Madison Ballet Partners with United Way of Dane County to Offer Free Tickets for The Nutcracker to Families in Need

MADISON – (Tuesday, December 14, 2021) Madison Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker returns to Overture Hall this holiday season! And, this year, Madison Ballet wanted to spread the joy by offering free tickets to families who might not otherwise have the means to attend. So, they reached out to United Way of Dane County, who were thrilled at the opportunity and turned to their network of local nonprofit partners to identify families in need and distribute tickets.

A favorite of audiences of all ages, The Nutcracker is the perfect show to help raise spirits across our community after a tough couple of years. Following young Clara as she dreams of traveling one winter’s night with her beloved Nutcracker doll, this year’s performance seamlessly blends Tchaikovsky’s famous score, played by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, with all-new choreography in celebration of Madison Ballet’s 40^th Anniversary season.

“No one should be denied the joys of art,” said Jonathan Solari, CEO of Madison Ballet. “Partnering with United Way to provide free tickets to The Nutcracker helps us break down financial barriers to families and children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the magic of ballet.”

Through this collaborative effort, we are able to gift over 70 tickets – truly helping to make the season more joyous for many families across Dane County.

“We are so grateful to Madison Ballet for thinking of local families this holiday season,” said Renee Moe, President & CEO of United Way of Dane County. “Support for the basics – like food, housing and healthcare – is critically important, but these tickets provide new arts experiences that are additional nourishment for the soul, so often unavailable when resources are tight. It’s a gift to be able to offer a joyous experience like this to the families and nonprofits we serve, especially during the holiday season!”

While the process of providing free tickets to local families in need is now closed, there is still time to support Madison Ballet by attending a performance of The Nutcracker! This show runs from December 17-December 26. Visit their website to learn more and get tickets today.

For additional questions and media inquiries, please contact Karen Burch, VP of Community Engagement and Marketing, United Way of Dane County at (941) 713-0850 or karen.burch@uwdc.org.  

# # #

About United Way of Dane County:
United Way of Dane County has been tackling Dane County’s toughest challenges for nearly 100 years. With a mission to unite the community to achieve measurable results that change lives, we are committed to building a Dane County where everyone can succeed in school, work and life. Through strategic partnerships and collaborative work, United Way brings the many voices of Dane County together to find common ground and develop a strategic architecture for change, while engaging businesses and individuals to give, advocate and volunteer in Dane County. Together, we are The Power of Many. Working for All.

About Madison Ballet:
As the resident ballet company of the Overture Center for the Arts and Wisconsin’s second-largest dance organization, we bring world-class ballet to the greater Madison area. We are training the next generation of world-class dancers and inspiring all generations of audiences. We create opportunities to experience the power of dance, on and off the stage, for all ages, genders and races. We pioneer change within our community. We don’t just lift the curtain, we exist to work towards eliminating the boundary completely. 

WPS Health Solutions: Army veteran Timothy Rospert saluted for Operation Fan Mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Army veteran Timothy Rospert saluted for Operation Fan Mail
Program is sponsored by WPS Health Solutions and the Green Bay Packers

MADISON, Wis.—Dec. 13, 2021—The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute this week to Army veteran Timothy Rospert in conjunction with the Dec. 12 game against Chicago. Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marks its 15th season in 2021.

Rospert, who was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004. Prior to his military career, he worked in construction and assisted with building several homes for Habitat for Humanity. Always eager to help his community, he furthered his commitment to service when he joined the U.S. Army.

He spent the bulk of his career in combat operations, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He was deployed to combat three times: first to Iraq for 15 months from 2006–07, then to Afghanistan twice, once for 12 months from 2009–10 and again for nine months in 2011–12.

During his final deployment, he had to be medically evacuated due to injuries he sustained in the line of duty. He was flown to Germany, then to Georgia, where he underwent back surgery and subsequently retired from the military in 2013.

Rospert, who became a Packers fan as a child, now lives with his family in Johns Island, South Carolina. He enjoys watching the Packers with his daughter, Hailey, who was born just as Rospert was returning from Iraq. Though Rospert missed out on several milestones during Hailey’s early life, the two have bonded over the Packers and attended Sunday’s game together. Their family also includes Rospert’s wife, Ashley, daughter, Alyssa, and Rospert’s stepson, Caleb O’Dell, who is in the U.S. Navy and is stationed at Pearl Harbor.

As the honorees for Operation Fan Mail this week, the Rospert family also received four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card, courtesy of WPS.

The program, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2021 home game and recognize the members on the video boards during pregame activities. A total of 144 individuals, families, or groups have been recognized through the program since it began.

The Packers and WPS Health Solutions invite interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family should be saluted this year. Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, or sibling.

Essays can be sent to Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or online at operationfanmail.com.

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 3,100 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.

###

Note for media representatives: WPS can help facilitate interviews with Operation Fan Mail honorees. Please contact us if you are interested.

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.

# # #

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.

Goodwill Recycles Christmas Lights

Media Alert

December 8, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jill Carlson
Communications Coordinator
Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin
jcarlson@goodwillscwi.org
Office phone: 608 246-3140 x 1120
Cell phone: 608 228-3047

Goodwill SCWI Recycles Christmas String Lights

It happens every year, those darn strings of Christmas lights won’t light! They worked when you put them away last year!!

Now what do you do with them? You can’t put them in your trash or recycle bin and community recycling centers are open limited hours or don’t accept lights at all.

Goodwill SCWI offers an easy way to recycle strings of Christmas lights – just take them to the donation center at any of the 13 Goodwill SCWI locations (goodwillscwi.org/locations). We take it from there to ensure the lights are recycled.

“Goodwill responsibly recycles the strings of lights and keeps them out of the landfill,” Jill Carlson Goodwill SCWI Communications Coordinator, said. “Plus, we recycle the lights year-round.”

Oh, and since you’re going to Goodwill, bring along any gently used items that you no longer need or want to donate to our retail store. That will free up space in your closet for all the Christmas gifts you’ll receive!

Proceeds from the sale of donated items in our stores support job skills training and gives people right here in our own community confidence and independence through the Power of Work.

-END-