Commencement speaker to grads: Go forth and give back
 
Graduates gathered in Zorn Arena on Dec. 19 were assured that their University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire education has prepared them well for the future — and advised to make giving back a part of whatever that future holds.
 
The assurance and advice came from a source who should know: Beatris Mendez-Gandica, a 2013 UW-Eau Claire information systems and international business graduate, who returned to campus to deliver the Charge to the Class at her alma mater’s morning and afternoon commencement ceremonies.
 
Mendez-Gandica is a security program manager for Microsoft, where she landed employment following her UW-Eau Claire graduation. Last May she received the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association’s Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award, which acknowledges alumni who’ve made special achievements and shown great promise within 15 years of their graduation from the university.
 
Mendez-Gandica recalled her time at UW-Eau Claire, where she arrived on a cold January day after leaving the warmth and sun of her native Venezuela. Despite the jarring difference in climate, she quickly became active in the life of the campus and over time discovered her passion for technology in an information systems class. She also found valued support from her professors in the College of Business and landed two internships.
 
Beyond the classroom, UW-Eau Claire “presented many opportunities for expanding my global mindset,” Mendez-Gandica said, recalling her study-abroad experience in China and faculty-student research participation in India.
 
As her career with Microsoft has progressed, Mendez-Gandica said she has learned that her UW-Eau Claire experience was only “the beginning of many learnings.”
 
“One thing that I have come to realize is that your education isn’t done when you graduate from UW-Eau Claire,” she said. “This experience is just a steppingstone that will have prepared you to be a lifelong learner in your area of expertise. It’s on each one of you to take what you’ve learned, empower others and solve the problems that exist in the world today.”
 
For Mendez-Gandica, that duty to empower others was instilled by her grandfather, who she said raised her “with the morals to always give back.” Inspired by that upbringing and her UW-Eau Claire experience working with youth through the Blugold Beginnings program, she decided two years ago how she could make a difference.
 
“I wanted to do something bigger than myself and wanted to help the next generation of students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers,” Mendez-Gandica said. “So, I started a nonprofit called Nuevo Foundation, where we inspire kids to be curious, confident and courageous by discovering the world of STEM. I’m happy to report that after almost two years of operations, we’ve inspired 2,917 students with ‘learn to code’ workshops and virtual sessions across seven countries.”
 
Mendez-Gandica told graduates that UW-Eau Claire has prepared them make their own mark.
 
“I encourage you to find your passion and give back,” she said. “You can make a difference. You. We all come from different backgrounds. You have the power to rewrite the rules of the world.”

​Library Closed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire will be closed Monday, January 20 to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Employees will be participating in development sessions throughout the day. The library will resume its normal hours on Tuesday, January 21.
 
For information, stop at Information & Reference on your next visit to the library, call 715-839-5004, or email the library at librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us.

​Young Rider Takes Fast Track at CVTC
McKayla Hohmann competing in Olympic sport of dressage
 
Eau Claire, WI – With the help of Chippewa Valley Technical College’s Adult Education Services, McKayla Hohmann essentially finished high school in five days. She managed to squeeze it in during a visit back to her home area in Wisconsin.
 
The 18-year-old with roots in Colfax and Osseo is working for a former Olympian and professional horse trainer in Massachusetts, with hopes of someday becoming an Olympian herself in the sport of dressage.
 
Along the way, she needed to finish her high school credentials, then get back to the horse barn. So she turned to CVTC for a fast-track GED.
 
“Being able to get my high school credentials in this way allowed me to chase my dreams, because I didn’t have to be sitting in a classroom for eight hours a day,” Hohmann said.
 
Horses have been Hohmann’s passion her entire life. “I'm sure my mom had me on a horse before I could walk,” she said. “I think I got my first pony when I was four or five. I've always ridden. I don't remember a time before that.”
 
Eventually Hohmann started taking part in dressage, a highly skilled form of riding in which horse and rider are judged on how they are able to perform a series of proscribed movements. McKayla received some local notoriety in 2014 when, at the age of 13, she was part of a three-horse first place team at the U.S. Pony Club national competition in training-level dressage. She rode Humble Hazel, a horse that had been rescued from an abusive situation.
 
She then found the opportunity to take part in a program in Florida under the leadership of Lendon Gray, a U.S. dressage champion with multiple gold medals in U.S. Olympic festivals.
 
“She's so inspirational to so many people and she really pushes for the younger riders to help us learn. She does amazing things for dressage for kids to help grow the young rider community,” Hohmann said.
 
Although she had attended a traditional elementary school in Osseo, during her high school years Hohmann was home schooled and training with horses. “I had decided that being a professional horse trainer and rider-trainer was definitely what I wanted to do for a career,” she said.
 
Gray’s help led to Hohmann getting hired by Liz Austin, another renowned dressage champion, at her Massachusetts stables. At age 16, Hohmann was living away from home and flying back to Wisconsin occasionally to visit her mother, Candice Aspen in Colfax, and father, Scott Hohmann in Osseo. She’s taking care of horses, training and competing.
 
In November during a short pre-Thanksgiving visit back to the area, Hohmann decided it was time to get that high school credential done.
 
“My mom had called CVTC and they were so helpful figuring out the scheduling,” Hohmann said. “I did a couple of pre-tests on a Friday. CVTC has been amazing being on top of everything and getting me right into the testing.”
 
The GED test is a series of five tests in civics, history, science, math, and reading comprehension and language arts. Hohmann took them over a period of four days.
 
“It’s not quite normal to do everything that fast,” Hohmann said. “They pulled some strings to help me get my GED while I was here. Everybody was so friendly and if I had any questions, everybody was readily available to answer.”
 
Now Hohmann has her high school credentials, and plenty of hardware from competitions in her sport. Her first big win was the United States Pony Club nationals at age 12. She was a top 50 U.S. Dressage Finals medal seat finalist at 15, a bronze medal winner at 16 and a silver medalist at 18. She was chosen to ride in Olympic gold medalist Dorothee Scheider’s symposium this past October.
 
The Olympics is a far-off dream, though. Unlike other Olympic sports that are dominated by young athletes in their prime, Olympic medals in dressage usually go to veteran riders. For now, Hohmann is not anxious to take steps that would make her ineligible for the juniors competitions where she has learned so much and found success.
 
With over 155 programs offered both online and on-campus, Chippewa Valley Technical College delivers superior, progressive technical education which improves the lives of students, meets the workforce needs of the region, and strengthens the community. CVTC programs are designed with input of business and industry to prepare graduates for today’s jobs, with 95 percent employed within six months of graduation and associate degree graduates earning an average annual salary of $46,816.

​WLAX-WEUX FOX 25-48 AND NEXSTAR LAUNCH “REMARKABLE WOMEN” LACROSSE, Wisconsin, December 20th, 2019.

March is International Women’s Month, recognizing the great contributions that women have made to our nation and local communities. Remarkable Women is a nationwide Nexstar Media initiative to honor the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress and the quality of life. International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8th, 2020. Fox 25-48 is a proud representative of Nexstar Media in the La-Crosse-Eau Claire market.

