It’s a Wrap! Read(y) to Wear 2025 A Major Fundraising Success

Madison Reading Project’s recent Read(y) to Wear fundraiser, which supports local literacy, was the most successful one yet!

More than 420 attendees joined Madison Reading Project June 11 in celebrating an evening of Legends and Fairytales featuring 13 one-of-a-kind wearable paper fashions. Eleven design teams competed for the crown. And the winners are…

The top prize went to Phenomenal Woman, designed by Suzanne Sawyer. Her outfit was a collaboration between clothing brand Ashro and UMOJA Magazine of Madison.

Enchanted Forest, created by returning designer Laura Musecamp, came in second place, followed by ⁠Paper Dolls, designed by returning designer Pam Kilian.

“What an incredible evening,” exclaimed Stephanie Grenzer, community giving manager, Summit Credit Union. “From the moment you walked in, the energy was high, the venue was beautiful, the attendees were excited, and the designers and models did a phenomenal job. It was so great to see the community come together and support Madison Reading Project.”

Summit Credit Union was this year’s marquee sponsor, joining dozens of other local organizations supporting the annual event.

“We’ll soon announce the date for next year’s Read(y) to Wear, the state’s most memorable, one-of-a-kind fundraising event,” says Rowan Childs, Madison Reading Project founder/co-executive director. “The event continues to grow and bring in creatives from across the area to take the design challenge, and most importantly, funds raised will allow us to continue to provide another 130,000 free, high-quality books to kids and educators in the Dane County area in the coming year.”

Photos, below, by Crimson Sun Photography.

Dupaco’s 21-day Sprint to Savings Challenge wraps-up with big wins and bigger habits

Dubuque, Iowa — Over the course of 21 days, participants in Dupaco Credit Union’s Sprint-to-Savings challenge took meaningful steps toward improving their financial well-being. The challenge, which ran from June 2 to June 22, encouraged individuals to build stronger savings habits through small, consistent actions—and the results speak for themselves!   

Sprinters engaged in a variety of hands-on activities, including creating budgets, tracking spending, identifying and plugging leaks and taking part in “No-Spend Saturdays”. These simple, yet powerful strategies helped participants move closer to the financial goals that matter most to them. 

The randomly selected winners of the challenge’s weekly and grand-prize drawings are:

• Week 1-$50 Winner: Kellie Cook
• Week 2-$50 Winner: Jessica Ambrosy
• Week 3-$50 Winner: Mika McCool
• Grand Prize-$500 Winner: Lisa Klees

Participants set a wide range of savings goals—from vacations and emergency funds to paying off debt, college expenses, weddings, new vehicles and even a headstone. Along the way, they discovered meaningful ways to cut costs and rethink spending.

When asked what change made the biggest impact, many cited meal planning and sticking to a grocery list as key strategies. Others became more mindful of impulse purchases, using tactics like leaving items in online shopping carts for a few days before deciding to buy. One participant shared that by reviewing their subscriptions, they’ll save $720 over the rest of the year!

A fan favorite was thoughtful participation in the No-Spend Saturday challenge, which many participants found both fun and transformative. One sprinter said, “I really enjoyed implementing a No-Spend Saturday. Weekends are usually when we tend to spend the most, so turning it into a fun family challenge to avoid spending was both rewarding and effective!” 

Another sprinter who implemented No-Spend Saturday commented, “Weekends are when I do most of my shopping. I followed it (No-Spend Saturday)! I made a picnic as my way of getting out of the house, cleaned the house that night instead of going out. Cooked a nice home-cooked meal out of what I had in the cupboard instead of doing my weekly out-to-eat day! It definitely changed the pace of my normal schedule.”

“Over the last three weeks, sprinters showed up, took action and made meaningful progress towards their savings goal,” said Tara McDermott, Senior Marketing Communication Specialist at Dupaco. “Our sprinters should celebrate their success. Building your savings takes dedication. We all need those reminders that building your savings is a marathon, not a sprint. The participants of this challenge are off to a strong start to keep their savings momentum going.”

For more information about the challenge, visit dupaco.com/sprint-to-savings-challenge.

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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 174,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 23 branch office locations. It is a Forbes Best-in-State Credit Union, Forbes America’s Best Small Employer, and a Des Moines Register Top Workplace. Learn more at www.dupaco.com.

The Center Reaches $31M Historic Capital Campaign Goal Fueled by Your Support

On this eve of Juneteenth, as the nation reflects on the freedom and collective strength and brilliance of the Black community, we are elated to share that with your support, we have done what many thought was impossible. Together, we’ve achieved our goal of raising $31 million to make a debt-free Center a reality!

