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Ferryville is a little village with a population of 192 in Southwestern Wisconsin. It is located on National Scenic State Highway 35 between Prairie du Chien and LaCrosse Wisconsin. Ferryville is at rivers edge and is an excellent area for hunting, fishing and water sports. Along with being a sportsman's paradise, Ferryville, is a motorcycle riders dream due to the hills, valleys, curves and just pretty scenery. We may be a small village but we have plenty of friendly people and lots of beautiful scenery.For more information on Ferryville, Wisconsin, please visit our website www.VisitFerryville.comTranscription for SEO purposes onlyFerryville, Wisconsin. The people, the location, the place for all seasons. Jerry Bordman and I'm a commercial fisherman. Jerry, how long have you been a commercial fisherman? Well, at 80 years old and all my life. Is commercial fishing something you can do year round? Yes. How long have you been calling this area of the Mississippi River your home? All my life. I was born born here on the river. Matter of fact, my brother, my oldest brother, my folks used to live on the islands and he was born on the refuge before locking dams. And he's still alive? I think he's probably one of the last few people. He's 88, basically. This is something you've done your entire life? Yes. So what is commercial fishing on the Mississippi River? Like the type of fishing we do, we sane, we call sandy and then deal netting, tram netting, hoop netting, hoop nets and fox traps. Many various different types of fishing and all various different skills. The fishing nowadays is very easy. It's a lot of manual labor, but it's still easy. What it used to be, I can remember when, like back in the late forties and early 50s, there wasn't hardly any boat landings on the river. And so when we were standing underneath the ice, these fish had to be hand slated to the banks, to the railroad tracks and carried up over the railroad tracks and then carried up over the road bank. Now that was work that I want to tell you. So gradually the boat landings opened up where you could get to the landings and transport your fish. In 1947, the dyke going to Lansing, when the ice went out that spring, they went out thick and it took every one of the bridges out. Therefore you couldn't get the fish to Lansing because that's what the main market was. You had to go by a boat and hope you have enough ice to get in there in the wintertime. My oldest brother. And my dad stood at the Windowski bridge there and they watched that ice take that bridge out and they just went to Lansing and come back for that about a half an hour before that. Wow. That was how long did it take to fix that bridge? 1956. Ten years? Yep. Put in ten years. Wow. Like I said, that was the biggest market around. We had a lot of markets around, small markets. Quite a few of the one in furnishing and one in the big halls. The big bunches always went to landscape. So, Jerry, is commercial ice fishing your big time for fishing, or is it during the summer as well? No, we used to fish year round, but now the markets have gone and the only fishing that we do now is we fish under the ice. In the spring, when the ice goes out, we sell all our fish to New York live. We shift them all live to New York. They go out and semis tanks on with liquid oxygen and we put £20,000 of fish on a truck. And also in the springtime, when the water opens up in, we have what they call a Jewish holidays. At that time, we go for the big carp. For the holidays, they want the big Carp, anything £12 and up, and then after that usually done from the summer. So besides the carp, what other kind of fish are you fishing for? Buffalo carpent. Buffalo, primarily because catfish, we catch a lot of catfish in the scene, but in the state of Wisconsin, if you're sanding underneath the ice, you can only keep £100 of fish per haul. So you'd mentioned that you sell all of your fish to the state of New York. Why is the market in New York rather than anywhere closer to here? Because that's where the population is, and especially a Jewish population. And the Jewish population is not as big as Myers. Like a filter fish. There was millions and millions of pounds of carp crawd in, you know, the year turner all made into filter fish. As the years progressed, I guess what is that?

