ICAA
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
OPENING DOORS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO When we look back on 2021, we remember the struggles of those around us: small businesses fighting to keep their doors open, people trying to obtain employment after businesses closed permanently, families worried over their financial situation and how they’re going to pay their rent or mortgage, utilities, and other bills that kept piling up due to devastating losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We were blessed to have been able to help these individuals and families with financial assistance, employment opportunities, and many other wrap-around services. I can only say “Thank You” to our staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors for continuing to support our communities and clients as we worked alongside them to remove barriers. Our staff listened to the needs of each client and have worked many long hours helping to find resources for our communities. I am forever grateful for their continued dedication and empathy. Additionally, we have many devoted partners and stakeholders who believe in us and encourage innovation in the services we provide. We hope to continue these partnerships into 2022 and beyond. It’s like the old saying goes, “It take a village…” As we move into 2022, you’ll be able to check out our latest Community Needs Assessment on our website (www.indianheadcaa.org/community-needs-assessment/). This assessment helps to guide our strategic planning process and is the basis for the goals and strategies we developed for the next three years. I strongly believe in partnerships and supporting each other, especially in our rural areas. Funding for services and programs, like the ones we provide, tends to be less available and more competitive in the northern rural areas so we’ve decided to take an innovative approach to helping service our communities. We believe that if we help support our clients and other nonprofits in northern Wisconsin, we’ll be able to improve our communities together in a creative way! Look for more information on this new initiative in the coming months.
OUR VISION & MISSION Vision: ICAA is the recognized leader for ending poverty and creating sustainable communities through self-sufficiency in Wisconsin’s rural areas. Mission: To assist individuals in achieving self-sufficiency by providing the resources, education, and services necessary to develop healthy families, sustainable communities, and strong local businesses
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SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: STEVE'S STORY Steve wanted to experience the freedom of creating his own success and knew that Rusk County could benefit from having a brick-and-mortar computer and electronics repair shop. One of the sources of support for him was ICAA! Tell us about your business? Northwoods Nexus is a computer and electronics repair and service shop located in beautiful Ladysmith, Wisconsin. How did ICAA help? ICAA helped me put together a business plan and financial projections so I could get a commercial loan. They helped me register my EIN and LLC, and connected me with a lender who gave me a loan to buy necessary upgrades for the inside of the shop. Now that I'm open, they are still helping by designing various marketing materials and providing guidance on where to go next.
How was your experience working with ICAA? I had a great experience working with ICAA. The whole process was simple, I could tell that the staff cared about seeing my business become successful, and I felt like I had someone I could ask questions to when I wasn't sure what to do next.
"If you want to start your own business, don't wait. There are a surprising amount of resources to help you be successful, and if it's what you truly want to do, go out and do it." What is your favorite part of owning a small business? I love the flexibility of owning my own business and being my own boss. I get to control all aspects of my store, from pricing to services, so when things start picking up I can take pride in knowing that I made that happen. What are the challenges of owning a small business? Starting out can be really hard. It's difficult to get the word out about your business, but you have to keep working at it. It can also be hard to get through the first few months as you're not generally profitable right away. You just have to stick with it. Is there anything else you you like to tell us? I couldn't have gotten this far without the help of Anna Ringstad and the Business Development program at ICAA.
#VAXUPWI ICAA's Northwestern WI Vaccination Outreach Program is working hard to understand and reduce vaccination hesitancy in rural Wisconsin. They've been able to gain some great visibility through their six-county celebrity billboard and #VaxUpWI campaigns!
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3 Blood Drives Hosted 118 units were collected which will help up to 348 recipients
7,416
21,158
Individuals
Volunteer Hours
from 3,092 families served in 19 counties
donated to ICAA programs
7 Small Businesses Launched 27 clients in 12 businesses received technical assistance like start-up planning, marketing strategies, logo & website design, & more
1,704
1,379
Home Visits
Face-to-Face Interactions
by 6 home visitors to 95 families. The program promotes healthy childhood growth and development by reducing risk factors and building protective factors
between NWVOP staff and community members
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448,654 Pounds of Food distributed to 1,720 families in 6 counties
79
670
Families Affected by COVID-19
Pieces of emergency furniture and clothing
received assistance with rent, mortgages, property taxes, utilities, auto repairs, and more
provided to 67 clients by the Connections Thrift Store
105 Veterans and their family members avoided homelessness or obtained housing. SSVF made 207 rent, deposit, utility, moving expense, and emergency payments
81
34
Survivors
Drug Lockboxes & Deactivation Kits
received free legal representation and domestic violence/sexual assault assistance
were distributed in Rusk County
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Burnett County Emmett Byrne Phil Lindeman - 2nd Vice Chair Jillian Louis * Dorothy Richard
Clark County Mary Fleming † Peter Kaz Joe Waichulis - 1st Vice Chair
Rusk County Christine Newkirk Bill Stewart - Legal Expert Dave Willingham - Board Chairperson
Taylor County Steve Fleming Earl Hinkel ** Rachael Loucks - Early Childhood Ed. Dan Makovsky * Patti Smith - Board Treasurer
Washburn County Lynne Bishop - Financial Expert Keith Trembath ** Sherrie Wiegand - Board Secretary
Sawyer County Curtis DeCora * Dale Schleeter - 3rd Vice Chair Jennifer Vobornik *
*Term ended during 2021 **Term ended between January and May of 2022 † In Memoriam: Mary Fleming served as a Low-Income Representative on the ICAA Board for a little over 20 years.
