For the City-Times

United Way of Portage County honored dozens of volunteers and businesses for their support during the 2013 campaign at its annual Recognition Luncheon Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point.

The 2013 Campaign Drive Chairs – Ryan, Erin, Josh, Riley and Ellie Andrews, United Way’s first-ever Drive Chair family – in their final duty in the role thanked the more than 180 United Way supporters at the luncheon for their efforts during this year’s campaign that raised more than $2.83 million to help people in this community. “None of this would have been possible without the leadership of the people in this room,” said Dr. Ryan Andrews. “Seeing so many individuals and businesses step forward to help make a difference in our community is truly what makes this place amazing.”

Major award winners included:

• Stevens Society Co-Chair Marg Coker-Nelson received the Lifetime Achievement Award. “Marg Coker-Nelson personifies United Way, LIVING UNITED, and United Way’s building blocks to a better life of Education, Income, Health and Community Basics,” said Tina Peters, the other Stevens Society Co-Chair who surprised her with the award.
• Attorney and United Way Board member Ron Skrenes of Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla received the Tina Peters Dedicated Service Award presented to an individual who has shown exemplary passion and compassion to the residents of Portage County.
• Sentry Insurance received the first-ever Community Spirit Award presented to an organization for longtime outstanding corporate and employee support.
• Margaret Spatula of Ministry Health Care was named the Campaign Coordinator of the Year.
• Brenda Diamond of Ministry Dental Center received the Speakers Bureau Award.
• Michelle Peariso of Adventure 212 Fitness was named the LIVE UNITED Volunteer of the Year. Peariso headed the Run, Bike, Unite Duathlon Committee for United Way.
• Receiving Special Recognition Awards were Roz Clark of the Stevens Point Area YMCA, community volunteers Tom Davies and Orwoll “Ozz” Hagen, and John Hartman of Contemporary Photography.
• Special Service Awards for commitment, leadership and innovation went to AnchorBank, Scaffidi Motors, Spectra Print, and Wysocki Family of Farms.
• Roosevelt Elementary School received the Go-Getter Award for outstanding campaign effort from the community’s student population.

Receiving Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Corporate Campaign Awards given to businesses in each division for highest corporate gifts per capita (contribution divided by the number of employees) were:

AGRICULTURE: Platinum, Paramount Farms, Inc.; Gold, Worzella & Sons, Inc.; Silver, Plover River Farms Alliance; and Bronze, Roberts Irrigation Company, Inc.

FINANCIAL: Platinum, BMO Harris Bank; Gold, Central City Credit Union; Silver, Investors Community Bank; and Bronze, International Bank of Amherst.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS 1: Platinum, Sentry Insurance; Gold, Travel Guard; Silver, Associated Bank; and Bronze, Ministry Health Care.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS 2: Platinum, Delta Dental of Wisconsin; Gold, WORZALLA; Silver, Neenah Paper – Whiting Mill; Bronze, CN.

MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING: Platinum, Worth Company; Gold, Marten Machining, Inc.; Silver, Steel King Industries; and Bronze, Recycled Office Environments/Emmons Business Interiors.

RETAIL/WHOLESALE: Platinum, H&S Protection Systems, Inc.; Gold, Len Dudas Motors; Silver, Jay-Mar, Inc.; and Bronze, Shippy Shoe Store.

SERVICES: Platinum, The Boldt Company – WRV; Gold, Regnier Consulting Group; Silver, Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla; and Bronze, Stevens Point Journal.

HEALTH: Platinum, Cooper Dental; Gold, Dental Health Center, S.C.; Silver, Marshfield Clinic-Stevens Point Center; and Bronze, Adventure 212 Fitness.

Outstanding Campaign Awards were given to Bannach Elementary School for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Public Schools, Saint Peter Middle School for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Parochial Schools, and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for the Greatest Campaign Percentage Increase of All Partner Agencies.

Employee Campaign Awards recognizing above average giving regardless of number of employees for companies with a minimum of 50-percent participation and an average weekly gift over $1 for all employee donors were handed out to:

PLATINUM (Average employee gifts of $5 or more per week): Ameriprise Financial; Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla; Cooper Dental; Delta Dental of Wisconsin; General Beer-Northeast, Inc.; Meals On Wheels; Notable Impressions; Recycled Office Environments/Emmons Business Interiors; Regnier Consulting Group; The Boldt Company – WRV; and United Way of Portage County.

GOLD (Average employee gifts of $3 or more per week): AnchorBank – Stevens Point Branch; Associated Bank; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portage County; BMO Harris Bank; CAP Services; Central City Credit Union; Ellis Stone Construction Company, Inc.; Epilepsy Foundation Heart of Wisconsin; Investors Community Bank; JHL Digital Direct; Mid-State Technical College; Ministry Health Care; NAPA Distribution Center; Portage County Business Council; Portage County Literacy Council; River Cities Bank; Sentry Insurance; UPS; Welling Kitchen & Bath; Worth Company; and Wysocki Family of Companies.

SILVER (Average employee gifts of $2 or more per week): Aging & Disability Resource Center of Portage County; AnchorBank – Plover Branch; Boys & Girls Club; Community Industries Corporation; DigiCOPY; H&S Protection Systems, Inc.; Intevation Food Group; Klismith Accounting & Tax Group SC; Len Dudas Motors; Mark Toyota Scion; Pineries Bank; and Portage County Child Passenger Safety.

BRONZE (Average employee gifts of $1 or more per week): Bannach Elementary; Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; Community First Bank; First Merit Bank – Amherst; Jefferson Elementary; Madison Elementary; McDill Elementary; Midwest Hardware Association; National Wellness Institute; Portage County Housing Authority; Roosevelt Elementary; Target Stores  #806; and UnitedHealth Group.

Named to United Way’s Thousand Dollar Clubs were:

$100,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts of $100,000 or more): Associated Bank, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Ministry Health Care, Sentry Insurance, and Travel Guard.

$50,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $50,000 and $74,999): WORZALLA.

$25,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $25,000 and $49,999): BMO Harris Bank; CAP Services; Donaldson Company; Neenah Paper-Whiting Mill; NewPage-Stevens Point Mill; Noel Group, LLC; Pointe Precision, Inc.; Skyward, Inc.; Stevens Point Public Schools; University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Worth Company; and Wysocki Family of Companies.

$10,000+ Club (for corporate and employee gifts between $10,000 and $24,999): Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla; Central City Credit Union; CN; Community Care of Central Wisconsin; Ellis Stone Construction Company; General Beer-Northeast, Inc.; JHL Digital Direct (In-Kind); Muzzy Broadcasting (In-Kind); Paramount Farms, Inc.; Portage County Government; Recycled Office Environments/Emmons Business Interiors; Spectra Print (In-Kind); and UPS.

Named to United Way’s 100-Percent Club for companies with five or more employees reporting 100-percent participation were Ameriprise Financial; AnchorBank-Stevens Point Branch; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portage County; Boys & Girls Club of Portage County; Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; Delta Dental of Wisconsin; DigiCOPY; General Beer-Northeast, Inc.; Investors Community Bank; Portage County Business Council; Regnier Consulting Group; The Boldt Company – WRV; and United Way of Portage County.

The Andrews family concluded their tenure as Campaign Drive Chairs by passing the leadership torch to John and Dori Jury, Stevens Point. Dori taught in the Stevens Point Area School District for more than 25 years, and John worked for more than 30 years at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Community Foundation during his career. He was also instrumental in establishing the Green Circle Trail and founding Walk Wisconsin.