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Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Today, I am happy to welcome Marcia Bentley back to the podcast. Marcia is a friend, a colleague, and a fellow Spiritual Director. Today, I invited Marcia to talk about her recent move. I think people underestimate how much energy is involved in a move – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Marcia, can you tell us about your recent move and what triggered it?Marcia Bentley: Good question, Steve, as always. What triggered it was that I had been thinking that as I'm approaching 70, I probably needed to find the place where I wanted to live the rest of my life. Whether it be short or long term, I didn't know, but there also were some physical reasons. I have some arthritis, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to live where I was living in an apartment building where I had to carry things up and down the steps, shovel snow around my car – things like that that just had me thinking that I needed to start facing those situations and make some choices for myself.Steve: Where did you move to?Marcia: I moved from a two-story apartment with stairs to a condo building – I actually bought a condo – and this building has elevators and it has a parking garage. I don't have to shovel snow anymore, and I can do elevators rather than carrying things on the steps. My body is already thanking me for that decision.Steve: I'm sure a lot of people listening come from a variety of situations. They may not live alone, [and] they may not be 70, but yet the experience of moving is common to all of us – sooner or later, we end up moving. Moving is demanding in many ways. First of all, there are the physical demands. What was the most physically challenging aspect of the move for you?Marcia: Physically, it was partly because of the physical challenges I was already experiencing that I decided to move. And then, I did a lot of the moving myself [and] I had to carry all these things down these steps, so it was like this kind of torture to my body in a very intense sort of way for a limited period of time. It reinforced my idea that I needed to do this, but boy, there were some days it was tough.Steve: People are oftentimes prepared for the physical demands to move, and that's why people hire movers. That's why “Two Men and a Truck” is in business, so people can farm that out. People I think oftentimes are surprised by how tired they are during a move, and they chalk it up to all the packing and the moving of things. But I think there are also other things involved in that. Part of that is an emotional experience. I would guess you've had a surge of emotions. Part of it is positive emotions; you're excited about the move. What excites you about this change?Marcia: Whenever you decide you're going to purchase something or make a change, I come up with a list of things I would really like to see. In this case, it was, what would be my requirements for a new apartment or a condo? I came up with a long list of things, and this new place that I found meets almost all of them. That was really exciting for me to just find the right place. As soon as I stepped into this condo when I was doing the showing with my realtor, I stepped in and I knew immediately this is the place I want to call home. It just felt comfortable and warm and very quiet, so there was that excitement of, I have found my space [and] this is what I've been waiting for, and just little things I've found since then besides being very quiet, which helps my life of prayer. It's in a friendly building; I've met a number of my neighbors. One of my neighbors, when he saw me parking in a numbered parking space, yelled out, “You must have been the one who bought John's condo. Welcome to the building.” I thought, you can't beat this: people actually saying, ‘welcome.' There are also some lovely trees on the property, and I discovered this tree right outside my living room and the leaves are turning red. It's a maple tree, so I get this glorious view of this gorgeous tree changing colors. So there's all that positive reinforcement of, I made the right decision. This is a beautiful and friendly and comfortable place, and so for that I'm really glad. It is truly exciting.Steve: You and I are friends. We get the chance to chat on a regular basis. One of the struggles that you've mentioned to me is really how nice it is, and that's brought up some emotional work for you, correct? This is a beautiful place, but I'm spending a lot of money. Am I worth it? Shouldn't I go for something a little more simple? Talk about the dynamics of your inner voice and your inner critic and whatever that is.Marcia: All of that is so true. I was processing this whole experience with my Spiritual Director. She laughed and she said, “This is just something you have to do, isn't it? You just have to second-guess yourself and work through the dynamics of that process.” But it is true. When I first saw the place, I said, “I would love to live here.” And I really did feel called by God and by my own spirituality and my own values to make the move before somebody else had to move me. Those are all things I had really reflected on and had made good decisions on. But when I actually decided to purchase the condo, it was a really fast decision because the market is pretty crazy. I had to do something way out of my comfort zone, which was [to] pounce on it right away. I had been looking for months and I had seen many places. I just had this really good feeling that this was the right place. But then all those questions came afterward, like, I could be feeding people with this money and I could be doing other things – have I really thought this through? Was I in my right mind, or did I just get caught up in the moment? I had to work through those; those were questions I just needed to ask myself. I didn't feel worthy. I felt like, this place is too beautiful [and] I don't deserve this. Then I realized, there was a statement from Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov when he said, “The world will be saved by beauty,” and Dorothy Day loved that. In fact, her granddaughter, Kate, wrote a book about her and called it The World Will Be Saved by Beauty. I realized it was OK for me to have beauty in my life. It wasn't going to help anybody else by my not appreciating the beauty. I did work through it, but it was a challenge and I hadn't expected it to happen.