United Way of Portage County Campaign Drive Chairs (from left) Amber Houck, Shannon Semmerling, Vikki Nason, and Kathy Davies pose for a photo with a caricature presented to them at the 2018 Recognition Luncheon on Feb. 13 for their work as drive chairs. Absent for the photo was Anna Weisbrod. (Contributed)

United Way honors individuals, organizations for support of 2018 campaign

February 14, 2019

For the Metro Wire

United Way of Portage County honored dozens of volunteers and businesses for their support during the 2018 campaign at its annual Recognition Luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center in Stevens Point.

The team of Kathy Davies, Vikki Nason, Amber Houck, Shannon Semmerling, and Anna Weisbrod – in their final role as the 2018 Campaign Drive Chairs – thanked the more than 160 United Way supporters at the luncheon for their contributions during the fall campaign that raised more than $3.125 million to help people in this community.

Major award winners included:

· Dennis Peterson, CEO and president of Delta Dental of Wisconsin received the Tina Peters Dedicated Service Award. “Get involved and give back, and what you get back from that experience is that you are going to really begin to understand who you are,” said Peterson in accepting the award. “The last 40 years of being part of this community have taught me a lot about myself.”

Peterson and his wife, Sharon, served as United Way Campaign Drive Chairs in 2011. Over the years, he has served a number of boards in Portage County, including ones for St. Michael’s Hospital, Portage County Business Council, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Chancellor’s Advisory Council.

· Nathaniel Springer, who helps manage the Sentry Theater, received the Fritzie Marquard Volunteer of the Year Award. Nathaniel earned the award for his long-time support in helping with the audio-visual at numerous United Way events and for his work in filming and producing a variety of videos for United Way, including the 2018 campaign video featuring actress Kathy Kinney.

· For the fourth consecutive year, Sentry Insurance received the Million Dollar Circle Award after raising $1.2 million during its 2018 campaign.

· Dawn Cherek of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Wisconsin received the Speakers Bureau Award for the second consecutive year.

· Receiving Special Recognition Awards were Aaron Deering of Sentry Insurance, Tammie Hutchinson of CN Railroad, and Tina Grimm of H.O. Wolding.

· Doug Ballweg received the Board President award for serving as the United Way Board of Directors President in 2018.

· Team Skyward received the Campaign Coordinator Team of the Year Award.

· Verso-Stevens Point Mill received the 2018 Community Spirit Award, a traveling award presented each year to an organization that demonstrates outstanding corporate and employee support of United Way, exemplifies great community spirt, and defines what it means to LIVE UNITED.

· Lineage Logistics (formerly Service Cold Storage), CN Railroad, Steel King Industries, Roosevelt Elementary, and BMO Harris Bank received the Special Service Award for commitment, leadership and innovation through an internal campaign or on behalf of the community campaign.

· McDill Elementary won the Education Services Award, which is awarded for outstanding effort from the community’s education institutions.

· Aspirus-Stevens Point Clinic received the Best New Campaign Award, which is awarded to an organization with a new campaign that demonstrates campaign best practices and concerted effort in support of the community through United Way.

· Delta Dental of Wisconsin received the Corporate Volunteer Engagement Award for providing and promoting volunteer engagement opportunities for its employees.

Receiving Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Corporate Campaign Awards given to businesses in each division for highest corporate gifts per capita (contribution divided by the number of employees) were:

AGRICULTURE: Platinum, Plover River Farms Alliance; Gold, Roberts Irrigation Company, Inc.; Silver, Fletcher Farms, Inc.; and Bronze, Allen Supply Company, Inc.

FINANCIAL: Platinum, BMO Harris Bank; Gold, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.; Silver, Old National Bancorp; and Bronze, Investors Community Bank.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS 1: Platinum, Sentry Insurance; Gold, Delta Dental of Wisconsin; Silver, Donaldson Company, Inc.; and Bronze, Skyward, Inc.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS 2: Platinum, WORZALLA; Gold, CN Railroad; Silver, Neenah Paper-Whiting Mill; Bronze, Ki Mobility.

MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING: Platinum, Worth Company; Gold, Steel King Industries; Silver, Gamber-Johnson LLC; and Bronze, Marten Machining, Inc.

RETAIL/WHOLESALE: Platinum, Len Dudas Motors; Gold, Midwest Hardware Association; Silver, H&S Protection Systems, Inc.; and Bronze, Mark Toyota of Plover.

SERVICES: Platinum, Wisconsin Public Service; Gold, The Boldt Company-WRV; Silver, Blenker Companies, Inc.; and Bronze, Spectra Print Corporation.

