Success Stories | United Way of South Wood & Adams Counties

UNITED WAY OF SOUTH WOOD & ADAMS COUNTIES SUCCESS STORIES FOR 2024

These stories have been provided to us by the 2024 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

Boys and Girls Club of the Wisconsin Rapids Area

When member X first started attending Club, he was very closed off and kept to himself. He would wear a winter hat as his comfort item, even outside in the hot weather. This member was selected to participate in the Helpful Hornets Leadership Program that was started at Club. Through this program, this member was able to take on a leadership role with younger members and helped to increase sense of responsibility. As this member participated in the program, you could see a change in his demeanor and personality. “X” started to converse with staff and other members on a daily basis. When taking on this leadership role, this member started to detach from his comfort item and gained a new sense of self-confidence. This member now continues to participate in the Helpful Hornets Leadership Program and will talk to and smile with others each day.

Career Closet of Wisconsin Rapids, Inc.

A young woman, 20 years old, came to the Career Closet for clothes for a job she was starting in Stevens Point at a wheelchair factory. She had been living with her father, in an abusive situation and left home without her clothes and other belongings. We helped her with clothes suitable for the job as well as basic day-to-day items. This same situation is true of many others who come to us needing the basics as well as work clothes. It is true of women leaving an abusive husband, men and women who are coming from jail, and those who are homeless. We have started offering underwear and socks for men, items not often received at the Career Closet. Shower gels, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and toothbrushes are also available for clients. We feel fortunate for all the help we receive from our community so that we can pass it on to our clients.

Childcaring, Inc. – Good Start Grants

A family child care provider from Wisconsin Rapids has received Good Start Grants (GSG) to help families in her care pay for child care:
“I have a few families who have benefited greatly from Good Start Grants, including one family who suffered a small house fire. The grant helped them stay on their feet while waiting for the damage to their home to be repaired. The family also has a special-needs child who is not able to attend school. Most families budget for the first four years of childcare with the fifth year the child starting school. The GSG helped this family stay afloat financially due to the additional childcare expense. Another family had one of the parents hours cut just enough to pay most of their bills, but too much to afford childcare. Good Start Grants help a lot of parents who earn too much for assistance from Wisconsin shares, but can’t afford quality child care.

Childcaring, Inc. – Provider Recruitment/Retention

In an attempt to help the declining child care workforce, Childcaring reached out to Child Care Centers to learn what positions they had open. Each program filled out a survey indicating open positions, qualifications, benefits, etc. Childcaring created a flyer that listed each opening by county, then shared the information via email and at two in-person career fairs.

FOCUS Family Backpacks

These comments were provided in the end-of-use survey that families were able to fill out. They serve as a genuine, voluntary, unprompted positive reaction to FFB:
Thank you for your support! We enjoy the program but we are doing well right now with food and want to free up the backpack for another family in need. (NOTE: this is a success because the family used the program when they needed it and discontinued it when they were in a better place. This is the ultimate goal for FFB!)
The Kwik Trip vouchers helped so much to have milk and eggs for breakfasts/meals and not just saved for other baked goods.
The extra tie over items, cereals, peanut butter and jelly were so helpful as well.
Granola bars and oatmeal are absolutely helpful.
I think this is a very helpful idea for families for multiple circumstances. I am very grateful and appreciative for the assistance.
We enjoyed getting the food backpack. It helped out a lot. We will use this program again.

FOCUS Food Pantry

Karlie is no stranger to hard work. In fact, she works more than 60 hours a week as a restaurant manager, and with five young children, she’s a busy mom. She and her partner both work, but even with two incomes, Karlie says it’s hard to afford enough food for her family of seven with the high cost of groceries. When the pandemic-era SNAP benefits expired last year, their food assistance went from $1,100 a month to $33. Without that extra assistance, it’s hard to stretch their household budget to afford everything they need — and pay for all their monthly expenses, too.
Thankfully, Karlie is able to get the extra food she needs for her family from FOCUS Food Pantry in Wisconsin Rapids. Without it, she says: “We’d be pinching pennies. Me and my significant other would probably choose not to eat in order to have enough for the kids.”
Recently, Karlie and her 9-year-old son, Bently, were picking out groceries together. Bently was especially excited for the baked beans. Karlie was happy to stock up on pantry staples that would keep her growing kids happy and well-fed.
“There’s pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, beans, snacks,” she says. She’s also thankful to find the fresh produce, meat, milk, and eggs that are often so expensive in the grocery store.
“They’re so kind to my kids, too. My kids love them every time I bring them here,” Karlie says. And with school break coming up, being able to come to the FOCUS Food Pantry each month will help fill the gap for families like Karlie’s while they can’t access free school meals.
“They’re always so kind, and they don’t make you feel bad for needing help, and I love that,” Karlie says. “They are amazing.”