We want your nominations! Go to wiproud.com/contest-remarkable-women and nominate your Remarkable Woman! The deadline for nominations is December 31st!

Fox 25-48 will celebrate local women that inspire, lead and forge the way for other women. It’s not just about one day or one month, it’s about what they do, day-in and day-out. In order to celebrate these women properly, we need to highlight and recognize their accomplishments.

Beginning December 13th Fox 25-48 and All Nexstar stations began accepting nominations for Woman of the Year. Based on select criteria such as community contributions, self achievement and impact on families each Nexstar market will select 4 local women to be considered for Woman of the Year. In depth Video packages will be created on each of the local finalists. This video will be featured on First News at Nine so that we can share these amazing stories with our viewers. These will air in February.

On Friday March 6th one woman in each market will be announced as a finalist for the National “Nexstar Woman of the Year” award. Each market finalist will travel to New York City and will be in the audience of the Mel Robbins Show, Wednesday, March 18th . The national winner will be featured and announced on Mel’s show.

​Furthermore, all local finalists will enjoy a special reception where Mel Robbins will be the featured speaker on Wednesday, March 18th in NYC for local winners. Ultimately on a special episode of the Mel Robbins Show scheduled to air the week of March 23rd, the Nexstar Woman of the Year will be announced.

Challenges of divided or shared government
The Wisconsin State Government is facing the challenges of government with a Republican led legislature and the Democratic governor. Each lawmaker discussed how they saw this as one of the most important issues the state government is facing. Emerson argued that the divide has slowed down success within lawmaking, noting that the assembly has met a total of 14 days in 2019 for floor sessions compared to the last time Wisconsin government was considered to be shared in 2007-2008 and the assembly had met 29 days. An idea that many of the legislators touched on is that they need to find the right people to connect with across the aisle to discuss the issues they see pertinent. Representative Summerfield used the phrase “shop around” in order to find the right way to gain support for a bill. Senator Schachtner ended the discussion by saying “we need to ultimately realize that the decision we make as legislators affects lives.”

A regional issue that has gained attention this year is the need to improve mental health services. Governor Evers vetoed $15 million in funding for regional mental health beds that was proposed in the state budget. Both parties have worked on separate bills to address the need for mental health beds in this part of the state. Senator Bernier said that she’s been involved with working on a bill to solve this issue for six years; she ensured that with how much work has been put into this issue, the discussion will not be stopped by the governor’s veto. Both Senator Bernier and Representative James took a visit to Sacred Heart Hospital to talk with the people that this issue is affecting in order to gain a new perspective to bring back to Madison. Overall, mental health is not being dealt with in the best manner at the capitol and Senator Schachtner noted that fixing adding more mental health beds is “a piece of the mental health pie, that is needed to solve the entire issue.”

Recently,  AB 76 that would have worked to ease the CNA shortage by matching training requirements to federal standards and those for adjacent states was vetoed by the governor. Proponents argued that the change would allow CNAs to enter service more quickly, as well as avoid requiring CNAs moving from neighboring states to take additional training to work in Wisconsin.  In his veto message, Evers said "there are better ways to address the shortage of nurse aides than reducing the quality of training programs," and said he has directed his recently-appointed Governor's Task Force on Caregiving with developing strategies to attract and retain the direct care workforce. Additionally, nurse training and degree programs are being plagued with a faculty shortage.  The legislators acknowledged the issue and talked about potential solutions.

Criminal justice reform
​The discussion panel was brought to another pertinent issue regarding the workforce— criminal justice. If done in a correct manner, criminal justice has the potential to solve the workforce issue. The legislators discussed how there are around 23,000 people in Wisconsin prisons. Out of these 23,000 inmates, Representative Emerson stated that 75% of them suffer from mental health and they’re not getting adequate help, and Senator Schachtner said that about 6,000 of the total people in prison are incarcerated because of crime-less convictions. These two issues are making it hard for citizens to experience success when released from prison. Representative Emerson went on to say that to solve the first issue “there needs to be more treatment courts, mental health treatment, and drug and alcohol treatment” offered to those while they are in prison. She then goes on to say that to fix the second issue, the Assembly wrote AB 33 that will work to expunge certain lower level convictions; the bill is waiting to be accepted by the governor. The legislators understand that these changes need to be made so prisoners aren’t leaving jail conceived as predators by society. 

With the 26th Annual Chippewa Valley Rally approaching, the final question was directed at how community members can be prepared and effective when talking to lawmakers. The most important tip they gave is to be ready with a bullet point list to help articulate the issue that one is trying to verbally present. Senator Schachtner emphasized to “have a collective message that’s clear and prioritized and know which bills are connected with issues.” The legislators showed much enthusiasm to meet with members of the Chippewa Valley on February 25. 

The Chamber’s next Eggs & Issues will be on Friday, January 17, 2020 at The Lismore. The discussion will be centered around the State of the County. For more information and to register, click here.

More information:
Area lawmakers discuss mental health, workforce challenges​ (Leader-Telegram)
Chippewa Valley lawmakers clash on mental health funds (WQOW News 18)

Posted by Amy Oldenburg, Legislative Intern
oldenburg@eauclairechamber.org

​The Friends of the Library will hold a book sale on the lower level of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, January 17 through 19. The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Choose from a wide variety of non-fiction, children's, adult fiction, and young adult books, as well as audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs. Adult paperbacks start at $1, and hardcovers start at $2. Children’s and young adult paperbacks start at 25 cents and hardcovers start at 50 cents. A bag sale on Saturday and Sunday will feature discount pricing.
​
For information, stop at Information & Reference on your next visit to the library, call 715-839-5004, or email the library at librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us.  For information about other library programs and events, check the library’s website at www.ecpubliclibrary.info.

Winter commencement set for Dec. 21 at UW-Eau Claire
Commencement ceremonies for 689 UW-Eau Claire graduates will take place Saturday, Dec. 21, in Zorn Arena. Candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences will receive degrees during a 9 a.m. ceremony. Candidates from the College of Business and the College of Education and Human Sciences will receive degrees during a 2 p.m. ceremony. Full story.

Blugold student teacher contributes to national holiday display
Renee Gavigan was student teaching in an elementary school when she learned that she would work with her cooperating teacher and students to create ornaments for a national Christmas display in Washington, D.C. Full story.

​CVTC to Hold Public Hearing on Facilities Proposals
Board nearing final decision on spring referendum
Chippewa Valley Technical College will hold a public hearing Thursday, Dec. 19 to receive input on $48.8 million of facilities projects that could become the subject of a spring referendum.
 
The hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Room 100A of the Business Education Center, 620 W. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire.
 
In September, the CVTC board authorized a survey of district residents conducted by School Perceptions LLC to gauge support for facilities projects and their tolerance of the property tax impact. After evaluating the survey results, the CVTC District Board passed a resolution Dec. 5 stating its intent to issue $48.8 million in bonds to fund facilities projects to address regional workforce needs.
 
