for, let's say you work here in Wisconsin Rapids and you are
asked to donate at your workplace, but you live in Portage County.
Then you just say, I want my money to go to Portage County and we send
it to Portage County United Way and they do the same for us.
So, so I think, you know, I want to make sure that there's a confidence level
for people that your dollars don't leave your community unless you tell us
that you want them to go somewhere else.
And then the other thing is, you know, really accountability.
You know, we are very transparent with what we're doing and how dollars
are being spent, our partner programs, same, right?
Like we are vetting those programs and saying, we know there's hundreds
of good programs in the community, but we're only, we're only funding the
best ones. We're only funding the ones that are, you know, that are using
their money wisely, but then that are also addressing the need that we,
that we have decided for, for United Way purposes, you know,
are the greatest needs in the community.
And so when we have those great partners, you know, that's who we,
that's who we stick with.
That's where the funding goes.
You know, time restraint wise, Terry's not getting too into the weeds
and too in depth on this.
But the homework you guys do before going through with these initiatives
or through some of these things is, is not worthy as well.
The data that is collected, sometimes the data that you share with us,
whether it's through the Alice reporter, other things is information that
we would not have otherwise.
So there's so much great area the United Way covers as well, going,
going above and beyond in our community to be able to do these things.
And, and we want to continue to do that and continue to strengthen our
United Way and our community through this campaign.
Yeah. And, you know, if you are a data person or you're just interested
in the, the story of that, you know, you brought up the Alice report.
And that is always available on our website.
You literally just click on the menu and then you can click, click on Alice.
But one of the things that just rolled out in the last, probably two weeks or so
is there's a updated like Alice calculator.
And what's really cool about that is you can put in, you can create a specific
family where it used to just be, you know, we would say, okay, single adult
or, you know, two adults, two children, but you can actually put in, you know,
one adult, a four year old and an infant.
And you can kind of see what in theory, right?
Like what, what you would need for your survival budget.
And so I really, I really like that.
That it's, it, there's another component to it.
So a really good, really cool.
You can find all the information about Alice on our website.
You can also reach out to Ben, our community engagement director on our team
about, you know, specifically if you want to learn more about Alice or get a
presentation.
We also do presentations on the Alice report.
And again, this is a report of under employment, basically in our community.
People who are working, but just aren't making enough to get there or are
making enough to get there.
But again, no savings, no emergency fund.
And so, you know, working through that as a community.
And we happily give presentations.
A lot of times it's civic groups or businesses that say, Hey, can you come
to our staff meeting for 20 minutes just so we can learn more?
And we're certainly open to doing that.
And all these things and we didn't even cover at least a handful of other
things that you need to do it does like two on one.
And some other important programs that the United Way is behind or helps
assist or bring attention to when it comes to it.
And we can all make a be a part of this.
We can all be United Way members.
We can all be a part of this by adding to the campaign season and helping
not only support the United Way, but through the United Way, other organizations,
other nonprofits that the United Way does such a great job on Terry.
I want to do wrap up with people want to find out ways that they can do this.
We got them excited.
We got them ready for it.
Maybe they're business out there that wants to do something special
for the campaign season or or just a person out there that wants to know
how they make make make an impact more.
How can they get in touch with you guys and how can they find out more?
Yes, so if you are a workplace that would like to have a campaign,
allow your employees to donate.
You can get a hold of us myself or Stephanie at United Way, 715-421-0390.
Of course, we always take visitors, 351 Oak Street.
We're just across from St. John's Episcopal Church.
You certainly could do it that way.
If you're an individual donor, you can be watching the mail for information to come.
You can certainly jump on our website at anytime, www.swac.org
and you can click donate.
You can reach us again, like I said, by mail, by phone.
We are we're pretty flexible and and make it work.
However, you want to donate, right?
So we have some folks who give via a ACH or a direct debit to their checking or savings account.
We've got we can take credit cards.
We can take debit cards.
We can take checks.
We can take cash for born blood.
Yeah, whatever it is.
Whatever it takes.
Just getting no one drop off your children.
No, no, please do not do that.
Please do reach out to our friends at the United Way and let them know
how much we appreciate them along with your donation.
Terry, thank you so much for the time.
Yeah, you bet.
Thank you.
Find out more on social media as well.
Follow the United Way on social media and share their pages and share their posts
so other people can see them and bookmark their web page, www.swac.org, www.swac.org.
Well, a more morning magazine for, midday magazine for you on WFHR, locally grown radio.
