Dupaco’s Gift of Innovation grant empowers nonprofits to grow and thrive

Applications now open through Nov. 14.

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Nonprofits looking to expand their impact have a unique opportunity through Dupaco Credit Union’s Gift of Innovation grant. In partnership with The Innovation Lab, Dupaco is launching the second year of this transformative program designed to fuel nonprofit growth through innovation support.

Instead of a traditional monetary award, the grant provides a range of innovation sessions—valued up to $40,000 in total—from 1-day sessions to a full year of capacity-building services.

The grant is designed to help nonprofits overcome resource constraints that may limit their potential. Innovation sessions can help organizations with challenges such as:

• Strategic planning
• Process development
• Financial sustainability
• Business model improvements

“Last year’s response confirmed what we believed: Nonprofits are eager to innovate but often lack the resources to do so,” said Joe Hearn, President and CEO of Dupaco Credit Union. “As a not-for-profit, mission-driven organization, Dupaco is proud to continue supporting nonprofits in their journey to grow, succeed and deepen their impact. This grant is one way we help build a brighter community for all.”

Each innovation session is tailored to meet the unique needs of the selected nonprofit. Sessions are conducted with Eric Dregne, Director of The Innovation Lab.

“We work closely with each nonprofit to ensure the session delivers real value,” Dregne said. “Participants can expect to leave with two to three highly actionable strategies that strengthen their operations and capacity.”

Nonprofits interested in accelerating their mission are encouraged to apply by November 14, 2025. Eligible applicants must be a 501(c)(3) public charity and reside and operate within Dupaco’s charter area. To learn more and apply, visit dupaco.com/ways-we-give.

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ABOUT DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

Dupaco Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa. It is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members, and specializes in personalized financial counseling, money advice and education. It offers savings, loans, investments, insurance and wealth management products for individuals and businesses. Dupaco serves residents in 118 counties throughout Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, membership has grown to more than 176,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 23 branch office locations. Learn more at www.dupaco.com.

MMSD Launches New Community Newsletter to Keep Madison Residents Informed

MADISON, Wis.—Today, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is launching “MMSD: InFocus,” a new community newsletter designed to keep Madison residents, business leaders and partners informed about what’s happening in MMSD.

“This is about connection, awareness and accountability,” said Edell Fiedler, MMSD’s senior executive director of communications. “Our schools belong to the community, and we need to share how we are investing in students, facilities and programs that benefit all of Madison.”

The newsletter will provide updates on district initiatives, facilities projects, student successes and financial stewardship, giving residents a clear view of how their tax dollars are being used to support students and strengthen Madison’s neighborhoods.

“Strong public schools are essential for strong communities, ” Fiedler added. “Whether or not you have children in MMSD, the success of our schools matter. They impact the local economy, property values, workforce readiness and the overall vitality of Madison. We want our community members to feel informed, connected and proud of what our students and their schools are accomplishing.”

Community members are encouraged to sign up for the newsletter through the MMSD website or by scanning the QR code below to begin receiving monthly updates directly in their inbox.

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About the Madison Metropolitan School District

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.

Carnelian Art Gallery to host “Surrealism” exhibition

 Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 29 – Carnelian Art Gallery, located at 221 King St., Suite 102, in downtown Madison, is pleased to announce its last art exhibition of the year, titled “Surrealism,” whose theme is centered around the weird, strange and bizarre. The art in this show takes on a dreamlike and uncanny quality. Some works are two-dimensional, while others are three-dimensional.

Participating artists include Kimberly Burnett, Rachael Hunter, Samantha Jane Mullen, Helen Klebesadel and Natalie Jo Wright.

Surrealism will kick off with an opening reception at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, as part of Gallery Night. It is slated to be on display until the end of the year.

Organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Gallery Night “offers art lovers and art novices alike an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions, opening receptions, special events and demonstrations at venues throughout the city. During Gallery Night, dozens of venues open their doors to invite the public in to see and shop for original artwork,” according to MMoCA.

As always at Carnelian Art Gallery, admission on opening night is free and light refreshments will be served. And the first 25 visitors to Surrealism’s opening will receive a drink ticket good for one cocktail at Oz by Oz, the gallery’s friend and neighbor at 113 King St. Oz by Oz is known for its zodiac-themed drinks, as well as eclectic and artsy vibe and aesthetic.

At 6 p.m. on opening night, Burnett will conduct a live painting demonstration.

“I am honored to be showing my work at the Carnelian Art Gallery,” said Burnett. “I really enjoy hearing what people take away from my art, and Madison seems to be full of people who appreciate art.”

“I’m really looking forward to live painting and exhibiting in such a beautiful gallery in Madison. My hope is that I get to make new connections which will inspire my future art.”

Burnett is a self-taught artist from North Carolina. Her art is inspired by her childhood love of the old masters of Europe. She taught herself oil paints by studying books on their works and then copying her favorite masterpieces. Today, her works mostly feature lone figures in interior spaces and surreal landscapes with a focus on colors.

She has been painting full time since 2020, when she moved to Milwaukee. In Burnett’s free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, baking, learning languages and searching for insects.

