2022 Annual Report

25 Years

You Care. We Care. Eau Claire.

Mission

We strengthen our community by offering donors opportunities to establish charitable legacies, by making grants, and by serving as a catalyst to address community needs.

The Eau Claire Community Foundation will be widely recognized in the area as the leading community resource promoting philanthropy, collaboration and innovation, and building endowments.

Leadership Award

The Ken & Roberta Vance Family

There’s very little that the Vance family HASN’T done for ECCF:

As Society of Founders members, Roberta and Ken Vance’s financial support helped ECCF open its doors, and as members of the Legacy Society, they’ve ensured that their support will continue for years to come. Both Ken and his daughter Suzanne Ashley served on ECCF’s Board of Trustees and on various Committees. Roberta is a Founding Member of the Women’s Giving Circle and has issued grants through her Pass-through Fund. Their son Jason established the Ken Vance Foundation Fund.

The Vances’ contributions to ECCF were already impressive, but in 2019, Roberta and Ken became fund holders as well. Their unrestricted Roberta and Ken Vance Fund addresses the community’s greatest needs by supporting ECCF’s annual grant cycle.

“There are more needs in this community than one person could possibly imagine,” Ken had explained when their fund was established. “If you have a penchant for giving but don’t know where the money should go, unrestricted funds are a great way to let the experts guide your giving.”

Although Ken passed away in 2020, his family is carrying on his legacy of generosity. ECCF is proud to give the 2022 Leadership Award to the Vance family, and we’re intensely grateful for everything they’ve done for ECCF—and continue to do.

“If you have a penchant for giving but don’t know where the money should go, unrestricted funds are a great way to let the experts guide your giving.”

- Ken Vance Roberta & Ken Vance Fund

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A Letter From Our Chair Ways to Give

Donate to a Fund

Support existing funds through a gift of any size. You can make your gift in honor of someone important to you. Visit www.eccfwi.org for a complete list of funds.

Create a Fund

Establish your own family fund with as little as $500. It will support the nonprofits you care about for years to come.

Learn About Our Committees

Volunteers strengthen ECCF’s role as a resource for our community by serving on our diverse array of committees.

Become a Women’s Giving Circle Member

WGC improves the quality of life for local women and children through collective philanthropy. Become a member with a $250 donation to the fund.

Dear Founders, Donors, Benefactors, and Friends, 25 Years, $31.6 Million endowed, over 362 funds, and more than $25 million in grants! None of this would be possible without the vision of our Society of Founders members; we thank them for having the foresight to establish ECCF, and we thank the donors who have invested in our community.

Over the past quarter century, ECCF has seen the needs change in our community and in our nonprofits, and we have worked to be responsive to those needs. As we move into our next 25 years, we will continue to help strengthen Eau Claire and its surrounding areas by following our mission of serving as a catalyst to address community needs.

As we celebrated our 25th Anniversary, we wanted local nonprofits to benefit from the celebration. We launched two initiatives: a crowdfunding campaign for our nonprofits and a Legacy Society initiative. Each new Legacy Society member was able to grant $500 to their favorite nonprofit which included a match of $500 to ECCF’s Community Fund. Through both initiatives, we gained 20 new Legacy Society members and created almost $350,000 of impact above and beyond the financial support from our annual grant cycles. ECCF’s 25th anniversary has been a celebration for the whole community!

But this isn’t the only anniversary we’re celebrating this year; we also congratulate our Women’s Giving Circle Fund on its 15th anniversary. Since 2008, the WGC has awarded over $451,000 in grants to support local women and children! More about their 15th Anniversary initiatives can be found on page 10 of the Annual Report.

Thank you to our generous donors, past and present, for 25 years of improving life in the Eau Claire area. We couldn’t have done it without you!

We look forward to our next 25 years of serving the community!

Linda Danielson Sue Bornick Board Chair Executive Director

Year at a Glance

49%

FIRST-TIME DONORS

19%

42% 25

GIFTS LESS THAN $100

GIFTS IN HONOR OR MEMORY OF SOMEONE

554

NEW FUNDS ESTABLISHED

GRANTS ISSUED

Charitable Fund Options

We will work with you to establish the type of fund that best suits your charitable goals

A Starter Approach - Acorn Fund

A fund that will slowly grow over time. When the minimum balance has been reached, your fund will become one of the funds listed below.

A Flexible Approach

- Unrestricted Fund

This fund will give to the greatest ever-changing needs in our community forever

A Personal Approach

- Donor Advised Fund

Recommend grants for charitable causes that have special meaning to you

A Focused Approach

- Field of Interest Fund

Support a broad charitable area of interest by choosing areas that you are most passionate about

A Targeted Approach

- Designated Fund

Choose one or more charitable organizations to receive ongoing support

Creating a Charitable Fund

• Choose a fund name and purpose

• Select one of ECCF’s investment options

• Sign a fund agreement describing your charitable intent

• Make a gift of cash, securities, real estate, etc to establish a fund

• Watch your fund grow by investment and additional contributions

Provide

will benefit our community

ensures your

The Eau Claire Community Foundation established the Legacy Society to recognize its members who have made provisions in their estate plans to provide a gift to ECCF for the causes they care about the most.

By including ECCF in your will, establishing a charitable gift annuity or remainder trust, or naming the Foundation as beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan distribution, you can join other Legacy Society members who look beyond the here and now to the future well–being of the greater Eau Claire area.

These Legacy Society members have included the Eau Claire Community Foundation in their estate plans:

Anonymous (5)

Helen & Karl Andresen*

Dr. David* & Joan Angell

Richard R. & Sara Solie Baer

Bob & Louise Barfknecht

Janet Barland

Thomas & Jill Barland

Jack & Carol Bartingale*

Jerry & Sue Bauer

Doris J. Bautch

Bill & Winnie Bean

Jason & Jennifer Beckermann

Priscilla Berry

Stephen & Kristine Bien

Preston & Mary Kay Bissell*

Bill & Beth Blackburn

Don & Kim Bodeau

Robert & Andrea Bodeau

Mel* & Leann Breed

Greg Bremer & Jennifer Hanson-Bremer

Daniel F. & Margaret J. Brown*

Susan J. Bruce

Thomas & Joyce* Bruckner

Jim Carter & Victoria Miller

David & Mary Ciresi

Carol Craig

Roger & Betty Davis

Paul Del Torto

Arnie & Lois Domer*

Don* & Jan Etnier

B.J. & Bea Farmer*

Jennifer & Joseph Fesenmaier

Cody Filipczak

Victoria E. Finstad

Larry E. & Ida B.* Fischer

Leonard E. Gibbs* & Mary E.