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Today it is my special pleasure to welcome Trace Bell. I love listening to podcasts, and my all-time favorite is the RobCast. Trace is a regular co-host there with his father, Rob Bell. Last year, Trace and Rob changed how I see life with their four-part podcast series titled, “Me, We, and Everybody.” In the podcast, they provide a great introduction to Spiral Dynamics and helped me grasp an integral perspective on spirituality. I am excited to welcome Trace to this podcast. Trace, I appreciate that series of “Me, We, and Everybody” so much because it helped me understand what has been happening in our politics for the last five or six years. It also helped me understand the path of spiritual growth that I've been on, and the spiritual struggles I encounter with many people I meet in Spiritual Direction. Trace, I apologize for putting you on the spot, but for our listeners who may be unfamiliar with what we mean by “Spiral Dynamics,” how would you describe this theory?Trace Bell: First off, I'm so honored for everything you said; it makes me so happy to hear people's response to that series. I'm honored. It's not putting me on the spot. I've been explaining this in a lot of ways to a lot of people, and I love it. I love sharing this with people. Spiral Dynamics is a psychological development model that maps the evolutionary patterns of humans and individuals. It models how _____ individuals psychologically develop in collective. It was developed a couple decades ago by guys named Clare Graves and Don Beck, who were psychologists. They found that humans over time, their value systems change as they go through these stages of growth. This is what Spiral Dynamics is ultimately mapping: It's mapping that there are certain stages of growth the humans go through, and groups go through as well. It's been a really illuminating and helpful model because it allows you to see your own growth and the certain stages you went through in your own journey. It allows you to understand … A lot of people are simply acting from different stages in this model, and they're acting from different perspectives. Another way people describe Spiral Dynamics is it maps the evolution of consciousness. Your consciousness increases in its ability for complexity and depth and compassion and empathy over time. That's what Spiral Dynamics ultimately maps: It maps how humans grow to more whole, aligned, integrated individuals.Steve: [On] the RobCast, everything is spiritual, so it always looks at things through sort of a spiritual lens. How do you connect Spiral Dynamics with spirituality, in particular?Trace: The spiritual implications of Spiral Dynamics kind of hit me in the face when I first learned the model. It describes the growth that people go through on their journeys. And you can see as people grow in this high-level development, spirituality becomes an integral aspect of these higher levels of development. The higher levels on this model of Spiral Dynamics, people at these higher levels are often maturing to a deeper spirituality and taking a very spiritual perspective on things. Spiritual development and spiritual evolution, if you will, is kind of inherent in the design of our reality. A model that maps this development of humans in groups is going to say a lot about the spiritual evolution of the people that it's mapping. There are a lot of spiritual implications … One of the stages in Spiral Dynamics – which we teach in our class, “Living the Spirals” – [is] actually a stage about your deep connection to your personal connection to spirituality, your personal connection to reality itself. It's literally a stage … There are actually stages in this model that describe and articulate people's personal connection to spirituality. In those higher stages – those integrated, integral perspectives – those stages are so intertwined with spirituality, and it takes a very spiritual value of having compassion for everyone, understand that people are coming from different perspectives, meeting people where they're at.The spiritual implications are endless. It's very fun for people to learn the model and kind of take away their own conclusions and find their own ‘a-has' and insight through the model. I've watched people over time learn Spiral Dynamics and take away their own insights that I didn't even get when I learned it, or I didn't even realize. I would urge anyone listening to go check out the model themselves and see if they can find any spiritual implications or spirituality within it because spirituality is a language that speaks to us personally. The model speaks differently to different people, and different people have different insights. That's what so beautiful about it: It has so many different ways to read and understand it.Steve: I would just say for people who are listening to this to do yourself a favor and listen to that series – it's “Me, We, and Everybody.” If you do a search on the RobCast, it was like last year [in] November. You and Rob just do such a