Second Harvest is Providing $200k in Funding for Capacity-Building Grants to Improve Food Equity

MADISON, Wis., January 31, 2022 – Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin announced that they will be providing up to $200,000 in community-directed capacity-building grants to area groups or organizations. These grant dollars are available to advance efforts to increase food equity, as defined by our community. The overarching goal is to learn from and build long-term nutrition distribution strategies with racially diverse communities to address health disparities and advance food equity.

“Everyone in our community should have equitable access to nutritious and culturally-significant food,” said Second Harvest president/CEO Michelle Orge. “We’re excited to see and support the ideas that come from the groups and organizations who will apply for a grant. Their insights on how to increase food equity in our community will help us increase collaboration and strengthen our entire network”.

The grants are designed to increase the distribution of food to racially marginalized communities through new methods, increased product availability, and deeper collaborations.

To be considered for one of the capacity grants:

• Eligible applicants are designated as a registered 501c3 -or-
• Organizations, mutual aid groups, collectives, and tribal organizations that are fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 non-profit
• Applications should support community(ies) within the 16 counties in the Second Harvest service area
• Efforts should be led by, or conducted in partnership with, racially diverse communities impacted by food insecurity

Grant request submissions for a minimum of $2,500 up to a maximum of $75,000 will be accepted until 11:59 pm on March 14. Award amounts will vary according to the strength of the application’s focus on equity and access. Grant funds must be used between April 2022 – June 2023

For more information about the grant, including the grant application packet, visit SecondHarvestMadison.org/Grant.

WPS Health Solutions delivers treats to hospital workers to boost morale and encourage booster shots

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions delivers treats to hospital workers to boost morale and encourage booster shots

MADISON, Wis.—Feb. 3, 2022—On Wednesday, Feb. 2, WPS Health Solutions delivered treats and healthy snacks to health care workers in Madison, Wis., to boost their morale and to shine a light on the importance of COVID-19 booster shots for everyone to promote public health.

WPS employees visited SSM Health St. Mary’s, UnityPoint Health-Meriter, and UW Health with baskets of goodies for health care personnel who continue to work through staffing shortages and large numbers of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. WPS encourages those who are eligible to receive a booster shot after they have completed their COVID-19 vaccine primary series.

“Booster shots are an important public health tool to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and we strongly recommend booster shots for all who are eligible,” WPS Health Insurance Medical Director Dr. Jonah Fox said. “Booster shots have been shown to increase protection against COVID-19 and decrease the likelihood of severe outcomes associated with the virus.”

The baskets of goodies were delivered to the 65 employees in the SSM Health St. Mary’s COVID-19 unit and 145 employees in the UnityPoint Health-Meriter intenive care and COVID-19 units. Over at UW Health, the snacks were dedicated to Peer Support Rounding, where trained peer supporters offer real-time, in-person support of clinical staff and physicians.​

“As COVID-19 surges again this winter, health care workers continue to battle through the pandemic,” WPS Director of Events and Strategic Partnerships Megan Willauer said. “We wanted to find a way to boost morale and encourage those who are able to get vaccinated or to get a booster shot to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,800 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

©2022 Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Note: Photo shows health care workers from SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. WPS employees Breanne Ivens and Megan Willauer are in front.

NGL corporate and employee gifts total over $150,000 for United Way of Dane County

Madison, Wis. (January 11, 2022) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is pleased to announce that its 2021 sponsorships and corporate gift combined with employees’ personal pledges and donations totaled over $150,000 to support United Way of Dane County.

“United Way of Dane County is a powerful community organizer that is known for bringing people together to work toward changing lives and making a measurable impact. Giving back to our community is woven into NGL’s legacy and I’m proud our team members continue to support United Way because it’s an important component of who we are as a company,” said Knut Olson, NGL President & CEO.

For more than 70 years NGL has proudly partnered with and supported United Way of Dane County. Funding to United Way of Dane County is focused on the areas of education, income, and health with the goals to help build a community where everyone can succeed in school, work and life.

In addition to NGL’s corporate donation of $75,000 and employee payroll deductions, employees generously donate through fundraising events. Each year, the NGL employee campaign incorporates a variety of activities to donate to and participate in. The virtual employee fundraisers included bingo, trivia nights, silent auction and a fitness challenge.