We’ll be releasing this exciting news tomorrow, on Juneteenth, but we wanted to share our big announcement with you first, our major supporters who have played an invaluable role in the vitality and success of The Center’s capital raise. We would not be here without you, and we express our heartfelt gratitude for believing in us!

This enormous achievement was fueled by early donations of 300-plus Black community members and their honorees that inspired a region-wide coalition of over 1,200 individuals, families, companies and foundations to support The Center.

We are so grateful for our lead contributors who gave $1 million or more to ensure that The Center’s capital raise would be a success. These lead donors include:

• American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation
• Ascendium
• Dane County
• New Market Tax Credits led by Forward Community Investments and U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance
• State of Wisconsin
• Summit Credit Union
• TruStage
• federal grants championed by Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Mark Pocan

Summit Credit Union’s $2 million gift, presented by President & CEO Kim Sponem at the capital campaign launch in late 2021, was instrumental in generating early momentum.

Ascendium was another of The Center’s early lead donors. Earlier this month, during the final stretch of the campaign, Ascendium provided a monumental second gift, contributing $626,000 to complete The Center’s capital campaign and ensure a debt-free opening. Thank you, Ascendium, for your incredible support that helped us cross the finish line!

The Center has begun raising funds for innovative programming and long-term building care—both essential to its future. Continued community support is vital to sustain and grow The Center’s impact for years to come. Construction is expected to be complete in late 2025.

While our capital campaign has come to a close, our journey is just beginning. We are excited to welcome you to The Center soon, and to continue to partner with you as we strive to elevate Black brilliance, innovation, and advancement throughout Wisconsin’s Black community.

ENDRES MFG. COMPANY FOUNDATION Gives May 2025 Grants

This May 2025 the Endres Foundation received 67 grant applications with a total amount requested of about $900,000, with the top focus areas being education, arts and health and human services. This year we are giving a total of $303,750 to 22 different agencies plus $500 to Chippewa Valley Tech College for a scholarship of $500 and completion of additional four pledges to the Playing Field for $18,000, WYSO for $15,000, The River Food Pantry for $50,000 and the Salvation Army for $34,000. In addition, annual gifts of $20,000 to Dane Arts, $2,500 to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, $1,200 for “Art on the Main” in Waunakee and endowed scholarships at Waunakee High School. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer from the EMC Foundation Team! 

The grant applications awarded are: 

Babies and Beyond — pregnancy support: $8,000

Coaches v Cancer: $5,000 

Community Immigration Law Center — legal documentation services: $15,000

Down Syndrome Association — adaptive bike program: $5,000

Extended Hands Pantry — focus on immigrant families: $5,000

Focused Interruption — violence counseling: $15,000

Just Dane — job training and support for formerly incarcerated: $15,000

Just Mindfulness — bear programs for traumatic violence of women: $5,000

Latino Academy of Workforce Development — bilingual construction training: $15,000

Literacy Network — teaching English literacy merging with Omega School: $5,000

Madison College Foundation — support for welding and fabrication classes: $7,000

Madison Street Medicine: $5,000

New Bridge Madison — home chore service for elderly: $5,000

Nuestro Mundo — adult English classes: $4,000

Pathway Home — digital internet program for homeless services: $10,000 

Porchlight — furnish apartments: $10,000 

Rooted — food service from growing to cooking and serving: $10,000 

Sleep in Heavenly Peace — build, deliver and install twin beds for kids: $5,000

Unidos — focus on Latino juveniles: $8,000

Wisconsin Council of Visually Impaired — 30 white canes: $1,050

Wisconsin Women’s Network — Women’s Policy Institute class: $5,000

The demand and critical need for food pantry services is apparent, and a second focus priority is trauma intervention services, domestic abuse recovery and violence/suicide counseling. 

These two topics motivate us to share a quote from Mother Teresa: 

“The true hunger in the world isn’t for food. It’s for love.” We need to feed the body and the soul.

Kraus-Anderson completes UW remodel of The University Book Store

MADISON, Wis. (June 2025) – Kraus-Anderson (KA) has completed a remodel of The University Book Store located at 711 State Street in Madison. Since 1894, the Book Store celebrates 130 years of continuous operation, serving as a cornerstone of academic and community support for the university and the surrounding area.

The $2.3 million renovation also included the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Marketing & Communications Department offices.

Designed by Potter Larson, the 9,400-square-foot project demolished the existing spaces and added new furniture, interior walls, fixtures glazing, millwork, flooring and paint. Upgrades also included design-build MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and fire protection improvements.

About Kraus-Anderson Companies

Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson (www.krausanderson.com) is an integrated construction management, real estate and risk management enterprise working independently and in collaboration with a family of companies, including insurance, finance and realty operations. Kraus-Anderson, an Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wis., Bismarck and Fargo, N.D., Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn., Des Moines, Iowa and Phoenix, Ariz. 

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