Surrealism is an exhibition that shines a light on the unconscious mind,” said Carnelian Art Gallery marketing director Emilie Heidemann. “And hopefully, this show will encourage gallery visitors to unlock and explore their respective imaginations, particularly the strange concepts and ideas they drum up sometimes.”

About the Artists

Wright was born in central Illinois in 1977. She received her undergraduate degree in fine arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1999 and her graduate degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.

Her current series, “Four Eyed Cats in MidCentury Spaces,” grew out of memory, imagination and a lifelong love for mid-century design. Wright’s family (on her mother’s side) owned a furniture store for 50 years in the small town where she grew up. As a child, she spent countless hours wandering its rooms and paging through design catalogues. Years later, rediscovering those same books sparked this series.

The paintings combine nostalgia with playful surrealism: Wright’s two cats, depicted with a “four-eyed” twist, inhabit richly detailed interiors drawn from catalogues, memory, and her own home. Handmade “meat pillows” from an earlier body of work and vintage lamps from her collection collapse past and present, blurring the boundary between real and imagined environments. Originally conceived as an immersive installation, the series still carries that spirit—paintings that feel as though the spaces could spill off the wall and into the viewer’s world.

Wright currently works with water-soluble oils, a medium that has shifted her practice from large-scale portraiture toward finely detailed interiors. Her work reflects both a devotion to mid-century design and a desire to invite viewers into spaces that appear familiar at first glance, but reveal something more curious and uncanny the longer you look.

Klebesadel, who has a graduate degree in fine arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a visual artist, born and raised in rural Wisconsin near Spring Green. Klebesadel is known for her watercolors focused on environmental and feminist woman-centered themes.

An artist, activist and educator for four decades, Klebesadel’s watercolors push the traditional boundaries in scale, content, and technique. Her paintings are exhibited nationally and internationally. They are also represented in numerous public and private art collections.

Klebesadel was previously a university educator for more than 30 years. Her contributions to the larger arts community included serving as a member of the Wisconsin Arts Board and as the national president of the Women’s Caucus for Art, the nation’s oldest organization of women artists and art historians.She maintains an art studio in Madison, where she continues to grow her artistic vision, build a creative community and support others to do the same by mentoring emerging artists.

Mullen is mostly a sculptor, sometimes a writer and always a curious creature who currently exists in Madison, Wisconsin. Self-taught, Mullen uses polymer clay, paper clay and various other mediums to create playful, yet shocking, narrative sculptures which focus on our connection to the land, society, childhood and monsters. Her work delves into the weird and the curious, the parts of ourselves we correct and mask and the perceived failures that act as building blocks for the walls we build between ourselves, our community and our planet. Each piece is a love letter to the panic attack, the shame shadowed, the glittering and tired, the imagination driven dragon seekers and monster lovers, the playful, hopeful, damned but kind.

Mullen strives to build a mythology within her work that invokes a magical realm in which we are all little monsters exploring the unknown together, inviting the beasts within like wolves to the fire and giving them a little treat.Hunter is a painter based in Madison, Wisconsin. Growing up in Minnesota as an only child, she spent much of her time alone playing make-believe. She continues this practice today by creating paintings that inhabit a world parallel to ours, entirely her own.

Her focus is on creating ambiguous and unsettling narratives that invite viewers to create their own meaning. She works primarily with vibrant oil, acrylic and Flashe paints on alternative surfaces. Wood planks found on the side of the road are intuitively carved into blobs, and bedsheets sourced from second-hand stores, friends, or even her own bed become her canvas.

A key influence in Hunter’s artistic journey is the legacy of the magical realists of the Midwest, such as Sylvia Fein and John Wilde. Like these artists, Rachael uses her paintings to explore and understand an increasingly horrifying reality. With fascism on the rise and a small group of people attempting to control every aspect of daily life, she paints to keep it together and find meaning in it all.

“We are so thrilled to showcase the works of these talented artists,” said Carnelian Art Gallery owner and head curator Evan Bradbury. “This show is all about allowing oneself to be weird and have fun.”

MMSD’s Superintendent, Dr. Joe Gothard, Exceeds Expectations in Annual Performance Review

MADISON, Wis.—The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education has completed its annual evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard. This review process, which covered the first year of the superintendent’s tenure, was a collaborative effort between the Board of Education and the superintendent, utilizing a comprehensive framework that included the Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ First-Year Evaluation prompts and elements from the Superintendent Job Description.

The evaluation found that the superintendent exceeded expectations in all six key areas: 

• Community Relationships and Engagement
• Teaming, Management, and Oversight
• Educational Excellence
• Ethical Decision-making 
• Board Relationships and Leadership Skills

“We’re grateful for Dr. Gothard’s strong commitment to students and to strengthening community relationships, partnerships and pride in the district,” said Board President Nichelle Nichols. “We also appreciate the collaborative way that he works with the Board. Our shared leadership is critical to the district’s success, and together, we set the tone for the district and drive our vision forward.”

