For the City-Times

CAP Services held its 48th Annual Awards Reception Wednesday, May 28, in Waupaca, to honor the clients, partners, donors, volunteers and staff that help the agency in its anti-poverty work.

CAP extended appreciation to its volunteers and donors, as well United Ways and community foundations. Arlene Stahmer received the inaugural Arlene Stahmer Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her tireless advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals in Marquette County, as well as more than 30 years of service to CAP Services’ Board of Directors.

Five Ted Long CAPartner Awards were given in recognition of individual and organizational partners who have made outstanding contributions to CAP’s anti-poverty efforts. Recipients included Sue Chapman (Portage County Health & Human Services), Mary Testin & Jenny Christl (Bridge Community Health Clinic – Wausau), Mary Lou Vande Hey (SCORE Fox Cities – Appleton), John & Dori Jury (Stevens Point), and Mike Kendhammer (Suby Von Haden & Associates – Madison).

Other awards included:

• Joanna Sherman Scholarship and Betty A. Gellerup Memorial Scholarship, awarded to Skills Enhancement Program participants in Waushara County, went respectively to Jennifer Heding (Pine River, WI) and Lynnette-Rose Baum (Wautoma, WI).
• Golden CAP Media Award, recognizing media doing an exemplary job informing their communities on poverty issues, went to WDUX in Waupaca.

• Joseph Award, recognizing an outstanding contributor to CAP’s anti-poverty efforts from the faith-based community, went to  St. Joseph’s Parish in Stevens Point.
• Corporate Citizen of the Year Award, recognizing an outstanding contributor from the business community, went to Associated Bank.
• Gaylord Nelson Poverty Warrior Awards, recognizing outstanding individual efforts in combating poverty, went to Family Crisis Center volunteer Mary Berard of Stevens Point (annual recipient) and Sandi Moore of Fox Valley Technical College (lifetime achievement recipient).
• Pnazek’s Box Award, recognizing an individual who, through innovation, initiative, insight and integrity creates “outside the box” ideas that have a positive impact on the people served by CAP or similar organizations, went to Salli Martyniak, president of Forward Community Investments, a Madison-based nonprofit that provides financing to nonprofit, cooperative and for profit businesses that are reducing racial, social and economic disparities in Wisconsin.

CAP also provided special recognition to program participants for their efforts in achieving economic and emotional self-sufficiency. Self-Sufficiency Awards were presented to:

• Colleen Donovan, Appleton, WI
• Valerie Edge, Hancock, WI
• Ginger Guthrie, Kaukauna, WI
• Jill Keenlance, Stevens Point, WI
• Julia Burrows & Neal Kirby, Wautoma, WI
• Elise Sloden, Appleton, WI
• Alexis Stocks, Waupaca, WI
• Lynda Tesch, owner of The Barbers’ Chair,  Greenville, WI

CAP Chief Executive Officer Mary Patoka said CAP’s success was due to staff, volunteers, donors and community partners choosing to invest in helping people move out of poverty.

“Too often we hear rhetoric about whether low-income people deserve to have their needs met,” said Mary Patoka, CAP Services’ President and CEO, in her remarks. “But given the opportunity, given a chance, they can make great things happen. Tonight, we honor those who have given their time, talent , and treasure to help even the playing field for low-income families.”

At the Board’s annual meeting following the reception, the current officers – Lauren Mai, chair; Brett Jarman, vice-chair; Dennis Wedde, secretary; and Lyne Kawleski, treasurer – were reelected.

CAP Services is a private, nonprofit community action agency that has been helping low-income people in Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca and Waushara counties attain economic and emotional self-sufficiency since 1966.