BVN Newsletter
Spring 2012
Born Learning – Happy, healthier, school-ready children!
Parents, guardians, relatives, friends and neighbors are all hopeful for the children in their lives to be successful in school and go on to be well-educated and make positive contributions to our community. What many may not realize is that this path begins as soon as a child is brought into this world and those first few years are very important to their success later on.
Research has shown that the readiness of a child entering kindergarten is one of the essential ingredients for future success. In 2007 42% of children in Dane County were entering Kindergarten without the skills necessary to succeed in school.
The Born Learning Initiative at United Way of Dane County supports many different programs throughout the community to accomplish the goal of increasing the percentage of children who are fully prepared for kindergarten from 59% in 2007 to 75% by 2013. There are four strategies to accomplish this goal:
- All children are screened for developmental delays through medical providers, professionals or community-based programs.
- All children have access to high quality early childhood experiences that encourage positive development.
- All caregivers have access to resources that help them become successful as their children’s first teachers.
- The Dane County community is aware of the link between high quality early childhood experience and school readiness.
One way we are working on this area is through the Parent/Child Home Program which focuses on the parent and child interaction, child behavior and language development. The program targets low income families with children 2 years of age. For 2 years, a home visitor visits a family twice a week. Each week the child receives a new, developmentally appropriate book or toy to keep. The home visitor shows the parent how to interact with their child using that book or toy. The second visit of the week reinforces the use of the book or toy to insure its being used and used effectively. This model is repeated for the next two years. Center for Families and Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin are our two key partners in this exciting work.
To find volunteer opportunities that support this initiative, click here.
Know Your BVN Member
By Ann Lee, Summit Credit Union
SVA Plumb Financial, 2011 Share Your Holidays
BVN would like to welcome one of our newest members, SVA Plumb Financial.
The BVN would like to welcome one of our newest members, SVA Plumb Financial.
SVA Plumb Financial has combined the strengths of two organizations to create a more diverse financial services firm to meet clients’ financial needs today, tomorrow and beyond as they move through the stages of their lives. The diverse team at SVA Plumb Financial has expertise in a full range of financial needs from retirement and estate planning to investment management and trust administration.
Business Development Coordinator Jenna Weber serves as the SVA Plumb Financial representative and has also joined the Marketing & Membership Committee. Here, Jenna explains why SVA made the decision to join the BVN:
Why did SVA Plumb Financial join the BVN?
SVA Plumb Financial has joined the Business Volunteer Network in order to create a larger, more positive impact on our community. We want to share and learn best practices from other organizations that prioritize the importance of community involvement and employee volunteerism.
In what ways is your organization currently involved in the community and specifically volunteering?
We proudly sponsor several community groups and events, most recently the Fire and Ice event put on by Dane County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). SVA Plumb Financial and our SVA sister entities are ongoing supporters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and JDRF and our employees are actively involved in events with those groups. We also support the University of Wisconsin and a wide variety of performing arts organizations. On an annual basis, our employees volunteer to answer phones and sort food for NBC 15’s Share Your Holiday’s event for Second Harvest food bank. We also donate annually to the Toys for Tots and United Way Giving Tree Campaign.
Why is volunteerism important to your company?
Volunteerism is important to us, because we are a local company. We want to do everything we can to give back to the community that has helped us grow and be successful as an organization. Volunteering improves employee morale and makes us a stronger team.
Do you have any future volunteer goals for your organization?
We would like to find ways to use our unique skill set to make a difference in the financial lives of people in our community. Specifically, my goal for SVA Plumb Financial is to create a series of education seminars on basic financial topics. This series will provide much needed financial tools to a wide range of community members and organizations.
What do you hope to gain from membership in the BVN?
I hope SVA Plumb Financial will gain a stronger sense of community, a more unified front in our employee volunteer efforts, to make some connections and, of course, have fun!
Stay connected with BVN through new and improved website and LinkedIn Page
By Brian Jensen, Gannet Fleming
In an ongoing effort to improve our digital footprint, BVN is happy to announce the release of a revamped website and LinkedIn Group page. The new webpage (http://www.unitedwaydanecounty.org/business-volunteer-network/) contains a new user-friendly layout with new features including an upcoming events calendar, the current digital newsletter, and BVN vitals (who, what, and how to join). The Member’s Only section of the website includes a photo gallery, important links to volunteer organizations, resources relating to best practices and an archive of past newsletters.
BVN has also created a new LinkedIn Group page. All BVN members that are active on LinkedIn are strongly encouraged to join the group and join the conversation. The group is private and restricted to BVN members only. The BVN Group page on LinkedIn serves as a central repository for discussions, polls, and all things BVN. After joining, feel free to start your own discussion topic or join in other discussions. Current discussion topics include “what is the best fundraiser run/walk”, “Earth Day volunteer activities”, and an article on “Three Ways Corporate Volunteers Build Nonprofit Capacity”, among others.
