Success Stories | United Way of South Wood & Adams Counties

UNITED WAY OF SOUTH WOOD & ADAMS COUNTIES SUCCESS STORIES FOR 2023

These stories have been provided to us by the 2023 United Way of South Wood & Adams Counties Partner Programs. Names have been changed to preserve the identities of the subjects. Please feel free to use these stories for any promotional pieces you may have, such as newsletters, emails, payroll stuffers, etc.

SOUTH WOOD COUNTY

Aspirus Riverview Dental Clinic

We had a 63 year old male patient present with multiple non-restorable, painful teeth. After several extractions, Dr. McGrath fabricated a new upper and lower partial denture. He was a recent head and neck cancer survivor and had lived with poor oral health because of his radiation treatments. With his newly constructed dentures he was able to finally eat better, smile, and have a better overall quality of life!

Boys and Girls Club of the Wisconsin Rapids Area

Math Hoops has been a great addition to the club and has given our older members the opportunity to thrive. We had a 5th grade member “MG” who has given us a complete 160 after being introduced to this program. He has struggled with his emotions as well as being academically involved in the past. He would push back on staff and argue as he did not know how to handle certain situations. He refused a lot of the times to want to participate in academic programming. When Math Hoops was introduced, he showed his ability to be a team player, be respectful, and has grown in building his math skill knowledge. I believe with having consistent staff this school year who have pushed and supported this program has helped him build meaningful relationships and trust with others. He was a great lead during the program who went out of his way to help others who were struggling and vocalized positive things. I look forward to continuing to work with this member and watch him grow to accomplish so much more this coming year.

Career Closet of Wisconsin Rapids, Inc.

Project search is a program that enables young adults with disabilities.to receive training that allows them to gain and maintain employment.in our community. The Career Closet has provided clothing to several of the students who have graduated from this program and are ready to interview for a job. Sally, a nineteen year old, came to us in mid-May. She chose two outfits for interviews and the graduation ceremony. She was interviewing at a store where she would be using the skills she learned. She told us this with much pride and enthusiasm.

Childcaring, Inc. – Good Start Grants

A family of 5 from the Wisconsin Rapids area has been using GSG to help pay for child care for their almost 1 year old to attend care. At this time, they were not able to put their 4-year-old in care due to lack of openings and affordability, as all funding for GSG had been allocated and they were on the wait list. The family was notified that their soon to be one year old was able to start attending Head Start so they no longer were in need of the GSG for them. Because the funding was already allocated out for this family, we were able to put the excess funding towards the 4-year-old, so they could attend care as well!

Childcaring, Inc. – Provider Recruitment/Retention

A local church contacted our office wondering about the rules and regulations for a child care program. They have heard about the need for child care and know it’s an issue within the community. They had indicated they had space available in their building and wanted to see if it would qualify for a child care program. The church itself wasn’t necessarily interested in opening a program, but wanted to see what the regulation requirements for a building were to see if they could help support the opening of a program in their community. Childcaring’s Pre-Licensing Technical Consultant was able to provide assistance in answering their questions about building codes, square footage and indoor/outdoor space usage.

FOCUS Family Backpacks

"When FFB surveyed families at the end of the school year, families were able to make additional comments. These comments, mainly positive, are listed below. These should definitely be considered ""success stories"" for the families who utilize FFB.
I appreciate the extra help with food this program provided for me and my family.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Very helpful
The Kwik Trip coupons help a lot, we didn’t always get to use them due to transportation... we try to use as many as we can. The cost of food has gotten out of hand and even with food share, it’s still difficult now. This program has been a huge help in general, more this year than the past.
Thank you all for your time and services."

FOCUS Food Pantry

We recently had a woman stop in to donate baby items. She began to tell us a story about her son when he was in college in the 1980's. Her son had bought 3 comic sketches from his room mate for $100 to help him buy groceries and pay bills. Recently her son decided to see what they were worth, and to his surprise they were some of the first original Marvel comic drawings. He sold them for 3.2 Million Dollars! The woman went on to say that her and her husband never had much money, but tried to instill good values in their children, be kind, and help others when able. She then told us that her son would be making an anonymous donation to FOCUS each month! She is incredibly supportive of the pantry and the work FOCUS does in this community and was so pleased that she passed on those same values to her son.

FOCUS Neighborhood Meals

FNM has had a significant increase in numbers and continue to increase monthly. Our efforts to increase meal attendance is finally showing. We have had several new individuals and families join the FNM meal on Thursdays. We have also had a significant increase in people interested in volunteering! Word is finally getting out and it is wonderful to welcome new guests and volunteers!!