(Betsy) McDougall Gibbs

Annie Grewe

Charles & Becky Grossklaus

Ann Gunderson Thornburg

Cindy L. Hangartner

Christopher & Julie

Hasenberg

Dick & Karen Hebert

Mark & Lois Helland

Lawrence Henkel

Dr. Eldon Hill*

Bernard & Karla Hoefgen

Jon N. & Maureen S. Homstad

Edna Hood*

Duane & Laura Hookom

Al & Peggy Jones

John Kaiser & Marcia Van Beek

Dr. David & Alice Katz

Betsy Kell

Dr. Daniel & Kerry Kincaid

Marianne & David Klinkhammer

Joseph Koehn*

Kathy Kovell

Carol Larson

Richard D. & Marcia D. Larson

Thomas G. Larson

John & Jane Lokken

Sherry L. Macaul

Melania Madis*

Keith & Alison Martin

Buzz & Mary Ann Minton

Thomas Misfeldt & Lisa Stark

Gregg & Emily Moore

Lois & Marlin Mueller

Jon & Erika Munger

Tim & Carol Olson

Karen Overhulser

Tim & Denise Pabich

Jim & Kathy Pinter

Jack & Lois Postlewaite

Lyle & Karyn Quandt

Pat & Sue Quinn

Jackie & Ken Rasmussen

Molly Reijo

Duane & Ruth Sackett*

Andrew & Brenda Schlafer

Cindy Schlosser & Paul Wagner

William & Kathleen Schoener

Steve & Kaye Senn

Flo & Terry* Sheridan

Chuck Shoemaker Jr. & Lori John-Shoemaker

Bradley J. & Janet E. Smith

Vernon* & Jo Ann Smith

Jerry & Beth Speckien

Sarah Stokes & Chris Herzog

Jack Stromwall*

Robert J. and Carol Klun

Swanson

Don & Laura Talley

Amy Thurston

John Thurston*

Susan & Roger Tietz

Dr. Joseph M. & Jean M. Tobin*

Gary* & Sonya Tourville

Dr. Peter Ullrich & Susan Pittman

Kenneth* & Roberta Vance

Jan & Kathryn VerHagen

Ron* & Johanna Warloski

Paul & Cheri Weinke

Jeff & Kathy White

(Daniel

Heidi Fisher

Dr. Louis & Janet Frase

Roy & Janice Fuerstenberg

Richard T. Gannon

Karl Murch

Charles D. & Sue E. Nyberg

Daniel & Mary Ann Ogan

Rick & Carol Olson

Bonnie Wright

Dr. Jack & Cleo Young

*Denotes deceased

New Member

“Through our work with Feed My People Food Bank and other charities, as well as Mary Ann’s work with the Eau Claire Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Circle, we’ve seen how much good nonprofits do for the community. We’re joining the Legacy Society so our bequest can help that good work continue.”

-Mary Ann and Dan Ogan

and Mary Ann Ogan Educational Fund)

you care...

25th Anniversary Celebration

During our 25th Anniversary Celebration, artist Holli Jacobson created a painting. That painting now hangs in the ECCF office to commemorate 25 years of supporting the community!

Cheers to 25 Years!

Tom Larson giving a toast at the 25th Anniversary Celebration

Gerald Jacobson & Scott Hoffmann

Steve & Kaye Senn

ECCF Board of Trustees, 2022

In the year leading up to our 25th anniversary celebration...

IMPACTOF25TH ANN I VERSARYCELEBRATION

$349,857

IN GRANTS DISTRIBUTED ABOVE AND BEYOND NORMAL ECCF GRANT CYCLES!

181

61 GRANTS AWARDED

20

NEW LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS NONPROFITS IMPACTED

Legacy Society Initiative

Legacy Society members help ensure ECCF’s continued strength by designating gifts to ECCF in their wills or estate plans.

As a special thank you to new Legacy Society members during the year leading up to our 25th Anniversary, they were able to recommend $1,000 in grants. These grants were made possible by the Founding Board of Trustees and their families.

Of each member’s $1,000 grant, $500 went to ECCF’s Community Fund to address our area’s greatest needs through our annual Community Grant Cycle. The remaining $500 went to a nonprofit of their choice.

New Legacy Society members together recommended $10,000 in grants to local nonprofits. Now THAT’S a celebration!

Carol and Tim Olson presenting a grant to Chippewa Valley Museum

Manz family presenting a grant to Feed My People

Tom and Jill Barland presenting a grant to JONAH

Phil and Jan Happe presenting a grant to Family Promise of the Chippewa ValleyBeacon House

“The Eau Claire Community Foundation has made the Chippewa Valley Museum, and all of Eau Claire, a better place, and that is a legacy that needs to be celebrated.”

– Carrie Ronnander Chippewa Valley Museum

we care...

Women’s Giving Circle Fund (WGC)

Since 2007, the Women’s Giving Circle (a Fund of ECCF) has been fulfilling its mission to improve the quality of life for women and children in the greater Eau Claire area through collective philanthropy.

The WGC began as the vision of its Founding members, a group of 100 women who pooled their money to establish the Women’s Giving Circle Fund. Since then, the WGC’s membership has grown to more than 250 members, and it has awarded over $451,000 in grants to 43 local nonprofits.

In 2022, the WGC launched initiatives to recruit 25 new members and 15 new Lifetime Members. The recruitment initiatives were a resounding success! 40 new members joined, and 15 became Lifetime Members. These new members will help the group support local women and children for years to come.

Each year, WGC members organize a free Educational Event regarding an issue that’s important to the community. Topics have ranged from Alzheimer’s disease to homelessness. In 2023, the Educational Event featured a panel of experts who discussed childcare challenges and opportunities in the Chippewa Valley.

Together, the WGC members learn, collaborate, and empower to make the greatest impact in our community. Consider becoming a member today!