great job of making it accessible. It's complex material, but yet it's very understandable. I can see anyone understanding it, especially the way you presented it. I just encourage people to listen to that, and then you'll want to end up reading more.Trace: Thank you. That was our goal when we recorded it. My dad has been teaching Spiral Dynamics for over a decade, and he [asked], “What forum am I meant to teach this in? Is it supposed to be a video series? Is it supposed to be a book?” And then he [said], “Let's do a podcast series.” He [asked me], “Trace, will you join me for this podcast series?” He and I were talking about it, and I had learned it a year prior, and [we said], “Yeah, let's do a podcast series.” We said down and [asked ourselves], “How can we do this in our Trace and Rob language the best that connects with the most people and is the most accessible, and also makes them want to learn more?” To hear that it had that effect on people just makes me so happy. Thank you.Steve: You are relatively young – you're in your mid-20s, correct?Trace: Yup.Steve: [Talk] about your spiritual journey and how the Spiral Dynamics might fit into that for you.Trace: The first time my dad sat down and taught me Spiral Dynamics, it was a very Rob Bell moment. He sat down at the kitchen counter with two big blank sheets of white paper with a marker. And [I thought to myself], “OK, this is going to be a Rob Bell moment here.” [He told me], “I'm going to teach you Spiral Dynamics.” And boom, he just wrote it out on two big blank white sheets of paper. He just wrote it out in his writing, and it was just beautiful. I had this whole model in front of me, and I ended up actually hanging it in my bedroom because it was kind of like a souvenir almost. When I first learned Spiral Dynamics, it really connected a lot … It really put language in a framework to a lot of the things I had experienced. I grew up with my parents starting a massive megachurch in Michigan. My dad was teaching at the church, my parents were very involved with the church, and that kind of was their project. My dad was very involved in the Christian world. People are kind of surprised when they hear me say this, but I just never really connected with any sort of organized religious structure when I was younger. I just never felt like a deep connection to Christianity, and I didn't really feel a deep connection to the church or what my parents were doing. My parents kind of kept the kids separate from the church a little bit – they didn't involve us very much in the church life.I didn't really have a connection to any sort of religious structure or consider myself religious at all, but as a kid I had a deep, metaphysical kind of wonder about the universe. [It was] a deep sort of wonder and awe about the universe, and a deep wonder and awe about consciousness. I say that everyone has their own doorway into spirituality, which is everyone has their own way that they came into spirituality, and [their own] way that the universe kind of ushered them into a deeper relationship with God, source, spirit – whatever word you want to call it. And to me, that felt like my doorway. My doorway wasn't organized religion; my doorway was this deep kind of yearning to connect with reality and to connect and understand who I am and understand the interconnectedness of everything. My growth throughout the years was just kind of following this thread of deep wonder. As a kid, I was reading about consciousness and I was reading about different kinds of religions and I was just reading a bunch of things to satisfy this yearning and this wonder and awe.My spiritual journey has been reintegrating and following that childlike wonder and awe and exploring that. I had a deep kind of connection to spirituality and this deep spiritual connection. When I learned Spiral Dynamics, I could see the reason it was so illuminating for me on my own personal journey is that I could actually see myself going through all those stages throughout my life. I could actually see myself … There's a stage called “Orange,” which is very logic-oriented and very associated with the rational mind. When I learned Spiral Dynamics, I [said to myself], “I remember when I went through my ‘Orange' phase.' There's a stage called “Green,” which is all about seeing everyone as equal and having compassion and love for everyone. I [said to myself], “I remember when I went through my ‘Green' phase.' I could actually see all of these stages of consciousness within myself and within my own growth journey. And it wasn't just like stages of consciousness that I had sort of gone through and didn't have any access to.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Welcome. Today my guest is Tom Roberts. Tom is well-known in the La Crosse community. [He is] a longtime therapist. He's also a presenter of retreats and workshops. He's done many workshops here at the Franciscan Spirituality Center, and [he's] done retreats at various places across the country. He's especially well-known here at the Franciscan Spirituality Center as the presenter of the Tibetan Singing Bowls. It's my pleasure today to welcome Tom.Tom Roberts: Thank you, Steve.Steve: Tom, tell me how you first encountered the singing bowls.Tom: This will really date me. I'd always had a really small, little machine-made brass bowl that I used in my meditation, to start and to end. I can't even tell you how long ago that was. The first time I was introduced to singing bowls and what they were and how they worked and what they were used for when I was either a junior or a senior undergrad at [UW-] Madison. A friend of mine had gone over to Nepal. I'm not quite sure why it was, but when he came back, he brought back these bowls that were about this