HEALTH: Platinum, Marshfield Clinic – Stevens Point Center; Gold, Cooper Dental; Silver, Hom Family Dentistry; and Bronze, Plover Family Dental Care.

Outstanding Campaign Awards were given to Bliss Educational Service Center for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Public Schools, Pacelli Catholic Middle School for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Parochial Schools, and Stevens Point Child Safety Center for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Partner Agencies.

GOLD STAR Employee Campaign Awards recognizing above average giving, regardless of number of employees, for companies with a minimum of 25-percent participation and an average weekly gift over $1 for all employee donors were handed out to: Aging & Disability Resource Center; Ameriprise Financial (SAA, LLC); Anderson O’Brien Bertz, Skrenes & Golla; Aspirus-Stevens Point Clinic; Associated Bank; Bannach Elementary; Ben Franklin Junior High School; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portage County; Blenker Companies, Inc.; Bliss Educational Service Center; BMO Harris Bank; Boys & Girls Club of Portage County; CAP Services, Inc.; Cherek, Pucci & Quick, S.C.; Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Community First Bank; Connexus Credit Union; Cooper Dental; Delta Dental of Wisconsin; DigiCOPY; Donaldson Company, Inc.; Ellis Construction Company, Inc.; Felker Brothers; Gamber-Johnson LLC; General Beer-Northeast, Inc.; Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.; H&S Protection Systems, Inc.; IBM; International Bank of Amherst; Investors Community Bank; Jefferson Elementary; JHL Digital Direct; Ki Mobility; Klismith Accounting & Tax Group SC; Len Dudas Motors; Madison Elementary; Mark Toyota of Plover; McDill Elementary; McKinley Elementary; Meals On Wheels; Mid-State Technical College; Midwest Hardware Association; National Wellness Institute; Neenah Paper-Whiting Mill; Notable Impressions; Old National Bancorp; Opportunity Development Center; Pacelli Catholic Middle School; Pineries Bank; Plover Police Department; Plover Whiting Elementary; Portage County Business Council; Portage County Housing Authority; Recycled Office Environments; Regnier Consulting Group; Rettler & Associates; River Cities Bank; Roosevelt Elementary; Scaffidi Motors, Inc.; Sentry Insurance; Service Cold Storage (Lineage Logistics); Simplicity Credit Union-Stevens Point; Skyward, Inc.; St. Bronislava School; St. Stephen School; Steel King Industries; Stevens Point Area Senior High; Stevens Point Child Safety Center; Stevens Point City Hall; Stevens Point Parks & Recreation; The Boldt Company-WRV; United Way of Portage County; UPS; Verso Corporation-Stevens Point Mill; Village of Plover; Washington Elementary; Welling Kitchens; Worth Company; and Wysocki Family of Companies.

United Way Campaign Leaders Awards for corporate and employee giving included:

$1,000,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts of $1,000,000 or more): Sentry Insurance.

$250,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts of $250,000 or more): Delta Dental of Wisconsin.

$50,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $50,000 and $100,000): Associated Bank; Donaldson Company, Inc.; Skyward, Inc.; Verso-Stevens Point Mill; and WORZALLA.

$25,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $25,000 and $49,999): Ascension Health Care; Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection; BMO Harris Bank; CAP Services; CN Railroad; Ki Mobility; Neenah Paper-Whiting Mill; Pointe Precision, Inc.; Scaffidi Motors; Spectra Print Corporation; Stevens Point Area Public Schools; and Wysocki Family of Companies.

$10,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $10,000 and $24,999): AIG Travel; Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla; Ellis Construction Company, Inc.; Gamber-Johnson LLC; Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.; Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Inc.; Inclusa, Inc.-Stevens Point; Len Dudas Motors; Marshfield Clinic-Stevens Point Center; Monogram Appetizers LLC; Regnier Consulting Group; Service Cold Storage (Lineage Logistics); Steel King Industries; University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; UPS; and Worth Company.

Named to United Way’s 100-Percent Club for companies with five or more employees reporting 100-percent participation were Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Wisconsin; Boys & Girls Club of Portage County; Connexus Credit Union; DigiCOPY; General Beer-Northeast, Inc.; H&S Protection Systems, Inc.; Len Dudas Motors; Mid-State Technical College; Portage County Business Council; Recycled Office Environments; Regnier Consulting Group; and United Way of Portage County.

The 2018 drive chairs concluded their tenure by passing the leadership torch to the team of Jeff Budelier, Doug Munsey, and Les Dobbe.