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Marshfield Area Community Foundation in the News
Golf fundraiser raises $10,000 for scholarships
November 18, 2009
—Marshfield News-Herald
The Fore Bill Memorial Golf Celebration was held Sept. 10 at the Marshfield Country Club. One-hundred-twenty-one golfers enjoyed a beautiful day of golf. Dinner and entertainment followed.
Two scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2010 to local students pursuing a medical education. This is made possible because of the very successful turnout of community, friends and relatives supporting this event.
Pat Allen presented a check for $10,303.03 to Amber Kiggens-Leifheit, executive director of the Marshfield Community Foundation. The actual amount raised from the golf outing was $8,503.03, with Pat Allen donating the remainder.
"I am overwhelmed with the generosity of this community and surrounding communities and their continued support of the Fore Bill golf outing," Allen said. "As we plan for the 2010 event, we hope this golf tournament can be as successful as the last two years." Plans are in the making for next year's Fore Bill Memorial Golf Celebration to be held Sept. 9, 2010.
Tiny Tiger wins national honor
November 11, 2009
JENNIFER FREDRICK—For the Marshfield News-Herald
In July, Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center was recognized at the 15th International Generations United Conference in Washington, D.C., as one of five 2009 MetLife Foundation/Generations United Intergenerational Shared Sites Best Practice award winners. This national honor recognizes organizations that demonstrate exemplary practices to develop their program, help grow the intergenerational shared site field, and inspire others to further expand on the best practices of intergenerational programs.
Best practice award winners are selected based on areas such as structured intergenerational curriculum, relationship building among all participants, impact on participants, planned and unplanned interactions, community needs, collaborative and well trained staff, community involvement, sustainability, evaluation, creativity and ability to be replicated by other organizations.
Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center brings together children from Child Care Centers of Marshfield-Tiny Tiger, students from Marshfield High School-Human Services Academy, and advanced aged, irreversible dementia/Alzheimer's, developmentally disabled and physically disabled adults from Companion Day Services under one roof.
Tiny Tiger opened in March 2007 and was designed by the Tiny Tiger Leadership Team with age-specific classrooms for the children, a classroom for Marshfield High School students enrolled in courses in the Human Services Academy, and an adult day center for the adults. Tiny Tiger is the first intergenerational center in the nation to include a high school educational classroom where students are learning to connect the generations while building relationships with all ages.
Courses in the Human Services Academy prepare students for careers such as psychology, social work, family or school counseling, education and geriatrics. Students apply knowledge gained from core high school courses while exploring career options that serve people. Students also serve the community by providing skilled workers who demonstrate honesty, respect, responsibility and teamwork.
At Tiny Tiger, there is an intergenerational library that holds hundreds of books that are available to be checked out by classroom teachers and families who attend Tiny Tiger. Adjacent to the facility is the Marshfield Outdoor Learning Sanctuary, a three-acre parcel of farmland that was donated to the School District of Marshfield in 2008. Soon, an outdoor classroom will be constructed on the site for Marshfield High School students, Companion Day Services participants, Child Care Centers of Marshfield children and Madison Elementary School students. This classroom will provide easy access for individuals from ages 1 through 101 to observe wildlife and interact with nature.
If you haven't visited Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center, please stop in or call for a personal tour of this creative, caring and award-winning program.
Jennifer Fredrick is the career and technical education coordinator at Marshfield High School. She can be reached at fredrickj@marshfield.k12.wi.us
(The Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center is funded through the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.)
Holocaust survivor to speak on forgiveness, medical ethics
November 5, 2009
Liz Welter—Marshfield News-Herald
Eva Kor, 75, not only survived the horrors of the Holocaust concentration camp Auschwitz, but she also is a survivor of the medical experiments conducted by the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele.
"Surviving Auschwitz and the Life Lessons I have Learned -- Ethics in Medicine and Research: Lessons from Mengele's Lab" is the topic of a free public presentation by Kor at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Columbus Catholic High School.
Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, were born in Romania in 1934 and used as experimental subjects by Mengele for nine months. The sisters were among 200 of the 3,000 children in Mengele's lab to survive, Kor said in an interview from her home in Indiana.
