Bank of Sun Prairie Celebrates the Power of Community by Giving Back

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2024

Contact: Jimmy Kauffman, President and CEO
608.837.4511 ● jimmy.kauffman@bankofsunprairie.com

Bank of Sun Prairie Celebrates the Power of Community by Giving Back
Wisconsin Bankers Association Power of Community Week April 15 – 20, 2024

Sun Prairie, Wis., bankofsunprairie.com ‒To celebrate the connections between local businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools, and families and their hometown community bank, Bank of Sun Prairie is recognizing the Power of Community Week April 15-20, 2024, during National Community Banking Month and National Financial Literacy and Capability Month.

“We have a 126-year history in this community,” said Jimmy Kauffman, president and CEO of Bank of Sun Prairie. “It is our duty and privilege to not only give back during Power of Community Week but every week, all year long, every year.”

The purpose of Power of Community Week is to highlight the longstanding tradition of local hometown community banking and the role banks play in building strong, thriving communities.

Bank of Sun Prairie’s Power of Community Week activities include:

• Operation: Feed the Grove benefiting Cottage Grove Food Pantry sponsored by Bank of Sun Prairie. Drop off a donation item at Bank of Sun Prairie’s Cottage Grove branch, and at Dunkin’ Donuts and Grace Coffee in Cottage Grove and get a sweet treat cookie or donut in return.
• Financial Education in the High Schools: Sun Prairie East High School kicking off on April 15 – 19 with brand-new curriculum for grades 9 through 12, in partnership with Bank of Sun Prairie.
• Spring Clean Up at McKenzie Family Boys & Girls Club in Sun Prairie. Colleagues grab their gloves and rakes to spruce up the outdoor area and playground Wed., April 17.
• Love Your Library Gala, Sat., April 20 at Sun Prairie Public Library supporting the foundation as presenting sponsor.

“The Power of Community Week highlights the collective impact of Wisconsin’s banking industry,” said Rose Oswald Poels, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Bankers Association. “Bank employees tailor their efforts to the individual needs of their areas ‒ from giving financial literacy presentations in local schools to running food drives to volunteering in nursing homes ‒ it shows how passionate they are.”

Information on Power of Community Week and a map of service initiatives in Wisconsin can be found at wisbank.com/BanksPowerWI.

About Bank of Sun Prairie

Bank of Sun Prairie is a locally owned, full-service community bank with $739 million in assets and five branches in Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove, Wis. Its mission is to be trusted advisor for families, businesses and communities offering a complete range of services, while delivering fair returns for stockholders. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.

About the Wisconsin Bankers Association
Founded in 1892, WBA is the state’s largest financial industry trade association, representing more than 200 commercial banks and savings institutions, their branches, and over 30,000 employees. The Association represents banks of all sizes in Wisconsin, and nearly 98 percent of banks in the state are WBA members. To learn more, please visit www.wisbank.com.

About the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation
The Wisconsin Bankers Foundation (WBF) is a Wisconsin non-profit organization dedicated to promoting financial literacy and capability to the public. WBF works to empower consumers’ financial decisions through education, scholarships, and research. (IRS Public Charity Employer Identification Number 46-3791061)    

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Marketini Media Founders Ashley Storck and Sam Leary Introduce President Biden Ahead of His Historic Student Loan Announcement in Madison

MADISON, WISCONSIN, April 8, 2024 — During President Biden’s recent visit to Wisconsin, Marketini Media’s Co-Founders had the honor of introducing POTUS ahead of his historic announcement expanding student loan relief to millions of Americans. Their speech followed Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Governor Tony Evers.

Read more here

Wisconsin Union: Summer by the Lake at the Terrace Kicks Off With Return of Chairs, Party on April 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2024

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Wisconsin Union Public Relations and Communications Officer
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/terrace-2024

SUMMER BY THE LAKE AT THE TERRACE KICKS OFF WITH RETURN OF CHAIRS, PARTY ON APRIL 17

MADISON – The Wisconsin Union’s historic outdoor dining and entertainment destination the Memorial Union Terrace will reopen for the 2024 Terrace season on April 17 with the return of 2,000 green, yellow and orange sunburst chairs and a Wisconsin Union-hosted Opening of the Terrace Party.

The chairs will start to return the early morning of April 17 and will continue to return through the early afternoon followed by the Opening of the Terrace Party from 4-6 p.m. at the Terrace. The free party that kicks off a season of summer by the lake will feature an appearance by Bucky, free brats provided by Johnsonville while supplies last, a DJ performance, a performance by the University of Wisconsin Spirit Squad, free Terrace Lemonade and Terrace Strawberry Lemonade tasting, and free mocktail tasting.