At that meeting, the board was presented with a preliminary plan calling for construction of a Transportation Education Center for $28 million, an addition and remodeling at the Emergency Services Education Center for 9.2 million, the addition of an automated fabrication lab, for $3 million, and purchase of land in River Falls for $2.5 million. The project also includes remodeling at the Menomonie and Chippewa Falls campuses, mobile labs, a storage facility, additional labs, and razing of the West Annex building near the Business Education Center.
 
“Many of these projects cannot be funded within our annual capital budget,” said CVTC President Bruce Barker. “Therefore, the Board of Trustees would need to authorize a referendum to fund them.”

​Kohler to Head Institutional Advancement at CVTC
Current dean will lead CVTC Foundation, Alumni Association
Karen Kohler, a former instructor and current dean will take on a larger role at Chippewa Valley Technical College on Jan. 2 as the executive director of institutional advancement.
In her new role, Kohler will lead CVTC Foundation, Inc. and the CVTC Alumni Association.
 
A graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in English Education and a master’s degree in English with a technical writing focus, Kohler first came to CVTC in 1993 as a long-term substitute English instructor. She worked for many years as an adjunct instructor, eventually becoming a full-time faculty member and chair of the English department.
 
Kohler also had roles at CVTC as a faculty developer and as an instructor and manager of customized training programs for area business and industry. She currently serves as the associate dean of liberal arts and general education.
 
“I fell in love with CVTC because it’s clear to me that we change lives,” Kohler said. “And because we change lives, we change families and communities. This new position gives me the opportunity to connect the passion I have for CVTC with my love of the area.”
 
Kohler has strong family connections to CVTC as well. Her husband, Paul Kohler, is a member of CVTC Foundation board, one daughter has taken dual credit classes with CVTC and another daughter is graduating from CVTC this month.

Traumatic Events Inspire CVTC Paramedic Grads
Kali Junk of Black River Falls saved a child from drowning
Kali Junk wants to become a physician someday, and make saving lives part of her life. The 2012 Black River Falls High School graduate already knows the feeling, having saved a child from drowning when working as a lifeguard as a high school student.

Rachel Rogers did not save a life when she stopped to lend assistance at a just-occurred auto accident scene. But what the 2007 Menomonie High School graduate witnessed, especially the work of the paramedics who responded to the scene, left an impression on her.
 
Those incidents were instrumental in their decisions to enroll in the Paramedic Technician program at Chippewa Valley Technical College. On Tuesday, December 17, Junk and Rogers were among 325 graduates in 40 programs honored at the CVTC Fall Commencement held at UW-Eau Claire’s Zorn Arena. They were among eight Paramedic Technician graduates to receive technical diplomas. The largest program represented at the ceremony was Nursing-Associate Degree with 77 graduates, followed by Business Management with 27. In addition, seven students were honored for the completion of their Certificate of General Education Development.
 
Junk said her interest in healthcare started when she took a First Aid class in high school. She learned skills that she called upon when a crisis struck while she was working as a lifeguard at Alma Center Lincoln High School.
 
“I saved an 8-year-old girl who was in third grade from drowning,” Junk said. “They were doing swimming lessons and she fell off a kickboard in the middle of the pool and started to drown.” Junk got her out of the water and made sure her lungs were cleared.
 
The incident inspired Junk. In 2013, she earned certification as a firefighter and EMT and joined a volunteer department in Merrillan as an EMT.
 
“I’ve been working as an EMT at the emergency rooms at Sacred Heart Hospital and Mayo (Clinic Health System) in Eau Claire,” Junk added.
 
Junk hopes the next step in her journey will take her to the Southwest. She has applied for admission to the Biology pre-med program at Arizona State University.
 
After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, Rogers worked a variety of jobs but didn’t find a good fit. Then one day, she came upon an accident scene on Fairfax Street in Eau Claire and saw no one stopping to check on the people involved.
 
“So I stopped to make sure they were OK. They weren’t badly hurt, but there was an elderly person involved,” Rogers said. “I stayed for a while until an officer said it was OK for me to go.”
 
Rogers was there long enough to see the emergency medical responders care for the victims and found her calling. Rogers completed the Emergency Medical Technician technical diploma program, then enrolled in the Paramedic Technician program. She’s been working as an EMT with the Altoona volunteer fire and ambulance service for a year and a half.
 
Rogers joined her Paramedic Technician program classmates at the commencement ceremony, but she doesn’t plan to stop there. She’ll be back at CVTC in the spring semester earning her Paramedic associate degree.
 
With over 155 programs offered both online and on-campus, Chippewa Valley Technical College delivers superior, progressive technical education which improves the lives of students, meets the workforce needs of the region, and strengthens the community. CVTC programs are designed with input of business and industry to prepare graduates for today’s jobs, with 95 percent employed within six months of graduation and associate degree graduates earning an average annual salary of $46,816.

The Conflict over Wolves on “The West Side” December 23
The recovery of gray wolves in Wisconsin, and the calls to take them off the endangered species list will be the focus of conversation on “The West Side” at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23 on The Ideas Network Stations of Wisconsin Public Radio: 88.3 WHWC-FM/ Menomonie-Eau Claire and 88.7 WRFW-FM/ River Falls.

Host Dean Kallenbach will welcome Rich Kremer, WPR’s Eau Claire-based reporter who wrote an in-depth investigative report on the wolf population, which has grown to more than 900 animals. The report also details the conflicts the resurging wolf has caused for farmers and hunters, and the controversial payments made by taxpayers to offset losses of livestock and hunting dogs.
​
“The West Side” is a call-in program focused on issues specific to western Wisconsin. The show is broadcast at 10 a.m. Mondays on The Ideas Network stations 88.3 WHWC-FM Menomonie/Eau Claire and 88.7 WRFW-FM River Falls and via an online live stream on 88.7 WRFW-FM University of Wisconsin River Falls via wrfw887.com/listen-live.html. Listeners may call in with questions and comments during the program at (800) 228-5615. Archives of “The West Side” are available at wpr.org/programs/west-side.

Eau Claire Community Complex, Inc. (ECCC), the developer of the Sonnentag Complex project on Menomonie Street, announced today that the Eau Claire Community Complex Board has determined the facility is unable to proceed with the Chippewa Valley Family YMCA as a participant.   While the ECCC Board has determined the project is unable to proceed with the YMCA as a participant, all parties (YMCA, UW-Eau Claire, Mayo Clinic Health System) remain committed to ongoing current collaborations and are open to possible future collaborations.

According to YMCA Executive Director Theresa Hillis, there are several reasons the YMCA is no longer able to be a participant in the project. As the current project timeline calls for ground breaking in summer 2020, with the YMCA’s guiding principle that construction could not begin until fundraising for the YMCA’s portion of the project was substantially complete, it raised concerns that significant capital debt could put the long-term fiscal well-being of the YMCA at risk to deliver on their mission.