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes – South Wood County

Girl Scouts has made such an impact on my life. Before this group, I rarely came to school and wasn’t really trying in my classes. Girl Scouts was one of the only reasons I wanted to come to school. I love being with the leaders and the other girls. I was able to be myself and talk about anything going on in my life which was really nice because I wasn’t able to do that before this group. We were taught how to make goals for our future and that really helped. I also loved all of the activities we were able to do. This group made my day and life so much better!

Nekoosa School District - Backpack for Kids

We recently had two families ask to be removed from the program. This is good news because the families economic situation had improved to the point that they no longer needed the resource. In addition, we had two new families apply for the program. They were very grateful for the resource. This is typical ebb and flow of program participation. We are always happy to help as many families as we can, but it is also cause for celebration when a family asks to be removed because their situation has improved!

North Central Community Action Program (CAP)

R.R reported to NCCAP with a notice to vacate his current housing because the landlord was setting the property. R.R lives on a fixed income, and needed assistance with first months rent to get into subsidized housing. Because R.R was going to be faced with moving expenses, and the need to pay a full security deposit, R.R would not have been about to obtained income based housing without the assistance of United Way Funding. R.R will be able to live in a cost effective property, and will not face homelessness. They live on a very fixed income, and would not have been able to pay past due rent and their rent for the next month. This kept a mother and her 4 children housed.

Opportunity Development Center, Inc. - Daily Living Skills Training

When Kaylee began services with ODC she lived with her family in Wisconsin Rapids with a goal to live independently. With the support of ODC, Kaylee was able to secure independent housing in Wisconsin Rapids and is now living independently, building skills for independence through daily living skills training and engaging in community integrated activities. When Kaylee was asked about living independently she stated, "I love it!"

Park Place Adult Day Services, Inc.

J.K. is a participant who has been attending Park Place Adult Day Services here in Wood County since 2019. With a history of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Bipolar Disease, Schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s Disease, J.K. comes to Park Place four times per week for socialization. Staff members here come to me often these days to have me witness J.K. actively petting one of our therapy dogs, singing along with one of our Musical groups , or just playing one of the group games that has been initiated like Dominos, Dice, or "Risk It". He appears much more calm these days and is more willing to let the world in for a visit. We share these stories with J.K.'s caregiver often and he is not surprised to hear this news. He told us J.K. has had a history of such few times of serenity in his life that he now values the times he spends here with us at Park Place.

Samoset Council Boy Scouts – South Wood County

Local Wisconsin Rapids adult leader Roger Wilcox is leading the Samoset Council Contingent to the National BSA Jamboree that occurs at the Summit Bechtel Scouting Reserve in Glen Jean, WV July 19-28. There are over 28,000 participants at this event. Roger was chosen as the best qualified adult leader to lead our contingent of 36 participants in the key adult youth mentor (Jamboree Contingency Scoutmaster).

South Wood County YMCA - Membership for All

A husband and wife recently signed up for our MFA program, as one was laid off from work, significantly reducing their household income. They have been members & donors of the Y for well over a decade, and is a place where they are able to care for their physical health, and let go of the days work stresses. Needing a scholarship was not easy for them, but because we meet with members discretely, they felt comfortable asking for assistance.

The Family Center

(Name changed to protect identity)

"Sara was in a relationship for many years. The past five years her significant other began using illegal substances and became abusive. During this time, she began experiencing major health issues. Sara ended up hospitalized for more than a year. She was released from the hospital following open heart surgery. When she returned home, the abuse began almost immediately. Sara knew she needed to leave.
Sara came to The Family Center, seeking safe shelter from her abuser. Sara was weak as her body continued to heal from surgeries, complicated health issues and abuse. In the beginning of her stay in shelter she was often in her room, tired and resting as her body began to heal. In the midst of her healing Sara began to miss her support animals that she had to leave when leaving the relationship. Her mental health began to decline as she struggled with healing and overcoming the barriers she was facing.
As she began to heal and her medical condition improved, she adopted a support animal and brought her new companion into shelter with her. With individualized case management, support and advocacy from The Family Center as well as attending the bi-weekly support group for survivors and the joy of her new companion, Sara’s overall health began to improve. As she regained her strength and confidence, Sara began to gain independence. She secured a part time job fitting her physical restrictions. The Family Center staff referred her to the Career Closet and Shepard’s Loft where she was able to get appropriate clothing to aid in her success with her new employer.
As she progressed and healed, with the assistance of Family Center’s Legal Systems Advocate and DVHF Coordinator, Sara was able to lead her future, securing her own apartment. Sara was referred and able to utilize community resources during this process, such as NCCAP, Wisconsin Rapids Housing Authority, and work with area landlords. She is excited to be independent again and thankful for the support, advocacy, and programs available to her at The Family Center."

