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Fall is in the air! Whether you are one of those people who look forward to colors, pumpkin spice, and cooler temperatures, or one who dreads the impending winter, seasons are a promise from God! For me, I find beauty in each season but by all means wish winter wasn't so long and cold. Speaking of seasons, we have entered a growing season at Power House! This summer has been busy with administration work, project managing the building renovations, and planning the 2nd fundraising banquet for Power House. Here is an update on how it's all going down.....
The students enjoyed lots of outdoor activities this summer like kayaking, geo-caching, dodge ball, relay games in the park, and mini golfing, to name a few. Improvising on those rainy days found them playing bingo, line dancing, taking a basic first aid class, and playing group games. Lots of laughing, food, teasing, and controlling the chaos happens each and every Monday night during Power House. Our new event this summer (which was a huge success) was a movie night in the park at the amphitheater. A huge thank you to Jon Fields for lending us South of 8's sound equipment, setting it up, and tearing it down; Wayne Zillmer for the use, set-up, & tear down of the big screen; & everyone for coming and watching "The Greatest Showman." It was so fun to look up at the stars while watching the big screen, listening to the students sing along, all while enjoying lemonade and popcorn. Our servant project this year was cleaning up the fairgrounds after our local fair. The grounds crew stopped to talk to some of the students and were so appreciative of them being out there doing this for them. I believe it's important to teach the students how to give back to their community. The students also participated in several of our fundraisers this summer. In June, we had a bake sale, and the students helped bake and then sell their goods. One of our volunteers hosted a painting fundraiser. An artist from Eau Claire came and instructed the participants how to paint a 4th of July themed picture. Even the non-artists in the group had a good time. August found the students preparing the site and setting up for a flea market. We are grateful for all the local people who bought bake goods, painted, and purchased things at the flea market to keep Power House open to the youth of Rusk County. One of the remarks I often hear when I am in the schools is that students would like to come but transportation is a problem. The board and I have been working with RCTC to provide transportation to Power House for the Flambeau & Bruce students. We are still working out the legality of this but are hoping to roll it out soon. School has started and this means our tutor lab will be available to students during Mondays when we are open. Last year, we logged 1,910 mins working one-on-one with students during our scholastic achievement times! A huge thank you to our tutors for making this essential program available to our students. Our 2nd annual fundraising banquet will be held Tuesday, October 8th at Colonial Nursery. This is by invite only, so if you would like to attend please respond to this email with your name and address and we would be honored to send you an invite. Our guest speaker this year is LMHS graduate Michelle Backes (Pederson). Michelle loves to inspire, motivate and empower people to know God and seek Him. She is on staff with Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is the chaplain for the Minnesota Lynx WNBA team. Michelle is a Senior Certified Facilitator and Keynote Speaker at the Trust Edge Leadership Institute.She speaks to her audiences about relationships, faith, leadership, teamwork, and trust. She grew up in Ladysmith and currently lives in MN with her husband and two children. You will also have an opportunity to hear from a Power House student and parent about what Power House has meant for their family, enjoy a delicious meal, hear updates and goals, and have an opportunity to give towards our mission. It will be a great evening. The renovation project in our building continues, and the board is diligently working to find ways to complete the project. They are doing a full assessment of the project and are seeking options to expedite completion. The board has opened a money market account so contributions can be maximized by gaining interest until more renovation expenses come in. Thank you for your contributions. We value your trust as we strive to serve our youth. Thank you for your prayers as we know they are heard by our Almighty God. Our season of growth continues to stretch us, grow our faith, cause excitement, & have us look at our mission and how we can better fulfill it. One of our immediate needs is for more volunteers to help assist our program director and work with the students on Mondays when we are open. If you are looking for ways to volunteer either behind the scenes or hands on please let us know and we would be glad to walk you through the process. Our volunteers will tell you that they are seeing the changes that the students are experiencing as a result of Power House. This is because of YOU and your prayers, financial donations, and giving of your time to volunteer. None of this would be possible without YOU and we are so grateful for each and every one of you. Sincerely, Lanita Stutzman Executive Director-Power House If you would like to give a tax-deductible gift to Power House here are several ways to do that:
Thank you in advance for your donation to continue to help Power House impact our community. |
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