size – about 6 inches across, kind of a deep kind of bowl. We'd crossed paths, and he said, “Tom, you've got to come over to my place and hear these things. I've never heard anything like this.” And so I did, and he was right. They were very, very powerful [with] tones and resonances that, even myself being a percussionist, hadn't been subjected to, so to speak. I think he had about three or four of them, and he started playing them by striking and then by singing around the rim, and I was captivated. Obviously, this was back in the ‘70s. There was no Google, there was no internet – none of that stuff. I said, “Short of going to Nepal, where do you find these?” He said, “I have no clue.” He said the one thing that he did learn when he was over there was the Tibetan people – and I suspect the Dalai Lama was involved in this decision – were discussing releasing some of the artifacts – the social, the art, the medical, the spiritual artifacts of the Tibetan culture that had been driven out of China. Obviously, the bowls were in those discussions, and there were tens of thousands of them stored away in northern India, Nepal, and what have you.Shortly afterwards, I began to start hearing about people going over there and being allowed to bring bowls back to the West, to introduce them to the West. I began searching around and found a couple of places where the people who were selling the bowls actually went there, were allowed to go into the large storage areas and select a limited number of bowls to bring back and use for themselves, as well as make them available to people in the West. That was my first introduction to that. As they became more plentiful, I began collecting bowls and matching them up. And then, as I have been doing for several decades, sharing them with people, like I have at the Spirituality Center.Steve: When would you say you got your first bowl? Would that have been in the ‘80s?Tom: My first bowl … You're really trying the old memory here. … I would say late ‘70s [or] early ‘80s. It was in Minneapolis. There was a store there that specialized in Eastern artifacts: Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Southeast Asian. There were a couple of bowls there. I picked one up and I started to ring it and then I started to sing it. It sounded good to me. I didn't really know the fine points of what made a good bowl at that point. I don't think many people did except for the people in India and Nepal and Tibet. I purchased it. Again, it was a bowl very similar to this – the same size and shape and what have you. It was ridiculously inexpensive compared to what they're going for now. It was my first bowl, and I would say late ‘70s, early ‘80sSteve: Do you still have your first bowl?Tom: Yes. I don't play it much, simply because of how much I've learned about bowls in terms of resonance and how they're made. That bowl doesn't play very well with the other ones. The resonance isn't very good, and the tone isn't very good compared to the other ones. But yes, I still do have it.Steve: You mentioned that you were a percussionist. That's the instrument you played growing up?Tom: Yup. I started playing the drums at 10. My brother had a little snare drum and a cymbal. I stole it from his room and started playing it. Yeah, I started at 10.

Ferryville is a little village with a population of 192 in Southwestern Wisconsin. It is located on National Scenic State Highway 35 between Prairie du Chien and LaCrosse Wisconsin. Ferryville is at rivers edge and is an excellent area for hunting, fishing and water sports. Along with being a sportsman's paradise, Ferryville, is a motorcycle riders dream due to the hills, valleys, curves and just pretty scenery. We may be a small village but we have plenty of friendly people and lots of beautiful scenery.For more information on Ferryville, Wisconsin, please visit our website www.Ferryville.comTranscription is for seo purposes only.Deb Lomas is the owner of scenic River in in Ferryville Wisconsin and you're lifelong resident of Ferryville tell you what your first memory of Ferryville and now the end that I ran my parents were owners of the Ferryville see which not only the people depot they lived right across the street so I grandpa line the river my life when we were dating on the river when I let all waterskiing baking the normal thing to do while growing up a lot. I never realized until I got older, how beautiful the area live and how good it was to live along the river never appreciated it because at the time I would let all all you can think about is going bigger and better places and away from home and away from your parents. I did do that for a year when I went to college I always came back proceeded to build my own house here in town and make my daily care when I can cast away, I decided to keep their how to turn it into the vacation rental. When I asked my renters what they come to the area for a lot of my fisherman and hunter site see the high just to get away for the weekend, it seems like everybody comes to the area. Everybody wants to come during the weekend in the summer. I have that book and I get multiple calls for the same weekend people looking for places to say, a lot of everything booked because everybody wants to come here and I realize now as I get older. How beautiful it really is along the river and the sunset and just the beauty of it and now I know why people come here senses here are amazing. So what are some of the things you tell your guests that they should check out when they're in the Ferryville area. I always got in the ring thing I tell him to go over there and look at the quaint little door. I send them to the local union for burgers is a prime rib on Saturday nights are to the wooden nickel just for a quaint