Summit Credit Union and StartingBlock partner for 2nd cohort of 1-Year Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs

We’re thrilled to announce that StartingBlock has extended it’s partnership with Summit Credit Union to offer a 1-Year Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs.

• Applications are open through December 13, 2024
• Fellowship begins – Feb 4th, 2025 
• Companies must be based in Wisconsin

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

• 1 year membership to StartingBlock (24×7 access) + with desk space available
• Access to StartingBlock member benefits, including 90% discount on Hubspot CRM
• Pairing with an accountability coach for the duration of the fellowship
• The fellowship launches with an intensive 12 week boot camp followed by 9 months of speakers and check-ins.  Topics covered will include:
  1. Business Planning 
  2. Business Market/Sector Analysis
  3. Business models
  4. Customer discovery
  5. Revenue models
  6. Partner and resource identification and management
  7. Business pitching
  8. Business leadership
  9. Financial planning
  10. Preparing for funding 

LOCATION

StartingBlock, 821 East Washington, Madison

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Is willing to commit full-time to her business
• Has the desire to scale her business
• Has a business model that is scalable
• Has not raised significant outside capital
• Can benefit from StartingBlock coaching and from access to Summit Credit Union executives
• Lives in South Central Wisconsin and can readily access StartingBlock in downtown Madison
• Is organized as a for profit or a benefit corporation

MORE INFORMATION 

More details are available on our website at startingblockmadison.org. Contact the StartingBlock Program staff with questions or to learn more: programs@startingblockmadison.org.

APPLY TODAY

Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program – Volunteers Needed!

Join our Goodwill volunteer team this winter and be a VITAL part of our community!

Thanks to our VITA volunteers, we are able to offer FREE income tax preparation for community members with low to moderate income. Over $1 million in tax refunds are returned into our community every year through the VITA program – these refunds make a huge difference for our program participants, allowing them to pay for rent, utilities, medication and other essentials. The more volunteers we have, the more community members the VITA program can serve!

FREE TRAINING is provided so that volunteers can confidently prepare income tax returns, answer tax-related questions, and refer taxpayers to other resources as needed.

Learn more here and here.

Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce: Business Leadership Academy Applications Now Open

Applications are now open for the 2025 class of Business Leadership Academy!

This transformative, ten-month program is designed to develop and strengthen both existing and emerging LGBTQ+ and allied leaders in the workplace. From nonprofits to small businesses and corporations, today’s work environments demand adaptability, collaboration, effective communication, and the ability to motivate a team—skills that this academy will help you cultivate.

Applications are open and are due by January 10, 2025. Click here to apply to be a part of Business Leadership Academy Class of 2025.

Don’t miss this chance to develop your skills, broaden your perspectives, and connect with a network of cross-sector business and civic leaders. You can find out more about the program below or online here.

Carnelian Art Gallery hosting reception for year’s final show on Dec. 6

MADISON, Wisconsin, Nov. 11 – Carnelian Art Gallery is pleased to announce that it will host a second opening reception for its fifth and final show of the year entitled “Figure.” This show is focused on the intricacies of the human figure, featuring works by artists Sam Stoiber, Keegan Wenkman, Katie Hogan, Steve Swagerle and Olivia Eis.

Figure is currently on display at the gallery, which is located in the heart of downtown Madison at 221 King St. in Suite 102. The reception is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. Light refreshments will be served.

“We are proud to put on an another opening reception for Figure,” said Carnelian Art Gallery owner and painter, Evan Bradbury. “Being that Figure is our final show of the year, we believe the public deserves a second chance to celebrate the works featured in this exhibition.”

Stoiber’s works are dreamy and abstract renderings of the human body. He wants the viewers of his work to be encouraged to dig into their own subconscious mind and create art from a place of healing.

The work Wenkman produces depicts the dichotomy of what’s traditionally considered good and evil. He paints people, objects, ideas, animals and insects.

Eis’ pieces ask the question “Do you understand?” as informed by people, experiences and emotions from her life. Anatomical references, according to her website, showing the inner, physical body as a reflection of a “more metaphysical, emotional interior currently dominate my
work.”

Hogan’s pieces offer perspectives into portraiture, always endeavoring to explore the human experience, color and likeness.

The works of Swagerle usually take on a cheerful and even comedic tone, with one painting featuring Benjamin Franklin on the guitar.

CARNELIAN ART GALLERY
221 KING ST., SUITE 102
MADISON, WI 53703
CARNELIANART.COM

CONTACT: EMILIE HEIDEMANN
MARKETING DIRECTOR
EMAIL: EHEIDEMANNCAG@GMAIL.COM
PHONE: 920-763-6980

Wisconsin Union Team Introduces First-Ever Terrace Chairling Plushie

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 15, 2024

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

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/plushie 

WISCONSIN UNION TEAM INTRODUCES FIRST-EVER TERRACE CHAIRLING PLUSHIE

MADISON – The Wisconsin Union team’s first-ever Terrace chairling plushie, named Maple Fields, has made her debut at the Badger Markets at Memorial Union and Union South and at terracestore.union.wisc.edu.

Maple is the only authorized Terrace plushie in the world. Customers can purchase Maple for $21.99, plus tax. Inspired by the John Deere green Terrace chairs, she has a smile, soft arms and legs, and a green sunburst body. Maple the green Terrace chairling is named in tribute to Wisconsin’s farming roots and Wisconsin’s state tree, the sugar maple.

The idea for the plushie chairling came from University of Wisconsin–Madison student and Wisconsin Union Graphic Design Intern Emily Swanson, who also designed the plushie. Swanson partnered with Wisconsin Union Social Media Intern Ella Mitchell to create a launch plan for the Maple Fields plushie. 

The Wisconsin Union’s three chairling characters, including Maple Fields, first debuted in digital form on Wisconsin Union social media in 2022. The chairlings are the cartoon versions of the well-known green, yellow and orange Terrace chairs, which include a trademarked sunburst design, found seasonally at the outdoor dining and entertainment space, the Memorial Union Terrace.

“We are so excited to bring a Terrace chairling to life in plushie form and to give our community a new way to connect to good times at the Terrace,” said Ben Klepzig, Wisconsin Union integrated marketing and communications director. 

The plushie joins a lineup of in-house designed Wisconsin Union and Terrace-themed gifts, accessories and apparel available in the Badger Markets at Memorial Union and Union South and at terracestore.union.wisc.edu. These are in addition to Wisconsin Union original beverages: Terrace Lemonade, Terrace Strawberry Lemonade, and Sunburst Sparkler, naturally caffeinated sparkling waters currently available in four fruity flavors. 

Revenue generated by the plushies helps the nonprofit Wisconsin Union offer free and low-cost events, community gathering spots, and leadership opportunities for students. Some student leader roles include academic stipends that cover up to 80% of in-state tuition. 

Patrons can visit union.wisc.edu/about/wisconsin-union-chairling-plushie for more information about the green Terrace chairling plushie, Maple Fields. 

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About the Wisconsin Union

The non-profit Wisconsin Union strives to enhance and support student leadership and community engagement, including through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities and by providing world-class support services, such as event management. The Wisconsin Union includes student leadership opportunities available through the Wisconsin Union Directorate, the Center for Leadership and Involvement, the Wisconsin Singers, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Wisconsin Homecoming Committee; Memorial Union; Union South; various dining options throughout downtown Madison; UW Conference Centers; and the Fluno Center. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.