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. 

2024 was a very special year for United Way of Dane County as we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Women United, previously known as our Women’s Initiative. As a Tocqueville member, you’re probably already familiar with Women United – but you may not know that our Women’s Initiative was originally founded by just 28 women. Among those women were seven of your fellow Tocqueville members: Mildred Conney, Janet Loewi, Katharine Lyall, Janet Plumb, Karen Ragatz, Katie Sekelsky and Barb Swan

These women wanted to be involved in solving a huge problem in our community: an education gap that was impacting students, particularly students of color, reaching the third grade reading level. Up until third grade, children learn to read. From there, they read to learn, setting them up for all they need to be successful in life. 

The founders also saw a solution, channeling the unique power of women as “nurturers, problem solvers, good listeners, loyal friends and compassionate caregivers.” In 2004, the Women’s Initiative was born, bringing women across Dane County together to volunteer their time as well as a minimum gift of $1,500 to bridge the funding gap for Schools of Hope, a collaboration of United Way of Dane County and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) to provide literacy tutoring support to students that need it most. In the first year, the Women’s Initiative raised $44,780.

Those of you who had the chance to attend last year’s Women United Brunch in September will remember the powerful moment seeing several of the founders stand and be celebrated in the center of that filled-to-the-brim ballroom. It’s incredible to see how that spark – that desire to create change for the better for our children and our community – lit a fire to create something long-lasting and powerful.

20 years later, we have over 1,200 Women United members and over the last ten years, have raised nearly $420,000 through our Women United Brunch alone. Women United’s focus has shifted to focus on women’s financial security, working to provide resources and education around the unique experiences that impact women’s financial well-being. From mobilizing workplace menstrual product drives to hosting events to educate community members on the financial impacts of divorce, Women United is changing women’s lives in Dane County for the better. To think it all started with just ten women passionate about making a difference.

In 2025, Women United will take that mission one step further by once again adding a giving level, starting at $1,000 annually. This will solidify philanthropy as a shared value, passion and priority amongst our members and ensure we invest as much back into the community as possible. 

Our Tocqueville Society is much the same – a growing group of passionate individuals coming together to make an impact that’s greater than the sum of its parts. All it takes is a small group of people identifying a need in our community and deciding to do something about it.

No matter the day or event, Katie and Jay Sekelsky have a range of affiliations: parent, volunteer fundraiser, philanthropist, business leader, alumni and caring community member. Because of their involvement in all of those roles and the lasting change they’ve created in Dane County, the Sekelskys will now also be known as Tocqueville Society Honorees. On October 8th, we celebrated Jay and Katie at our annual Tocqueville Society Membership Dinner.  

“We believe that our lives have been enriched, by the giving of our time and treasure over the years,” Jay explained that evening. “We think giving, is both a privilege and a responsibility, and we are grateful to be able to do so.” 

Katie and Jay have been United Way of Dane County advocates since beginning their professional careers, in neonatal care and wealth management, respectively. They joined the Tocqueville Society in 2001 at the invitation of Londa and Walter Dewey, and have since endowed their support through our United Way Foundation and the Tocqueville Legacy Circle. Their volunteer roles and contributions have advanced United Way’s mission, creating family and community well-being for generations. “Jay and Katie Sekelsky have made a long term positive impact in our community,” reflects Londa Dewey, CEO of The QTI Group. “They effectively and loyally contribute time, talent and generous resources to a wide variety of community organizations, humbly and often without fanfare.” 

Their volunteer involvement is lengthy. Katie was an original member of United Way’s Women’s Initiative in 2004 and has volunteered for Days of Caring projects. Jay has chaired the Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Trustees. He has served on the Basic Needs Community Solutions Team, Housing Delegation, Board Revenue Committee among other roles. Jay and Katie’s philanthropy includes other community-wide gifts for annual and capital campaigns, endowments and volunteer service.  

As initial donors to United Way’s Affordable Housing Fund, the Sekelskys’ shared how they are acknowledging their Tocqueville recognition. “In the past, recipients of the Tocqueville award have given a gift to attendees or to United Way in some way.  In keeping with the theme of our talk – Impact, Gratitude and Hope – we recently made a new investment in the Affordable Housing Fund.  We hope it may inspire others to do so.  We would be very pleased if that were to happen.” 

Their generosity uplifts many in Dane County —from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (their shared alma mater) to nonprofit organizations in healthcare, housing and family stability. When Katie and Jay invest in a cause, others take notice! They’ve inspired donors to participate in capital campaigns, endowment funds and current impact. United Way has benefitted from their thought leadership, volunteer support and financial investments —public endorsement, behind the scenes giving, current support and planned gift commitments.  

Thank you, Katie and Jay, for a wonderful evening, your long history with United Way and your hopeful investments for our community’s future! 

At the end of July, Tocqueville members came together at TruStage to learn how we work together to address family homelessness in our community and ensure that families have access to safe, affordable housing. TruStage CEO, Terrance Williams, welcomed fellow members, reflecting on the housing challenges in Dane County, and announcing their generous $650,000 gift which will provide support to ensure stability in housing for families.   

Tocqueville Cabinet Chair, Cheryl DeMars, kicked off our conversation, followed by Renee Moe, who set the scene for the ways housing fits into the Plan for Community Well-Being’s financial stability goal. Angela Jones, our Director of Community Impact, Financial Security, led a frank discussion outlining the housing challenges neighbors face across our community, including describing the embarrassing experience of eviction, the negative impacts from that, and ways we are working with families and landlords to keep families housed. She also shared powerful stories of individual families who have received critical support including rapid rehousing, increasing housing stability, and reducing school mobility. We heard thoughts and questions from many of our Affordable Housing Fund Committee members, leading to an insightful discussion about the impact we can have to ensure as our community continues to grow, our most vulnerable neighbors aren’t left behind. 

