Capitol Bank Announces Promotions of Aybazova, Bauer

Madison, WI: Ken Thompson, President and CEO of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce the following promotions:

Dina Aybazova has been promoted to Office Coordinator. Dina joined Capitol Bank over two years ago. In that time, she has grown in her role by taking on additional responsibilities with the day-to-day coordination of the Bank’s internal needs. Dina’s hobbies include hiking, anything outdoorsy, trying new food and coffee, traveling with family and friends, meeting new people, exploring new cultures, good movies, listening/singing to 60s music and Bon Jovi. Congratulations, Dina!

Evan Bauer has been promoted to Assistant Branch Manager – Verona. Evan has been with Capitol Bank for over a year. In his time here, he has taken on additional responsibilities by tracking the Bank’s referral program and he continues to pursue banking courses to mold his skillset into what best serves our customers. In Evan’s free time, he enjoys basketball, football, soccer, weightlifting and has taken various mission trips with his church to help rebuild areas after disasters. Congratulations, Evan!

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally owned and operated since 1995, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Dane County area. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

Natalie Gregerson
AVP / Marketing
Capitol Bank
710 N. High Point Road
Madison, Wisconsin 53717
608.836.1616

StartingBlock Madison announces 4th Social Impact Cohort

For Immediate Release
February 2, 2022

Contact: Nora Roughen-Schmidt, Executive Director
Email: nora@startingblockmadison.org

Press contact: Mary Cait McManamon, Communications Manager
Email: marycait@startingblockmadison.org

Company: StartingBlock Madison, Inc
Phone: 608.467.4949
Web: https://www.startingblockmadison.org/programs

StartingBlock Madison announces 4th Social Impact Cohort

Are you a small company looking to make a big impact? Then StartingBlock Madison’s Social Impact Cohort is for you.

Social entrepreneurs will benefit from mentoring, legal assistance and a curriculum designed to establish and grow a business. 

In partnership with Associated Bank and the American Family Institute, StartingBlock Madison opened applications for its fourth Social Impact Cohort on February 2nd. 

StartingBlock is looking for the best and brightest social entrepreneurs to join the 2022 Social Impact Cohort. These changemakers will solve significant social, healthcare and environmental challenges that our communities are facing every day. Social Impact Cohort participants will demonstrate how social entrepreneurship can serve as a model for creating a sustainable impact in Wisconsin.

“I’ve had the good fortune of being a part of StartingBlock Madison’s Social Impact Cohort since the beginning, both participating in the program’s inaugural year as a cohort member representing Sustain Dane and serving as a mentor in the two following years,” says Karen Crossley. 

“The content knowledge, coaching and interaction with fellow cohort members proved invaluable when Sustain Dane plunged into a new era of its organizational life. And then serving as a mentor and cheerleader, working closely with two extraordinary, talented, visionary women entrepreneurs, was highly rewarding and inspiring – proving to be a meaningful reciprocal learning experience for us all.” continues Crossley.

Other previous participants include Bravebird, whose vision is to develop and produce impactful, meaningful, and memorable stories with diverse creatives from the top-bottom and bottom-up. NovoMoto is also an alumnus of the Social Impact Cohort. NovoMoto provides reliable solar-powered electricity to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Over the course of the 9-month program, cohort members will receive…

• Free membership to StartingBlock Madison for nine months (March to December) with a dedicated workspace in StartingBlock’s Social Impact Cohort Hub
• Free programming focused on building strong, viable social impact enterprises Topics include: design thinking, lean startup, sales and marketing, measuring social impact, telling your story, finding investors, and more
• 1:1 mentorship by social entrepreneur experts
• 1:1 financial mentorship provided by Associated Bank
• Legal assistance provided by UW Law & Entrepreneur Clinic
• Access to all of StartingBlock’s resources, amenities and support services

The deadline to apply for this year’s cohort is February 27th, 2022. Learn more about eligibility criteria and apply at https://www.startingblockmadison.org/programs/social_impact_cohort/.

About StartingBlock Madison

StartingBlock Madison’s 50,000 square-foot entrepreneurial hub occupies the second, third, and fourth floors of the American Family Spark Building, providing a collaborative community for Madison area startups and entrepreneurs. StartingBlock’s mission is to put Madison on the national map for entrepreneurship and innovation by creating the intersections that cultivate entrepreneurs, accelerate growth and drive innovation. StartingBlock offers low-cost, flexible leases, programming, education, mentorship, benefits and access to a network of entrepreneurs. Learn more at www.startingblockmadison.org.

Girls on the Run Seeks Volunteer Coaches

Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin is seeking coaches in a number of communities to ensure that kids will have an opportunity to participate in their after-school empowerment program this season. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires girls in 3rd through 8th grade to be joyful, healthy and confident. The eight-week program teaches critical life skills, encourages personal development, and fosters team building and community service. Volunteer coaches utilize a psychology-based curriculum to engage small teams of girls in fun, interactive lessons. This spring, Girls on the Run will be offered at nearly 70 sites throughout the 8-county South Central Wisconsin territory. Coaches are still needed to support teams at many locations throughout Madison in addition to Middleton, Oregon, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona and Waunakee.

Volunteer coaches facilitate lessons to small teams of girls during practices held twice weekly after-school for 90 minutes. The program culminates with the girls creating and executing a community impact project and completing a celebratory 5K (3.1 mile) run. This season, practices will begin during the week of April 11^th and the Girls on the Run 5K will be held on Saturday, June 4^th in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Coaches can be of any gender identity and they can be parents, school staff, or community members. Coaches do not need to be athletes or “runners” – they just need to be 18 and have a passion for motivating and empowering girls to realize their limitless potential. Applicants must complete a background check and on-line and in-person training sessions. Coach registration is open now. For more information or to sign-up to coach visit www.girlsontherunscwi.org/coach.