Following their liberation from Auschwitz, the sisters were orphans who later emigrated to Israel. As traumatic as their lives were, Eva and Miriam also suffered from ailments for which there was no medical explanation, since all of Mengele's records allegedly were destroyed. "Miriam had kidney failure because her kidneys never grew beyond the size for a 10-year-old," Kor said. Although Miriam had a kidney transplant, she died six years later, which Kor attributes to the toxic mix of chemicals the twins were injected with during Mengele's experiments.
Twins were valuable for Mengele's experiments, Kor said. One of the children in the pair provided a standard of control in experiments Mengele devised to understand disease and genetics.
"He could do things to one twin, and when that child died, there was an autopsy to learn how and why," Kor said.
"I was injected with a deadly germ, and when I didn't die, my sister was taken in for additional tests. That is when she was injected with something that affected her kidneys," she said.
While Kor could be bitter at her lot in life, she is not. Kor attributes forgiveness as key to her ability to heal emotionally.
"If I wanted to be angry, I could, but who would that help? Is that a life worth living? Will it bring back my parents or my health? It won't change anything. It is a fallacy that when justice is done, that everything will be OK. If we bring every Nazi to justice, what will that change in my life?
"Forgiveness has been taught as part of religion, but it has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with human beings needing to be free from physical and emotional pain," Kor said. Kor's visit to Marshfield is sponsored by a coalition of community groups, said Anne Nikolai, a research compliance educator at the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, where Kor will address physicians and scientists about medical ethics.
"Scientists and doctors do tremendously important work," Kor said.
"But if you are more interested in your discovery or your research than helping a human being, you are headed in the direction of Josef Mengele."
(This lecture was sponsored in-part by the Seniors Grant Program of MACF)
Girls Hockey Team Receives Grants
November 4, 2009
For the Marshfield News-Herald
The Marshfield Tigers Girls Varsity Hockey team is the recipient of two grants awarded by the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.
Both grants help cover the cost of improvements in the new varsity locker room. The locker room was part of the building addition and improvements recently completed by the Marshfield Youth Hockey Association.
The first grant, from the Women's Giving Circle, is for $300. The Women's Giving Circle supports programs which enhance the lives of women in the Marshfield area, and the addition of a varsity hockey locker room dedicated to the girl's team puts them on comparable basis with the boys varsity hockey program in Marshfield.
The second grant is a community grant approved by the board of trustees of the Marshfield Area Community Foundation. The community grant program supports organizations in the Marshfield area that enhance the quality of life for residents, and the locker room improvements are part of providing a quality experience to young women who participate in high school varsity hockey.
The Marshfield Area Community Foundation has been supporting and improving the quality of life in Marshfield and the surrounding area since 1993. They can be reached at www.marshfieldarea communityfoundation.org.
The Marshfield Tiger Girls varsity hockey program is playing its second year of varsity hockey in the 2009-2010 season after numerous years as a club team. While associated with the Marshfield School District the team is currently self-funded through various fundraising efforts and community donations. They can be contacted at PO Box 725, Marshfield WI 54449
ACE Academy hosts community foundation event
October 20, 2009
Liz Welter—Marshfield News-Herald
Donors and the public got a first hand look at what the Marshfield Area Community Foundation does with its donations Monday evening.
For the first time, the annual foundation event to announce grants to area agencies and organizations was held at the location of a beneficiary -- the new Marshfield High School Architecture, Construction and Engineering Academy.
Through a collaboration between the school, a grant from the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin and the foundation, the Academy was built for about $175,000 without using any public funding, said Aaron Staab, owner of Staab Construction, who was an organizer for the project and is also a donor to the foundation.
"It's really nice to see this," said Darlene Berry, a Marshfield Middle School teacher touring the new academy, which is a free-standing structure in the back of the high school designed to blend with the existing architecture.
About 60 students are enrolled in the Academy, said Ron Sturomski, ACE instructor.
"We were limited where we could complete projects," said Sturomski, who explained how students often needed to work outside until the Academy was built and opened to classes in September.
Bringing donors and area residents to a facility assisted by the foundation for the annual event demonstrates how the money is spent, said Amber Leifeit, foundation executive director.
"People like to see where it goes and what is done in the community," Leifeit said.