ADAMS COUNTY

Adams-Friendship Area School District – Community Learning Center (CLC)

The success story I would like to share is in regards to a middle school student becoming a volunteer during the elementary after school program. She was attending the after school program at the middle school but it was not successful. The family still needed her to attend since no one was at home and the purpose of the program was to provide a safe environment for students. With this the administration and staff of both after school programs we found out that she liked to work with children so we decided that she would attend the elementary after school program and help with the 4k/5k group. We saw an impact almost instantly regarding the students behavior and academics. She enjoyed helping and was good at it. She stated to me before the program ended this year that after volunteering with the program she now wants to become a teacher.

Central Wisconsin Community Action Council, Inc. – Crisis Rental Assistance

These are interesting times as we transition from the pandemic back to life before Covid. During the pandemic, there was additional funding available to assist families who struggled due to loss of income. Households lost income with job closings, school's going virtual and having to be home with children, safety concerns as the virus was a factor with health. Central Wisconsin Community Action Council, Inc (CWCAC) was able to provide Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance (WERA) to many households. Through this program 81 households (175 individuals) received $318,152.00 in rental assistance in Adams County alone. The program ended abruptly on January 31, 2023. People are returning to work and normal lives. Having United Way funding is amazing and a life saver for so many. This assistance has provided first month's rent for several clients allowing them to move from homelessness to an apartment, utility help so power would not be shut off in the spring and rental assistance to prevent eviction. Unexpected medical expenses, car repairs, dental, illness, reduced hours at work can set a family back and make paying rent a challenge. Being able to request a one time assistance payment from United Way of South Wood and Adams Counties funds is the difference between housing stability and homelessness. These funds benefit the entire community.

Central Wisconsin Community Action Council, Inc. – Food Pantry

"A few weeks ago, we received a phone call from a lady who did not have any food and could not pick up food because of her vision. She was asking us to make a delivery, which is something we do not do. One of our volunteers heard the conversation and offered to take her food. I was very happy to see how caring our volunteers are. I contacted Faith in Action and gave them her information. We work with Faith In Action and prepare food boxes which they deliver every month to people that are homebound. Our volunteers are very caring and work well with each other. In April, Dinah fell and had four broken ribs and other injuries. She was off for over two weeks and the pantry ran smoothly because they are a great team. We are truly blessed by their caring and kindness.
Going forward with your help and support, we can serve more families. Since January 2023, we have signed up 150 new families.
Things have changed since the pandemic, with new families signing up for food and other families coming back because their benefits were reduced. I would like to thank the United Way of South Wood and Adams Counties for your continuing support."

Faith In Action Adams County – Transportation Today

"When we have a care receiver that requires a lot of attention, sometimes we need to utilize more than one volunteer. Jeff is one of these care receivers.
Jeff needs someone to help with his housekeeping, meal prep and has a dog that has appointments of his own. Due to his health issues, Jeff also has several medical appointments each month that we provide transportation for. All of this is too much to ask of one of our volunteers each month, so we utilize a husband and a wife volunteer team. Our volunteers are able to communicate and coordinate all Jeff's and his dog's needs seamlessly."

Faith In Action Adams County – Volunteer Coordination

"Peggy came to us back in 2019 with a need for housekeeping. We teamed Peggy up with our volunteer, Pat. As it turned out, it was a match made in heaven because these two have become pretty good friends. As Peggy's needs increased adding friendly visiting, transportation and a little light meal prep, Pat was happy to help out her friend (care receiver). They now go shopping, stop out for a little lunch and even play a game of checkers from time to time.
It's a special gift when a care receiver and volunteer end up being friends for life."

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes – Adams County

"We wanted to do something for local firefighters, so our troop brought them a bunch of cookies and thank you cards!
When we arrived at the firehouse, no one was there, so we decided to weed the area by their department sign. The Assistant Chief Firefighter Erik soon arrived and we had so much fun surprising him with cookies! He was very grateful for the yard work and cookies! We love showing support for our community!"

Samoset Council Boy Scouts – Adams County

We conducted a Day Camp on Monday, July 10 where 15 Adams County Scouts attended and had a great experience interacting with Scouts from Wisconsin Rapids and the immediate area. They participating in fun activities such as STEM projects as well as marksmanship with BB guns and archery. Its an event that is fun filled, but at the same time the youth are experiencing the values of the Scout Oath and Law through adult leaders and our Cub Camp Staff that guided them through the day camp activities.

South Wood County YMCA - Membership for All, Adams County

A husband and wife recently changed their membership to MFA, as the husband was injured, and laid off work. He needs to continue to use the facility for rehab, to physically be ready to get back to work, but with less income, they needed help affording to keep their membership. This was not easy for them to ask for, as they haven't been in a position where they've had to ask for assistance in the past, but the process is friendly & non-judgmental to which they were relieved.