Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski says thank you for making sure your neighbors get the help they need in the New Year. The Kewaunee County Salvation Army Kewaunee County Kettle Campaign received $25,824.16 in donations between November 23rd and December 24th. That is over $1,000 more than last year’s total. Algoma led the way with more than $10,000 raised at their sites alone. Joski says now is when they start trying to put those dollars raised to work.
He thanks all the bell ringers, site organizers, and the staff at Nicolet Bank for their help this year. You read more about this year’s Salvation Army Kewaunee County Kettle Campaign below.
FROM SHERIFF MATT JOSKI
With all of the Christmas and New Year’s excitement behind us, I wanted to take just a moment to share the outcome of our 2021 season of giving. Just as in the past, this year’s Kewaunee County Kettle Campaign was a testimony to the generosity of our communities. Over all, we received $25,824.16 in donations between November 23rd and December 24th. To put this in perspective, last year we received $24,206.72
These increased donations are not only amazing in and of themselves, but when you consider that this community gave at these levels when other communities struggled in both donations and volunteerism, it is just another testament to Kewaunee County’s sense of community and the empathy we have for those around us.
Leading the giving once again was the Algoma sites with a total of $10,453.56 followed by Luxemburg at $9215.17 and Kewaunee at $6,155.43. These donations are a total of both what was received in the kettles as well as donation checks received during that time.
These are some impressive numbers when you consider that most of these donations are mostly small amounts as people come and go from the Kettle sites. We would like to thank the businesses who allow us to place these kettles along with the bell ringing volunteers in their entrances. We would also like to thank the many volunteers who took time from their lives to ring bells and encourage giving. There is no way we would have been as successful in our fund raising had the bell ringers not been at the sites as often as they were. I am always encouraged by the many new faces that volunteer each year and look forward to more new faces next season.
I would like to thank John Ortlieb for all of his efforts and that of his team for doing an amazing job in the Algoma area. I would also like to thank Annette Wuest for her coordination at the Luxemburg sites. A special shout out to all of our Kewaunee County youth for showing us that there is no minimum age for volunteerism, as we had students, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Cub Scouts and student/ staff members of various organizations giving of themselves and their time.
Big thanks also to all of the Nicolet Bank staff, especially Lynn LaCrosse, for their processing of all of the transactions and patiently sorting the contents of the Kettles. Many hours were spent flattening out all of the rolled up, crunched up and otherwise jammed packed currency from the kettles that are brought in.
It is important to note that these funds stay here in Kewaunee County to help those around us who find themselves in short term need. These needs could be due to a sudden loss of employment, or an unexpected medical bill. In these instances, the resources are sent directly to the vendor so that there is no doubt that the money is going towards its intended purpose.
I have the unique privilege of being the Voucher Writer for the Salvation Army here in Kewaunee County which allows me to meet with and assist our neighbors throughout the year for needs such as Utilities, Rent, Lodging, Food, Clothing, and Fuel. While I may be the person filling out the voucher for them, I know that I am merely a representative of our community and all of its amazing generosity. I am grateful for this role I play in changing people’s lives for the better, and I would encourage anyone who has an interest to please join our county unit of the Salvation Army. We meet on a quarterly basis and are always looking for fresh insight and perspective on how we can better serve our community. Please give me a call if you are interested.
