Final-Five Voting - learn more here...
Food Share Boxes for Seniors
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District 3 news:
Peggy Green is a new co-director for WREA District 3. She will assist eight of the sixteen groups within District 3 from Pierce to Vernon Counties.
Read to Success
Volunteer to read with a third grader for 30-60 minutes once weekly throughout the school year. You'll be matched with the same student to build a relationship. The teacher will have books for you. The Great Rivers United Way coordinates and provides comprehension games to play after reading with you choosing how to utilize them. Contact Julie Nelson at the United Way by clicking the link or call 608-796-1400. Please indicate that you are associated with the La Crosse Area Retired Educators.
Scholarships in Progress.
Barb Myers reports that all schools have been contacted with LAREA scholarship information. This year, our high school scholarship will be awarded to a Holmen High School graduate.
"We Care PROJECT ACCOMPLISHED!! “We Care” packages. "La Crosse retired educators group delivers We Care Packages to students experiencing homelessness". Interview link: https://www.wizmnews.com/2022/05/31/la-crosse-retired-educators-group-delivers-we-care-packages-to-students-experiencing-homelessness/
WREA Convention 2022 Update
At the WREA Convention, it was announced the WREA Membership goals for this year are to bring in 500 new members to achieve 15,000 total members. To do this, a “Membership Blitz” was held in October. Every Monday of the month, WREA hosted a virtual pep rally to encourage membership chairs in their efforts and provide materials and ideas to recruit. We are being asked to contact all lapsed WREA members and prospective members from the last five years preferably by phone, since it is the personal touch that is successful. We are proud to announce that the Membership Blitz for new WREA members recognized La Crosse County and Walworth County tied in October. Please continue your efforts to recruit new members to both WREA and LAREA. Remember that WREA is your pension insurance. We have two lobbyists! Many states have zero. Educational institutions vary in their willingness to names and contact information about retirees with WREA and/or LAREA, which makes it difficult to recruit new members. For more information, go to WREA.net or contact Mary Ann Ekern.
A new initiative aimed at students in Grade 7 through 12 called “Educators Rising” is working to inspire these young people to consider becoming educators as a career.
As mentioned in October, seven LAREA members attended the convention in Pewaukee on September 26-28. Those attending were Carol Carlson, Mary Ann Ekern, Barb Fischer, Peggy Green, Lois Sanwick, Sue Schettle, and Margaret Wood.
Save Menards Receipts and give to LAREA to use:A suggestion was made requesting LAREA members who do not use their receipts from Menards for the 11% rebates to donate them to the "We Care Bags" Committee. Combined, these can be used to purchase needed items, especially blankets.
Volunteer Hours are important. LAREA Volunteer Hours Form: PDF file.
Sherry Kloety will be taking over collecting volunteer hours. Hours can be turned in at our monthly meetings, If needed, Sherry’s email is: skloety@centurytel.net or you can text her at: 608-498-3875.
Please continue to keep track of volunteer hours that you contribute to any organizations including LAREA and WREA. You can compile them and turn them in at a meeting. Sherry will submit them in September of 2023. Include number of hours and the activity or organization to which you donated your time.
These volunteer hours are submitted to our legislators to emphasize the value and the impact of retiree volunteering. Your volunteering can be anywhere in the community – with our youth (tutoring, volunteer teaching, church youth work), with our community (church activities, care giving, public office, mobile meals, service organizations), with WREA and LAREA (being an officer, attending district meetings, attending workshops and seminars).
For the 2019-2020 organizational year, 3,525 service hours were submitted.
For 2020-2021, 2,014 hours were submitted.
Volunteers from the LAREA served over 35 different organizations with their efforts.