little marker drinker dear my send them to Prairie if they like to gamble and go on the boat broke one of the staff just on the local area thing hiking over and not have more if they want to be chasing them to plant clock if they want to golf I send him to Brooklyn or Prairie orchards are a big hit. They like to go over to the orchards which are close by double so the gist of extreme you going up here and raise your kids here between then and now, when I grew up here, there was a lot of kids in town so there is always something to do and something to hang out and even when my kids were young, there was still several families and and kids their age and how and people for them to play with but now it's becoming more touristy and not many families come here will hear that a lot of weekenders and vacation are, it seems to be really up-and-coming for a vacation place and a place to visit with me to stay here. I just I love being a lot better. I own property in La Crosse, but I can't even imagine looking out at traffic when I can look at that in the river. I just can't even imagine my delight, Ferryville coming down the river from across the prairie variable is one of the most beautiful places you can drive through the road passes right to the heart of the town and it's right on the river. It's the only way that you drive right to the heart of the town and can see the river. The whole time. You mention the river quite a bit in your answers. What is this also the river to I grew up along the river. I can't even imagine not living by water as I like to live in my jet ski boat fish camp on the sandbar. I can't imagine not living by the river being a bit erratic and it doesn't really draw people tell me about the people that live in for most of my neighbors nowadays are people that came from the city and had bought properties around me and have picked them up in their permanent residence. Now the house behind me just got sold but for the most part the Norton account is a pretty stable crowd of people that actually live here and then as you had felt the town more than a vacation rental not as many resident properties and upright Eagle Mountain, which is also part of the village. There's quite a few permanent residents up there along with. I think a lot of weekenders, summer residents is a big crowd

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Today it is my great pleasure to be with Audrey Lucier. Audrey is the Director of the Franciscan Spirituality Center, serving in that role for the past nine years. Welcome, Audrey.Audrey Lucier: Thanks, Steve.Steve: From your perspective as Director of the Franciscan Spirituality Center, this has been a strange year. How has the pandemic affected the FSC's programs in the last 12 months, 18 months?Audrey: As so many people have said, it's been both a blessing and a curse. I'll speak to the pandemic in just a moment, but I think what was uppermost in the minds of those of us who work at the center at the time that things were unfolding were the renovations that were taking place in our physical space. Saint Rose Convent was undergoing a massive renovation that was going to take three years to complete, and it was in progress. It wasn't in our part of the building yet, but it was coming that way and we were worried about how we were going to manage to stay open and how we could greet people during that time – [there were] a lot of concerns about that. And then boom, this pandemic happened. It was a feeling of, life as we know it is forever changed, and we didn't know where it would all end. I hoped it would be done in a month or two, and then it went on forever. One thing that I will always be just amazed [by] and grateful for is the way the staff stepped up. Many of our staff are not quite as old as me – one of us is maybe older – but none of us are really young, and we all had to learn to use technology very quickly because we were all united in the belief that our services were needed more than ever during this time. There was a lot of anxiety and even sometimes despair and a lot of fear about what would happen. Hope was something we talked a lot about – how to keep people hopeful and keep them centered and grounded in their spiritual lives, where we find hope.We all learned how to put everything online quickly. [We had] Spiritual Directors like yourself meeting with people – a little bit on telephone, but mostly through video conferencing. And [it was] the same with our programs. The wonder about that is … again, our demographic is probably a little older, [so] many people had to teach themselves how to use something like Zoom, and they did. Many of them adjusted very rapidly. Not only that, but people started sharing with other people where you could go online and be in a community [and] where you could get some support and maybe learn some resilient skills to get through this time and most importantly, stay connected. We actually had a lot of people participate in our programming here. We did the statistics for the year that ended June 30th. That was entirely a pandemic year, and we had almost 5,000 people in our programs coming from 37 different states [and] two different countries – we just picked up Australia too after July 1st. It was surprising to me how we actually grew in that time. And as staff, we had to do the same thing. It was really important that we continue to see each other even though physically we couldn't be in the same space. We needed to talk, share ideas, and personally talk about how we were being impacted.I remember when I first became director it was kind of a struggle to get people to set aside time

