At the October 30th meeting, Clear Water welcomed 5 organizations that are receiving funding from our club in the 2024-2025 season. Each organization gave a brief overview of themselves, and how they are using Clear Water's funds to improve the lives of children in our community.
Law Enforcement Mental Health Fund (Nominated by Mary Edna Hagen and Ann Kaiser)
Matt Rokus, Chief of Police of the Eau Claire Police Department, spoke about the ongoing efforts of the Law Enforcement Mental Health Fund. Funding from Clear Water helped allow ECPD admin professionals to utilize the fund for mental health services. Our current donation will go towards the Developing Resiliency Program, assisting the staff with the tools to deal with the strain of the job. Clear Water is happy to offer our financial support for this worthy cause.
Junior Achievement (Nominated by Susan Peterson).
Alisha Klemish from Junior Achievement spoke about the JA Titen Challenge, an entrepreneur program for students. Clear Water's support of this program assisted JA in awarding multiple scholarships.
Trinity Equestrian Center (Nominated by Julie Eklund)
Toni Mattson, co-founder of Trinity Equestrian Center, spoke about the many youth and veterans therapy programs they offer. Clear Water's donation will assist them in offering over $16,000 in free equine therapy. Trinity Equestrian has been in operation for 22 years. Toni also spoke about their new Empowerment Center Garden, which produced an abundance of veggies and the opportunity to show children how to prep and cook meals using those veggies.
Lutheran Social Services Operation Christmas (Nominated by Mary Spies)
Carla Spies spoke about the LSS Operation Christmas, a program that many Clear Water club members participate in each December and to which the club donates. LSS provides gifts to children who might not otherwise have a Christmas.
Eau Claire Area Public Schools (Nominated by Dani Graham)
Clear Water has a strong relationship with the ECPS, and this year they are offering support for: ABC Food Program (formerly Weekend Kids Meals), Homeless Program, Foster Care Support, ECASD Closet, and numerous diverse student clubs. The majority of these programs are entirely supported by donations from the community.