DONORS AND FUNDERS Aina Vilumsons Associated Bank Associated Bank/Greater Green Bay Community Foundation Barbara & Gregory Held Carlton & Joanne Spooner Charles & Barbara Turpin Christine Kay Ottosen Colleen A Montag Donor Advised Fund Community Services Block Grant Community Services Block Grant (CARES) Compeer Financial Donald & Barbara Glessing Edina Realty Elizabeth Strong Forest County Potawatomi Gary Lodermeier Harvest of Talents-Ladysmith Church of Christ Herb Kohl Philanthropies HRSA
Impact Seven Janet Muellner Jeffrey and Helen Sheffield John Gustafson John Schultz Julie Krueger Kathleen Tonnar Knights of Columbus - Medford Council No. 1744 Ladysmith Lions Club Larry Gilmer Northwest Workforce Investment Board P Scott & Peggy Stalheim Public Service Commission Robert O'Neill Keegan Ronald Zuleger Rusk County Health & Human Services Security Health Plan Servants of Mary Stephen Ammann Superior Choice Credit Union The Mossman Family - Morgan Stanley Thomas and Kay Mehring - Tom and Kaye Mehring Fund
Tri-County Dairy Promoters U.S. Deparment of Education U.S. Deparment of Labor U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs WE Energies William McAuliff Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, Inc. WI Department of Children and Familes WI Department of Health Services WI Department of Public Instruction WI Department of Veterans Affairs WI Department of Workforce Development WI Trust Account Foundation, Inc.
This list is accurate and complete to the best of our knowledge at time of printing. ICAA apologizes for any omissions or errors.
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2021 LONGEVITY AWARDS
LEADERSHIP TEAM
5 years: Josh Chandler Peter Kaz (Board) Dorothy Richard (Board) Cecilia Rihn Sue Rynda
CEO: Jennifer Shearer CFO: Kerrie Zimmermann Development Director: Anna Ringstad Human Resources Director: Sharyl Rodina Family Services Director: Michelle Stout Connections Store Manager: Michelle Wilkans
Our impact goes beyond the dollar amounts. Dollars invested in the communities through our programs are multiplied by seven times their face value to determine their worth to our communities. That means in 2021, ICAA's economic imprint was $73.082 million in the counties we serve!
2021 FINANCIAL IMPACT Energy & Housing $1,964,811
Emergency Services $1,072,855
COVID-19 $723,279
In-kind $670.428 Management & General $314,668 Prevention Services $156,653
Education $5,134,534 Other $188,470 Health Services $155,991
Jobs & Business Dev. $56,675
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ICAA HOME VISITING: HEIDI'S* STORY When Heidi was referred to the Home Visiting program last year, she was only allowed 2-hour, supervised visits with her daughter outside of her home. Heidi said, "I did not grow up in a safe or healthy environment. There were a lot of dangers and adult expectations I had to endure as a child." She experienced and observed abuse in her family, and later, during her marriage to her (now) ex-husband. The example she saw as a child and the ongoing abuse she experienced caused Heidi to make some choices which resulted in being separated from her daughter. Heidi said "I was so brokenhearted and regretfully took some of my anger out on my children." Through the Home Visiting program, Heidi established a strong relationship with her Home Visitor, Jessica. She began to ask many questions about child development and learned about healthy boundaries and communication with her children. Heidi also stated her faith is important to her and has helped her on her journey. She has grown in confidence in her choices, compassion, and communication. She expresses appreciation for Jessica's wisdom, example, and teaching of respect and says, "I am so grateful to you, Jessica, for your wisdom and your undying love for children and women in need of some compassionate teaching." Throughout her time in the program, Heidi began making enough progress that she was able to increase visits with her daughter and begin unsupervised visits in her own home. Since March of 2022, we were able to celebrate Heidi beginning her 6-month trial period of having her daughter back, unsupervised, full time! *Name changed to protect privacy.
1000 COLLEGE AVENUE W • LADYSMITH, WI 715-532-4222 WWW.INDIANHEADCAA.ORG @indianheadcaa
Indianhead Community Action Agency is an equal opportunity employer and provider operating under an approved Affirmative Action Plan. © 2022 • Indianhead Community Action Agency, Inc. All Rights Reserved.