Media Releases Archives - United Way of Marathon County

United Way Community Baby Shower

April showers usually bring May flowers, but with your help, April showers will bring happy mommies to be!

Hard working families in our community often struggle to make it from paycheck to paycheck, with little left over for savings or unexpected expenses. From time to time, they need to rely on help from area programs including Rebecca’s Closet, Bundles of Joy, and area food pantries.

April is a great month to support your local non-profits by collecting most needed baby items. You can host a Baby Shower for a group of co-workers, friends, or family to collect new and gently used items or simply make a donation yourself.

Past participants tell us that the Community Baby Shower is their favorite volunteer activity of the year. Get your workplace involved as a collection site for the Community Baby Shower.

Being a collection site is easy:

Add your workplace drop off location and deadline for accepting donations to the Community Baby Shower poster. (PDF or WORD version).
Promote the Community Baby Shower, letting your employees and customers know where your collection site will be and when they can drop off items.
Bring all collected items to United Way by Friday, May 3. United Way will distribute items to area programs and non-profits.

Coalition To Sponsor Homelessness Events

JANUARY 2019

Point In Time Count

The Housing and Homelessness Coalition, an initiative of United Way of Marathon County, will be conducting a Point In Time Count during the overnight hours of January 23, 2019. Teams of volunteers will count individuals experiencing homelessness. Data gathered helps to provide a snapshot of homelessness in Marathon County. Local organizations use the information to evaluate housing and homeless assistance. The count includes people who are unsheltered living on the streets and those staying in homeless shelters. To sign up to volunteer for the Point in Time Count, contact MaiGer Moua at 715-298-5726.

Project Connect

From 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on January 24, 2019, local non-profit organizations will be hosting Project Connect at The Salvation Army Worship and Community Center, 103 S. Second Avenue, Wausau. The event includes a free lunch served from 12:00-1:00 and free showers. Those attending will also have the opportunity to connect with local organizations that may be able to assist with housing challenges. Anyone who is having trouble with rent, house payments or other issues related to housing is encouraged to attend.

Informational poster

Complete Your LIFE Survey

JANUARY 2019

Helping your community may be as simple as completing a survey.

The 12th LIFE in Marathon County Report project launches this week with the mailing of the LIFE Survey to 2100 randomly selected households in Marathon County. The survey is being conducted by UW-River Falls Survey Research Center.

“We strongly encourage people who receive the survey to fill it out and return it,” said Tara Draeger, Chair of the LIFE Committee. “By participating in this important survey, respondents have the opportunity to help influence the 2019-2021 LIFE in Marathon County Report which sets a road map for future improvements in our County.”

The survey gathers Marathon County resident’s opinions on a variety of topics addressing the quality of life in Marathon County. It includes a variety of questions on topics such as health insurance coverage, transportation concerns, and what services residents value in our community.

The survey is a critical part of the LIFE report, a data driven report of over 65 indicators. A good survey response rate ensures accurate results for the report and provides information that isn’t available from other sources.

About the LIFE Report

The LIFE in Marathon County report is possible thanks to 17 funding partners and dozens of volunteers. It presents indicators covering seven categories ranging from basic needs, health, safety, education, aging, and the environment to our economic climate. Indicators drill down to specific issues. For example, in the Basic Needs section data on hunger, homelessness, and access to transportation is presented. The report is widely used by business leaders, government offices, and non-profit organizations in planning, grant writing, and grant making.

The LIFE Report has been published every other year since 1997 by the LIFE Steering Committee. The next report, for 2019–2021, will be the project’s 12th report and celebrates 24 years of influencing change in the community. It will be released in January 2020. The current edition of the report is available on the United Way website at https://www.unitedwaymc.org/community-data/life-report/. United Way serves as the fiscal agency for this community project.

Tax Help is Available

JANUARY 2019

Tax season will soon be in full swing. For individuals and families seeking free tax assistance or online tax filing, United Way’s 2-1-1 can help you find resources and information to make filing your taxes easier.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) provides two volunteer tax aid programs in Marathon County to help residents with low to moderate incomes and no rental property file their federal, state, and homestead tax returns.

UW-Extension, Marathon County: 212 River Drive
- Tax appointments are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning February 5 – April 11, 2019, from 7:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Mosinee United Methodist Church: 607 13^th Street, Community room 207
- Tax appointments are on Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

To make a tax appointment at either location, call 715-298-5734, Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., starting January 17, 2019.

Tax filing assistance is also available at Marshfield 2nd Street Community Center, 112 E. 2^nd Street. Appointments are available from February 11 – April 10 on Mondays 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Make your appointment by dialing 2-1-1, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Households with income under $66,000 and interested in filing online can visit www.myfreetaxes.com. Households with higher income can also file for a small fee.

Do you have questions?

Residents with tax-specific questions can call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Taxpayer hotline at 1-800-829-1040 or the Wisconsin Department of Revenue at 608-266-2772.

For additional information on tax aid resources, dial 2-1-1 to speak with an Information Specialist, 24/7. You can now also reach an Information Specialist by texting your zip code to 898211 Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., by chat Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – noon at www.unitedwaymc.org/get-help, or by email at askus@unitedwaymc.org. To search the online database or view publications, go to www.unitedwaymc.org/get-help.

Check out our Tax Preparation Assistance Quick Reference Guide

2-1-1 Joins Statewide Addiction Recovery Program

DECEMBER 2018

United Way 2-1-1’s across Wisconsin are bringing their statewide network of staff and resources to support Wisconsin’s new Addiction Recovery Helpline. The Helpline connects people struggling with substance use to local recovery services. Access it by dialing 2-1-1 or 833-944-4673 at any time. The Department of Health Services (DHS) supports this free and confidential service.

In addition, 2-1-1 Wisconsin launched a brand-new website – addictionhelpwi.org – for the service. The site allows people to reach the Helpline in four different ways. Users may get help through call, text, chat or online. The focus of the new site is recovery. Site visitors access resources for signing up for insurance, browse treatment options and learn more about recovery. They can also use the site’s guided search function to walk through available resources.

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with an addiction, call United Way’s 2-1-1 to find local resources to help.