DeLong Middle School
Fitness and Wellness
The DeLong Middle School Fitness, the Chippewa Valley Museum received a $2,500 grant to initiate a change that will protect irreplaceable collections and save energy. With its ECCF grant and additional support from Focus on Energy, it will re-fit about half of its gallery track lighting with LED bulbs.
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The Chippewa Valley Museum is a unique place where visitors can learn about the region’s past and present. Because the collections are at the heart of the museum’s work, it protects them by meeting preservation standards. Unfortunately, in the past, lighting has been an area in which preservation and energy efficiency were in conflict. Only incandescent lighting did not emit high levels of ultra-violet light (UV). Exposure to UV is like slow cooking for many historic materials and potentially extremely damaging to artifacts on exhibit. Fortunately, new LED lighting not only does not emit UV, it is also more energy efficient and therefore more cost effective.
This grant will protect the Chippewa Valley Museum’s regional collections while imposing fewer limits on its service, a value that is recognized in the community. In the 2012 Good Life survey conducted by the museum and other cultural organizations, 97 percent of more than 800 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that “it is important to preserve and celebrate our history” and 96 percent agreed that “arts, culture and heritage are important to our quality of life.”
For more information, contact Mikki Director: (715) 834-7871. You can also explore the Chippewa Valley Museum's website.
Girls on the Run
Over 225 girls in the Chippewa Valley are happier, healthier, and more confident thanks to their participation in Girls on the Run, which is a physical activity–based youth development program for girls in third to fifth grade.
Within Girls on the Run, trained and supportive coaches and volunteers teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with a celebratory 5K running event, which is held the second weekend in May.
The goals of the program are to develop and improve competence, unleash confidence through accomplishment, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults, and make a meaningful contribution to the community, all while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.
The heart of the program is in the coaches, donors and other volunteers that make it possible. Over 60 coaches volunteer their time each season, and over 100 volunteers help with the 5K run. With their help, the girls also plan and execute a variety of community-building projects.
The Girls on the Run program is currently available in 11 Chippewa Valley schools and plans to add two to three more schools next year. As Girls on the Run continues to expand, it will hold true to its vision: A world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.
For more information, please contact Kim Gillett, Council Director: (715) 271-7703. You can also explore the Girls on the Run of Eau Claire County website or the Girls on the Run Facebook page.
Beaver Creek Reserve
Helping the Chippewa Valley
Connect with Nature
Beaver Creek Reserve is a non-profit environmental, educational, and recreational nature facility that is open year-round, located four miles north of Fall Creek, Wisconsin. With more than 400 acres of habitat, Beaver Creek Reserve offers engaging activities and events throughout the seasons for people of all ages.
Over the past five years, the Friends of Beaver Creek Reserve have concentrated their efforts on upgrading and modernizing many of its buildings. They are now turning their efforts toward improving and expanding the Reserve’s extensive trail system. This year’s grant was written to replace the Reserve’s outdated informational kiosks with new ones that will be placed at the Reserve's major gathering points. These new kiosks will help visitors navigate the Reserve's trail system and provide a place for guests to view upcoming activities and events held at the Reserve. The kiosks will help encourage outdoor activities, healthy lifestyles and enjoyment of nature throughout the seasons.
For more information, contact the Reserve by email, or phone: (715) 877-2212. You can also follow the Reserve’s activities, via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, or you can explore the Reserve's website.
Young Life
Building Positive Relationships
Young Life is an international organization that strives to build positive relationships with teenagers in a crucial and often confusing time of life. Through weekly programs, camp trips, and just spending time together, Young Life volunteer leaders mentor kids and help them to consider life and faith in a way they can relate to and understand.
Young Life is grateful to have received a grant from the ECCF to help high school students in difficult family situations attend summer camp. Why is camp so crucial? The adventure that happens at Young Life camp builds confidence and encourages kids in a positive environment. This increased confidence will better prepare kids to avoid at-risk behaviors, discover constructive life changes, and ultimately impact their entire family and the community.
A teen, let’s call him “Jake,” shares his experience:
“The night I signed up for Castaway [a Young Life camp] was the best decision of my life. The entire time at Castaway was amazing, and it brought God into my life in an indescribable way. I really loved it. Honestly, without Young Life, I don’t know where I would be. I know there are a lot more journeys ahead for me to experience. Young Life has changed my life, and it will keep changing it forever.”
For more information, please contact Eric Johnson, Area Director: (651) 239-2430. You can also explore the Young Life Chippewa Valley website.