I loved seeing so many of you at our most recent Tocqueville Conversation, learning about the work you’re driving to make our community more resilient.   

As we discussed during our conversation, when people are in crisis it’s challenging to know where to go for help. And, with so many opportunities to help, it’s hard to know where to make the most impact. United Way is proud to understand the big picture and mobilize the most effective resources to make a meaningful, measurable difference.  

On that tragic morning in December, an hour after the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS), I received a call from Mayor Rhodes-Conway to help. Our team at United Way jumped into action, with 211 ready to take calls, and staff assigned to support ALCS staff and set up a fund to support the school, its teachers and student families.  

By that afternoon, we’d connected with school leadership and mobilized the ALCS Emergency and Recovery Fund which has now raised $609,000. These funds support the families who lost loved ones and those needing medical care, as well the long-term mental well-being of students, faculty and the larger ALCS community as they navigate impacts we haven’t even seen yet. Thanks to your continued support of United Way and our talented team, 100% of the dollars raised will go directly to the ALCS community. In addition to the fund, we coordinated offers of mental health services and in-kind donations, set up on-site resource fairs and partnered closely with local emergency response agencies. 

A resilient community means more than responding to disasters and tragedies – it means listening to and understanding the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors, building connections and designing the efficient and effective social support structures to avoid disasters in the future. That includes ensuring that more people know how to help effectively. 

There are two additional ways we do our Community Resilience work. First, by connecting people to resources they need most when they find themselves in personal crisis through our 211 service, and second, by creating opportunities for community members to volunteer their time to support their neighbors.  

Our 211 call center connects people with resources 24/7, a service that United Way of Dane County has provided for over 35 years. As external forces impact people’s lives, they increasingly turn to 211 to help get them through challenging times.   

In 2024, we saw increased calls across our seven-county coverage area. In particular, we heard from 31% more neighbors in need of housing and 58% in need of utility payment assistance. For each of the over 26,000 calls for support, our 211 staff were there to provide empathetic, professional support to connect our neighbors with the resources they urgently need.  

Additionally in 2024, we mobilized 5,296 volunteers through youth volunteerism, our Business Volunteer Network, ImPacks for corporate teams, READI (retired employees are dedicated individuals) and matching nonprofit volunteer opportunities with individuals, families and teams looking for projects through our web portal. Another 599 volunteers generously invested their time directly with United Way of Dane County committees, including many of you who serve on the Tocqueville Committee! 

We are lucky to live in a community brimming with caring power. I am consistently in awe of the commitment and generosity that you all add to our collective work. Not only do you invest your dollars, but you give your time as well. And you set an example for the next generation.  

As you know, philanthropy is deeply personal. When we connect personally to a problem in the community, it unlocks a deeper well of motivation to give back.  

None of this would be possible without your continued support, investment and trust in United Way. Thank you.

Early in her career at CUNA Mutual (now TruStage), Amy was involved in supporting the organization’s internal United Way campaign. Later, she served as a volunteer United Way Account Executive, helping to invite more people and companies to get involved in giving back. Amy was part of the Rosenberry Society (now LINC), where she had the opportunity to meet young professionals who shared her passion while having fun together. After she and Jesse got married, they were looking for deeper ways to be involved and ended up joining Key Club, now known as Lead United. 

Jesse, Country Director at CAMECA Instruments, has helped United Way build relationships with the growing technology sector across Dane County. In recent years, he has been an active Campaign Cabinet volunteer and advocate for CAMECA’s successful employee campaign.  

Amy recently retired from M3 Insurance, where she worked for 20 years. She credits M3’s commitment to giving back and sharing her personal values as the reason she was able to stay and build a fulfilling career there. 

When it came to joining Tocqueville, there was power in a personal invitation. Sean LaBorde, President at M3 Insurance and former Tocqueville Cabinet Chair, invited Amy and Jesse to attend the annual Tocqueville Membership Dinner for the first time in 2023. Previously, Amy hadn’t necessarily thought Tocqueville was for people like her, rather that only the most powerful and well-known families in our community could be members. But upon walking into the event, she and Jesse saw so many people they knew – friends, colleagues and families from their daughter’s school. 

Philanthropy has always been an Olson Family affair. Both Amy and Jesse were raised by parents who wove giving back into the fabric of their upbringing. When their daughter, Paige, was born, they both knew that they’d raise her with those same values. For their family, it’s not about the amount given or the recognition received, but about prioritizing giving back as a practice. They see giving back not as an obligation, but a privilege, understanding that our community is stronger when we help others. 

When Paige was young, Amy attended the annual Women’s Initiative luncheon (now Women United), where she learned about the literacy challenges children in our community were facing. For her fifth birthday, Amy suggested to Paige that instead of asking for gifts from her friends, she ask everyone to bring a book to donate to United Way’s literacy programs. Paige agreed and it’s a memory that still stands out for her, continuing that family spirit of philanthropy. 

To Amy and Jesse, joining Tocqueville came at the perfect time. They believe that if people already have a philosophy of giving, they should consider when, not if, it’s time to take that next step. For the Olsons, that time came sooner than they might have originally thought. Our community is stronger because of their action, leadership and modeling philanthropy for the next generation.