Olson continued, “This has been another unpredictable and challenging year. Unfortunately, the educational and economic disparities in Dane County continue to grow during this unprecedented time. I’m grateful to everyone who stepped up to help make our annual campaign a success not only for NGL but for our community. I would like to extend my appreciation to all of our team members who donated and volunteered for our United Way campaign, our Loaned Executive and the remarkable team at United Way that equips us with the resources and tools needed to organize and coordinate our campaign.”

About United Way of Dane County

United Way of Dane County engages the community, mobilizes volunteers and strengthens local nonprofits to achieve measurable results and change lives. To learn more, visit UnitedWayDaneCounty.org. 

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

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Renaissance Senior Living: Drop Off Your Toys for Tots!

Exact Sciences Commits $500,000 to Urban League Black Business Hub

Company to be a foundational tenant in new facility

MADISON, Wis. – Dec. 9, 2021 – Exact Sciences today announced the company is committing $500,000 to support construction of the Urban League of Greater Madison’s Black Business Hub (The Hub) on the city’s south side. Exact Sciences also plans to lease space in the building to connect with job seekers and community organizations, adding the company’s name to a growing roster of public and private sector tenants at The Hub.

“Few organizations are as consistent and persistent as the Urban League when it comes to improving lives and creating economic opportunity,” said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. “The Hub will offer formal and informal programming, create new supply chain opportunities for area businesses, and give entrepreneurs a place to call home. We cannot wait to see it open.”

Scheduled to break ground in the coming weeks, The Hub fills an economic development void in the city by creating a place devoted to nurturing, accelerating, and supporting Black and other entrepreneurs of color. The 4-story, 76,000 square foot state-of-the-art center will include: retail and office spaces, co-working and meeting space, a rentable commercial kitchen, and business assistance and mentoring programs.

“The Hub ushers in a new era for Black and minority-owned business development in Madison,” said Dr. Ruben Anthony, Urban League of Greater Madison president and CEO. “It will be a vibrant cultural, business, and community site that invites people to come together to support new businesses and build greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities we all share.”

Equally important, The Hub will also transform opportunities for entrepreneurs by providing new funding sources via loans and grants underwritten by the Urban League of Greater Madison.

“When starting out, businesses need access to capital and help getting things off the ground,” said Anthony. “The Black Business Accelerator Program is a fund of over $1 million to provide grants and loans to help populations that are historically under-represented within Madison’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Exact Sciences is a longtime collaborator and supporter of the Urban League. Since 2018, the organizations have jointly operated a job training program which provides participants with career coaching, skills training, and hands-on experience to prepare them for roles within Exact Sciences’ laboratory and customer care teams. To date, more than 120 people have graduated from the program, with more than 80% receiving job offers.

Last month, the Urban League announced that it had $3 million remaining to raise by the end of the year to ensure construction can begin on time, and up to $8 million to eliminate the need for any loans to construct The Hub. With the commitment from Exact Sciences, the Urban League now has less than $1.9 million remaining to meet its goal of being able to begin construction before the ground freezes.

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Contacts:

Scott Larrivee Exact Sciences 608-287-9261 slarrivee@exactsciences.com

Dr. Ruben L. Anthony, Jr. Urban League of Greater Madison 608-729-1208 ranthony@ulgm.org

About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences relentlessly pursues smarter solutions providing the clarity to take life-changing action, earlier. Building on the success of the Cologuard^® and Oncotype^® tests, Exact Sciences is investing in its product pipeline to take on some of the deadliest cancers and improve patient care. Exact Sciences unites visionary collaborators to help advance the fight against cancer. For more information, please visit the company’s website at  www.exactsciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on Twitter @ExactSciences, or find Exact Sciences on Facebook.

About Urban League of Greater Madison
The Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM) is part of a national movement dedicated to empowering Black and other under-served communities through programs & services, advocacy & civil rights, and community engagement activities. Our work is aimed at increasing opportunity and eliminating racial disparities in education, economic well-being, housing, and other quality of life factors.