We are beyond excited to share all of the upcoming events, recent activities and news from Waunakee Community Cares Coalition. Our work is focused on keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient. We do this by engaging, empowering, and educating our community in the spaces of alcohol, drug, & nicotine prevention, as well as mental health. In our monthly update, we will offer content, ideas and action steps to engage in this impactful work. Each month will bring strategies and ideas on how to keep Waunakee healthy and resilient. We hope to grow a community of like-minded members to create a better place for us all to live healthy, love abundantly and leave healthy legacies. Much gratitude, WCCC Team |
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In the month of July, the WCCC honors those that have served and the collaborative efforts of our community leaders and students. The WCCC has an extraordinary group of leaders that share their time and talents to keep our community healthy and resilient. They work tirelessly to ensure that the great work of the coalition is making an impact. We are incredibly grateful for their service and wish them the best on their journey ahead. See more below. Collaborations are also in full gear in July. We are so appreciative of our community festival leaders for the willingness to collaborate with us and implement practices that keep our youth safe during this season of celebration. We are also working with our young leaders on re-imagining their focus, impact, and vision for the future. We held a retreat to take the data and insight from our spring student voice summits to create an action plan for the year ahead. LOTS of amazing things on the horizon for this group of young leaders excited to make a difference. Wishing you health, resiliency, and the magic found in connection. Thanks for ENGAGING in our work! |
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Each month the WCCC plans to showcase one of our amazing partners that are doing impactful work and serving our community in our theme for the month. This month we are honoring two of our coalition members who are retiring. We can't thank them enough for their hard work and dedication to the coalition. Good luck with your next adventure! | | |
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"I have recently retired as a Spanish Teacher at Waunakee Community High School after 30 years here, capping off my 34 year career. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with some incredible students, families, admin and colleagues during that time. One very meaningful piece of my experiences at WCHS has been my work with the Above the Influence Club - a group of students with the mission to “Support and Empower” themselves, their classmates, and the broader community. Over the years, the young leaders in ATI have provided the vision, passion, dedication, and hard work to complete many projects designed to help people overcome negative influences and inspire them to be their best. This group dove into prevention work before they knew it had a name, tackling tough topics like addiction, depression, anxiety, perfectionism, suicidal ideation, and vaping. They created “anti-drug” campaigns that were supportive and not judgmental. They opened conversations about concerns they had in the school community, like pressure to over-achieve, social media bullying, and respect for all students and inclusiveness within the school. ATI has always had a natural connection to the Waunakee Community Cares Coalition, and WCCC has supported them fully from the start. I am very excited to see the positive impact of this group broaden and strengthen as it is rebranded to align more closely with the coalition’s work. I have full faith that under the leadership of Michelle McGrath and Maddy Zaleski, the coalition will continue to “Support and Empower” the youth of this community and elevate their wisdom and voices by giving them opportunities to develop their leadership in meaningful ways. While ATI and WCCC have been very important in my life for many years now, the time has come for me to step back. I will be working on calibrating myself to life in retirement, and I will continue to do prevention work in the Madison community (where I reside). I am looking forward to spending more time at the YMCA and reading more books! I am also looking forward to more time with my kids and grandkids. Thank you so much for your support of the important, life-saving work that Waunakee Community Cares Coalition is doing! I have been honored to have been a part of it." |
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"I have been employed by the Waunakee Police Dept. for 24 years. I started as a patrol officer in July of 1999, in 2002 I was promoted to patrol Sergeant, and in 2020 promoted to Lieutenant, which is second in command for the 23-officer department. I became a member of the Coalition when I was promoted to Lieutenant in 2020. The community and department have grown and changed so much over the last 24 years. What I like most about my time with WCCC is seeing a small group of individuals that come together to make Waunakee a better place for everyone.. I will miss the tight knit family of Waunakee Police Officers that I have been a part of for 24 years… My last day with Waunakee PD is June 30th. After retirement from Law Enforcement, I took some time off to enjoy much needed time with my family wife Jodi, daughters Maddie (20) & Maci (18) & puppy Beau. I also enjoy fishing, hunting and the outdoors, so hoping to have more free time to enjoy all of these. In late July I will start a new job with a small company in Sun Prairie as an Inventory & Operations Coordinator." |
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Check out our website to find out a plethora of resources. | | |
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Festival Season & Best Practices |
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Best practices for festivals encompass a set of guidelines and approaches aimed at promoting safety, sustainability, inclusivity, and overall positive experiences for attendees. Collaborating with fellow community members, festival organizers, and participants can foster an environment that upholds these best practices. This involves encouraging open communication, sharing knowledge, and collectively working towards common goals such as responsible alcohol consumption, respectful behavior, and the inclusion of diverse voices and cultures. As you attend local festivals this summer and fall, keep an eye out for the signs pictured above, which will serve as visual reminders of the best practices we should all strive to embrace. Let's come together as a community to make our festivals enjoyable, safe, and memorable for everyone involved.
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A Message From our Partners at Public Health Dane County |
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There is no safe level of lead, especially for young children. Although Dane County has made great deal of progress, childhood lead poisoning still happens and can have lifelong health consequences. The primary sources of lead are paint chips in older homes and lead contaminated dust, but other sources are also possible in your home and community. That’s why it’s important to have your child tested for lead if there is a potential risk of exposure. When you think of Waunakee, you might think of it as a place of new construction. But there are still homes in Waunakee and the surrounding area built before 1950—the homes at the greatest risk of lead paint hazards. You can find more data on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website. For more information about lead exposure, read Public Health Madison & Dane County’s latest report. Think you may need to get tested? Talk to your doctor about testing your child for lead. Learn more on our website. |
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What's next for the WCCC? July 4th Waunaboom July 11th Student Voice Retreat & Planning July 12th Dane County Coalition Planning Meeting July 20th Dane County Positive Norming Meeting July 27-30th Waunafest August 14th WCSD School Board Presentation |
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