“As stated by the ECCC Board, every partner in the project has its own needs, requirements, and governing policies. The current project timeline, and adhering to the principle that we cannot build what is not funded, led to the decision the YMCA is unable to proceed,” Hillis said.

ECCC also announced that, while the project is unable to proceed with the YMCA as a participant, the other project partners – UW-Eau Claire, Blugold Real Estate, and Mayo Clinic Health System remain fully committed to the project.

The Sonnentag Complex project includes a multi-purpose major event center, a recreation and fitness facility, and Mayo Clinic Health System sports medicine, imaging and human performance clinic.  As originally envisioned, the YMCA and UW-Eau Claire would have shared the recreation and fitness facility which was intended to replace the existing YMCA on Graham Avenue and expand recreation and fitness facilities for UW-Eau Claire.  Because the project is unable to proceed with the YMCA as a participant, a significant redesign of the recreation and fitness facility component of the Sonnentag Complex project will be necessary.  That redesign will begin immediately, according to Kimera Way, president of the ECCC Board.

 “We entered into this project in good faith and have worked closely together on the programming and design of the Sonnentag Complex – all partners have great respect for the missions, visions and goals of each of the organizations involved. And we are hopeful we will have continued opportunities to pursue mutually beneficial initiatives in the future,” Way said.

The ECCC Board will now work with remaining partners to move forward with project redesign and securing necessary approvals from Mayo Clinic Health System and University of Wisconsin System governing groups with the intent to break ground in July 2020, according to Way.

“John and Carolyn Sonnentag are rightfully anxious to see this project move forward.  They made their lead gift announcement in August 2014 and the ECCC board is committed to achieving their vision for this transformative project,” Way said.

Project partners, UW-Eau Claire and Mayo Clinic Health System also issued statements reaffirming their commitment to proceeding with the Sonnentag Complex:
“UW-Eau Claire has demonstrated needs for both an event center to replace Zorn Arena and expanded recreation and fitness facilities for our students.  This project will fulfill those needs, will provide additional academic programming opportunities, and will enable the university and Mayo Clinic Health System to collaborate even more closely on important research and wellness programs that will benefit our campus, community and region.”
​
James C. Schmidt, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Chancellor
“Mayo Clinic Health System remains committed to making the Sonnentag Center a reality. We plan to offer imaging, sports medicine, and performance training services in this new facility, as well as conducting beneficial research as part of our collaborative research agreement with UW-Eau Claire.”
Jason Craig, regional chair of administration, Northwest Wisconsin Region, Mayo Clinic Health System

River Falls Decorated Family

• KARE11: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/family-of-soldier-serving-in-iraq-comes-home-to-house-lit-up-for-christmas/89-4738bd5d-05a3-47ea-acaa-4ca9d5182692

 
Jim Falls Decorated Family

• WQOW: https://wqow.com/2019/12/16/local-vietnam-veteran-gets-holiday-light-surprise/
• WEAU:https://www.weau.com/content/news/Vietnam-veteran-surprised-with-Christmas-lights-566266991.html
  
  

Now in its 17th year, Christmas Decor franchisees nationwide participate by donating products, resources, and time to decorate the homes of local military families whose loved one are deployed outside of the country for the holiday season. The Anderson Family & The Canfield Family had been selected as one of 200 military families across the nation to have their homes decorated for the holidays as part of Christmas Decor’s Decorated Family Program, sponsored by Green Oasis. Following the decorating process, each home is revealed during a surprise ceremony with family, friends and neighbors. And that’s what the Anderson Family (River Falls, WI) & the Canfield Family (Jim Falls, WI) came home to this Holiday Season.
 
Anderson Family - River Falls, WI - Kare 11
Lacey Anderson’s husband, Sgt. Greg Anderson, is deployed with the 1st Battalion, 1-128th Infantry in Afghanistan. It’s his third deployment overseas, but first since his two kids were born. Anderson and her two children, 8-year old daughter Brixie and 6-year old son Flynn, pulled up to a crowd of 50 or so people waving American flags in front of a brightly decorated house in red, white and blue.
 
Canfield Family - Jim Falls, WI - WEAU 13 
Dave Canfield, who lives in Jim Falls with his wife Jeanie, was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer in September. He had surgery in October and his family says he was unable to partake in their usual tradition of decorating their homes for Christmas this year. The Canfield family arrived home to find their house decorated in red, white and blue Christmas lights along with many family members and friends.
 
Green Oasis, a member of the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, was very honored to part of these special events & give back to our local communities. Thank you to all of the men & women who fight for our freedom.

Marco’s leadership team is growing with four new promotions to help expand and enhance the company’s offerings. The changes include a new chief technology officer and three new vice presidents in information technology and sales. See the faces behind Marco's new leadership here: https://www.marconet.com/press-releases/recent-marco-promotions-strengthen-companys-growth-plan

As the 2019 real estate market is coming to a close, Wisconsin is seeing a continuation of the seller’s market with new homes on the market selling quickly.
 
“All the data points to Wisconsin being a great place to live and raise a family. Many homes are being sold at a brisk pace, so buyers need to move quickly with their REALTOR® once they identify a new property on the market,” said RANWW Executive Vice President Brenda Barnhardt.

According to new November numbers, Eau Claire county saw median prices on single family homes drop 7.6%, with the number of sales increasing 16.5% and the average days on market dropping by 13.5%. In Chippewa County, prices were down 4.9%, and homes sales dropped 11.0% with average days on market dropping 12.1%.

According to the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association, closed sales in November were slightly below those of November 2018, falling 0.8 percent, and median prices rose 6 percent to $194,000 over that same period. On a year-to-date basis, home sales trailed the pace established in the first 11 months of 2018 by just 1.4 percent, whereas median prices increased 6.9 percent to $197,500.

Experts say the strong economy continues to fuel the existing home market. Even though home prices continue to rise at a robust pace that was offset by improvements in income and lower mortgage rates, so affordability has actually improved. Mortgage rates are down significantly, dropping from 4.87 in November of last year to 3.7 percent last month.
“As more people continue to relocate to our area, the pool of qualified buyers increases, creating excellent opportunities for future sellers,” added Gary Brenizer, RANWW board president.

The REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin is the professional trade association that all professional REALTORS® residing within the association jurisdiction belong to. The association provides educational opportunities for its members, is active in local, state and national advocacy efforts, engages in community outreach through charitable giving, operates its own private foundation to help homeowners in need and remains a positive force for the members they serve.
For more information on the REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin, log on to www.ranww.org

After several months of productive, collaborative discussions on how they might come together to collectively enhance the level of care across Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and southeastern Minnesota, Gundersen Health System and Marshfield Clinic Health System have mutually decided to remain independent.

The organizations will continue to individually focus on improving healthcare access in rural areas through telehealth services, the enhancement of Critical Access Hospitals and clinics in small communities, recruiting and retaining clinicians to practice in rural areas, and many other initiatives.

Gundersen and Marshfield will also continue to partner on current initiatives like the Wisconsin National Community Oncology Research Program to improve patient access to cancer clinical trials and the Wisconsin consortium of the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us precision medicine research program led by the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, and future opportunities as they arise.