Foundation donates $11,500
October 2009
- $750 to Christmas Angel Project of Neillsville-Granton-Chili-Humbird
- $838 to Pathway Partners at Columbus High School
- $790 to Hewitt Area Parks and Trails Committee
- $1,500 to Home Delivered Meals Program
- $1,000 to Friends of the Marshfield Dog Park
- $500 to Marshfield Clinic Child Advocacy Center
- $750 to Personal Development Center
- $500 to Marshfield Girls Tiger Hockey
- $500 to Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
The following grants were made through the Foundation's Women's Giving Circle:
- $1,000 to Clark County Department of Social Services for energy assistance fund designated for women with families
- $1,000 to Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville, for a program to disperse prenatal vitamins in medically underserved areas
- $1,000 to Personal Development Center, for a supervised visitation and exchange program
- $300 to Marshfield High School Girl's Hockey Team
- $300 to Meals On Wheels Program at Saint Joseph's Hospital
- $300 to Soup or Socks, a community food pantry
To learn more about the Marshfield Area Community Foundation, log on to www.marshfieldarecommunityfoundation.org
A slide show of students dedicting the Grace Nycz Walking Trail at Washington School can be viewed at:
This walking trail was funded through the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.
Trail designed to get kids moving
September 17, 2009
Ashley A. Smith—Marshfield News-Herald
Some were running while others walked up the hill and around the back of Washington Elementary School in Marshfield Wednesday morning.
It was the first time students got the chance to use the new Grace Nycz Memorial Trail since construction was completed Tuesday.
"Our goal is to get more exercise," said Washington Principal Jim Cain, during the student assembly. "Even teachers can use it after school."
The half-mile trail took six years and $40,000 before being completed, said Deb Englehart, a fifth-grade teacher who helped coordinate building the trail, with donations from community members, retired teachers, Healthy Lifestyles, the Parent Teacher Organization and Marshfield Area Friends of the Trail.
Students are encouraged to use the trail as often as they can, especially so they participate or train for community events like the Sixth Grade Field Day or the YMCA's Cheese Chase.
"I'll probably walk around and bring my scooter here," said 10-year-old Mcqensey Koran.
The school also received pedometers so students can keep track of how many steps they've taken or how far they've gone on the trail.
For every five laps, Cain said students can earn tokens.
"We're getting kids moving," said Amber Kiggens-Leifheit, a Marshfield School Board member and former Washington parent. "Childhood obesity in Wisconsin has only gone up every year."
While the trail that travels around the back of the school is paved, there is still work to be done. Eventually, trees will be planted and learning stations installed for science class or multidisciplinary areas, Kiggens-Leifheit said.
The school still is looking for volunteers and donations of grass seed to cover patches of dirt alongside the trail, Englehart said.
"I have plenty of ideas," she said. "Where we have rollerblading day or bicycle day. We have limitless opportunities for what can be out here."
In honor of one of the trail's contributors, an official dedication ceremony will be held Oct. 17 for Grace Nycz, who died shortly after learning of the distinction.
ACE Academy ready for Marshfield High School students
ASHLEY A. SMITH—Marshfield News-HeraldAugust 20, 2009
One year earlier than expected, the new Architecture, Construction and Engineering Academy at Marshfield High School was unveiled Wednesday evening.
The academy, built with the assistance of high school students, is designed for those entering construction careers, apprenticeships, engineering, plumbing and electrical work. "We cannot forget the students," said Aaron Staab, owner of Staab Construction, who first thought of building the academy in 2005. "The students really contributed a great part of getting this done. I find it amazing this project was done in less than one year."
The academy, located behind the high school, resembles a small warehouse with shelves of hard hats, tool boxes and bags and electric tools lining its walls.
Prior to the ACE Academy, any construction project that wasn't wood work, was done on a small patch of gravel outside the school, said Ron Sturomski, the ACE instructor. "I was limited six to eight weeks in the fall and four in the spring," Sturomski said. "This is a heck of a facility for mainly wood machining and things of that nature, but we were limited in what big things we could do."
But with the academy, students could work more on learning larger projects like electrical wiring or laying mortar.
Funding from the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin, a state grant, cash and in-kind donations totaled about $220,000 for the academy.
"There were no public monies," Staab said. "Not a single public dollar was used and that was the whole goal to start with."
Without the donations and grant funds, the academy wouldn't have been created given the economy and state of school funding, said Superintendent Bruce King.
"This is a project that will serve our students for many years to come," he said. "We rely on public partnership and I believe it's one of the reasons we're so successful."
Sophomores, juniors and seniors who have an interest in construction will have to apply to the academy with a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Sturomski said about 100 students would benefit from the academy the first year.