Available on-site dining options include pub food destination der Rathskeller, pizza and pasta restaurant Strada, salad and sandwich shop Carte, dessert café the Daily Scoop, grab-n-go and snacks shop the Badger Market, beverages and snacks restaurant der Stiftskeller, and seasonal lakefront destination Lakeview Lounge.

At 7 p.m. on April 17, guests can attend an Open Mic Night hosted by the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Music Committee and Moda Magazine, which marks the start of WUD Music’s nine-event music series WUDstock.

The Wisconsin Union team hosts Terrace season from late spring to early fall each year, including free film showings on Monday nights June-August, free concerts Wednesday-Saturday usually beginning in late May, free and low-cost art activities, and low-cost outdoor recreation experiences. The Union team will announce its film and music lineup in May at TerraceSummer.com.

The Wisconsin Union will soon make a Terrace Festival Package available for purchase, which will include a limited-edition t-shirt, a limited-edition button, a coupon card redeemable for monthly free food items, and more.

“Terrace season is really a three-month-long festival of free music, free movies, free and low-cost art, and so much more. It’s the perfect way to spend summer by the lake,” Wisconsin Union Deputy Director Susan Dibbell said. “There’s nothing else like Terrace season in the country, and no Wisconsin summer is complete without a Terrace visit, whether someone lives here or is visiting.”

The Wisconsin Union team is planning its programming and overall Terrace experience with the theme “Summer by the Lake” in mind.

“With music, great food, lakefront relaxation, and unique opportunities to make lasting memories with friends, family or colleagues, visits to the Terrace deliver the essential Wisconsin lakeside summer,” Public Relations and Communications Officer Shauna Breneman said.

The Wisconsin Union team anticipates opening seasonal dining options the Brat Stand on April 19 and the BBQ Stand on May 3, weather permitting. Coffee and tea café Peet’s Coffee is anticipated to reopen in late April with double its previous beverage-making capacity.

The Wisconsin Union held its first full Terrace season in 1929. Today, the space welcomes almost 1 million people each year, and its Wisconsin-crafted, metal sunburst chairs are trademarked and widely regarded as beloved symbols of Madison and summer in Wisconsin.

Most Terrace season events and most other events held by the Wisconsin Union are created by student leaders in WUD, who gain hands-on professional experiences through their Wisconsin Union leadership roles. Some WUD students receive up to 80% of their in-state tuition paid through Wisconsin Union academic stipends in recognition of their responsibilities contributing to student life and culture.

The Wisconsin Union is a non-profit organization that does not receive any taxpayer dollars to support its Terrace operations, Terrace season events, or year-round patron services, such as its open arts studio and outdoor recreation. Purchases at Memorial Union and Union South as well as its outlying markets and cafes, tax-deductible donations, and membership purchases help make Terrace season and other Union experiences and spaces possible.

Most of the events that occur at the Terrace during Terrace season also occur inside the Union’s spaces from late fall to early spring, including free film showings at the Marquee at Union South; free and low-cost art events at Memorial Union; and free, live music at both Union South and Memorial Union. Guests can continue to enjoy events indoors at Memorial Union and Union South while awaiting Terrace summer programming and can do so again when Terrace season ends. 

Patrons can visit TerraceSummer.com for Terrace season details.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra: Concerts on the Square Volunteer Affiliate Program Applications Open

Apply for your business to be a Volunteer Affiliate for Concerts on the Square!

Annually, the WCO selects six local small businesses to feature as Concerts on the Square Volunteer Affiliates. Each business will be given marketing opportunities in exchange for volunteer time at the event their business is assigned to. You can learn more and apply at https://wcoconcerts.org/concerts-tickets/concerts-on-the-square/volunteer-affiliate-program.

Improving mental health is focus of new WPS report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Corporate Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Improving mental health is focus of new WPS report

MADISON, Wis.—April 8, 2024—The 2023 WPS Health Solutions^® Corporate Social Responsibility Report, “Mental Health is Health,” is now available on wpshealthsolutions.com. The report details the company’s commitment to good mental health along with an overview of how various lines of business at WPS Health Solutions supported mental health initiatives in 2023.

During the year, WPS worked to bring awareness, fund programming, reduce stigmas, and advance availability of mental health care. A highlight of the efforts was adding 20% more mental health care providers to its networks, reducing wait time from weeks to hours.

“Addressing the mental health needs of beneficiaries, our insured, and our employees has been a focus of mine since becoming President and CEO last April. I’m proud of how company leaders have stepped up and brought real solutions to the table,” said WPS President and CEO Wendy Perkins. “This report highlights our continued focus and progress and reaffirms our belief that mental health care is essential health care.”

More than 75 years since its founding, WPS continues its work to protect the health and financial well-being of its customers.

About WPS Health Solutions^®

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, has more than 2,600 employees. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

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