FOCUS Neighborhood Meals

Tristian faces a challenge that many people can relate to: feeding teenagers!
Her household of five includes herself and her husband, their daughter, and their two teenage boys. Feeding a crew this size could be a difficult task for anyone, and Tristian and her husband are no exception. Tristian works a seasonal job and has difficulty finding short-term employment during her off-season. Her husband works as well, but their combined income just isn’t enough to make ends meet.
“It’s really hard,” she says. “My kids can tell you that there are days that I will feed them and I won’t feed myself.”
So Tristian and her family visit Feeding Our Communities with United Services (FOCUS) Food Pantry in Wisconsin Rapids each month. They’re grateful for the meat and fresh produce they’re able to put on their table, thanks to kind donors like you.
“I’m very thankful,” she says. “We would probably just be eating ramen noodles.”
Tristian says summer becomes an even bigger challenge because the kids no longer get breakfasts and lunches at school during the week. She has to figure out how to provide even more food during those months, so she is especially thankful to have FOCUS Food Pantry right there to help.

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes – South Wood County

Troop 6095 earned their Bronze Award by building new benches and a new campfire ring at Camp Sacajawea. The girls were excited to build the items from scratch and know that they were impacting future generations of Girl Scouts and community members who use the space as a place for friendship and collaboration.

Hmong American Center – Project "Kaj Siab" or "Happiness"

The elders felt loved when the ADRC staff came to HAC to host a Farmer's Market Distribution for the FUN Program. They felt like they were included as a part of the community even though they do not know of these resources they were appreciative that the ADRC thought of the FUN Program and brought the voucher program to them. This program help supplement their meals with produce/fruits as some of them are too old to garden anymore. A comment made in their native language from a FUN elder to an ADRC staff "Even if no one loves us thank you for loving us".

Nekoosa School District - Backpack for Kids

Two families recently requested to come off of the Backpack Program because their economic situation had improved and they no longer needed the resource. Both families expressed their gratitude for the program and mentioned what a help it was for their family.

North Central Community Action Program (CAP)

CB and his family (wife and child) came to NCCAP for rental assistance after CB had a second leg amputation. CB lived in an upstairs apartment, and lost his employment after he lost his second leg. While he was hopeful to be able to return to work after he was healed, other health complications left him unable to heal in a timely fashion, and left him unemployed. CB's wife was unable to work as she was the primary caregiver, and when she was out of the home CB had fallen several times, and needed to call emergency services for assistance. NCCAP was able to work with CB and his family to pay rent at their current home, so they were not evicted, and provided case management to get CB connected to the Aging and Disability Resource Center where they assisted with completing disability paperwork, and allowing the wife to become a paid caregiver. NCCAP then continued to work with CB and his family to obtain an apartment that was on the first floor of a building, and reduced the barriers to being able to access his housing. CB is able to get out of the home easier, and this has helped greatly with mental health and stability to heal.

Opportunity Development Center, Inc. - Opportunity for Hope

Penelope is a vibrant young lady who was just starting to navigate young adult life when she experienced a psychotic break and multiple hospitalizations. She feared she would never be able to live the life she wanted. Everything changed when she got connected to ODC's Mental Health Services. She met with mental health staff on a weekly basis who supported her in processing life's challenges, developing healthy coping strategies and planning for her future. College seemed like an unachievable goal at first, but with her support team behind her, Penelope gained confidence in her ability to navigate the world around her. Now she was confident she could pursue her dream. She recently graduated college and successfully obtained a job utilizing both her degree and life experience to help others!

Park Place Adult Day Services, Inc.

Participant M.C. started in our Park Place Adult Day Services Bathing Program on February 5th, 2024. Her son brought her in for a tour and a meeting of the staff members prior and she appeared apprehensive and nervous at the very beginning. The family requested that for her first shower with our staff members, we let her daughter come in and support her during the process. We did agree and all went well. M.C. now comes in twice weekly, enthusastic, relaxed, and always in a "joking mode". The same two staff have "adopted her" and she always tells them how much she loves them before heading home for the rest of her day.

Samoset Council Boy Scouts – South Wood County

"My daughter is a part of a girls troop and has gained so many new friendships that are now like family to us. It has boosted the energy in our entire household to get out more and do more outdoor activities and camping trips. She has a number of positive adult role models that she would not have had unless in Scouts. She is thriving on earning achievements in Scouting such as STEM and things that interest her as possible career choices.”

South Wood County YMCA - Membership for All

John and Carrie came into our facility in May, needing assistance as Carrie recently lost her job. Carrie has more time on her hands as she's going to interviews, and wants to keep herself busy - ensure that she's participating in healthy activities to support her overall wellness. John and Carrie are a great example of what most likely will be a short-term scholarship, as they're needing support now, and hoping to get back on their feet soon and no longer needing assistance. This is what sets the Y apart - we are committed to meeting people where they're at.

The Family Center

Chloe, a 29-year-old woman from California, moved to Wisconsin and fell in love with the “perfect” man. After two years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, she got away and filed a restraining order. Chloe thought she would be safe, but everywhere she went he found her. After numerous restraining order violations, Chloe came to The Wisconsin Rapids Family Center, feeling timid, scared, and hopeless - nothing like the cheerful, people-loving, and outgoing personality she used to have.

