• Connie Bakker, Chair, Resident
• Dr. Barbara Bowers, Retired
• Tim Conroy, Capitol Lakes, Inc.
• Dr. Diane Farsetta, Vice Chair, UWMadison School of Nursing
• Natasha Killian, Capitol Lakes, Inc.
• Sherry Lepage, Resident
• Norma Madsen, Resident
• Jim Pope, Treasurer, Wintrust Mortgage
• Dr. Tracy Schroepfer, UWMadison School of Social Work
• Kristi Vater, Secretary, Capitol Lakes, Inc.
Foundation Director: Lenee Kruse
Dear Friends,
This September I completed my final term on the Capitol Lakes Foundation Board. It has been an honor to serve my home community over the last six years. I ’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish for residents and the staff who serve us, thanks to your support. It was particularly gratifying that in my final year you gave so generously to keep Financial Assistance in Times of Hardship, or FAITH, available to our team when they need it most.
While your generosity will keep the FAITH program strong for years to come, your consistent support for the Capitol Lakes Foundation over my tenure has demonstrated the broader faith you keep with Capitol Lakes residents and staff. The stories in this report illustrate the loyalty you ’ve shown to the Capitol Lakes community over just the last 12 months.
Thanks for the faith you’ve shown in me the past six years and for the faith I know you’ll continue to keep with the Capitol Lakes community moving forward.
- Connie Bakker, Outgoing Chair of the Capitol Lakes Foundation Board
Recruiting and retaining the best staff possible support a high quality of life for all who call Capitol Lakes home. One way that we show how much we value our wonderful staff is through the Financial Assistance in Times of Hardship (FAITH) program. Thanks to the incredible generosity of people like you, the Capitol Lakes Foundation launched the FAITH program nearly ten years ago to lend a hand to staff who face unexpected challenges and need a little help.
Through the FAITH program, we’ve helped staff who faced serious illnesses. One year we helped a staff member after a fire in their home. When disruption early in the COVID pandemic led to some staff being furloughed, the FAITH program covered the employee portion of their health insurance. That made sure no one lost benefits during a public health emergency.
This June we asked you to help us replenish funds for this important safety net program. Thanks to an anonymous donor we were able to match the first $20,000 in gifts received.
Thanks to your support, we not only realized our matching gift opportunity but raised over $50,000 to keep FAITH available to our team for years to come!
Here are some illustrations of what your support means:
Because of the FAITH fund, an employee’s undrivable car was able to be fixed. It is wonderful for both her and Capitol Lakes that the Foundation was able to help her as it is her only transportation and she works hours that do not work with the bus schedule.
- Steve Mellstrom, Capitol Lakes’ Human Resources Director
Thanks to your support, we provided a grant to bring artists to campus who shared how they windows on State Street as their canvasses to print their longings for justice after the attack on George Floyd.
Holy Knipfer took a CNA job when she was 17 as a way to earn some extra money. What she didn’t expect was how much she would enjoy working with older adults and how the experience would shape the next five years of her life.
By the summer of 2024, Holly was just 600 internship hours away from completing her degree in recreational therapy with a minor in gerontology from UW-La Crosse. She chose Capitol Lakes in part because of the financial support offered by the Capitol Lakes Foundation. As she says:
“Because the internship is a part of my program I owe tuition. I am incredibly grateful to the Capitol Lakes Foundation for the $1,000 payment to offset my tuition. This will also help me pay for my certification exam. ”
“This is such an incredible resource for students like myself. ” Your gifts make supporting learners like Holly possible. And her presence here this summer has made a positive difference for our Health Center residents as well.
Susana Sar has worked at Capitol Lakes since 2016. She was not a student when she started, but knew she wanted a career in healthcare. As she says:
“Capitol Lakes made it easy to go back to school. There were many times I was struggling to pay my tuition and I knew I could turn to Capitol Lakes to help me.”
A 2024 graduate Sar still picks up shifts at Seasons while working full time as a radiologic technologist.