Mitch Schindler, project manager of Marshfield-based Marawood Construction Services, said the academy is a resource for local companies and could help provide further hands-on training.
"Marshfield has always done a great job with students and construction," he said.
(The ACE Academy was funded through the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.)
MHS proposes outdoor classroom in nearby wetlands
ASHLEY A. SMITH—Marshfield News-HeraldMAY 27, 2009
The best way to teach students about animals, plants and the environment -- use the outdoors. It's the driving reason behind building the Marshfield Environmental Learning Center at the high school.
"Our focus is to create outdoor learning of science, horticultural and environmentally-based activities," said Jane Wagner, who has spearheaded the center's creation. "We also thought the children and elders could use this too."
The concept design of the outdoor sanctuary, with three ponds, two viewing decks and walking trails over the three acres of wetlands, won't be finalized until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers give their approval in June.
High school building technology students would construct the center's shelter and trail system.
The sanctuary has already been attracting ducks and birds since the ponds were excavated, Wagner said.
The outdoor classroom, located at Grant Street and Palmetto Avenue, has received more than 100 plant donations that science classes have been installing.
Mark Zee, an agriculture teacher and member of Friends of the Wetland, said the outdoor sanctuary provides a unique opportunity for Marshfield students.
"Being really close to the school makes it special," Zee said. "You don't have to go on a field trip, you can frequent it often."
Unlike a textbook or whatever teachers bring into the classroom, the outdoor center would allow students to notice changes throughout the school year, Zee said.
"One of the classes it will work well for is wildlife management class," Zee said. "We can do inventories for some aquatic plants, some diversity of wildlife out there, how habitat affects the drawing in of species and we can test the water quality for various things."
Wagner said while classes would use the sanctuary, it would be open to anyone who wanted to spend time there.
"I live in the neighborhood so even my family loves spending time over there," she said. "I can see it being an addition to the neighboring community, enhancing the community and an active learning opportunity for students of all ages."
Wagner said Friends of the Wetland is still striving to raise funds and donations for construction of the sanctuary, especially materials for the shelter and trails. "We don't want to develop this to become a tourist attraction," she said. "But to be a sanctuary for peaceful and quiet study, learning and research."
If the design is approved by the USACE and more funding becomes available, Friends of the Wetland expect construction to take place in September and October
Anne Adler, Founding Director Dies
January 2009
Anne Victoria Adler, 91 of Milwaukee, died Jan. 8, 2009, of natural causes. Anne was born June 1, 1917, to John Peter (J.P.) and Rosamond Victoria (Bille) Adler in Marshfield. She attended Milwaukee Downer College for two years and went on to earn her baccalaureate and a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Anne then earned her graduate degree in economics from the University of North Carolina. After earning her graduate degree, Anne went on to proudly teach economics to the GIs coming home from World War II at the University of Toledo. Anne also was extremely proud of the fact that she was one of the first women to earn a stockbroker's Securities and Exchange Commission license and enjoyed trading stocks and money management until late in her life. Anne and her sister, Elizabeth Adler of Marshfield, started the Marshfield Community Foundation, as a memorial to their parents, J.P. and Rosamond Adler. The Foundation was started with a challenge grant of $25,000 in 1993. Anne and Bette wanted to make a long-term impact on their hometown community of Marshfield. Today, through Anne and Bette's generosity, the Marshfield Community Foundation gives grants and scholarships to community groups and students and continues to grow in its endowment to a current value of $2.7 million. Along with her gift of giving to others, Anne's heart was filled with the love of the companionship of her dogs -- in particular the schnauzer breed. Anne also enjoyed being a member of Waupaca Historical Society and the Waupaca Genealogical Society. Anne has been a member of many other clubs and organizations, and enjoyed bird watching and photography. Anne will be missed.
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Marshfield High School Students Begin Construction of the New Architecture, Construction, and Engineering Academy Technology Center
Marshfield High School is offering a new two year program for students to explore careers in Architecture, Construction and Engineering. The first class at the ACE Academy has 48 students enrolled. These students are helping to build the ACE Technology Center on the grounds of Marshfield High School, with the support from local construction companies and contractors. The building’s entire cost of $160,000 will come from donations and in-kind services.
This demonstrates what can be done when individuals and small groups have a vision and the determination to pursue it. It illustrates the generosity and commitment of this community when asked to support meaningful and worthwhile projects.