The LinkedIn page will also provide email notifications with daily and weekly discussion summaries. To request to join the Group, logon to www.Linkedin.com and search for “Business Volunteer Network (Dane County)” under the Group search in the upper right hand corner, once the Group page loads, click “Join Group”. Your request will be immediately sent to our group administrators and you will promptly be accepted and notified via email.
BVN is excited about our new and improved digital presence. However we recognize that the LinkedIn page and new website are work in progress. BVN members are strongly encouraged to provide resource recommendations and feedback.
You’re Invited to the United Way Community Volunteer Awards luncheon!
The Community Volunteer Awards luncheon is just around the corner! Come celebrate volunteerism in Dane County and hear who will receive the 2012 awards. We had over 100 nominations this year and are looking forward to a wonderful event. BVN is especially looking forward to seeing our chairman, Della Copp announce the Community Volunteer Business Award which is sponsored by BVN. You’ll have to attend to find which of the seven deserving companies will be awarded! The 2012 Business nominees include:
Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin
State Bank of Cross Plains
Summit Credit Union
Monona State Bank
Globe University
GE Healthcare
Capitol Insurance Companies
RSVP Online at www.unitedwaydanecounty.org/cva
The Community Volunteer Awards are presented by CUNA Mutual Group and sponsored by Dean Clinic, Physician’s Plus Corporation, Group Health Cooperative out Southern Wisconsin, and St. Mary’s Hospital.
BVN February 14th Annual Meeting Recap
By Jim Jenson, MG&E
BVN’s annual Membership Meeting was held February 14th, at Physicians Plus on Rimrock Road in the newly developed Novation Campus Park. Thanks to Kristin Casucci for being our host. Prior to the meeting, members showed their artistic talent in decorating meal bags for Meals on Wheels clients. Future BVN meetings will feature some sort of volunteer project to benefit local agencies.
Outgoing BVN President Barb Waters welcomed the group, including new BVN members, SVA Plumb Financial and Herzing College. 27 members attended the meeting; one of the highest attendance for an annual meeting ever. Barb presented the ‘year in review’ including major committee accomplishments and future plans. BVN experienced a 1% increase in new membership and 94% member retention rate. All members received a member certificate and participate in the new member welcome. The Marketing Committee completed a member survey, produced 4 issues of the BVN newsletter, and initiated a new LinkedIn Group and BVN website update. Education Committee members were busy planning membership meeting agendas, and assisting with developing ‘resource tools’ for the new website. Special Projects Committee coordinated four events including CanStruction, the Housing First Makeover Challenge, Days of Caring and the Teen Gift Drive. Thank you to all members who serve on our committees.
Incoming BVN President, Della Copp, Edgewood College presented the 2012 proposed slate of officers, including Vice Chair – Ann Lee, Summit Credit Union; Immediate Past President – Barb Waters, Placon Corporation; Treasurer – Sheila Kuchenbecker, Deloitte Consulting LLP; and Secretary – Amy Rupnow -Thole, John Deere Financial. Members unanimously voted to accept the slate. A motion to amend the by-laws to form a new joint Marketing/Membership committee was approved.
Brian Jensen and Ann Lee gave a demonstration of the new BVN website and the new BVN LinkedIn Group developed to foster group communications, idea and information sharing. Thank you to Brian and Ann for all their work in developing our new social media and web tools area.
Members took time at the end of the meeting to share lessons learned and success stories with their volunteer projects.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for our next membership meeting May 8th, 7:30am at CUNA Mutual. Steve Goldberg, CUNA Foundation will lead this session on Skill-Based Volunteerism.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
April 15-21, National Volunteer Week! Be sure to give a shout out to the volunteers in your workplace.
April 20, 21, and 22, Global Youth Service Day, Do you know a young person who wants to change the world? Global Youth Service Day is a youth-led event that empowers youth in Dane County and across the world to make a difference in their community. Visit www.VolunteerYourTime.org for more information.
April 24th: Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Business Expo: BVN will have a special booth at the GMCC Business Expo with the goal of increasing awareness of BVN and increasing member companies. Your help is needed! BVN Member contacts are needed to staff the booth. We are also looking for door prizes to draw people to our booth. If your company has some items to donate, please drop them off at United Way by April 19th. Volunteers are needed for one hour shifts from 8:30am-1:30pm. Contact Kathy Martinson if you can help!
April 26, 11:30am-1pm 2012 Community Volunteer Awards: Celebrate volunteerism in Dane County! RSVP here.
May 4th-5th, WVCA Conference – Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center, Sheboygan WI: Attend workshops via the business tract and hear keynote speakers Connie Pirtle and Joe Kiedinger. View the brochure and Registration here.
May 8th, 7:30-9am BVN Membership Meeting, CUNA Mutual Group: Steve Goldberg of CUNA Mutual Foundation will present on the topic of Skill-Based Volunteerism. RSVP to Kathy Martinson here.
