I-94 Cares: NAMI Chippewa Valley

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and NAMI Chippewa Valley is here to help--this month, and always.

Consider this, from nami.org: "Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. In fact, suicide is often the result of an untreated mental health condition. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues.

"September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month —a time to raise awareness of this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. We use this month to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide. Our goal is ensuring that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help."

As a local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI Chippewa Valley is here to offer support and education. Services extend beyond those living with a mental health condition; families and loved ones can also benefit through programs like support groups. They even have volunteer opportunities if you have the time.

Connect with NAMI Chippewa Valley at http://www.namicv.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NAMICV

  • If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately
  • If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org
  • You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line
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I-94 Cares: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa Valley

Somehow, it's already August! With school resuming soon, consider our I-94 Cares spotlight this month: the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa Valley.

Your kids will have fun as they stay engaged and productive after school and during breaks. All 2nd- through 12th graders are welcome to become Club Kids, with no restrictions or qualifying hoops to jump through. Not even household income is a barrier, with programs offered at low or no cost thanks to community support. They feel a special obligation to disenfranchised, underrepresented, minority, and underserved populations because of their mission.

Programs are fun, high quality, and research-based. Kids learn about and engage in community service, career exploration, Science Technology Engineering Arts & Math projects, music and drama, recreational activities, and even take field trips. Museums, parks, zoos, and college campuses are among the places they'll visit.

The combination of programs, healthy adult role models, and positive peer relationships help kids reach their full potential and make great lifelong choices. Parents and teachers often remark on the noticeable improvements Club Kids make academically and socially.

With clubs in Altoona, Black River Falls, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, and Menomonie, there's a Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley near you. Together with Hy-Vee and Marshfield Clinic Health System, we invite you to follow the links on this page and see all the ways your kids will benefit!

Halsey Auctions Art To Raise Abortion Funds

Halsey is taking a unique stand in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal: they're auctioning art.

People.com reports the singer has commissioned Sotheby's to sell paintings created onstage during performances on the recent Love and Power Tour. Proceeds will go to the National Network of Abortion Funds nonprofit.

The auction is their latest response to the Supreme Court's action. In addition to social media posts, they wrote a passionate open letter in Vogue, explaining how abortion "saved my life" when one of several miscarriages left them at risk of sepsis without medical intervention.

"Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience," Halsey wrote. "I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other."

The singer's art is featured in Sotheby's Contemporary Discoveries auction, which also features works from Andy Denzler, Lucian Freud, Maureen Gallace, Wolf Kahn, Hugh Steers, and Kara Walker.

I-94 Cares: Family Resource Center

Becoming a parent could be something you planned for years, or it could come as a complete surprise. Regardless, the Family Resource Center understands it's not an easy job. Like all parents, you have stress and challenges. As they say, "Because Children Don’t Come with Instructions, The Family Resource Center is here to help."

At the FRC, you'll find strategies to address bedtime struggles, tantrums, disobedience, or fighting. Whatever the issue, you're definitely not alone and will find a network of support willing to help! You can share your experiences with other parents in discussion groups or you can even meet one-on-one with a parent educator. Together, these free resources will help you build your child’s resilience and self-confidence.

For more than two decades, FRC has offered this support to local families with young children. And it goes beyond the resources mentioned above. You and your children can also take part in playgroups, indoors and outdoors, at Oakwood Mall and 6 offsite locations. Not only will your children love it, but you can build important connections with other parents. 

Small changes can make a big difference in your family life! Connect with the Family Resource Center on social media or at frcec.org

I-94 Cares: Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center

This June Pride Month, our I-94 Cares cause is Chippewa Valley LGTBQ+ Community Center. Their efforts extend well beyond the annual Pride celebration in Phoenix Park (scheduled this year for Saturday, June 11).

Chippewa Valley LGTBQ+ Community Center promotes understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of people in the LGBTQ+ community throughout our area. They accomplish this by providing services and creating educational programs that promote well-being and unity within & among the LGBTQ+ community.

Whether you are in the LGBTQ+ community, an ally, or at least willing to learn more; we invite you to visit their website at https://www.cvlgbt.org. While there, you will also find links to their social media.

I-94 Cares: The Wellness Shack

If you are struggling with your mental health and wellness, you are definitely not alone. An estimated one in four adults lives with mental illness. One in six young people experiences mental health issues. One in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. Statistics for suicide are even more troubling. It accounted for the loss of nearly 46,000 American lives in 2020, nearly double the number of lives lost to homicide.

