The Waukesha County Community Foundation
The Waukesha County Community Foundation recently approved community grants totaling $58,000 to 12 area charitable organizations, according to chairman Betty Arndt. Organizations were selected and recommended for approval by the grants review committee, which is comprised of community volunteers and foundation directors. More than 50 nonprofit organizations submitted requests for funding. Organizations receiving funding are: Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps, Waukesha; Christmas Clearing House of Waukesha County; Community Memorial Foundation, Menomonee Falls; Easter Seals, Kindcare, Milwaukee; Food Pantry of Waukesha County; Lutheran Counseling & Family Services of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Parents Place, Waukesha; Sally Ride Academy, Brookfield; St. Joseph’s Medical and Dental Clinic, Waukesha; Waukesha Area Symphonic Band; WCTC Foundation, Pewaukee; Waukesha Public Library; and the Waukesha Education Foundation.
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation recently awarded more than $14.5 million during 2008 in support of local education, arts, and grassroots civic organizations. The fourth quarter of the year, during which the foundation focuses on capital giving, included over $5.7 million in local giving.
Some of the projects to note include: ACTS Community Development Corporation, a housing program that has brokered the sale of 73 homes to low-income families during 2008, increasing its total number of home-sales since 1992 to nearly 1,100; Junior Achievement: JA provides hands-on economic education to youngsters in southeastern Wisconsin, using an in-school curriculum and age-specific program laboratories where students can learn how individual choices and hard work can determine success in their business, civic, and personal lives; and the Milwaukee School of Engineering: The experience of working in state-of-the-art laboratories is an essential qualification for potential job-seekers in science and engineering, and advances both the educational experience for individual students and the climate of research and innovation in Milwaukee.
Pfister Hotel
Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary certification program that recognizes tourism businesses for reducing their environmental footprint through eco-friendly practices, recently announced that the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee earned certification. Developed by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the Travel Green Wisconsin program is the nation’s first “green” travel program sponsored by a state tourism agency. More than 200 businesses have been certified. The Pfister Hotel received a Travel Green Wisconsin score of 63 points, which was more than double the number of points required to earn the certification. To achieve certification, applicants must earn a minimum of 30 points from a checklist of basic requirements covering a wide range of “green” practices, including: waste reduction, reuse and recycling; energy efficiency, water conservation and wastewater management; air quality; wildlife and landscape; transportation; purchasing; and local community benefits. The Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, an independent third party, then evaluates and certifies Travel Green Wisconsin applicants.
Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital
Columbia St. Mary’s Laparoscopic Surgeon Dr. Joseph Regan recently performed what is believed to be the first single incision laparoscopic surgical (SILS) procedure in Wisconsin. Regan successfully removed the gall bladder of a 44-year-old Germantown man via a single incision about one half-inch wide through the patient’s navel. The gall bladder is approximately the size of a small pear. The surgery, which took approximately 90 minutes, was performed at Columbia St. Mary’s Columbia Hospital. SILS is a laparoscopic surgery performed through a small single incision instead of typical laparoscopic surgery with four to five small incisions. Through the small single incision, the surgeon places an access port in the abdomen, which holds a special camera and surgical instruments during surgery. Regan is the medical director of the Bariatric Center at Columbia St. Mary’s Health System. He is among the first surgeons in the U.S. to receive special training to perform the new SILS surgical technique. He is also among 11 renowned surgeons with Columbia St. Mary’s Milwaukee Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS). The institute was the first multi-specialty minimally invasive surgery center in the Midwest.
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare
The Wellness Council of Wisconsin, local affiliate of the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), recently presented Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in Southeast Wisconsin with its coveted Silver Well Workplace Award. This national award recognizes Wheaton Franciscan’s commitment to the health and well-being of its employees through quality in-house health and wellness promotion. Well Workplace winners must successfully demonstrate that employee wellness has become part of their organization’s overall business strategy by meeting WELCOA’s seven critical benchmarks including CEO support, cohesive wellness teams, collecting data to drive health efforts, and carefully evaluating outcomes.
Nelson Schmidt
Dan H. Nelson, chairman and chief executive officer of Nelson Schmidt, Milwaukee, was recently named a Masters Week Honoree by the University of Nebraska and was honored during Masters Week at ceremonies at the university. Masters Week is an annual event that connects students with successful Nebraska graduates. Nebraska faculty nominates alumni each winter, and a committee selected by the chancellor selects masters. The masters program brings successful alumni into contact with students through classroom visits, campus tours and meetings with clubs and organizations on campus. A native Nebraskan, Nelson graduated from the university in 1969.
Aurora Healthcare
Aurora Health Care‘s Loss Prevention department has been recognized by Security magazine, a publication that serves loss prevention and security professionals nationwide, for its security efforts. Aurora was sixth out of 42 hospitals ranked in the “2008 Security 500,” an annual rating of the top 500 security departments across the United States. Rankings are differentiated by industries. This was Aurora Health Care’s first time participating in the magazine’s annual survey, which becomes the entry for consideration. The Security 500 rankings are based on the organizations’ return on investment, using information gathered from public resources and each organization’s survey. Organizations are then measured and evaluated among industry peers. Each industry breaks down four “buckets” into units within their industry to measure and manage an organization’s performance.
