L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library![]() 25th Annual Give a Kid a Book The Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s annual Give a Kid a Book program is celebrating its 25th anniversary! This program donates more than 4,000 books each holiday season to local agencies such as the Salvation Army, Bolton Refuge House, Community Table, St. Francis Food Pantry, and Eau Claire Family Literacy. In turn, these agencies distribute the books to families in need. Each year it is our goal for every child in need to receive a new book during the holiday season, because books provide kids with priceless memories of adventures, historical figures, creativity, and knowledge. We are pleased to announce that this year RCU is partnering with the Friends to support the program. There are several places you can donate:
“Curious Points of View” Art Exhibit at the Library" The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire will host “Curious Points of View: Ink Drawings of Structures and Nature,” an art exhibit by Janice Roberts from Sunday, November 10 through Monday, January 6. A reception for the artist will be held Thursday, November 14 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the library’s second floor gallery. Janice Roberts shifted her drawing focus after a trip to Italy and observing the awe-inspiring architecture. “Viewing these spectacular works up close made them feel much more monumental than any slide or photograph ever could.” By exaggerating the perspective and cropping the image to its essential aspects, she is sharing the most compelling characteristics of the architecture in a more intimate format. Similarly, nature also offers intriguing structures and textures that Roberts chooses to render in a slightly larger scale. Janice Roberts’ work has been included in juried exhibits in Wisconsin ArtsWest, Pablo Center at the Confluence, and by invitation at the Heyde Center in Chippewa Falls, and the Phipps Center in Hudson. A retired art teacher, she continues to reside in Eau Claire. 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. To learn more about library programs, check the library website at www.ecpubliclibrary.info. University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph's HospitalsHSHS hospitals to host presentation on Parenting Teens in a Digital Age Nov. 20 EAU CLAIRE – Do you have a pre-teen or teenager who zones out and tunes into his/her cellphone, iPad or tablet while ignoring you? Let’s face it – parenting is hard enough without having to compete with a computer for your teen’s attention. If this sounds familiar, then you’ll want to join HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals’ 3D Community Health Body.Mind.Spirit. for a presentation called “Warp Speed: Parenting Teens in a Digital Age.” Taking place Wednesday, November 20, at 29 Pines/Sleep Inn & Suites Conference Center, 5872 33rd Ave., this free event will be presented by Jessica Wong, certified prevention specialist with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. This informative, fast-paced presentation will provide an overview of the digital world of teenagers, what they’re doing online, the impact technology has on social and emotional development and how to help kids use technology in a balanced and safe way. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program starts at 6 p.m. To register for this free presentation, call 715-717-1600 or visit: www.sacredhearteauclaire.org/Events-Classes. HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation receives $100,000 grant from Otto Bremer Trust EAU CLAIRE – The HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation was recently awarded a grant from The Otto Bremer Trust for $100,000. The grant is specifically designated to help support the development of a hybrid operating suite at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital for the treatment of advanced vascular and related diseases. With the help of this donation and others, a hybrid operating suite, or “hybrid OR,” will be designed at the hospital to treat patients with vascular disease at more advanced, life-threatening stages. Vascular disease, which is a hardening or narrowing of the arteries that can lead to disability or death, has been identified as one of the most under-diagnosed and under-treated diseases in western Wisconsin. The most common form of vascular disease, peripheral artery disease, affects one in 20 people. “There is an overabundance of vascular disease in our community,” said Dr. Steven Levin, a vascular surgeon with Prevea Health. “Many patients come to vascular surgery with such advanced disease that simple stenting or stand-alone surgery is no longer an option.” The hospital’s hybrid OR will combine a cardiac catheterization lab, high-resolution imaging and an operating room, all in one location. Complicated procedures can be done with high-end imaging techniques that can visualize smaller body parts such as thin vessels in the heart muscle, enabling the surgeon to make the most precise repairs possible. The goal is for patients to experience less risk, recover faster, and get back to their lives more quickly. “Patients in western Wisconsin at high risk or whose condition is too complex for traditional surgical procedures can have the best possible outcomes right here in their community,” said Andrew Bagnall, president and CEO, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. The hospital is currently raising money for this new technology through generous donors and businesses. If interested in donating funds to this much-needed program, please contact the HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation at 715-717-3980 or online at www.sacredhearteauclaire.org/giving. Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeGrant Program, Family Friend Help Dad Find New Career Expansion of CVTC Industrial Mechanic program helps local industries Eau Claire, WI – Doug Olson knew he was watching a remarkable moment. John Prindle, who he had known for decades, was working on math problems with fellow students at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Manufacturing Education Center and telling them how he arrived at the answer. Olson knew Prindle hadn’t suddenly become a math whiz, but rather the availability of a grant-funded math tutor for the Industrial Mechanic students made all the difference for a student who had long struggled with math. “The grant was the key to John’s success,” said Olson, who works as an employer engagement specialist for CVTC. In 2016, CVTC announced it would be taking the lead in a $5 million Department of Labor TechHire Partnership grant to be shared with other technical colleges to prepare young adults for well-paying, high-growth jobs. CVTC’s $1.7 million local share through an IMPACT grant program was to be spent over four years to enhance the Industrial Mechanic program and supply much-needed