The Beacon Marks Anniversary With Second Annual “Beacon and Eggs’ Event

October 16^th, 2019 marks the anniversary of two years of operation of The Beacon homeless day resource center in Dane County.  Since opening, The Beacon has moved people who are homeless into jobs and housing, as well as assisting with their basic needs.

In celebration, Catholic Charities is hosting the second Beacon and Eggs fundraising breakfast at The Sylvee on Tuesday, December 10^th. Attendees will hear guest, volunteer and staff stories of impact.

Last year’s event sold out!  We encourage people to register early at www.BeaconandEggs.org

C.D. Smith Construction Announces Dr. Tim Schigur As Director of Educational Markets

C.D. Smith Construction is pleased to announce that Dr. Tim Schigur has joined their team of facility planning and construction management professionals as the Director of Educational Markets.  Dr. Schigur has more than 20 years of professional experience in education, which includes time as a teacher, principal and Superintendent of schools. His extensive executive level management experience includes work in successfully developing long-term facility plans and passing both operational and capital facilities referendums designed to improve the learning environments and learning experiences for students and staff.

C.D. Smith Construction Senior Vice President Kevin Hickman commented on the addition of Schigur to their leadership team by stating “Dr. Schigur is a proven, successful leader with extensive knowledge, skills, and abilities in leading and improving K-12 schools.  We are very pleased to have him join our dedicated Educational Markets team at C.D. Smith Construction and have no doubt that he will be successful in supporting our clients.”

Dr. Schigur commented on his new role with C.D. Smith Construction, stating “I feel very fortunate to be provided this opportunity to work for such a great organization, and with a group of highly dedicated professionals.  Among the many things I liked about leading a school district was working with others to find ways to make schools even better for students, teachers, and the community. This exciting new position provides me an opportunity to do that on a daily basis with a group of incredibly well-established professionals here at C.D. Smith”. 

C.D. Smith Construction, a Wisconsin-based facility planning and construction management firm with offices in Madison, Milwaukee and Fond du Lac, has extensive experience in planning and constructing educational projects of all size and complexity.

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My Choice Family Care and Care Wisconsin Plan to Merge Early 2020

OCTOBER 1, 2019—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

My Choice Family Care and Care Wisconsin Plan to Merge Early 2020 Pending regulatory approval, two Wisconsin-based MCOs look to combine strengths, leverage networks

Milwaukee, Wisconsin—My Choice Family Care and Care Wisconsin are pleased to announce they have signed a letter of intent to explore the feasibility of merging into one entity. Any final merger would be subject to regulatory approval. This entity would provide a comprehensive array of services and network of integrated care throughout Wisconsin. Services will include Family Care, Family Care Partnership, SSI Managed Care, Medicare Dual Advantage and Badger Care Plus.

My Choice and Care Wisconsin have strong individual histories of care and service to their members and the communities they serve. My Choice began providing services as one of the original Family Care pilot counties in 2000. Care Wisconsin began as the first adult day care center in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1976 and in 1995 became the first Wisconsin agency to enroll people in the Partnership program.

The organizations have a history of collaboration and are very excited to begin this new chapter together. This merger will build upon the established strengths of both organizations and enhance their ability to effectively coordinate acute, primary, community-based and long-term care services for members with a focus on quality outcomes, member satisfaction, and a robust provider network.

Care Wisconsin Interim CEO Amy Ackerman said “The Care Wisconsin story began more than 40 years ago and we are excited that the next chapter includes merging with My Choice. Like us, they’ve been deeply rooted in and committed to the communities they serve. Our companies have a shared vision and passion for improving our members’ lives.”

This newly merged organization will continue to focus on members first, ensuring continuity of care and services for them, and continued effective and positive relationships with its valued network of providers and community partners.

“My Choice was one of the first Family Care MCOs in Wisconsin” said My Choice CEO Maria Ledger, “but we always strive to be innovative and creative. Care Wisconsin has been a great collaborator over the years and we are very much looking forward to this merger with them. I know we have a lot to learn from each other and we are very excited to get started.”

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For more information, contact:
My Choice Family Care CEO, Maria Ledger | maria.ledger@mychoicefamilycare.org | 414-287-7600
Care Wisconsin COO, Karen Hitchcock | Hitchcockk@carewisc.org | 608-245-3076

Solar for Good Program Opens Fifth Donation Round to Assist More Wisconsin Nonprofits in “Going Solar”

RENEW Wisconsin’s Solar for Good program has opened its fifth round of donations to help Wisconsin nonprofits install solar power. Since 2017, Solar for Good has helped 62 Wisconsin nonprofit organizations “go solar.” When completed, these organizations will install a total of 2,727 kilowatts of solar electricity, enough to power over 500 households.