Learn more about our strategy to reduce homelessness, increase jobs skills training and provide re-entry support here. 

Thank you to BMO for sponsoring. 

I’m thrilled to share with you that our HIRE initiative’s new workforce delegation is launching at the end of this month! 

Thanks to the work of the delegation as well as a generous new grant from Ascendium Education Group to create demand-driven, short-term training programs to get people into higher-paying, specialized positions, we’re working together to help our neighbors secure reliable work making family-sustaining wages. 

At our recent Tocqueville Conversation, we discussed the rapidly increasing population and cost of living in Dane County and how that’s impacting hard-working families – especially those with children. Today, a single adult living in Dane County needs to earn $28/hour (almost four times Wisconsin’s minimum wage) to lead a stable, successful life. But we can help. 

One of the ways United Way is working to empower more people to find pathways out of poverty is through our HIRE Initiative – fostering opportunities for our neighbors to gain financial security through better jobs. Thanks to Tocqueville leaders and investors like Jack Salzwedel, Diane Ballweg, Dave Beck-Engel and many more, we launched HIRE in 2013. 

Alongside community partners, we’ve helped more than 3,000 people secure reliable work making family-sustaining wages. But there’s still so much to be done. That’s why I’m thrilled to share with you that our HIRE initiative’s new workforce delegation is launching at the end of this month! 

The delegation, chaired by fellow Tocqueville member Lisa Barton, CEO of Alliant Energy, and Seth Lentz, CEO of the Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin, is made up of 21 individuals across sectors including educators from MMSD and Madison College. Together, these community leaders will take an in-depth look at existing strategies, how they respond to current needs and gaps in our workforce and make recommendations for the future.  

Additionally, HIRE has been awarded a generous grant from Ascendium Education Group to create demand-driven, short-term training programs to get people into higher-paying, specialized positions. Through this grant, we’ll design programs that will not only provide stable employment but fill critical gaps in the workforce.  

Many of you have a critical role to play in this process as employers. If you’d like to get involved, please reach out to Bill Clingan, Program Manager, Community Impact at bill.clingan@uwdc.org. 

Your continued investments have allowed us to break down barriers and prepare people for employment. Thank you for continuing to champion this work through Tocqueville! I’m so proud of what we’re accomplishing together.

The conversation was facilitated by Tocqueville Cabinet Chair Cheryl DeMars, and lead by our Community Impact Director of Health, Uchenna “Uno” Jones BSN, RN, CLC. Uchenna was recently honored as a BRAVA Women To Watch and in Madison365’s Most Influential Black Leaders for 2023 List. She shared the impact Tocqueville members are having in creating a healthy community through United Way, specifically through Youth Mental Well-Being Programs, Maternal Child Health Programs and Other Health Programs, in addition to her lived experience as a doula, a nurse and an executive director. Renee Moe provided context for how this fits into the entirety of United Way’s Plan for Community Well-Being.  

Many asked questions and shared ideas for propelling the work, and called on local experts in the room to help provide more context. We were grateful for the authenticity and vulnerability of those who attended.  

You can see a summary of the impact of United Way’s Health work here. 

Thank you to BMO for sponsoring and to Findorff for hosting.  

The Schlageters have carried those lessons forward to their blended family of six adult kids (with four in-laws) and eight grandchildren. Mary has fond memories of volunteering with her sons, ensuring that Madison’s most vulnerable families had access to meals and other basic needs. Today her sons maintain their community service living in Madison and Milwaukee. Meanwhile, one of Mike’s daughters is a development director for a large nonprofit on the East Coast. 

After college, and into their busy careers while raising their families, Mike and Mary found that financial donations were how they could best give back. Mary graduated from UW-Eau Claire and spent nearly 30 years working in public utilities in facilities management. Mike’s 35-year career in investment management followed his degree from the University of Notre Dame. They became United Way Loyal Contributors through the ease of workplace giving and their employers’ endorsements. At Alliant Energy/Wisconsin Power & Light, Mary first ‘gave at the office’ in 1983 and was a regular Days of Caring volunteer. Mike led the way at Madison Investment Advisors. 

Their household joined the Tocqueville Society in 2002. “We continue to give to United Way,” the couple explains, “as we see first-hand their successes and believe them to be wonderful stewards of our charitable dollars.” Mike and Mary’s belief in United Way extends to future giving, too. When asked to establish a named fund in the United Way Foundation and to endow their support, they agreed to join the Tocqueville Legacy Circle. “We have put United Way in our estate planning, as we want their excellent work to continue well after we are gone.” 

While future needs are yet to be determined, Mary and Mike recognize the significant roles for collaboration, partnership and philanthropy today: “Like many places, divisiveness in the community can threaten to tear us apart. There is also a large gap between the haves and have-nots. To us, United Way tries to bridge these gaps and has had great success.” 

Even as the Schlageters give generously in retirement, they also have found that once again they have time to volunteer. “I decided to volunteer on the Tocqueville Cabinet,” Mike says, “as many potential members have faced the same decision-making process that we have gone through. We want to give back to a community that has been so good to us and our family, and who better to know the biggest needs than United Way?” 

We invite you to learn more about Tocqueville Legacy Circle and partnering with the United Way Foundation! Contact us at foundation@uwdc.org or 608-246-4399.