The Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund is proud to announce the launch of Crescendo On Wisconsin, a statewide campaign committed to helping struggling Entertainment Industry workers stay safely in their homes by providing emergency energy and rental assistance during these difficult times.
The entertainment and hospitality industry has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, indoor music venues have faced capacity limitations making it impossible to remain open, while outdoor music events with large gatherings of people were canceled in an effort to curb the spread of the infectious disease. Drastically reduced performance opportunities brought the industry to a screeching halt.
The Crescendo On Wisconsin Campaign is reaching out to provide a hand up by assisting entertainment industry workers (artists, musicians, stage and sound crew, venue workers, etc.) with obtaining much-needed financial assistance for keeping a roof over their heads or their
The Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund Golf Classic has been a major fundraising event for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund. The 19th Annual Golf Classic event held this past August was no exception. Even in a year when many events across the state were postponed or canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sprawling and well-manicured greens provided plenty of wide-open space for the event to move forward in a safe and socially distant manner.
Golfers at the 19th Annual KWW/CF Charity Golf Classic and Silent Auction shown here getting ready for a great day of golf in Lake Geneva, WI.
For nearly 90 years, the thing that’s helped make Madison-based Schoep’s Ice Cream a leader in the industry has been its reliance on family and community.
Keeping much of the same formula over the years, Schoep’s has tried to give back wherever there was an opportunity. So, when Tim Bruer, Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund and Heat and Housing for Heroes Founder, approached Schoep’s CEO/President Al Thomsen with a chance to do just that, he didn’t hesitate. Instead, he jumped into action.
Beth Kille, co-founder of Flannel Fest, singing with her band during the concert at High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI, Photo by Mike Rausch
The 5th annual Flannel Fest, a celebration of the local and national Americana music scene, was held at two locations this year on Friday, November 2nd and Saturday, November 3rd and raised significant money for Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund and Heat and Housing for Heroes.
“This was our 5th year and it’s really starting to come into its own,” says Flannel Fest organizer and co-founder Beth Kille. “I really feel like this was the best year so far in so many ways.”
The 17th Annual Keep WI Warm/Cool Fund Charity Golf Classic was held Tuesday, August 7th, 2018 at Geneva National Golf Club in Lake Geneva. The event was once again an overwhelming success, raising $279,000 that will go towards helping thousands of Wisconsin households in need including Veterans, elderly, disabled and working families with young children in crisis. Because of the generosity of the many golfers, corporate sponsors, donors and stakeholders that took part in the outing, Wisconsinites in need will be able to keep the heat and power on. The outing also helped raise awareness to the cause of Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund and Heat and Housing for Heroes initiatives.
If there’s one thing the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund has relied on over the years, it’s having the support of the community.
Dozens of companies throughout the state have lent their support to the organization and provided a safety net for more than 90,000 households that find themselves in crisis. Years ago, the KWW/CF found a “sweet” match in Schoep’s Ice Cream.
The Madison-based company shows its support for the organization by hosting multiple fundraising events throughout the year. Things like the $5 all-you-can-eat Ice Cream Social at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison and Wo Zha Wah Days Fall Festival in Wisconsin Dells always bring overwhelming support that goes a long way.
A line of hungry patrons forms at an ice cream social at the East YMCA in Madison, WI.
Bruer, media company have long-lasting relationship
For more than two decades, Tom Keeler has seen the direct impact the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund has made across the state. That’s why Keeler, the vice president and general manager at Morgan Murphy Media, has been devoted to making a change.
Since its foundation, the KWW/CF has been fortunate in counting on its close relationship with WISC-TV (Channel 3000). It’s used the partnership not only for fundraising purposes, but also to raise awareness to an unfortunate reality: Many people in Wisconsin must choose between eating or heating their home during the winter.
Volunteers at the ‘Day of Warmth’ telethon actively taking calls for donations for those most in need in Wisconsin.
For 23 years, the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund has relied heavily on support from those in the community. What started as an emergency fund covering nine counties has grown to an organization that has thousands of supporters and is available in every zip code in Wisconsin.
Despite the changes, KWW/CF Executive Director Tim Bruer has always known the organization can rely on the connection it has with the Madison area. So, when Schoep’s Ice Cream and the KWW/CF formed a partnership, it was obvious to reach out to a historic place like Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
KWW/CF staff are ready to scoop delicious donated Schoep’s ice cream for hungry patrons in Madison.
For 17 years, the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund’s Charity Golf Classic & Silent Auction has shown what a grassroots effort can do to help those in need. The hundreds of people who come together every year to show their support for those less fortunate have helped the event become one of the state’s premier fundraising events.
Golfers at last year’s Charity Golf Classic and Silent Auction gathering before the shotgun start at Geneva National in Lake Geneva, WI.
This past August, some of the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund’s biggest supporters gathered for what has become one of the state’s largest fundraising events.
The 18th Annual KWW/CF Golf Classic and Silent Auction was another major success, with dozens of foursomes teeing it up on a pristine day at Geneva National Resort and Club in Lake Geneva.
Golfers at the 18th Annual KWW/CF Charity Golf Classic and Silent Auction shown here getting ready for a great day of golf in Lake Geneva, WI.
“Literally thousands of individuals and corporate sponsors have donated to the event over the years, and it’s raised well over $2 million,” ESI Executive Director, and KWW/CF Chief Spokesperson Tim Bruer said. “This is one of the most successful homegrown golf fundraisers in the state.”
The outing, which started in Spring Green on a much smaller level, has since grown so large that Bruer had to move the event to a larger venue. This past year marked the third year that the KWW/CF Charity Golf Classic was held at the premier Geneva National Resort in Lake Geneva, WI.
Artist Trapper Schoepp rocking Flannel Fest 2019, Photo by Mike Rausch
Music has always been a major part of Erik Kjelland’s life. So, it should come as no surprise that he’s been using his talent as a catalyst to raise thousands of dollars and awareness for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund.
Six years ago, Kjelland, who spends much of his time singing, playing guitar and harmonica for his Madison-based band, The Mascot Theory, was having a conversation with a friend about organizing an event that would give back to the community. He and fellow musician Beth Kille, of the Beth Kille Band, hatched a plan to bring together some of the best musical talent in Wisconsin - and beyond - to help out those in need.
Flannel Fest was born.