However, there is hope. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there is an excellent free and local resource when you need help. The Wellness Shack is a peer-run mental health recovery center. It's a sanctuary environment, with individual and group support, education, advocacy, and socialization.

Click here for their website or copy/paste this in your browser: http://www.wellnessshack.org/index.php

I-94 Cares: Rescued & Redeemed

Human trafficking is not just a big city problem. It has been documented in all 72 Wisconsin counties. Sad but true, that means Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, and our other local areas are not immune. And the demographics are as widespread as the epidemic. Human trafficking for exploitation, sex, or labor does not target a specific age group, education level, gender, or income level.

This month, I-94 Cares and Hy-Vee are spotlighting Rescued & Redeemed. This Chippewa Valley organization fights sex trafficking and provides support and recovery to victims and survivors. At the same time, they aim to educate the public on awareness and warning signs of this abuse.

Read about Rescued & Redeemed's mission, how you recognize the silent signal for help, and support this important cause at rescuedandredeemed.org. Below is information on their ongoing soft goods and clothing FUNDrive; a very easy way to help!

If you see trafficking or need help yourself, please text HELP to 233733 or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.

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I-94 Cares: Uniting Bridges

Uniting Bridges of Eau Claire is this month's I-94 Cares cause with Hy-Vee. This local nonprofit, best known for events like the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Juneteenth celebrations, is active year-round. As their website explains, "Uniting Bridges also sponsors forums, educational events, and works in partnership with the city of Eau Claire, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and other organizations to promote inclusion, excellence, diversity, and bridging racial gaps especially for marginalized groups.

"Uniting Bridges also works to support marginalized groups by gender sexuality and ethnicity in the Chippewa Valley. We are partnered with the City of Eau Claire for the transformation project. For this, we have partnered with the city of Eau Claire's Police Department, Dunn County, and are beginning to work in Chippewa County.

"The purpose of Uniting Bridges is to promote racial reconciliation and build relationships across race, class, gender, and sexuality. Uniting Bridges wants to build a stronger Chippewa Valley by finding ways to center and help marginalized citizens in the Chippewa Valley and to build bridges across race, class, gender, sexuality, and power."

Please join I-94 and Hy-Vee this month (and all year) in supporting Uniting Bridges as our Cares cause, and join the conversation!

Three Quick Tips for Better Wordle Scores

As obsessions go, it's hard to beat Wordle.

Yes, it's littering your social feeds at the moment, but at least it's about as benign as online games can get. If you're not yet swept up, here's how it goes.

Each day, players have six tries to guess a random five-letter word. You get hints along the way when you guess correct letters and/or placement. That's about it. No ads. No in-game chat for trash talking (or worse). No in-game purchases for your kids to click and run up huge bills.

In fact, it's free and not even an app (not to be confused with a similar-appearing earlier app or cash-in attempts by clone apps). You simply play online. And because the game is only updated with one word each day, you/your kids/your partner isn't zombiefied for hours at a time.

That said, if you want to guess quicker than your friends, here are a few tips:

1.  Pick a starting word with lots of common letters. Since your goal on your first word is to identify as many correct letters as possible, try starting with words like "arise," "stare," "roast," and "irate." If you love vowels, how about "adieu"?

2.  Remember there can be double letters. One of the toughest words so far since the Wordle sensation began is "abbey", because people didn't realize there could be double letters. Good to remember when you're trying out possible answers.

3.  Instead of building off your first word, try a second word with all different letters. If you get a few letters right in your first guess, your instinct will be to use those letters in every guess. But your odds will be better to try a totally different second word instead.

For example, you could use the first word "notes" and the second word "acrid." Now you've hit most of the common English letters and may have four or five good letters ready for turn three.

A few other pairs of five-letter words that hit most of the common letters: "resin" and "loath"..."tares" and "chino"...and "senor" and "ducat." Good luck!

I-94 Cares: Eau Claire County Humane Association

Eau Claire County Humane Association is this month's I-94 Cares cause with Hy-Vee.

When you're ready to give a deserving pet their forever home, consider adopting from ECCHA. They have plenty of fur babies who deserve a second chance, and their staff takes the time to help match you with the best pet for your family and your lifestyle.

Plus, ask about "Free Pig Fridays"! You can adopt a guinea pig for free, when you submit your application on Fridays through February 4.

Even if you can't adopt right now, you can still help ECCHA by donating from their "weekly wish list." See the latest link on their Facebook, and pick up an item or two on your next trip to Hy-Vee!