“This was an opportunity we had to explore. Yet, we have to make the right decision for our patients and for our organizations,” says Scott Rathgaber, MD, chief executive officer, Gundersen Health System. “We each still have a commitment to delivering the best care possible to those we serve. We will continue to improve the health of our communities, while working to reduce the cost of care and offering an outstanding experience for those in our care.”

“We are thankful to Gundersen for coming together with us to have these discussions. Bringing two entities together of our size and scope is an incredibly complex process, and first and foremost in that process is making sure it was the best path forward for our patients, staff and communities,” said Dr. Susan Turney, chief executive officer, Marshfield Clinic Health System. “While we mutually decided to remain independent, we will continue 

Congratulations to Hope Gospel Mission Renewal Center for Women and Children as we celebrate their new facility with a Ribbon Cutting!

Congratulations to Northwoods Elementary School on their Ribbon Cutting to celebrate their new secured entrance! 

​The Wisconsin State Patrol is at the mid-point of its two-month recruitment period when men and women can apply to serve as a state trooper or inspector. To raise awareness about the recruitment effort and duties of officers, the State Patrol post in Eau Claire is hosting an open house event on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 from 1 – 6 p.m. at the post in Eau Claire. We would very much appreciate any assistance in helping us get the word out. Feel free to forward the info below and thank you!
 
Eau Claire State Patrol post to hold recruitment open house on Monday, December 16. To help the public learn more about State Patrol duties and career opportunities, citizens are invited to an open house event at the Eau Claire State Patrol Post on Monday, December 16 from 1 - 6 p.m. State troopers, inspectors, K9 team, drone and aircraft pilots will be available to meet with citizens and discuss the State Patrol recruitment period underway now through January 12, 2020. Men and women from all cultural and educational backgrounds are encouraged to apply to become a state trooper or inspector. More info is available at wistatepatroljobs.wi.gov.

The law firms of Nodolf Flory, LLP and Richie, Guettinger, & Manydeeds, S.C. are pleased to announce their merger in the new year.  This merger will build on the expertise and skill of both firms to enhance the depth and breadth of services available to clients. 
 
Service of client needs is at the heart of the merger.  “The needs of our clients are ever-expanding on regional, national, and international levels.  Our single focus is to advance our clients’ positions and interests through better value, diverse perspectives, and first-class service,” said Jeffery Guettinger, a partner with Richie, Guettinger, & Manydeeds, S.C. 
 
Mutual synergies and strength of common practice areas make this a truly unique and exciting union.  “In Nodolf Flory, we have found a partner that matches our dedication to client needs while demonstrating the highest level of excellence and integrity in service,” said Edmund Manydeeds III, a partner with Richie Guettinger, & Manydeeds, S.C.
 
In addition to enhancing common practice areas, each firm will also be able to offer service areas not previously available to its clients.  “In addition to enhancing the breadth and depth in our common practice areas, Nodolf Flory clients will gain access to personal injury, insurance defense, and mediation practices while Richie, Guettinger, & Manydeeds clients will benefit from real estate development, governmental relations, and family law practices,” said Heather Hunt, a partner with Nodolf Flory, LLP.
The merger will occur in the first quarter of 2020 with the firm retaining the Nodolf Flory, LLP name.  Edmund Manydeeds III and Jeffery Guettinger will continue as partners servicing clients’ business, financial, and litigation needs while David Richie will lead the firm’s mediation services section.

Carson Park Baseball Fundraising Group Seeks Funds to Complete Stadium Renovations
Carson Park Baseball Stadium has been standing as a crown jewel in one of Eau Claire’s most beloved parks since 1936.  Over the past 83 years, the stadium has been host to some of life’s most important and exciting moments: high school graduations, concerts and festivals, the City’s annual Fourth of July fireworks, and it even saw more than one person shot out of a cannon!

Carson Park Stadium is, of course, best known for being Eau Claire’s home for baseball; from high school to minor league farm teams, Carson Park has seen a lot of great baseball over the years. It was the first permanent home of the Eau Claire Bears.  Fans of the Bears got to watch many future star players like Bill Robinson, Denny Lemaster, Chuck Tanner, and Stan Spence. Most notably, Hall of Fame players Joe Torre, Bob Ueker, and Henry “Hank” Aaron also called the Carson Park Stadium home.  More recently, stars such as Jordan Zimmermann and Kole Calhoun played at Carson Park.

Carson Park Stadium enjoys the distinction of being on the Wisconsin and National Registers of Historic Places.  The Stadium was built in 1936 as one of the Works Progress Administration projects, whose purpose was to create jobs, and was part of an official policy to promote baseball as a morale booster during the Great Depression.  While the facility has been well kept and enjoyed some renovations over the years, the Carson Park Baseball Fundraising Group recognizes that to keep the facility in great shape and make it possible for even more people to enjoy this important part of Eau Claire’s history, major work will need to be done.

Fundraising efforts are underway to match the $1.5 million dollars that the City of Eau Claire has already pledged for the project. The renovation will replace the current aluminum bleachers with a permanent structure, concession areas, apparel space, and climate-controlled restrooms. It will also allow the park to better meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, making it possible for more people to enjoy the Great American Past-Time in our All-American City.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the Carson Park Baseball Stadium Renovation Fund held at the Eau Claire Community Foundation, visit eccfwi.org or send a check to ECCF at 306 S. Barstow St. Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI  54701. If you have questions about donating, please write to info@eccfwi.org or call 715-552-3801.
​
For more information about the Project, contact Mark Faanes, Chair of the Carson Park Baseball Fundraising Group, at 715-829-8912.

Legislative Roundup on “The West Side” December 16
Two state senators from western Wisconsin provide a roundup of the fall legislative session on Monday, Dec. 16 on “The West Side” on The Ideas Network Stations of Wisconsin Public Radio: 88.3 WHWC-FM/ Menomonie-Eau Claire and 88.7 WRFW-FM/ River Falls.

Host Dean Kallenbach will welcome Sen. Kathleen Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) and Sen. Patty Schachtner (D-Somerset) to the program to provide a look back at the recently-completed session of the state legislature, reflecting on how new legislation affected western Wisconsin. The senators will also talk about other state issues, including efforts both senators are making to expand the number of mental health beds available at care facilities.
​
“The West Side” is a call-in program focused on issues specific to western Wisconsin. The show is broadcast at 10 a.m. Mondays on The Ideas Network stations 88.3 WHWC-FM Menomonie/Eau Claire and 88.7 WRFW-FM River Falls and via an online live stream on 88.7 WRFW-FM University of Wisconsin River Falls via wrfw887.com/listen-live.html. Listeners may call in with questions and comments during the program at (800) 228-5615. Archives of “The West Side” are available at wpr.org/programs/west-side.

​As a community bank, WNB Financial understands the importance of giving back to the communities it serves. In 2018, WNB gifted over $377,900 to the community in the areas of education and youth programs, fine arts and culture, health and wellness, economic development, and community service.