After entering shelter, advocates helped Chloe achieve her goals. She was willing to put in the hard work to rebuild her life violence-free. Chloe opened up and was willing to talk about her feelings with the shelter advocates and was very appreciative that they were available to talk 24/7. Chole was very thankful to be able to have her emotional support animal in shelter to cope with her emotions. She received legal advocacy and court accompaniment to address the restraining order violations. She expressed gratitude, stating she would not have known how to handle court processes and such without the support of an advocate. When she was ready to find employment, the Family Center provided support, referrals, and transportation assistance for job interviews, which helped her find a job she loved. With employment secured, advocates helped Chloe find a 1-bedroom house that was within her budget. After arriving at the Family Center in February, Chloe was able to move into her new home in May, where she and her emotional support animal felt safe. With every step towards her goals, Chloe’s outgoing personality came back a little more, and she's excited to be living independently and violence-free.

ADAMS COUNTY

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

We had a new family join us last school year from another district. They were surprised that we offered an after school program at no cost to our families and there were no fees for the trips we went on. The family was separated for about 3 years and were reunited and moved to our areas. This year they started attending the after school program. The mom said over and over how much she appreciated the program and the staff. She stated she could not afford to take them places so the trips we go on are at times the only thing her children did outside of our community.

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

A single homeless woman called needing assistance for a place to say. We were able to assist with a week's stay in the motel. Because we did a motel stay she was considered homeless by HUD's definition which would make her eligible to go onto the priority list. She is now on the waiting list and hopefully will be housed soon. If she comes off the waiting list she would be eligible for rental assistance and would have her security deposit paid for and she would only have to pay 30% of her income.

Central Wisconsin Community Action Council, Inc. – Food Pantry

In June, a young woman walked into the Adams Food Pantry asking for help. She was pregnant, due in November, and living in her car. She had been getting food from a dumpster at one of our local stores. We tried to pack up some food for her even though she did not have any way to cook food or keep food cold. One of our volunteers happened to hear about her situation and offered to let her stay in a camper on the volunteer’s property. The camper had a stove for cooking, a refrigerator, and a bed. The young woman could not stop crying. We all were crying, too. Thank you, United Way, for supporting our food pantry. We are so grateful for being able to help people in need and your help has made that possible.

Faith In Action Adams County – Transportation Today

Between 6 and 7 years ago, “Candy” was diagnosed with health issues that prevented her from driving. “When I needed to pick up my prescriptions from the pharmacy, I would call everyone I knew, but nobody could to help,” Candy shared. “My doctor suggested I call Faith in Action and I’m so glad I did. Their volunteers have been wonderful. My mother passed away 5 years ago, and around that time, Polly became my new volunteer. She takes me to get my groceries, and she transports me to my doctor appointments which are very important. Polly is always there for me whenever I need a helping hand. My family and I feel like mom sent a guardian angel for me and her name is Polly.”

Faith In Action Adams County – Volunteer Coordination

In 2018 Andy came to Faith in Action in need of help with light housekeeping and some chores around his home. Physically Andy just couldn't do these things any longer but he could still drive himself around. Overtime, we had to step in to help with transportation as well. This year, it was determined that Andy couldn't live by himself in his home any longer. We helped him relocate into an apartment in town so he wouldn't be so isolated and he could make a bunch of new friends that don't mind keeping an eye out for his well-being.
We continue to check in on Andy, drive him to his appointments and when he's having cellular phone trouble because he tends to hit the wrong buttons and messing up his phone, we will be there for him.

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes – Adams County

Troop 6283 was able to attend their first overnight camp experience at the overnight outdoor extravaganza at Camp Sacajawea sponsored by our Council. Participants enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities like exploring camp on a nature hike, building shelters in the woods, practicing archery, learning to orienteer, and creating beautiful wind chimes as a take home art project. Everyone enjoyed cooking Pizza Pudgey Pies over the campfire and later enjoyed a campfire snack of banana boats and baked apples. The spirit of Girl Scouting was alive and well at Camp Sacajawea.

Samoset Council Boy Scouts – Adams County

We conducted a Day Camp on Wednesday June 19 where 12 Adams County Scouts attended and had a great experience interacting with Scouts from Wisconsin Rapids and the immediate area. They participated in fun activities such as STEM projects as well as marksmanship with BB guns, archery and played games such as Ga Ga Ball. 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

Nancy recently lost her husband, who went to the Y with her as an MFA couple. As the Y is an important part of her social life, she's continued to come in, knowing that she'll see friendly faces, and participate in her favorite classes. Nancy joined when the Adams location opened in August of 2021, so she's been able to benefit from our financial assistance for a few years now, and knowing that the Y is here to support her, gives her one less thing to worry about as she mourns the loss of her husband.