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At the WREA Convention, it was announced the WREA Membership goals for this year are to bring in 500 new members to achieve 15,000 total members. To do this, a “Membership Blitz” was held in October. Every Monday of the month, WREA hosted a virtual pep rally to encourage membership chairs in their efforts and provide materials and ideas to recruit. We are being asked to contact all lapsed WREA members and prospective members from the last five years preferably by phone, since it is the personal touch that is successful. We are proud to announce that the Membership Blitz for new WREA members recognized La Crosse County and Walworth County tied in October. Please continue your efforts to recruit new members to both WREA and LAREA. Remember that WREA is your pension insurance. We have two lobbyists! Many states have zero. Educational institutions vary in their willingness to names and contact information about retirees with WREA and/or LAREA, which makes it difficult to recruit new members. For more information, go to WREA.net or contact Mary Ann Ekern.
A new initiative aimed at students in Grade 7 through 12 called “Educators Rising” is working to inspire these young people to consider becoming educators as a career.
As mentioned in October, seven LAREA members attended the convention in Pewaukee on September 26-28. Those attending were Carol Carlson, Mary Ann Ekern, Barb Fischer, Peggy Green, Lois Sanwick, Sue Schettle, and Margaret Wood.
LAREA Volunteer Hours Form: PDF file.
Sherry Kloety will be taking over collecting volunteer hours. Hours can be turned in at our monthly meetings, If needed, Sherry’s email is: skloety@centurytel.net or you can text her at: 608-498-3875.
Please continue to keep track of volunteer hours that you contribute to any organizations including LAREA and WREA. You can compile them and turn them in at a meeting. Sherry will submit them in September of 2023. Include number of hours and the activity or organization to which you donated your time.
These volunteer hours are submitted to our legislators to emphasize the value and the impact of retiree volunteering. Your volunteering can be anywhere in the community – with our youth (tutoring, volunteer teaching, church youth work), with our community (church activities, care giving, public office, mobile meals, service organizations), with WREA and LAREA (being an officer, attending district meetings, attending workshops and seminars).
For the 2019-2020 organizational year, 3,525 service hours were submitted.
For 2020-2021, 2,014 hours were submitted.
Volunteers from the LAREA served over 35 different organizations with their efforts.
WE CARE PACKAGES 2021 update. Thank you for all you have done! We and the children appreciate you! In record time 200 We Care bags, to assist children in crisis, were packaged and disseminated to area elementary school social workers last week. Bags will be started for middle and high school level students with packaging planned in January/February. Contact Mary Henthorne if you would like to purchase items or assist with the project. Email mjhen@acegroup.cc or call 507-896-6226.
Congratulations and Thanks to Members! Mary Henthorne was honored with a WXOW Jefferson Award. Like a Nobel Prize for Volunteerism, the award recognized Mary for her dedicated work on the ‘We Care Packages’ project. She in turn recognized her fellow volunteers and shone light on LAREA.
Once again…thank you to Nancy Boehm, Lynn Lange, Mary Henthorne. On September 9th, after the Zoom meeting some people met with the committee in La Crosse’s Southside ShopKo parking lot to drop off supplies. We have gotten monetary donations from LAREA members and the community. So, if you are willing to shop for these items, keep your receipts, turn them over to Barb Schultz, and she will reimburse you.
2021 WREA Convention Videos click here
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We Care Congratulations 2020. Mary Henthorne acknowledges the numerous supporters/sponsors of the We Care project this year at the following link.
She also mentions that, through Mike Foster, we received an anonymous donation of 21 tied blankets and 6 quilts for elementary school age children. The great work that many of you have done to expand the We Care project this year, included bags designed for middle & high school students in addition to elementary age children. Way to go!!!
She also mentions that, through Mike Foster, we received an anonymous donation of 21 tied blankets and 6 quilts for elementary school age children. The great work that many of you have done to expand the We Care project this year, included bags designed for middle & high school students in addition to elementary age children. Way to go!!!
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LAREA "We Care" 2019 given Award - Link
LAREA "We Care" 2019 given Award - Link
Three Meal Sites. You must register in advance for seating.
Three Meal Sites. You must register in advance for seating.
- Saint Andrew Street Site M-F 11:30 608-789-8640 or 608-519-2088
- Onalaska Community Center M-F 11:30
- Holmen Area Community Center M-F 11:00 & 12:00 608-399-1870