Ferryville is a little village with a population of 192 in Southwestern Wisconsin. It is located on National Scenic State Highway 35 between Prairie du Chien and LaCrosse Wisconsin. Ferryville is at rivers edge and is an excellent area for hunting, fishing and water sports. Along with being a sportsman's paradise, Ferryville, is a motorcycle riders dream due to the hills, valleys, curves and just pretty scenery. We may be a small village but we have plenty of friendly people and lots of beautiful scenery.For more information on Ferryville, Wisconsin, please visit our website www.Ferryville.comTranscription is for seo purposes only.Larry Quamme is my guest on the Ferryville podcast. I don't worry I'm doing fine why you're calling me by my nickname. My nickname is Larry as opposed to what lower it's Jacob Quamme month. That's how my grandmother Clara Quamme me gave me the name popular in Norway. Jacob is pronounced Jacob Quamme. Me and Norm. Norway is, so did you ever spent any time in Norway. Our two sons gave us a trip to Norway. On our 40th wedding anniversary and we spent two weeks we went to the home farm and the cemeteries are full of headstones that say lower its living in Ferryville now where there's a large Norwegian population. Is there any similarities between Norway and here all once I got to Norway I knew why they came here if you put your back to the Mississippi River and you look up the coulees you're in layer doll Norway where my relatives came from. Really they didn't know how to farm except on a side hill so very very similar terrain in that area. What brought you to ferret my wife and I in 1999 went out for a drive. One day she's from Richland Center came down Highway C and we happened to turn on white Road and we went up the farm road up to the top and we were in Eagle Mountain and we came out on this big beautiful area. Lots of vacant land, and we were very attracted to that because I used to come to Ferryville with my grandpa and we ended up buying 15 acres in 1999 was a good move. Larry oh, definitely. We love it here. Let's talk about the Norwegian immigrants that are in the area. My great grandfather, whose name was Jacob Larson Quamme me and his brother Hawken came from Norway in 1870 and they came via what today would be the St. Lawrence Seaway there was a railroad that ran a little ways out of Québec and then from there, the two brothers walked to Mount Sterling, what's Mount Sterling today. All they had is what they could carry my great grandfather was 24 years old and he had just graduated from a Norwegian seminary, and he was a Norwegian Lutheran minister and he promptly settled, and founded Utica Lutheran Church upon Highway 27. When you think about it, Bob. The Civil War was just ending in 1865 and they were coming to America. Some people settle maybe they didn't even know about the Civil War I found some things that would suggest that there was a can be a way of communicating with the ancestors in Norway with a letter and it took about a month to go each way. When they left Norway they went to Liverpool, England, and then brought wooden ship from Liverpool and then came down the Seaway we have no records on Ellis Island. We were immigrants that came into the United States across the border. So he told people you know in Madison that you're moving to Ferryville full time. How did you explain the area that you're moving to the next thing is that I later learned on my the sister 10 years older than I am. She's 88, she had more recall about things around here and we learned that our grandpa had actually rented some land above Ferryville that is today, Eagle Mountain, so I would tell people I moved back to the homeland. When you explain to them where the homeland was which footage of them like this is going for Madison where there's, you know, the hustle and bustle and people all over the place to know hundred 76 people and we see an occasional car drive by now and how did you explain it to them that you're going to go to the promise that go to the homeland going to the homeland. Most people had no idea when you said Ferryville. They did didn't get it. So I started talking about moving to the West Coast of Wisconsin. It became where were halfway between Prairie and lacrosse. Most people knew where that was. Most people looked at you quizzically and said are you okay was a good move for you. Great move. We've enjoyed it. We've enjoyed life. My wife got very involved in many volunteer activities. I ended up being the clerk Treas. for the file chair for a number of years. We've enjoyed it. We love the move. So tell me what the history of Pharaoh. Well, you know, it was a humble Bush you know it one time. Why did the change man from humble Bush to ferret out. I think it had to do with the people at ran a fairy so I'm not certain why it became Ferryville. You know I started coming down here in 1947, 48, my grandpa, kinda like to make the rounds and have a beer or two. My grandmother was very Lutheran and deftly against drinking, but we use to leave and and stop first at the rising sun. He go in the grocery store get me a bottle of grape soda and I'd have to sit outside and then we would go to Fargo Junction and we would make our way back down to Ferryville bustling town. I used to sit near the swing in can't remember what the name was then and watch them load the cattle and hogs on to the railroad and there was a big lumberyard right there and the depot with the big water tower and then shoveling the coal. There's a picture that a lot of people have of the Prince and Princess of Norway visiting Ferryville in 1935. My grandparents Larson Clara were were on the dock there that morning. Ferryville was a real area of commerce up in the north and the trees were growing in they had kinda made a tunnel where you kinda went through a shade and then a course where the Grandview motel. You went over that