Wisconsin Union: Outdoor UW Creates Outdoor Recreation Learning Series for People of All Skill Levels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 1, 2022

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

OUTDOOR UW CREATES OUTDOOR RECREATION LEARNING SERIES FOR PEOPLE OF ALL SKILL LEVELS 

MADISON – The Outdoor UW team at the Wisconsin Union will soon debut a program open to all and for every level of outdoor adventurer, called the Outdoor Explorer Series by Outdoor UW. 

The Outdoor Explorer Series includes a wide variety of outdoor recreation educational and skills-developing programs led by outdoor educators and industry professionals throughout the year, from a winter camping introductory course to a wilderness first responder certification  course. 

“As an outlet to the outdoors with patrons of every skill level, we wanted to create a learning and skills-development series that helps our patrons explore, grow and make the most of outdoor recreation opportunities,” Outdoor UW Director Dave Elsmo said. 

The program includes three categories of programs including:

• Introductory courses that present new outdoor experiences to people of all skill levels
• Leadership courses that can help leaders in the outdoors improve outdoor recreation programs and hone their leadership abilities
• Advancement courses for those interested in advanced skill development, certifications and other transferable learning opportunities

Upcoming courses include but are not limited to introduction to backpacking on March 1, introduction to backcountry cooking and nutrition March 29, and NOLS Wilderness First Aid training April 16-17. 

The Outdoor UW team aims for this program to help people easily choose outdoor experience courses based on their skill level and to reduce barriers to enjoying the outdoors by providing instructor-guided experiences with all needed equipment included.

In addition to its new series, the Outdoor UW team offers camping, hiking, climbing equipment and snowshoes rentals as well as kayak and canoe storage space rentals. The team also holds private outdoor group experiences by reservation, such as group paddling. 

Outdoor UW is home to six outdoors clubs that make up the Wisconsin Hoofers, which welcomes all 18 and over to join the organization. The clubs include the Hoofer Mountaineering Club, the Hoofer Outing Club, the Hoofer Riding Club, the Hoofer Sailing Club, the Hoofer Scuba Club, and the Hoofer Ski and Snowboard Club. Hoofers is part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate, the programming and leadership board for the Wisconsin Union.

Patrons can learn more about the Outdoor Explorer Series at union.wisc.edu/explorerseries.  

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About Outdoor UW

Outdoor UW is the Wisconsin Union’s outlet to the outdoors, offering everything from outdoor recreation equipment rentals to custom group outdoors experiences. The Outdoor UW team also advises six student-led outdoors clubs, which make up the Wisconsin Hoofers, and Hoofer Council, the governing body of the Hoofers. Outdoor UW is part of the Wisconsin Union, which is the UW-Madison Division of Social Education. Learn more about Outdoor UW: union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/outdoor-uw. 

[Click here to download outdoor recreation photos.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/explorerseries.

Madison Ballet’s Lift Every Voice Virtual Dance Production Returns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2022

Madison Ballet’s Lift Every Voice Virtual Dance Production Returns
Debuting four new works by choreographers of color 

Madison, WI – Expanding on the success of their first film series in spring 2021, Madison Ballet’s Lift Every Voice 2022 will premiere this February 13th with four brand-new contemporary works by local choreographers of color. This free virtual production will guide audiences in an exploration of thought-provoking themes through progressive ballet movement.

Lift Every Voice 2022 features pairings of choreographer and filmmaker resulting in four brand-new works: Choreographer Morgan Williams of Water Street Dance and filmmaker John Carlo Rosillo present Love Suites; Choreographer Jacob Ashley EL of Madison Ballet and filmmaker John Urban of Big Dreamers United present Away/Return; Choreographer Yaqi Wu of ArtEast Dance Studio and filmmaker Aaron Granat present Meet; and choreographer Yu-Jhe Sun of Madison Ballet and filmmaker Dave Alcorn present Love Dream.

“We are thrilled to be able to expand this year’s production to feature an additional choreographer and their new work. Lift Every Voice is just one way Madison Ballet is working to highlight choreographers of color in our community, and we look forward to seeing the project continue to grow each year,” says Artistic Director Sara Stewart Schumann.

These works feature striking contemporary movement while grounded in classical ballet, addressing themes of love, connection, and culture. The film medium gives the choreographers and dancers a wonderful collaborative tool, allowing them to incorporate additional Madison artists and unique performance locations, transporting viewers to inspiration previously unimagined.

Viewers can turn their screening of Lift Every Voice into the perfect Valentine’s Day date with the “Madison Ballet Pack” from Table Wine in Madison. For $50, audiences will receive a bottle of wine, chocolates, cheese, sausage, and crackers, with proceeds going to support Madison Ballet’s artists. To order, visit www.tablewinemadison.com/order and request the “Madison Ballet Pack” on the form. Packs will be available for pick up starting Monday, February 7th. 

Lift Every Voice will premiere for free on February 13th at 6 pm and will be available online through February 28th, 2022. Register to watch at www.madisonballet.org/lift-every-voice-2022.

This project is generously supported by the Madison Community Foundation.

For 40 years, Madison Ballet has been an integral part of the vibrant Dane County arts community. Full-scale productions of inspiring traditional ballets, innovative contemporary performances, and the timeless holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” reach more than 13,000 people each year. The School of Madison Ballet empowers students of all ages and skill levels with the poise, confidence, discipline, and fundamental life skills intrinsic to the study of dance. Outreach programming, presented in partnership with dozens of local school and community groups, enriches thousands of young people’s lives by introducing them to the joy of dance.

Contact: Lexi Janssen, Marketing Manager

Phone: 262-402-2358

Email: lexi@madisonballet.org

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