The Board’s statement is as follows: 

On behalf of the Board of Education, we are pleased to share an overview of Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard’s recent annual evaluation. 

We were pleased to see several academic achievements. One example is the notable growth we’ve seen in literacy and math, showing that more students are now meeting grade-level expectations. We were also pleased to see that MMSD’s most significant gains are among students who have historically been underserved, showing that opportunity gaps are beginning to close. While these are important successes, we stress that work to address long-standing disparities must continue, and that these persistent challenges remain at the forefront of the superintendent’s work moving forward at MMSD. 

We’d also like to highlight the increase in students participating and excelling in Advanced Placement (AP) exams. This spring, over 2,000 high school students took more than 4,200 Advanced Placement exams, and 80% of them scored three or higher (up from 76% last school year). We know that these opportunities benefit our students by saving them time and money, and also may lead to them earning college credit and even an associate’s degree while in high school. Additionally, we are pleased that more students are coming to school because attendance is a strong predictor of student success. When they are in class, they are engaged, learning and developing the skills they need to thrive. 

We appreciate the initiative the superintendent took to quickly expand full-day 4K programming at Huegel, Lapham, Midvale, and Muir, along with introducing a pilot five-day 4K offering at Olson. The ability to grow the 4K program within a limited amount of time speaks to his dedication to early learning and commitment to ensuring that students have the foundation they need for educational success. In addition, “Mad for Reading,” a citywide literacy initiative, was launched, and MMSD offered the first Freedom School in Wisconsin at Mendota Elementary. 

We were particularly impressed by the superintendent’s dedication to community engagement, which has been vital in strengthening public support and led to the successful passage of two historic referendums, garnering approximately 70% of the vote. In addition, he is committed to further building that support through advocacy and raising awareness of the financial challenges public schools are facing at the state and federal levels. The superintendent’s commitment to visiting schools and engaging with students, staff and families has fostered a strong sense of partnership among all stakeholders, and this is evident as he continues to lead with People, Purpose and Pride. 

We also recognize the significant progress he has made in district operations, including streamlining key functions to maximize efficiency, using data-driven dashboards to improve staffing and establishing an Enrollment Strategy Team. He has launched our much needed boundary review, “Building for the Future,” and we are currently finalizing our strategic framework, “MMSD: Excellence Together.” All of these efforts are crucial for the long-term sustainability and success of our district, and we are pleased to see this work moving forward. 

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our partnership with the superintendent as we work together on the district’s new strategic plan. Our shared priorities are centered on ensuring that all students are valued, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. We are committed to building a learning community that delivers high-quality instruction, strengthens positive relationships and partners with families to achieve educational excellence for all.

We look forward to our continued work together. We will provide updates on our progress and the measurable objectives we will set to guide the district’s future.

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About the Madison Metropolitan School District

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.

Direct deposit now required for federal payments: Dupaco helps members make the switch 

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Effective today, Executive Order 14247, titled “Modernizing Payments To and From American’s Bank Account,” goes into effect, marking a significant shift in how federal payments are delivered. The U.S. Treasury has officially phased out paper checks for most federal payments, requiring all individuals to enroll in direct deposit to avoid delays or disruptions.  

To help ensure a smooth transition, Dupaco Credit Union reminds individuals to update their payment method to avoid any disruption in benefits. This change affects all individuals who receive payments from agencies including: 

• Social Security Administration (SSA) 
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) 
• Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) 
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 

Important details for individuals receiving federal payments: 

• If you are already using direct deposit: No action is needed. 
• If you are still receiving a paper check: Immediate enrollment in direct deposit is required to avoid payment delays. 

“Direct deposit is a safer, faster and more reliable way to receive your money,” said Katie Shemak, AVP, Deposit Operations at Dupaco. “It eliminates the risk of lost or stolen checks and ensures funds are available without delay. Our team is here to help members make the switch with confidence.”  

Dupaco urges those receiving paper checks for their federal payments to visit GoDirect.gov to sign up for direct deposit. To set up direct deposit, individuals will need their full account number and financial institution’s routing number.  

“If you don’t have access to technology or aren’t sure what to do, I recommend reaching out to a trusted family member or your financial institution to help,” said Shemak. “There are resources available to guide you and it’s important to get your payments set up to avoid delays.” 

Why the change? According to the U.S. Treasury, the move to electronic payments is intended to: 

• Reduce fraud: Check fraud has increased 385% nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Prevent delays: Paper checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, or delayed. 
• Lower costs: Paper checks cost the government about 50 cents each, compared to less than 15 cents for electronic transfers. 

The US Treasury is allowing exceptions to the new rule and waivers may be granted for individuals with documented mental disabilities or those living in remote areas without access to electronic banking. To request a waiver, call 1-855-290-1545. 

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ABOUT DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION  

Dupaco Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa. It is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members, and specializes in personalized financial counseling, money advice and education. It offers savings, loans, investments, insurance and wealth management products for individuals and businesses. Dupaco serves residents in 118 counties throughout Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, membership has grown to more than 176,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 23 branch office locations. Learn more at www.dupaco.com.