As the nation begins to gear up for the November Presidential elections, it is critical to remember that the elections that will most directly affect your life are those at the state and local level, coming up this Spring. This means you have a chance to influence the direction of those bodies, and, by extension, the direction of the policies that matter most. On April 7th, 2020,  Eau Claire City Council President and At-Large Alderperson, Eau Claire County Board, Eau Claire Area School District School Board, City of Altoona Mayor and Alderpersons, and Altoona School District School Board are all up for election.

We at the Chamber hope you will participate in your local elections as a voter, but we also encourage you to consider running as a candidate for any of these  upcoming races.  The Chamber believes that those involved in local business have the in-depth knowledge of the economy, regulations, taxes, and other issues necessary to make good decisions for guiding the community, so it is critically important to get involved. To that end, we have compiled below all the information you would need to participate in the upcoming elections as a candidate.

City Council President is up for election in the city. Current Council president Terry Weld hopes to continue his tenure and seek reelection for a full three-year term.  A seat for council-at-large is also up for election, as its previous occupant, Laura Benjamin, has stepped down.  This council seat's term of office will expire April 19, 2022.
​​
Dates to Remember: 

• DECEMBER 1, 2019: First day to begin circulating Nomination Papers.
• JANUARY 7, 2020: Deadline to file Campaign Registration Statement, a Declaration of Candidacy, and Nomination Papers with the School District Clerk (by 5:00 pm).
• FEBRUARY 18, 2020:  PRIMARY ELECTION (if necessary)
• APRIL 7, 2020:  SPRING ELECTION

​

​​The Altoona school board has two seats up for election in April: board president Robin Elvig (elected 2008, president since 2016) and Taylor Neff (elected 2019). 
​
Dates to Remember: 

• DECEMBER 1, 2019: First day to begin circulating Nomination Papers.
• JANUARY 7, 2020: Deadline to file Campaign Registration Statement, a Declaration of Candidacy, and Nomination Papers with the School District Clerk (by 5:00 pm).
• FEBRUARY 18, 2020:  PRIMARY ELECTION (if necessary)
• APRIL 7, 2020:  SPRING ELECTION

Filing Papers:
Ballot Access Checklist
Lists the forms needed to be completed and filed on time with the School District Clerk's office in order for the Candidate's name to be placed on the ballot for the February Spring Primary Election and April Spring Election. The following forms are available on this blog post by hyperlink or in physical form from the School District Clerk at 1903 Bartlett Avenue, phone number (715) 839-6032. If the forms are faxed or emailed, the original document must follow, postmarked no later than January 7.

• Campaign Registration Statement
• Nomination Paper for Nonpartisan Office

• Declaration of Candidacy
• Campaign Finance Checklist for 2020
  • Campaign Finance Report
  • Campaign Finance Overview​​

Other Helpful Documents:

• Guide for Candidates​

There are three positions up for election on April 7 for the Eau Claire Area School District Board. Two are for full three-year terms, and one is for one year to fill the unexpired term of Joe Luginbill, who resigned effective November 1. The incumbents are Lori Bica and Charles Vue, as well as Phil Lyons, who was appointed to fill Luginbill's seat until April. The top two vote getters will be elected to the three year terms, and the third place finisher will fill the one-year term.

An information session will be held before the spring election at the Administration Building at 500 Main Street for anyone interested in learning more about running for School Board. If you are interested in attending, the District asks you please contact the Superintendent's Office at 715-852-3002. If you can't make it to an information session, you can come to Room 132 at the Administration Building between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from December 2, 2019, through January 7, 2020, to learn more and fill out the appropriate forms. 

Dates to Remember:​

• DECEMBER 1, 2019: First day to circulate Nomination Papers
• JANUARY 7, 2020: All ballot access documents must be received by School District Clerk by 5:00 p.m. for individual’s name to appear on the ballot
• FEBRUARY 18, 2020:
  

​​           A PRIMARY will be held ONLY if there are more than six (6) candidates for the three (3) open positions. 

• APRIL 7, 2020:  SPRING ELECTION

Filing Papers:
The Ballot Access Checklist for 2020
lists the forms needed to be completed and filed on time with the School District Clerk's office in order for the Candidate's name to be placed on the ballot for the February Spring Primary Election and April Spring Election. The following forms are available on this document by hyperlink or in physical form from the School District Clerk.

• Campaign Registration Statement
• Nomination Paper for Nonpartisan Office
• Declaration of Candidacy
• Campaign Finance Checklist for 2020
  • Campaign Finance Report
  • Campaign Finance Overview​

Other Helpful Documents:

• Elections Guide for Candidates

There are 29 supervisory districts in Eau Claire County, each represented by one elected resident of that district.  These residents (supervisors) serve 2 year terms and are up for election in the spring of even-numbered years. A list of current incumbent supervisors can be found here.

Dates to Remember:
Paperwork must be submitted to the County Clerk's office no later than 5pm on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

Filing Papers:
Ballot Access Checklist
​Lists the forms needed to be completed and filed on time with the County Clerk's office in order for the Candidate's name to be placed on the ballot for the February Spring Primary Election and April Spring Election. The following forms are available on this document by hyperlink or in physical form from the County Clerk's Office at 721 Oxford Avenue and the Office can be reached by phone at 715-839-4801.

• Campaign Finance Registration Statement
  • New Candidates must file a campaign registration statement before campaign funds are collected or spent or before submitting nomination papers.
• Declaration of Candidacy
• Nomination Papers for Nonpartisan Office
  • ​Candidates will need 20-100 signatures to run for these seats. 

(Note: This was previously listed as requiring more signatures. Although election documents show counties with over 100,000 pop require more signatures, it's based upon the most recent census. In 2010, Eau Claire County's population was still under 100,000)

The City of Altoona will be holding elections for mayor as well as for the aldermanic seats of Districts 1, 2, and 3. Brendan Pratt is the incumbent mayor, and Dale Stuber, Red Hanks, and Andrew Schlafer are the councilpersons of districts 1, 2, and 3, respectively.  The ward maps of these districts can be found here.

Dates to Remember:​​

• DECEMBER 1, 2019: First day to circulate Nomination Papers
• JANUARY 7, 2020: All ballot access documents must be received by City Clerk by 5:00 p.m. for individual’s name to appear on the ballot
• FEBRUARY 18, 2020: A PRIMARY will be held ONLY if necessary.
• APRIL 7, 2020: SPRING ELECTION

​Filing Papers:
The Mayor Ballot Access Checklist and the Alderperson Ballot Access Checklist
list the forms needed to be completed and filed on time with the City Clerk's office in order for the Candidate's name to be placed on the ballot for the February Spring Primary Election and April Spring Election. The following forms are available on this document by hyperlink or in physical form from the City Clerk's Office reached by phone at 715-839-6092 or by email at cindyb@ci.altoona.wi.us.