Celebrating 15 years!

$49,600

$451,021

TotalMem b ers 235

N ew Memb ers in202 2 40

Photo taken at the 2022 WGC Annual Meeting

Your Gifts at Work

Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley Lee & Mary Markquart Center

The Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley – Lee & Mary Markquart Center received a WGC grant to expand mental health resources to its members by creating a sensory room and providing sensory seating and tactile tools in each of the programming spaces.

The Club used the grant to convert an office space into a dedicated sensory room, which members utilize in times of need and for mental health focused programming. It allows kids to work through their emotions and gives them a quiet space to decompress if they’re overwhelmed by noise in the cafeteria or other loud spaces.

Sensory items have also been added to each of the programming spaces to aid members who are overwhelmed with emotion but want to remain where they are.

Thanks to this grant, young people at the Club are better able to manage their emotions so they can focus on academic success and healthy relationships.

2022 WGC Grant Recipients

Chippewa Valley Free Clinic

Advancing Women’s Health Services, Year 2

$7,500

Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center Youth Engagement Initiative

$6,500

Professional Dental Hygiene Express Bright Smiles

$7,500

Family Resource Center Reaching More Families with Triple P Positive Parenting Program

$7,500

Feed My People Food Bank Childhood Hunger Program Expansion

$7,500

Eau Claire Laundromat Libraries

“Read, Play, and Learn”

$5,600

Literacy Chippewa Valley

English Language Learners Class with Childcare

$7,500

L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library

Community Fund

Dozens of nonprofits work hard to improve Eau Claire’s quality of life. How do you choose which one to support? With the Community Fund, you don’t have to! A gift to this fund helps ECCF fund grant requests that address our area’s most pressing needs, whatever they may be.

The Community Fund supports grants to nonprofits in all four ECCF giving categories: Create Culture, Form Futures, Give Green, and Offer Opportunities. Because it’s unrestricted, grant reviewers can draw upon it to recommend grants to a variety of worthy organizations for approval by ECCF’s Board of Trustees during our annual Community Grant Cycle.

Gifts to the Community Fund not only help ensure that all Eau Claire residents have what they need to stay safe and healthy; they also help make Eau Claire the diverse and vibrant place we love.

Your Gifts at Work

Roundtable Revival

by Don Mowry, Roundtable Revival Board Member

The evidence is in—if a community shifts its focus from controlling and sanctioning people who have served their time in jail or prison to extending needed supportive services, communities can aid reintegration and increase their odds of success.

Roundtable Revival is an emerging, reentry-focused nonprofit with this mission: To cultivate inclusive, accepting, and empowering spaces for people who face barriers due to a conviction history. We also believe that it’s critical to bring everyone to the table to create positive, supportive recovery and reentry solutions.

From the very beginning, we’ve made the integration of people who have lived experience with the criminal justice system a foundation for the board, staff, and volunteers who serve as peer mentors. In the fall of 2022, we’re starting our first program, an intensive, 13-week mentoring program that matches trained volunteer mentors and peer mentors with individuals who are trying to be successful after a period of incarceration.

We’re initially focusing on women because their reentry needs are often overlooked. We’ll be adding a second site for men in the spring of 2023.

“It’s critical to bring everyone to the table to create positive, supportive recovery and reentry solutions.”

-Don Mowry Roundtable Revival Board Member

25YEARS O F IMPACT COMMUNITY FUND $441,880 Total Donations Received $319,648 Grants Distributed 140 Grants to Nonprofits

(Since Inception)

we care...

Your Gifts at Work

Western Dairyland E.O.C.

by Dale Karls, Communications Coordinator for Western Dairyland

Western Dairyland E.O.C. is a non-profit community action agency established in 1966 to help the economically disadvantaged in west-central Wisconsin. Western Dairyland E.O.C. operates more than 20 unique programs providing short and long-term opportunities for children, teens, families, and seniors. With support from the Eau Claire Community Foundation, a food pantry was added to assist clients in two of these programs: Chippewa Fresh Start and Housing First.

Chippewa Fresh Start provides education, employment skills, and career direction for young adults, ages 16 to 25, by involving them in the construction of a new house. During the program, participants gain valuable skills, perform community service, and prepare for post-secondary education or careers. The most important goals of the program are to build self-esteem and help young adults become self-sufficient.

Housing First provides long-term housing and case management services for 25 chronically homeless individuals and families in the Eau Claire area. Anyone in the community experiencing homelessness is assessed by a case manager, and those who are deemed most vulnerable are placed directly into apartments. Once housing is provided, clients are offered help with mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment. In both programs, clients often move into apartments of their own for the first time.

A readily accessible food pantry eases the financial burden and makes it possible for them to be successful as they transition to independent living.

we care...

“Our services are more robust and our clients are more successful thanks to the funding we received from the Eau Claire Community Foundation.”

- Anna Cardarella CEO, Western Dairyland E.O.C

Lois & Arnold Domer Fund

Unrestricted Fund Spotlight

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“One couple, one gift, one Fund: That’s all it took to change hundreds of lives for the better. That’s the power of a legacy.” -

Lois & Arnold Domer Fund

ECCF owes its existence to the vision, generosity, and dedication of many people. Among them are Lois and Arnold Domer, whose gift created a legacy that’s still enhancing the Eau Claire area’s quality of life.

Arnie Domer’s great financial success was no accident: Through hard work and perseverance, he went from delivering baked goods as a boy to owning Arnie’s Ski and Garden Center, a thriving business that was an Eau Claire landmark for years.

The Domers wanted their impact on Eau Claire to live on long after them. They made a one-million-dollar donation to what was then the Eau Claire Area Foundation because, as Arnie explained, “We made it here—we want to leave it here!”

Arnie passed away soon after making his gift, but his vision was fulfilled. Grants from this unrestricted fund address a variety of pressing local needs, with a special emphasis on the Domers’ passions: animals, the environment, and outdoor activities.

The Fund that Arnie and Lois created has already had an incredible impact on the community, and that impact will continue for years to come.

25YEARS O F IMPACT UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

(Since Inception)

$4,293,008 Total Donations Received $1,867,870 Grants Distributed 697 Grants to Nonprofits $3,861,956 Current Balance of Unrestricted Funds

Unrestricted Funds

The needs of our community are constantly changing, and this type of fund allows ECCF the most flexibility to allocate the grant dollars to the greatest needs of our community through the competitive grant process.