Thanks to your support we’re able to provide scholarships to team members like Melanie Siltala, our Minimum Data Set Coordinator. She used her award to attend a national conference to confer with other professionals in her field.
“I am so grateful to the Foundation for giving me the opportunity.”
Thanks to you, in July 2022 the Capitol Lakes Foundation was able to cut the first checks to our professional staff to help with their student loan debt. Two years later, Student Loan Repayment has graduated from the pilot phase to become a permanent staff support program.
And its impact continues to improve the lives of staff members like HR Generalist, Lauren Sczepanski. Lauren is a graduate of UW-Eau Claire and first came to Capitol Lakes as a student working as an Administrator in Training. After she graduated she took an HR job in Madison, but made the move back to Capitol Lakes as soon as an HR position opened here.
While Lauren often helps employees navigate the many benefits available to them, she is also grateful for the support she personally receives. “I’m grateful for the chance to receive funds that I can apply against my student loans, ” says Lauren.
“Everything helps, and it also gives me comfort to know that if a financial emergency comes up my loans will be covered. As an HR professional I also understand that benefits like this aren’t standard.”
“Offering this type of help really shows employees that they are valued,” Lauren adds.
In December Lauren will celebrate her third anniversary at Capitol Lakes. Thank you for showing great employees like Lauren how much they are valued and for keeping them working here in support of our residents.
Praise for Student Loan Repayment from Capitol Lakes Staff:
I am thrilled to hear this!
Thank you for your assistance!
The Benevolent Care program at Capitol Lakes tries to ensure that no resident needs to leave their home due to financial hardship. The peace of mind this program provides to residents and their families is profound. Because of you, we increased our grant toward the total cost of this program for the 8th year in a row!
Music activates many parts of the brain simultaneously and therefore has significant benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. Thanks to you, since January ‘24 we have been able to fund community drumming groups for any interested resident and a ‘music and reminiscence’ group for memory care residents.
Matt Hong saw first hand the impact these groups had on his mother when he was visiting from out of town. “My mother is an Alzheimer’s patient with diminishing verbal skills, but I watched her engage and enjoy herself and be able to express herself in a completely different way,” he says. “As a professional musician myself, I certainly know the power of music and its healing properties, and it was tremendous to experience it with my mom, and with the other residents.”
“I hope this continues at Capitol Lakes for a long time.”
Physical & Occupational Therapy are a must for many of our residents, but thanks to your support it ’s not a chore. In ‘24 we gave our therapists use of our ping pong table and cornhole game. According to Rehab Director, Tory Kehoe, both games have been helpful when targeting therapy goals related to balance, standing tolerance, reaction time, and energy conservation. Since the games are fun residents are motivated to participate longer compared to more formal exercises. The social aspect also helps decrease isolation. As Tory says:
“ After playing, people are more willing to eat and socialize together. ”
Resident George Johnson wrote this about the FREE drop -in tech support residents receive every Friday afternoon from 1 3pm thanks to you. In fiscal year ‘24 we provided nearly 65 hours of help to 80 individual residents. Here are just some of the other comments we’ve gotten from residents who have secured help from the program:
Just keep this wonderful service going! In terms of continuing the service, that’s a yes, yes, yes!
The most reassuring part was knowing someone was able to offer advice.
My son is grateful I have someone other than him to ask
The tech rep is knowledgeable & helpful
This service is very important for residents
It’s comforting to know the service is available even if we don’t need to use it
Please keep this service available it’s much appreciated by us non-computer geeks!
CL Community Read officially started in 2022, but was an outgrowth of a pandemic era program. Over the last three years we have distributed over 233 books and hosted 71 residents at multiple discussion groups. This year, residents read “Run” by Ann Patchett.
“It was a good book and a great discussion. Thank you. ”
Gloria Dougherty, CL Resident
At a glance...
86% renewed their support this year!
Total Cash & Investments: $2,349,045