• ​Campaign Registration Statement (CF-1)
• • New Candidates: File a Campaign Registration Statement before campaign funds are collected or spent or before submitting nomination papers.
• Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162)
• Nomination Papers (EL-169)
  • Candidates for Mayor need to turn in 50-100 signatures.
  • Alderpersons will need 20-40 signatures.

Congratulations to Dogtopia on the ribbon cutting for their new Eau Claire location at 2706 Golf Road!  

Register Now for Rock the Riverfront Featuring the Charity Classic
Early-Early Bird Pricing Ends Soon
 
Register now for the RCU Foundation’s Rock the Riverfront featuring the Charity Classic. Early-early bird registration offers the lowest participation prices and is available through December 2.  Rock the Riverfront featuring the Charity Classic will celebrate 26 years of running and walking for community causes. The event takes place on Saturday, June 27, 2020 in downtown Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park, and includes a 10K and 2 mile run/walk, ½ and ¼ mile youth races, family games, and food trucks. Registration is available at rcu.org/race.
 
Early-early bird prices are $10 for youth races and $25 for the 10K and 2 mile races. Youth teams can participate for $15 per person and adult teams can register for $30 each. Prices will increase by $5 after December 2. All registered individual or team participants receive a free t-shirt, meal ticket, and one free charity vote.
 
Proceeds for the event will go to three partner charities: Family Support Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness Chippewa Valley, and New Horizons Shelter and Outreach Centers. Registered participants receive one free vote at the time of registration; additional votes can be purchased at $2 each. The charity with the most votes will receive $15,000, second place will receive $7,500, and third will receive $5,000.
 
New for 2020, registration options include a virtual race. There are so many great run/walks to choose from in the Chippewa Valley. The virtual race option makes it easy to select Rock the Riverfront featuring the Charity Classic and support the three charities. Registration includes a free charity vote; t-shirt and finisher medal will be mailed to virtual run/walkers.
 
Rock the Riverfront featuring the Charity Classic offers beautiful running routes, plenty of family fun, and the opportunity to benefit three organizations that are making a positive impact in the communities Royal Credit Union serves. Runners and non-runners alike won’t want to miss this event.

​Royal Credit Union Announces New Vice President of Operations
Royal Credit Union announced Sheila Kohls has been named vice president of operations. In this role, she is responsible for creating and executing a strategic vision for the member service center and deposit operations to provide exceptional member experiences. She will also manage member satisfaction, NPS goals for departments, identify and implement process improvement initiatives, and oversee department projects that impact frontline team members.
 
Kohls began working for Royal in 2016 in the role of business process improvement manager. In this role, she was responsible for providing project management support, while working with team members to improve work processes to better serve Royal’s members. Prior to coming to Royal she was the business process improvement manager at IDEXX. She brings over 25 years of experience through her various roles which range from network administrator to IT director. Kohls graduated from Chippewa Valley Technical College with an Accounting and Computer Science degree. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Lakeland College.
 
Kohls is heavily involved in both Royal and the community. She volunteered at Royal’s Rock the Riverfront featuring the Charity Classic event, and is also involved in the Chippewa Valley Credit Union League Chapter, Junior Achievement, and is a board member of the Chippewa Valley Museum. She currently resides in Elk Mound with her family.

​ROYAL CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCES NEW BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND ANALYTICS MANAGER
Denise Nagel has been named business intelligence and analytics manager at Royal Credit Union’s Corporate Center located in Eau Claire, WI. In this role, she will be responsible for managing the new business intelligence and data analytics team. This includes creating dashboards and utilizing analytics to assist in making data driven decisions.
 
Nagel brings with her several years of experience from her previous position as the director of risk adjustment finance at United Healthcare. In this role she managed a team that created and executed SAS data processes and analytics that drove the monthly financial forecast.
 
Nagel attended UW-Stout and studied Applied Mathematics and Computer Science with an Actuarial Emphasis. She currently resides in Menomonie, WI where she enjoys coaching the U15 travel soccer team. She also enjoys volunteering in her community, more specifically at the annual Get it Dunn Run in Dunn County.

​Volunteer Partners of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital to host Love Lights Christmas Celebration this Thursday
WHAT: The Volunteer Partners of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital’s annual Love Lights Christmas Celebration will be at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, 2661 Highway I, Chippewa Falls. Thousands of lights will be displayed on trees in front of the hospital and in the hospital’s healing garden in memory of loved ones or to honor friends in the community. This event is open to the public.
WHEN:  THIS Thursday, December 5
4 p.m. in the chapel
4:30 p.m. for tree lighting
WHERE: Chapel at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, 2661 Highway I, Chippewa Falls, followed by outdoor tree lighting in the hospital’s Healing Garden

​CVTC Alumni Flying High in New Careers
Respiratory therapists serve on pediatric medical transport flights
Minneapolis, Minn. – A little more than two years after their 2017 graduation from the Respiratory Therapist program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, Megan Wermske and Samantha Gruen help care for some of the most vulnerable patients imaginable. They do it not just in a hospital setting, but on board an aircraft or in an ambulance while the patient is being rushed to the hospital for urgently needed care.
 
Wermske and Gruen are registered respiratory therapists with training as flight therapists at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.
 
“We still work at the university hospital, but part of the opportunities we have at the university is that we can be part of a transport team,” Wermske said.
 
“We work in all units of the hospital, and have joined the transport team,” Gruen said. “When a transport is called for, we can either transport patients from our facility to outside hospitals, or go and stabilize patients from outside hospitals and bring them to our facility for care.”
 
“The majority of our calls are NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) patients,” Wermske said. Most often that means premature babies, including “micropreemies” born after just 22 weeks gestation.
 
For Wermske and Gruen, the training to provide therapy to neonatal patients came from their CVTC associate degrees.
 
“Every respiratory therapy graduate that leaves our college has neonatal training,” said Theresa Meinen, director of clinical education for the CVTC Respiratory Therapy program. “It really gives them a leg up in job searches. Our graduates typically have multiple job offers.”
 
Becoming flight therapists was another matter.
 
“A flight therapist typically has to work a while in the field, and then there is some significant training that they do to become flight therapists,” Meinen said.
 
Wermske said they needed two years of experience as intensive care unit therapists and completion of simulation exercises to qualify for a flight team.
“We work regular shifts at the hospital, but if an air transport team needs to be gathered one of us may be put on the team,” Wermske said. “If it’s a helicopter transport, we leave from the helipad at the hospital. If it’s a fixed-wing transport craft, an ambulance picks us up and takes us to the airport in Blaine (Minn.).
 
A flight crew typically consists of the pilot, a respiratory therapist, a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner. Wermske noted that sometimes a team is sent to a hospital before a baby is born, in anticipation of a premature birth and a high level of care needed.
 
“Then we’re waiting around for the birth and rapid transport,” Wermske said. “A flight can be less than four hours, or it can be an entire shift or more.” Flights can go as far out as the Dakotas, sometimes farther.
 
Such calls are literally life-and-death situations in which a very young life hangs in the balance. Only highly competent, level-headed people who can work calmly under pressure need apply.
 