B.J. & Bea Farmer Family Fund

Charter Bank Eau Claire Fund

Community Fund

Daniel F. & Margaret J. Brown

Memorial Fund

Dean & Susan Olson Family Fund

Ed & Judy Ramsey Fund

Gene & Judy LaFave Family Fund

Giving Traditions Fund

Goff Family Fund

Jack & Lois Postlewaite Family Fund

James H. Cupery Fund

Lois & Arnold Domer Fund

Mary Mills Falkner & Robert John Falkner

Memorial Fund

Paul & Cheri Weinke Family Fund

Phillip & Barbara Fey Fund

Preston & Mary Kay Bissell Fund

Richard T. Gannon Fund

Roberta & Ken Vance Fund

Royal Credit Union Fund

Susan & Roger Tietz Fund

T. Gordon & Gladys P. Keith Fund

The following grants were supported by Unrestricted Funds during the 2022 Community Grant Cycle:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin

Bolton Refuge House, Inc.

Children’s Museum of Eau Claire

Chippewa Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America

Chippewa Valley Museum

Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild

Eau Claire Children’s Theatre

Eau Claire County Humane Association

Eau Claire Jazz, Inc

Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley

Fierce Freedom

Flying Eagles Ski Club, Inc

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes

Grace Lutheran Foundation Inc.

Hope Gospel Mission

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin North & West Central Region

Literacy Chippewa Valley

Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, Inc.

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin

Roundtable Revival, Inc.

The Community Table

The Eastside Hill Neighborhood Association

Trinity Equestrian Center

Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council Incorporated

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release, Inc.

ECCF Timeline

ECCF began with an ending: When a major local funder, the Hobbs Foundation, issued its last grant in 1995, our Society of Founders filled the void it left by starting their own community foundation. The rest is history…

Funds Established: 16

Grants Distributed: $ 263,289

Total Assets: $ 2,080,689

1997 - 2001

• The Founding Board of Trustees sets a goal to find at least 25 Society of Founders members willing to donate $10,000 or more to establish ECCF—by the end of 1998, the SOF has 64 members!

• The Richard D. Larson family establishes the first Family Fund with a portion of a $1 million gift.

• The Young family establishes first Charitable Lead Trust.

• The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library Endowment Fund is established—the beginning of the library’s long-term partnership with ECCF.

Past Chairs

• ECCF receives National Standards Certification through the Council on Foundations.

• Lois and Arnold Domer give $1,000,000 to establish their Unrestricted Family Fund, which has supported $715,996 in grants to local nonprofits.

• The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library Capital Campaign Fund is established.

• The Eau Claire Area Foundation officially changes its name to the Eau Claire Community Foundation.

• The Women’s Giving Circle, a fund of ECCF, is established.

2002 - 2006

Funds Established: 66

Grants Distributed: $ 971,592

Total Assets: $ 5,329,008

• ECCF celebrates its 10th anniversary!

• Sculpture Tour Eau Claire joins nonprofits in establishing funds.

• The Eau Claire Public Schools becomes the first Supporting

• Mary Kay Bissell is the first person beneficiary of her annuity.

Dick Larson

Susan Tietz

Jack Postlewaite

Jon N. Homstad

Dick Cable*

25 Years of Being the Heart of the Community

• In 2012, ECCF celebrates its 15th Anniversary and WGC celebrates its 5th anniversary.

• Phyllis Goff establishes the Goff Family Fund by donating the first gift of real estate.

Funds Established: 143 Grants Distributed: $ 2,179,874 Total Assets: $ 6,317,263

2007 - 2011

anniversary!

joins many other local funds.

Schools Foundation (ECPSF) Organization. person to make ECCF the

• New laws allow donors to give IRA assets to charity.

• The Confluence Building Fund is established to build the Pablo Center at the Confluence.

• Draper Hills Financial Literacy Endowment Fund, established by Dr. Eldon Hill, grants close to $100,000 a year to support the Loyal, WI school district programs.

2012 - 2016

Funds Established: 230 Grants Distributed: $ 5,249,736

Total Assets: $ 20,363,973

Funds Established: 362 Grants Distributed: $ 25,208,049

Total Assets: $ 31,671,179

2017 - 2022

• In 2017, ECCF celebrates its 20th anniversary and WGC celebrates its 10th anniversary.

• The Story Builder Campaign for the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library Expansion is established.

• The Response and Recovery Fund distributes more than $612,000 in grants to area nonprofits struggling to cope with COVID-related losses and expenses.

• ECCF launches its first Grant Catalog crowdfunding software and Legacy Society Initiative.

• In 2022, ECCF celebrates its 25th anniversary and the WGC celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Excludes Agency Fund Grants of $4,264,542 Funds/Grants/Assets numbers include Supporting Organizations and Affiliates

Charles Graaskamp*

2007-2009

Karl Murch

Laura Talley

Mark Faanes

Jane Lokken

Pat Quinn

Paul Weinke 2009-2011

Field of Interest Funds

This type of powerful giving allows fund holders to support nonprofits that address their passions and interests, such as art, education, the environment, or medical care. They are broad in scope and encompass many of the needs in our community.