industrial maintenance workers for the local labor market. According to Olson, Prindle is a good example of a person helped by the grant. A long relationship between Olson and the Prindle family also played a role. “Doug Olson has been a family friend for years, and he’s the one who walked me over to the Industrial Mechanic program,” Prindle said. When Olson saw Prindle waving at him through his office window one day, he went out and had a chat. He learned Prindle had just dropped a math class essential for his Automation Engineering Technology program. Having known Prindle so long. Olson thought that program was not a good fit for Prindle. Prindle, 35, had a good work history since his graduation from Eau Claire Memorial High School, but hadn’t firmly settled into a career. He worked a number of different jobs before settling for a while at Wisconsin Body & Hoist in Lake Hallie. But by that point in his life he and his wife, Tammy, had a baby girl, now 4 years old, and Prindle felt strong motivation to establish himself in a way that would ensure he could provide for his young family. “I wanted to do something different, so I went to CVTC for Automation Engineering Technology,” Prindle said. “But I hadn’t had a math class in 14 years. I’m more of a hands-on learner.” “He was always doing something mechanical,” Olson said. “He used to take lawn mowers apart when he was 9 years old. I knew Industrial Mechanic would be a much better fit for him.” “When Doug walked me down to Industrial Mechanic and gave me the gist of the program,” Prindle said. “I found out it was mostly hands-on.” Prindle enrolled and found a home, and a career. Some of his past work pneumatics and wiring helped but much of the instruction was new to him. “Tim Tewalt and Darrin Falk were excellent teachers,” Prindle said. “They took a lot of the anxiety out of it. I struggled with some things, but they and Jeff Johnson were here to help and pushed me to succeed.” As program tutor, Michelle Waters helped get Prindle over the math hurdle that troubled him in past education settings. Also benefitting from the grant program is Charter NEX Films in Bloomer, which hired Prindle. The severe shortage of industrial mechanics is the reason CVTC chose to concentrate on the area with its grant funds. “I had a few offers, some that I didn’t think were a good fit,” Prindle said. “At Charter NEX it’s been absolutely fantastic. The people there are very patient and informative. They kept me going in the right direction.” Prindle is completing in-house training now, and hopes for a bump in pay when he’s through it. “I absolutely think this is a career that will help me provide for my family,” Prindle said. “Our checking account balance is going up, and that’s what I like to see.” With over 97 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. Public Invited to Take CVTC Facilities Survey Online Results of public input could lead to a spring referendum Eau Claire, WI – Members of the public are invited to go online to complete a survey on facilities needs at Chippewa Valley Technical College and support for a possible spring referendum. Those wishing to participate can simply go to cvtc.edu and click on the yellow Take the Survey box inside the blue banner at the top of the page. The district board approved conducting a community survey, with results expected in November and a December decision on whether a referendum should be held in the spring. CVTC is working with School Perceptions LLC, an independent firm with expertise in conducting community surveys for educational institutions. School Perceptions LLC has sent surveys to 20,000 randomly-selected households throughout CVTC’s 11-county district. Residents who have received one of these surveys in their regular mail should follow the directions provided to respond. However, those who do not receive surveys in the mail are also invited to provide input through the online survey. The survey will ask citizens for input surrounding several potential projects, including construction of a Transportation Education Center, remodeling and expansion of the Emergency Services Education Center, development of a student housing facility, and purchase of land for possible expansion of the River Falls campus. “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. However, before they finalize a plan to present to voters, they would like to understand the priorities of taxpayers and their willingness to support these projects financially.” 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. Royal Credit UnionRoyal Credit Union Receives Grant to Study Financial Education Program in Correctional Facilities
Eau Claire, WI – The National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) announced it has awarded eight grants totally $75,000 to help credit unions document and measure the impact of their products and services on member and employee financial health. Royal Credit Union (Royal) is one of the organizations selected to receive funding. Royal is partnering with UW-Stout’s Applied Research Center to measure the effectiveness of the credit union’s financial education program in correctional facilities. Royal offers educational programs in county jail facilities in Rice Lake, Menomonie and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Royal also has a program in the WI Department of Correction’s Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility in Chippewa Falls. Royal is using the grant funds to develop a tool to measure skill development, attitude changes and predictive behaviors upon completion of the financial education course. Approximately 225 incarcerated individuals complete the program each year. “We created the program because we believe every individual should have access to financial education,” Heather Johnson Schmitz, Royal Credit Union grant & giving coordinator. “Participating in the Foundation’s Impact Tracking of Financial Health Components program can help us evaluate and make improvements to the curriculum and measure the effectiveness of the overall program.” In 2017, the Foundation funded six credit unions to measure the financial health of their members, using the Center for Financial Services Innovation financial health segmentation methodology. The aggregate data showed that more than half (58%) of members in the total credit union sample are struggling financially, highlighting a significant opportunity for credit unions to help their members better spend, save, borrow, and plan. The purpose of these grants is to help credit unions build upon this work by supporting their initiatives to measure and document these efforts specifically in the Save, Spend, Borrow, and Plan categories. Comments are closed.
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Eau Claire ChamberThe Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce has more than 1,200 members. Archives
February 2021
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