“You never know what you’re walking into on a transport.” Wermske said. “It can be more challenging than regular RT work. Everyone’s concern is heightened. But it is so rewarding to see them get better and go home to their parents.”
 
Wermske and Gruen say their CVTC education prepared them for their work at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital and the extra responsibility of being flight therapists.
 
“Everything went really well at CVTC. The teachers really worked hard to get to know you and made everything personal,” Wermske said.
 
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the RT program,” said Gruen.  “Don (Raymond) and Theresa, my instructors prepared me for my career.  It’s a great program and I am proud to have graduated from CVTC.”
 
“Megan and Samantha were exceptional students who were a delight to have in class,” Meinen said. “They were compassionate, cooperative, diligent workers who worked well with a team.”
 
With over 155 programs offered both online and on-campus, Chippewa Valley Technical College delivers superior, progressive technical education which improves the lives of students, meets the workforce needs of the region, and strengthens the community. CVTC programs are designed with input of business and industry to prepare graduates for today’s jobs, with 95 percent employed within six months of graduation and associate degree graduates earning an average annual salary of $46,816.

​Cutline:
CVTC Respiratory Therapy program alumni Samantha Gruen, left, and Megan Wermske sit inside a helicopter ambulance holding a medical simulation mannequin when they trained to become flight therapists with the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. They are trained to help premature babies during emergency medical transports.

Library Helps Fight Reader’s Rut
The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire is once again offering a year-long challenge to adult readers. “Reading Challenge 2020” will help readers break free from their reading ruts by providing suggestions and incentives to read outside their comfort zones. In 2019, the inaugural year for the reading challenge, 164 people registered for the program, and almost half of them are actively participating.
 
“Readers’ responses have been really positive,” says Information & Reference Services Coordinator Michaela Weggen, who organized the program. “We get comments like this one a lot,” she continues, holding up a comment slip. “"It has broadened what I'm reading, and made me consider books that I never would have thought to read before."
 
“Reading Challenge 2020” is designed to be flexible so participation is easy. Read or listen to a book from all 12 categories during 2020 to receive free books and to enter the grand prize drawing for a Kindle Paperwhite. Every month you read a book from one of the categories, stop by the library to be entered into a monthly prize drawing for $10 in Chamber Buy Local Bucks. Prizes are provided by the Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.
 
Get more details and register online starting Monday, December 9 at www.ecpubliclibrary.info/challenge, or stop by Information & Reference to register in person.
 
Library Announces 41th Annual Juried Art Show
The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire invites area artists to enter Wisconsin ArtsWest, the library’s annual juried art show, to be held March 29 through May 22, 2020. The exhibit is open to all working artists and students, ages 18 and older, living in Wisconsin. Work must have been completed since January 1, 2018. All media are acceptable.
 
As part of the submission process, artists will create a Submittable.com account. One large or two small pieces may be submitted per artist. For further details, request an entry information brochure at the library, or consult the online entry form at www.ecpubliclibrary.info/art. The deadline for entries is January 28, 2020. No entry fees are required.
 
Artists’ prizes will be awarded for Best of Show, $300; First Prize, $200; Second Prize, $150; and Third Prize, $100. Funding for artists’ prizes has been provided by the Friends of the L. E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.
 
All artwork will be subject to juror review and selection. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance to Wisconsin ArtsWest 41 will be emailed to artists February 20 to 28 via the Submittable software. Accepted artwork must be delivered to the library during regular library hours, March 18 through 22, 2020.
 
The juror for ArtsWest 41 is Leah Kolb, Curator of Exhibitions at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). At MMoCA, she has organized over 25 exhibitions, largely focusing on contemporary artists who address complex sociopolitical concerns and offer alternative perspectives to dominant narratives. She has authored or contributed to nearly ten accompanying publications.
​
The first ArtsWest show opened September 12, 1979. With ArtsWest Two in April 1981, it became a spring show and has been held annually since then. Since its inception, ArtsWest has provided a venue for thousands of artists to exhibit their talent and creativity, as well as the opportunity for everyone in the community to experience and support the arts in a uniquely personal way.
 
Learn to Use the Most Comprehensive Grantmaker Directory
The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire will present “Introduction to Foundation Directory Online” on Tuesday, December 17 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Chippewa Room on the library’s lower level. This webinar will teach participants how to use Foundation Directory Online (FDO), the most comprehensive prospect research tool for fundraisers, with over 140,000 grantmaker profiles. You will learn how to search for grantmakers who have funded organizations working on causes and with communities similar to those you serve. This class is for nonprofit organizations looking for funding. It is not geared to individuals seeking grants.

Nursing professor's work supports declaration that racism is a public health crisis in Wisconsin
Dr. Pam Guthman, assistant professor of nursing, contributed to a statewide effort that resulted in the Wisconsin Public Health Association declaring that racism is a public health crisis in Wisconsin. Full story.

Junior Achievement Welcomes New Board Member
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Northwest Wisconsin is pleased to announce a new board of director.
 
Jennifer Rathke, Vice President-Member Advocacy for WESTconsin Credit Union recently accepted a seat on the JA board of directors. Jennifer has a passion for spreading awareness of the Credit Union Difference and helping people achieve financial wellness which she advocates with state and federal legislators as well as members of local communities throughout west central Wisconsin.
 
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of the Junior Achievement Board of Directors, she said. “Making the connections about financial wellness, entrepreneurship and community with our area youth has always been something I take pride in being a part of.”  Rathke is also a current JA classroom volunteer and has taught Junior Achievement in the Eau Claire Area School District for the past six years. Jennifer added that she enjoys the excitement and level of energy the students bring.  “I look forward to the collaboration with peers to continue to bring this critical information to our area youth she said.” Jennifer is a lifelong area resident of the area and is a graduate of UW-Eau Claire with a degree in Sociology as well as a certificate in Supervisory Management. 

The Chamber's Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Task Force is comprised of approximately 30 representatives with a passion for sharing information and learning best practices about diversity, inclusion and minority business development to improve our workforce.

Goal Statement from the Chamber Business Plan:

• Leverage members’ combined experience and knowledge to advance diversity and inclusion programs and practices throughout professions.
• Provide business members with access to information, individuals and ideas that will help them build more economically and socially inclusive organizations.
• Become a forum to discuss new diversity and inclusion ideas and initiatives.

In mid-2019 the D&I Taskforce worked diligently to survey the almost 1200 members of the Eau Claire Area Chamber as a means to gather information on knowledge and interest in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion. Published below are the results of 217 responses from area businesses interested in learning more.

​Gender and Sexuality Resource Center staffers receive statewide awards
UW-Eau Claire has received multiple recognitions in recent years for the work of its Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Center staffers Christopher Jorgenson and Kallie Friede have been recognized for their efforts that led to those top rankings. Full story.

Interested in getting involved with the Chamber's Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce? Email Kaylynn Stahlbusch at stahlbusch@eauclairechamber.org or call 715-858-0615.