Anonymous Fund

After school program

Aubre’s Fund

Children & animals

Beckermann Family Fund

Family literacy, homelessness, and arts & culture

Children’s Legacy Endowment Fund

Children

Daniel & Mary Ann Ogan

Educational Fund

Form Futures programs

Denise Murch Memorial Fund

Basic needs in the community

Draper Hills Financial Literacy

Endowment

Financial literacy education, Loyal, WI

Edna Hood Memorial Fund

Literacy & music programs

Education Fund

Form Futures programs

Fuerstenberg Family Fund

Form Futures programs

Jim & Kathy Pinter Mental Health Fund

Mental health

John & Jane Lokken Fund

Create Culture, Give Green & ECCF Operations

Junior League of Eau Claire

Endowment Fund

Women’s and children’s programs

Laura & Duane Hookom Family Fund

Parks & recreation

Louis & Janet Frase Fund

Children’s programs

M&J Employee Impact Endowment Fund

Basic needs & education

Mayo Clinic Health System

Children’s Health Fund

Children’s health programs

Michael Lund Memorial Fund

Physical & mental health programs for children

Nellie & John I. Kaiser Memorial Fund

Children’s literacy programs

Opportunities for All Children

Legacy Fund

Children with disabilities

Royal CU and ECCF Nonprofit Professional Development Fund

Education for nonprofits

S.S. Safari All-Star Fund For shelters, foster care, & cancer research programs for dogs

Victoria E. Finstad Fund

Nordic culture programs

Women’s Giving Circle Endowment Fund

Women & Children

FIELD OF INTEREST FUNDS

25YEARS O F IMPACT

(Since Inception)

$5,049,816

Total Donations Received $1,189,605 Grants Distributed

314 Grants to Nonprofits $4,292,018 Current Balance of Field of Interest Funds

Edna Hood Memorial Fund & Aubre’s Fund

Field of Interest Fund Spotlight

Edna Hood Memorial Fund & Aubre’s Fund

Edna Hood was many things to many people: a beloved English professor, a passionate supporter of causes that were important to her, an enthusiastic traveler, and a dear friend. Her generosity touched countless lives, and its impact will continue through the Field of Interest Funds that she established.

This Field of Interest Fund supports two of Edna’s passions— music and literacy. During each annual Community Grant Cycle, ECCF grant reviewers recommend funding from the Edna Hood Memorial Fund for the grant applications that most closely match its mission. Previous grantees include Literacy Chippewa Valley, Stand in the Light Memory Choir, and the Eau Claire Municipal Band.

Edna also established Aubre’s Fund—a Field of Interest Fund that supports children and companion animals—in honor of her sister Aubre, who died as an infant. Like the Edna Hood Memorial Fund, Aubre’s Fund is a continuing source of support for grant applications that address its mission. Among other organizations, it has supported Bob’s House for Dogs, Girls on the Run of the Chippewa Valley, and the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire.

Although Edna passed away in 2014, her spirit of giving lives on. Thanks to her, children, animals, music, and literacy are flourishing in the Eau Claire community. we care...

“Although Edna passed away in 2014, her spirit of giving lives on. Thanks to her, children, animals, music, and literacy are flourishing in the Eau Claire community.”

- ECCF

Ken Vance Foundation Fund

Donor Advised Fund Spotlight

Ken Vance Foundation Fund

Ken Vance was—and is—a pillar of the Eau Claire community. Thanks to the thriving dealerships that he founded, his name appears on vehicles throughout the city. His business acumen was rivaled only by his generosity; not only did his community service greatly improve the area’s quality of life, but his award-winning collaboration on the Lowes Creek Watershed Project united public and private interests to protect the creek’s water quality.

Ken’s son Jason established the Ken Vance Foundation Fund to carry on that legacy of giving. He explained, “My father instilled in all of us kids that you get what you give. He loved Eau Claire, and he always made it a point to be very philanthropic when it came to charities in Eau Claire. When my father passed away in 2020, I wanted to create something that would ensure that he was never forgotten and that would be an arm of giving well after I’m gone.”

Because Ken and his wife Roberta had established the unrestricted Roberta and Ken Vance Fund in 2018, Jason decided to continue their legacy through ECCF. “I chose ECCF as that arm of giving because of the history that my father and mother have with the organization. I also think that Sue and the rest of the staff do an impeccable job of managing it.”

ECCF sincerely thanks Jason and his family for putting their trust in our Foundation. We’re glad we can play a role in carrying on the philanthropic legacy of a truly extraordinary man.

we care...

“I wanted to create something that would ensure that he was never forgotten and that would be an arm of giving well after I’m gone.”

- Jason Vance

25YEARS O F IMPACT DONOR ADVISED FUNDS

(Since Inception)

$13,860,461

Total Donations Received $5,120,313 Grants Distributed 1,817 Grants to Nonprofits $10,755,265 Current Balance of Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds

These Funds allow individuals, families, and businesses to be fully involved in their philanthropy. Fund holders have the flexibility to recommend grants to their charitable interests, while ECCF handles all of the paperwork.

Anonymous Fund (1)

5 Martin’s Family Fund

Access Eau Claire Fund

Anonymous Donor Advised Fund

Anonymously Fund

Babbette’s Seeds of Hope

Billie G. Macaul Memorial Fund

Bob & Louise Barfknecht Fund

Brotoloc North Mental Health Fund

Carlson Family Fund

Charles & Joanne Graaskamp Fund

Christopher J. & Julie A. Hasenberg

Family Fund

Chuck & Lori John Shoemaker Family Fund

Cindy Schlosser & Paul Wagner Fund

Clark Family Fund

Cody & Molly Filipczak Family Fund

Dan & Debbie Market Family Fund

David B. & Dorothy H. Owen Family Fund

David T. Bodeau & Family Fund

Dick & Marlene Cable Family Fund

Dr. Ronald & Patricia Lange Family Fund

Eau Claire Community Parks Association

Frederikson Family Fund

Grewe Family Fund

Jack & Carol Bartingale Family Fund

Janet Barland Fund

Jeffrey & Karen Jones Family Fund

Jerry & Sue Bauer Family Fund

John & Betsy Kell Family Fund

John & Tami Satre Family Fund

John Matthew Fesenmaier Children’s Fund

Jon N. & Maureen S. Homstad Family Fund

Karen Overhulser Fund

Katharine’s Wish - Everett/Rhoten

Family Fund

Kathy and Jeff White Family Fund

Ken Vance Foundation Fund

Kiwanis Club of Eau Claire

Endowment Fund

Koehn Family Endowment Fund

Krause Family Fund

Kristo Family Fund

L & M Foundation, Lois & Marlin

Mueller Fund

Larry E. Fischer Fund

Larson Family Fund

Lasker Star of Hope Fund

Leonard E Gibbs Fund to Promote

Excellence in Evidence Informed

Research & Practice in the Helping Professions

Mattoon Family Fund

Mayer Family Fund

Michael & Jane O’Meara Family Fund

Mohr’s Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Endowment Fund

My Dad - Milton & My Mom -

Elnora Siker Fund

Norm & Mary Ellen Keller Fund

O’Halloran Family Fund

Pabich Trust Fund 2004

Pat & Sue Quinn Recreational Fund

Paul & Jill Kulig Family Fund

Paul and Karen Kohler Family Fund

Paul Del Torto Fund

Philip & Janice Happe Family Fund

Phillip & Barbara Fey Family Fund

Public Gardens Fund

Richard J. Ziemann Fund

Robert R. Southard Memorial Fund

Scobie Family Fund

Stephen & Kristine Bien Family Fund

Talley Family Fund

Terry & Flo Sheridan Family Fund

Thomas & Jill Barland Fund

Thorpe Peltier Family Fund

The Thurston “It’s the little things” Family Fund (Amy E. Thurston & her parents, John R. Thurston & Helen Kroll Belongia)

