Archive: Oct-Dec 2022 | Wisconsin Partners

UPDATES + ANNOUNCEMENTS

"I am part of Wisconsin Partners to connect with other like-focused groups and get an understanding of best practices and challenges to statewide member organizations." – Tony Shields, WI Philanthropy Network

Oct - Dec 2022

This year, Wisconsin Partners dove into housing, with the understanding that housing is critical for thriving communities. We have been meeting regularly to explore this topic from a multi-sector, asset-based approach, using Wisconsin Partners as an incubator space for collaborative partnerships. We looked at data and trends, statewide solutions, community-centered approaches, and talked about what housing has to do with each of our sectors. Several members have joined WISCAP's Affordable Housing Network, and we are compiling a database of case studies from WI.

Wisconsin Partners is working with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association to engage parents, grandparents, and other primary caregivers who are struggling with child care. Some common challenges include long waitlists, high costs, and limited options. If you are a parent and want your voice to be heard, please contact rlpeller@wisconsinpartners.org

Through our involvement in the Civic Health Initiative, we are helping to launch a pilot version of Neighbor to Neighbor: Reuniting Wisconsinites to Eat, Play, and Serve Together, a week of dedicated connection in our communities. Participants can create art, play sports, volunteer, share a meal, have a conversation, or take a walk - the goal is to connect in a way that you enjoy.

Internally, we continue to host regular huddles for staff from member associations working on similar types of work: Policy and Governmental Affairs, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Finance and Fundraising, Communications and Outreach, and Membership. These are informal spaces for staff to connect across sectors, share best practices, and identify alignment and collaboration opportunities.

Upcoming events

Browse past updates

Rural WI Health Cooperative

RWHC Sponsored Video Game: “It’s a video game parents may actually want their kids to play and soon it will be introduced to high schools across Wisconsin. Rural Roads to Health Careers is a collaboration between technology, healthcare and education experts to expose players to real-life scenarios in rural healthcare.” Quote from Channel 3000. Link to broadcast and game demonstration (2.5 minutes) at https://bit.ly/3ATLFO9
RWHC Provided Training: Two upcoming virtual training opportunities for non-members; not healthcare specific.
- 11/16 - Manage Stress Before It Manages You, https://bit.ly/3eFmMgx
- 11/18 - Speak Up! Developing Public Speaking and Presentation Skills, https://bit.ly/3dbGD6M
RWHC Supported Economic Development: “Competitive Wisconsin Action Accelerators–Hundreds of local governmental, business, academic and civic leaders from around the state participated either in person or virtually in the first three of nine Competitive Wisconsin Inc. Action Accelerators.” Participate virtual through these videos:
- Workforce Recruitment, Retention & Attraction, https://bit.ly/3RCViXL
- Broadband, https://bit.ly/3eJB7ZB
- Early Care & Education, https://bit.ly/3qxXmUO

NAMI Wisconsin

NAMI Wisconsin is moving! We have outgrown our office space. Our new office will be located at 414 Atlas Ave, Madison, WI 53714.
Our 16th Annual Healing Art Show, featuring the artwork of people who live with a mental illness, will be at State Line Distillery in Madison, WI from October 3-31, 2022. Come check it out!
We are hosting our 2nd Annual NAMI Wisconsin One Day of Giving fundraiser virtually on October 5th, 2022 with sweepstakes prizes and permanent donor recognition opportunities.
We have made recent updates to our NAMI Wisconsin Resource Guide! This guide provides an overview of mental health resources available in Wisconsin.

Feeding Wisconsin

Wisconsin Council of Churches

We are hiring a Statewide FoodShare Outreach Program Manager. We're hiring a data-driven, outcome motivated, ending hunger ambassador to help us manage, coordinate, and support our statewide FoodShare/SNAP Outreach program. Come join our team!

Wisconsin Early Childhood Association

Registration is open for Wisconsin Early Childhood Association’s Annual Conference! This year’s event, with the theme “Cultivating Connections,” returns in a virtual format Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. Visit the agenda page to review info on keynotes, breakouts, and other sessions. Nearly all live sessions and approximately 20 pre-recorded workshops will be available in our on-demand library.
Advocacy & Raising Wisconsin: WECA and Raising Wisconsin recently published a series of resources, including the fall 2022 Voter Guide, which outlines Raising Wisconsin’s priorities and a variety of election, ballot, and voting tools and information. Raising Wisconsin’s Advocacy Tools & Resources page is a hub for valuable advocacy information, including new one-page resources on Wisconsin’s child care landscape, the early childhood workforce, child care’s broken business model, and economic implications.
Save the date: Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. for a Raising Wisconsin-hosted, employer-focused webinar, “The Business Case for State Investment in Early Childhood in Wisconsin.” The event will welcome and feature a panel of business and economic leaders from across Wisconsin to discuss Wisconsin’s child care landscape, challenges, and the advocacy path forward for business and economic leaders. Watch Raising Wisconsin and WECA’s social media and email updates for more information.
Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network: WEESSN continues to add exciting new services to benefit Wisconsin child care programs, including free access for all tiers to LegUp, a waitlist concierge to make full enrollment easier. WEESSN is working with Civitas Strategies, a national financial education leader, to develop videos, workshops, and printed materials in English and Spanish addressing key financial literacy issues for child care providers. And it is creating a consortia model Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to offer confidential legal, wellness, and financial planning services beginning January 2023 to all employees of child care programs within WEESSN. Currently with 1,600+ members, its outreach efforts are making a major push to expand by year end.
WECA is hiring! WECA is currently recruiting for a number of positions. You can view the job postings via this link: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=46ab5b67-ddfd-438f-8ecb-3e9e736ef8a6&ccId=19000101_000001&lang=en_US.

Wisconsin Council of Churches

WCC and NAMI are releasing videos on empathetic listening featuring church leaders around the state teaching concrete skills of how to talk to others about vaccines and other difficult topics.
WCC is creating tools to help community gather and process some of the grief experienced over the past several years.
WCC hosted a gun violence vigil in Madison and supported others across the state. We continue to advocate for legislation to prevent gun violence and are working on creative responses to build safer communities.

United Way of Wisconsin

Growing our team: United Way of Wisconsin is growing our team and hiring for several positions, including a new Director of Operations and a Member Services Manager.
Caregiver outreach: 211|United Way of Wisconsin, in partnership with AARP, is making connections with Wisconsin caregivers to provide: direct one-on-one connection with a 211 information & referral specialist for up to 10 weeks, at a frequency they choose; phone conversations that provide supportive listening; referrals to resources based on request; and follow up calls regarding referrals to discuss any issues or additional needs. You can register a caregiver today who could use this connection: caregiver connect request, call 211 and ask to get connected to the Caregiver Outreach program, or promote this opportunity through your communications channels.

Events