The Solar for Good program is administered through RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy and education organization. Through a generous donation from the Couillard Solar Foundation, Solar for Good supplies winning nonprofits with solar modules to reduce the overall cost of installing solar power.

This is Solar for Good’s fifth award cycle, and the program has assisted nonprofits of all types and sizes across Wisconsin. Grantees include houses of worship, animal shelters, schools, veterans’ services, nature retreats, and affordable housing providers.

By accepting a Solar for Good award, nonprofits agree to promote the environmental and economic benefits of solar power to the community. Winning organizations educate their members about solar power and are able to showcase their projects’ benefits. To date, Solar for Good has issued over $750,000 worth of donations to nonprofit organizations, which will result in a nearly $7 million investment in Wisconsin solar power when all projects are completed.

Solar for Good applications must be received by Wednesday, October 30^th 2019 at 5:00pm. Decisions and award announcements will be made on or before Friday, November 15^th, 2019.

How to Apply

Organizations can learn more and apply at www.renewwisconsin.org/solarforgood/. In order to be eligible, the organization must be a registered nonprofit organization located in Wisconsin, be in good financial standing, be ready to install solar, and agree to participate in educating community members about the benefits of solar energy. If approved for a solar panel award, all fundraising, design and installation for the solar project must be completed within 12 months.

Applications for the Fall 2019 round of solar panel donations must be received by Wednesday, October 30^th 2019 at 5:00pm. Decisions and award announcements will be made on or before Friday, November 15^th, 2018.

For organizations looking at solar power for the first time, technical assistance grants are available to fund a solar site assessment (up to $250) or engineering review (up to $500) for their solar array. These applications will be reviewed separately from the applications for solar panel awards and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

About Solar for Good

RENEW Wisconsin’s Solar for Good initiative fosters the expansion of solar power among mission-based nonprofits in Wisconsin. Through a generous partnership with Couillard Solar Foundation, RENEW Wisconsin awards solar panels to nonprofit organizations, helping them switch to clean, renewable, solar energy. More information can be found at www.renewwisconsin.org/solarforgood/.

About RENEW Wisconsin

RENEW Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization which promotes renewable energy in Wisconsin. We work on policies and programs that support solar power, wind power, biogas, local hydropower, geothermal energy, and electric vehicles. More information on RENEW’s website: www.renewwisconsin.org. 

Social Justice Hub Will Provide Facilitator Training

Contact Information: Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Office: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

SOCIAL JUSTICE HUB WILL PROVIDE FACILITATOR TRAINING

MADISON  –  The Wisconsin Union’s Social Justice Hub will offer free facilitator training for University of Wisconsin-Madison students, staff and faculty interested in moderating the Hub’s dialogue-based workshops on Oct. 21 and 28, 5-7 p.m. at Union South. 

The two-part training is designed for members of the campus community with an interest in helping facilitate the Social Justice Hub’s series of dialogue-based educational workshops in a variety of social justice issues. The training will emphasize the principles of facilitation of learning through dialogue and is provided by Jay Ekleberry, a long-time UW-Madison campus facilitator.

“The dialogue-based workshops provide opportunities to learn and discuss social justice-related issues in small groups,” Social Hub Dialogue-Based Workshops Coordinator and University of Wisconsin-Madison junior Julia Gutman said. “These trainings allow people to reflect on their own personal experiences and to learn from others.”

With these workshops, the Hub team aims for participants to learn social justice critical thinking skills and strategies for leading equity-focused dialogue in their communities and beyond.

Established in 2019, the Social Justice Hub provides purposeful, out-of-classroom education for students seeking resources and skill-building opportunities related to social justice. The Hub creates opportunities for skill development in teamwork, strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, setting goals, communication, leadership and in being an effective member of society. The non-partisan Social Justice Hub is funded by Wisconsin Union operating revenue and private donations. No taxpayer dollars are used in the Hub’s operations, staffing or programming.

To register for the two-session training, please visit go.wisc.edu/SocialJusticeFacilitationInterest. In addition, to learn more about the Hub, visit union.wisc.edu/socialjusticehub.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.

[Note to the editor: Click here to download a photo of the Social Justice Hub. Photo provided by the Wisconsin Union.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/facilitator-trainings.