Tim and Carol Olson Family Fund

Wildenberg Family Fund

William & Kathryn Bergman Fund

Young Family Fund New Funds

Designated Funds

These funds allow fundholders to select specific charities (nonprofits, churches, and schools) that their fund will grant to forever.

Buzz & Mary Ann Minton Fund

OutdoorMore, Inc.

Dean J. Arnold Endowment Fund

Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire

Public Schools Foundation, Wisconsin

Logging Museum

Dr. Joseph M. & Jean M. Tobin Family

Designated Fund

Beaver Creek Reserve

Dartmouth & Mt. Holyoke Colleges

Dr. Michel & Cathy Sultan Fund

Chippewa Valley Free Clinic

Eau Claire, Dunn, & Pepin County

Medical Society Fund

Chippewa Valley Free Clinic

Epilepsy Foundation of Western WI

ECPD Community Crisis Fund

Eau Claire Police Department

ECPD K9 Fund

Eau Claire Police Department

Gary & Sonya Tourville Family Fund

Augusta Area Foundation

Eau Claire YMCA

Helen & Karl Andresen Family Endowment for Special Needs Fund

Helen’s House at REACH, Inc.

Higbee Family Fund

Courte Oreilles Lakes Association (COLA)

Hoefgen Family Fund

Chippewa Valley Symphony

Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra

Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley

Feed My People Food Bank

Pablo Center at the Confluence

YMCA of the Chippewa Valley

Hubbard & Kathryn Robbins Family Fund

Robbins Elementary

Jeanne Richie Memorial Puddle Jump

Endowment Fund

Longfellow Elementary

John & Lela Thompson Fund

Chippewa Valley Museum

L.E. Phillips Senior Center

Spirit Lutheran Church

Kyanna Joy Darnell Flutter Buster Fund

Elementary schools of Altoona & Owen-Withee

L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library

Endowment Fund

L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library

L.E. Phillips Senior Center Endowment Fund

L.E. Phillips Senior Center

Lac Courte Oreilles Legacy Fund

Courte Oreilles Lakes Association (COLA)

Lloyd and Patricia Everhart Fund

Feed My People, Hope Gospel Mission, Boys & Girls Club of the Greater CV, and Bolton Refuge House, Inc.

Lyle & Karyn Quandt Fund

Special Olympics WI - Area 3

Ralph Owen Disaster Relief

Perpetual Fund

American Red Cross – CV

Roger & Betty Davis Fund

CV Symphony, CV Museum, EC Chamber Orchestra, CV Theatre Guild, UWEC Music Dept., Pablo Center at the Confluence

Sculpture Tour Eau Claire Endowment Fund

Sculpture Tour

Stromwall Family Student

Emergency Fund

CVTC Foundation

Thomas & Joyce Bruckner Fund

American Red Cross- CV Family Promise of the CV Feed My People Food Bank

Warloski Family Fund

Pablo Center at the Confluence

Chippewa Valley Museum

Chippewa Valley Symphony

25YEARS O F IMPACT DESIGNATED FUNDS

(Since Inception)

$1,650,148

Total Donations Received $650,822 Grants Distributed

375 Grants to Nonprofits

$1,383,279 Current Balance of Designated Funds

Hoefgen Family Fund

Eau Claire is home to dozens of worthy nonprofits, and Designated Funds like this one offer an excellent way to support them.

“Being a part of ECCF makes it possible to give to some of our area nonprofits forever,” explained Karla and Bernard Hoefgen. “The stability of the fund is appealing, and we could not do this as individuals because of the costs associated with setting up such a fund. Eau Claire has been a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Establishing a fund allows us to give back to the community for future generations. And… it feels good!”

The Hoefgen Family Fund will issue annual grants to:

•Chippewa Valley Symphony

•Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra

•Feed My People Food Bank

•Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley—Beacon House

•Pablo Center at the Confluence

•YMCA of the Chippewa Valley (Annual Strong Kids campaign)

Thanks to the Hoefgen family’s vision, these nonprofits can count on a new source of ongoing support to help them meet local residents’ basic needs and ensure their access to a vibrant arts community.

we care...

Hoefgen Family Fund

Designated Fund Spotlight

“Establishing a Fund allows us to give back to the community for future generations. And… it feels good!”

- Karla & Bernard Hoefgen

L.E. Phillips Senior Center Endowment Fund

Designated Fund Spotlight

L.E. Phillips Senior Center Endowment Fund

The L.E. Phillips Senior Center in Eau Claire provides a place for seniors 50 years and up to age well and live well. They work every day to help their members, who reside in the City or County of Eau Claire, maintain independence, receive services, and develop skills which enhance the emotional, physical, and social quality of their lives.

National, state and local predictive demographic data make it clear that society is aging. Updated US census statistics state that by 2034, there will be more “seniors” than children 18 and younger in America. That has never happened in our nation’s history, and communities everywhere, including Eau Claire, will be looking for ways to effectively and efficiently engage with the growing number of aging adults. The L.E. Phillips Senior Center has been and will continue to be a valuable community asset that provides significant benefit to older adults and their families.

Established by a generous legacy gift from an anonymous donor, this Fund provides financial support and assistance to the Senior Center for future growth. As an Endowment Fund, it can accept donations directly from the public. These gifts will help ensure that Eau Claire’s senior population will always have a place to learn, socialize, and get the most out of life.

we care...

“Support from this Endowment Fund will help us meet the needs of Eau Claire’s vibrant senior population for years to come.”