The Community Foundation facilitates and supports projects like this through what we call “Project Specific Funds.” 
Unlike our endowed funds which are intended to last forever, project specific funds have a final goal in mind, usually a capital building project, and the fund is terminated when the project is completed.
If you would like to donate to the ACE Academy Project you may contact the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.
For more information about Project Specific Funds, see "Establishing a Fund" page.
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Marshfield Area Community Foundation Celebrates 15 of Caring in the Marshfield Area
The Marshfield Area Community Foundation held its annual Friends and Grants Reception on October 14th at Clearwaters Hotel and Convention Center and celebrated 15 years of caring in the Marshfield area. The Marshfield Area Community Foundation’s remembered its roots, honored the people who were important in getting the Foundation off the ground and those who brought it to where it is today. Community, Senior Citizen, and the Women’s Giving Circle Grants were awarded.
Anne and Betty Adler, the two daughters of John and Rosamond Adler, shared a goal: to make a long-term impact on their home community of Marshfield in the name of their parents. In 1993 they offered a challenge grant of $25,000 to establish the Adler Family Fund within the Foundation. It provided the motivating force from which the Marshfield Area Community Foundation emerged. Joe Lang shortly thereafter came forward to establish the Joe Lang Fund; thereby “matching” the amount required by the Adler grant, and the Marshfield Area Community Foundation was officially underway. During the last 15 years many people have served as trustees on the Board of Trustees. These individuals were honored for guiding and shaping the Community Foundation.
In the 15 years, the foundation has grown to over $3.3 million with 107 funds, and has given back over $2.5 million in grants to the community. The reception focused on the Grants Program. The Foundation awarded Community Grants to four applicants: Circle of Life Community Coalition to purchase software and a computer to build a potential donor database, New Visions Gallery to help fund the Paws & Reflect: Art of the Canines Exhibition, Marshfield Girls Tiger Hockey to help pay for the team expenses, and to the Pathway Partners Mentoring Program to begin a Leadership Marshfield Program for youth. The Senior Citizens Endowment Fund made grants to the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Central Wisconsin to provide scholarships for classes for aging or disabled adults, the Personal Development Center for an abuse in later life program, and Companion Day Services to help participants cover the cost of the program. The Women's Giving Circle awarded its first grants to The Personal Development Center for domestic violence education and support materials, Kiddie Kaboose to aid adolescent parents with child care needs while the parents attend High School and parenting education, and to social service agencies in Wood, Clark, and Marathon Counties for heating assistance for women and children in need during the upcoming cold winter months.
MACF is not satisfied with the growth they have experienced over their first 15 years. They see many needs in the community that must be faced, and believe that the Marshfield Area Community Foundation must continue to grow to help address them. The Marshfield Area Community Foundation pledges to continue to work hard to fulfill their mission: “connect people who care with causes that matter to enrich the quality of life here in the Marshfield area” for the next 15 years and forever.
A column about the Marshfield Area Community Foundation appears the third Thursday of every month in the Marshfield News Herald. Links to PDF copies of recent columns appear below.
| November, 2009 | MACF Celebrates Community Foundation Week |
| October, 2009 | MACF Continues to Make Grants that Enrich the Quality of Life in our Community |
| September, 2009 | Marshfield Outdoor Learning Sanctuary Celebrates Groundbreaking! |
| August, 2009 | Donate to the Marshfield Dog Park |
| July, 2009 | MACF Gives Back $2. 5 Million to the Community |
| June, 2009 | Women's Giving Circle Announcement - Request for Grant Proposals |
| May, 2009 | Our Future is in Good Hands |
| April, 2009 | Women’s Giving Circle Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary |
| March, 2009 | Staab Construction Friend to Marshfield |
| February, 2009 | Marshfield High School Class of 1954 Alumni Enhance Learning |
| January, 2009 | Scholarships Available! |
| December, 2008 | Christmas Giving |
| November, 2008 | Together we can enrich the quality of life in our community |
| October, 2008 | How do you want to be remembered? |
| September, 2008 | Fall: A time of new beginnings and goal setting. |
| August, 2008 | Lifelong learning! |
| July, 2008 | Hello! (The Marshfield Area Community Foundation introduces its new Executive Director, Amber Kiggens-Leifheit) |
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