- Jackie Minor Executive Director

Society of Founders Fund

When Eau Claire residents saw the need for a community foundation to support local nonprofits, they met that need in a big way.

ECCF’s first Board of Trustees met in January 1997 and established a goal to recruit 25 Society of Founders members by the end of 1998. Each Founder would be asked to commit at least $10,000 to the new community foundation.

When the deadline arrived, a whopping 64 Founders had pledged more than $1 million. Their gifts established the Society of Founders Fund, which allows ECCF to sustain its operations without having to compete with other nonprofits for funding.

“This Fund is key to ECCF’s success,” explained ECCF Executive Director Sue Bornick. “Without it, we’d have to do ongoing fundraising for operations. The Founders’ generosity ensures that we can devote all our energy to serving donors and supporting nonprofits forever.”

As an Unrestricted Fund, the Society of Founders Fund can also issue grants to nonprofits. It supported $100,000 towards the four Grant Catalog cycles that distributed more than $300,000 to local nonprofits in the year leading up to ECCF’s 25th Anniversary.

Thanks to the Founders’ vision, ECCF has been able to help local nonprofits improve Eau Claire’s quality of life for a quarter century, and it will be there for them far into the future.

15 YEARS

25 YEARS

130

64 $350,541 Grants issued to nonprofits Members Total grants to nonprofits

eau claire cares...

ECCF’s first Board of Trustees set a goal to recruit 25 Society of Founders members. When the deadline arrived, ECCF had 64.

Society of Founders

Photo taken at the 25th Anniversary Celebration

Society of Founders

Photo taken at the 15th Anniversary Celebration

Agency Endowment Funds

Agency Funds are established by nonprofits to provide ongoing operational support for their organizations. Contributions to these Funds must be made to the nonprofit Agency Fund holders rather than directly to ECCF.

Anonymous (1)

Beaver Creek Reserve

The Citizen Science Center Fund

Doug and Kate Lindsay Adventure Fund

The Henke Acres Fund

Jim Schwiebert Butterfly House Fund

Bolton Refuge House Endowment Fund

Boy Scouts of America CV Council Endowment Fund

Eau Claire Children’s Theatre Endowment Fund

Foundation for the Endowment of the American Birkebeiner, Inc.

Bidwell Engebretson Tusen Takk Volunteer Support Fund

Forerunner Fund

Priority Fund

Richard Pierce (Torstein) & Sandy Lampman Trail Support Legacy Fund

Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley Fund

Feed My People Endowment Fund

Flying Eagles Ski Club Endowment Fund

Giniigaaniiminaang! For Our Future

Goodwill Industries Fund

Hope Gospel Mission Endowment Fund

Landmark Conservancy Fund for Mary E Fitz Memorial Park

L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library Agency Fund

L.E. Phillips Senior Center Agency Fund

LV-CV Legacy for Literacy Fund

Mega Charities Foundation Fund

United Cerebral Palsy Endowment Fund

Wisconsin Logging Museum Endowment Fund

Young Men’s Christian Association of Eau Claire Endowment Fund

Acorn Funds

Donors can invest as little as $500 up front and add tax-deductible contributions for up to five years. Once the Fund matures into a permanent endowment fund, it can begin issuing grants.

Al & Peggy Jones Fund

Andrew & Brenda Schlafer Fund

Ann Gunderson Thornburg Fund

CV LGBTQ+ Community Center Endowment Fund

Fred & Kay Magadance Fund

Greg Fesenmaier Fund

James & Valerie Fedie Fund

John C. & Margaret M. Hagen Family Fund

M. Vergin Family Fresh Start Fund

Mark & Donna Faanes Family Fund

Mary Ryan-Miller & Thomas Miller Fund

Pablo Center at the Confluence Endowment Fund

Paul & Lynn Seipel Fund

Pets Are Family Fund

St. Mary’s Tutoring Fund

Steven B. Lange Memorial Fund

Stokes Herzog Family Fund

Pass-Through Funds

25th Anniversary Celebration Fund

Anonymous (1)

Ann Gunderson Thornburg

Cindy Schlosser & Paul Wagner

Cody & Molly Filipczak

Dan & Debbie Market

Dean & Susan Olson

Dr. James & Holly Iwakiri

ECPD Junior Police Academy Fund

Grant Catalog Fund

Jack & Lois Postlewaite

Lloyd & Patricia Everhart

Lois & Marlin Mueller

M&J Employee Impact Grant Fund

Michael & Jane O’Meara

Pat & Sue Quinn

Pat & Sue Quinn 2025 Fund

Presidents’ Anniversary Fund

Royal CU and ECCF Nonprofit Professional Development Grants Fund

Steve Kristo Family

Thomas & Kathleen Edwards

WGC 15th Anniversary Fund

Women’s Giving Circle Grants Fund

Fiscal Sponsorship Funds

Carson Park Baseball Stadium Renovation Fund

Confluence Building Fund

Story Builder Campaign for the L.E. Phillips Public Library Expansion

Supporting Organizations

Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation

ECCF Operational Funds

Operations Fund

Supports ECCF’s operations

Society of Founders Fund for Operations

Supports ECCF’s operational endowment

Women’s Giving Circle Operations Fund

Supports the operations of WGC

Designated Scholarship Funds

These Funds allow fundholders to support the post-secondary educations of students from a high school of their choice.

Altoona School District

Larry E. Fischer Scholarship

Talha Aslam Memorial Scholarship

Chippewa Valley Technical College

Ida B. Fisher Scholarship

Eau Claire Area School District

Alvin & Marcia Lechleitner Scholarship

Memorial High School Class of 60 Scholarship

Stromwall Family Scholarship

Elk Mound Area School District

Clarence & Isabel Berger Family Scholarship

Elk Mound High School Alumni Scholarship

Independence School District

Arnold & Marie Maliszewski Memorial Scholarship

Doris J. Bautch STEM Scholarship

Independence Public School Memorial Scholarship

Laura Graul Memorial Scholarship

Max Manuel Isaacs & Hannah Bernhardt Isaacs Memorial Scholarship

RAPS DOC Scholarship

Janesville Craig and Beloit High School

My Dad-Milton, My Mom-Elnora Endowed Scholarship

Loyal School District

Draper Hills Scholarship

South Shore School District

Cody & Molly Filipczak Scholarship

25YEARS O F IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

(Since Inception)

$1,788,866

Total Donations Received $388,813 Grants Distributed

231 Grants to Nonprofits

$1,732,915 Current Balance of Scholarship Funds

2022-2023 Board of Trustees

Past Chairs

*Denotes Deceased

Jon N. Homstad 1999 - 2001

Thank you to our outgoing Trustees

Jack Postlewaite

2001 - 2003

Susan Tietz 2003 - 2005

Dick

Linda Danielson, Chair Ruder Ware

Jeff Kowieski Wipfli, LLP

Tom Larson, Vice Chair Larson Management, Inc.

Dale Wood, Treasurer Retired, McMahon, Schleifer, & Wood

Grant Beardsley Royal Credit Union

John Satre, Secretary Retired, Bauman Associates & Advisors

Cindy Hangartner Crivello Carlson , S.C.

Amelia Daniels Personal Trainer

Paul Kulig BMO Harris Bank

Jackie Rasmussen U.S. Bank

Karl Murch, Past Chair Retired, Global Finishing Solutions

Jason Beckermann, MD Mayo Health Systems

Julia Kyle, MD Confluence Health

Cody Filipczak C&M Properties and Construction Inc.

Greg Bremer OneDigital

Katie Murphy RB Scott Company

Kim Bodeau

Tim Pabich Sarah Stokes

2022 Committees

Audit Committee

Tom Larson, Chair

Linda Danielson

Bill Brunner*

Karl Murch

John Satre

Dale Wood

Communications Committee

Amelia Daniels, Chair

Meghan Bauer

Stephanie Harvey*

BJ Hollars

Marianne Klinkhammer

Katie Murphy

Michael Strubel

Caitlin Suginaka*

Development Committee

Greg Bremer, Chair

Jason Beckermann, MD

Cindy Hangartner

Lynn Happe**

Jason Plante

Jack Postlewaite

Susan Rowe**

Andrew Schlafer

Paul Weinke

Gift Acceptance Committee

Tom Larson, Chair

Linda Danielson

Mark Faanes

Karl Murch

Jane Lokken

Jack Postlewaite*

Wayne Peters

Paul Weinke

Grants Committee

Jackie Rasmussen, Chair

Dave Anderson

Kim Bodeau

Julian Emerson

Lesley Frederikson**

Brad Grewe**

Gretchen Hudacek

Heather Johnson Schmitz

Courtney Kanz*

Allen Keniston

Marianne Klinkhammer

Laurie Klinkhammer*

Leslie Lyons

Donnie Magadance

James McDougall

Sue Mertens

Thomas Misfeldt

Jane O’Meara

Jessica Rauckman

Flo Sheridan

Caitlin Suginaka

Paul Wagner**

Investment Committee

Jeff Kowieski, Chair

Joe Fesenmaier

Cody Filipczak

Chris Hasenberg

Bill Hilgedick

Dave Pokrandt

Dan Shoemaker

Laura Talley

Dale Wood

Nominations Committee

Tom Larson, Chair

Linda Danielson

Mark Faanes

Jane Lokken

Karl Murch

Dan Market*

Jason Plante

Jack Postlewaite*

Laura Talley

Sue Tietz

Paul Weinke

Operations Committee

Dale Wood, Chair

Tom Dow

Paul Kulig

Julia Kyle, MD

John Satre

Sue Tietz

Personnel Committee

Linda Danielson, Chair

Tom Larson

Karl Murch

Deb Marshall

Laura Talley

Sue Tietz

Ex Officio ECPSF

Grant Beardsley

Front cover photos

L.E. Phillips Senior Center

Camp Manitou

Matt Lindsey-Schrupp

Layout & Design

Hannah Schierenbeck, Graphic Design Intern

Printed by Badgerland Printing USA, Inc.

Photography by

Matt Lindsey-Schrupp (pages 5, 21, 27, 32)

Megan Zabel Holmes/Visit Eau Claire (pages 16-17)

*Term Ended in 2022 ** New in 2023

Charles Graaskamp**

Giving Categories:

Assets Held in Each Fund Type*

Create Culture

Supports programs and organizations that enhance the quality of life in our community through music, literature, visual arts, performing arts, and museums.

Form Futures

Enhances learning opportunities for children and adults in the Eau Claire area. Form Futures grants may also provide community development opportunities.

Give Green

Supports programs that engage children and adults in activities that improve environmental quality or provide fitness, health, and wellness opportunities. It also includes support for animals and wildlife.

Offer Opportunities

Provides children, adults, and families with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, health services, veterans’ programs and disability assistance.

Grants Distributed in 2022 - $2,610,393 Agency

Financial Preparation

ECCF assets are in a balanced portfolio of pooled investments that maximize fund growth and encourages, facilitates, and manages long-term philanthropy. Both the Diversified Portfolio and the Socially Responsible Portfolio are managed by Morgan Stanley. The Intermediate Portfolio is managed by Badgley + Phelps Wealth Managers.

Financial Statements are prepared by CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, the Audit is completed by Olsen Thielen CPA’s and Advisors, LTD, and the 990 returns are prepared by Wipfli, LLP.

Financial Report

Statement of Financial Position (Audited)

Statement of Financial Activity (Audited)

THANK YOU for helping us accomplish so much during our first 25 years! We look forward to our next quarter century of promoting philanthropy, building endowments, and supporting local nonprofits.

We’re grateful for the many ways you give!

Together, we’ve created an impact: For Good. For Ever.

Looking ahead to 2023

March 27

WGC – Educational Event

May 1

WGC – Spring Gathering

Follow us!

September 18

Autumn Social

The Annual Meeting of ECCF

October 19

Professional Advisor Event

November 7

WGC – Annual Meeting

November 12-18

Community Foundation Week

December 5

WGC Gift of Giving Breakfast

ECCF Staff Members

Sue Bornick - Executive Director

Erin Dayton - Operations Director

Rebecca White Body - Program Coordinator

Brenna Lindsey-Schrupp - Development & Scholarship Coordinator

Cindy Fahser - Financial & Executive Assistant, Retired

Hannah Schierenbeck - Graphic Design Intern