knoll and grandpa used to drive fast and we thought we were flying through the air. On the other side did Ferryville become a drive through town rather than a destination will I think probably maybe in the slight 60s 70s. The stockyards closed. I believe the lumberyard may have burned and I can't remember early 60s when the train derailed and that took the depot and the entirely at know it ruined you know the depot area where was it just south of the post office which was the bank was at the first place. The plumbing and, for I have heard that yes we used to go and see my my grandmother was a friend of Elvira Smith and that's the White House and we used to go there and in those days you would step up a step to go into the house and then when they have redone 35 today you could sit in that house and look underneath the trucks going by. That's how much the road is been raise. I don't remember the years there's been a couple times at 35, was redone they ran across Dino down by the village hall because the train used to wrap around there. Go down with Pine Street. Today, Ferryville, Wisconsin, being the place for all seasons, but your favorite season. Well I like fall. I'm not a hot summer guy. I love it when the leaves are coming off I given up hunting some years ago I was never much of a Fisher but I like the scenes and I love the you know the hills and mountains's. There are challenges you know where we live because we have 600 foot to keep Wells the nature of it. The Norwegian heritage. It's kind of my little area of the world. I would say that it's a different kind of life to relaxed. If you're interested in. No stoplights and relaxed enforcement of stop signs and it's a great it's a great place to to live in great friends, very, very, you know people that are very interested in being social. Hiking is becoming a really big thing in a course if they were from Stoughton, I'd say you don't come back to one of the epi centers where the Norwegians came to.

Ferryville is a little village with a population of 192 in Southwestern Wisconsin. It is located on National Scenic State Highway 35 between Prairie du Chien and LaCrosse Wisconsin. Ferryville is at rivers edge and is an excellent area for hunting, fishing and water sports. Along with being a sportsman's paradise, Ferryville, is a motorcycle riders dream due to the hills, valleys, curves and just pretty scenery. We may be a small village but we have plenty of friendly people and lots of beautiful scenery.For more information on Ferryville, Wisconsin, please visit our website www.Ferryville.comTranscription is for seo purposes only. Charley Fisher, we think of Ferryville what first comes to mind for the river. What about the river. All the Mississippians on the white spots of the Mississippi. Bob and I've been in sales for a long time and seen a lot of the Mississippi River, but quite honestly, the river has a is a real dynamic in this part of it, you know, a lot of this is my father-in-law used to say was the hayfields and ballparks until the dams came in in the 30s and the work project brought people to the Mississippi and brought people here in the said you know what we want to be here in course people laughed with work, but they always come back Ferryville pharaohs concert at hundred and 76 people what's her to do a small town, you know, it's kinda interesting. This town is a really welcoming community so the tractor pull started years and years ago the tractor pulls were a big thing in very well and they went away and then the bow to 15 years ago. They came back and so it draws people in, you know they do the fireworks out here on the river in the wintertime the Eagles that you see along the river all winter course. All the fishermen in the duck hunters Bob, that's what brings people to Ferryville so you didn't grow up here. We've lived here most of her adult life. When you think of Ferryville, Wisconsin, Charley, what keeps you here well my wife's family. Of course, you know her, it's a much deeper even than mine here. I mean, her great-grandfathers buried at Freeman Lutheran Church or grandpa and grandma were buried up there were married and her folks were married and buried up there as well and that quite honestly we were married in buried there as well, or you're very not barren for me and Terry. Let's start all over there so actually the roots come from my right side just to be here. What keeps you in the variable, Charley other people to really good group of people that are here, Bob, and for that, we really appreciate it. It's the people and the environment because it's a great area. I mean, you know there's fish and there's hunting the senior years. Good even crop in Ferryville but you spent your erasure children here you live here you got a farm here wife, Ferryville, Wisconsin. He could live anywhere. Wife's roots of course are from here but the people Bob and the people of This year. It's a great network of people and that the scenery is good and the environment. We see a lot of different people come to this area that want to come and see what this is all about it at 176 people. According to the sign that may change. Who knows, but being a small town is there huge draw for people for being a small town ever been here how many opening weekends. It's been just wild you know with people that are here Bob so I yeah there's a lot of draw the fishing the Eagles lot of people draw here is the drawing of raising your daughter here and for the schools are good when my daughter was young. The Prairie view schools out in the middle of the country between Ferryville and DeSoto up on the hills and it's a good group of people again. I got to say about it because it's the truth. It's a network of people that raise these kids, I'm on the road in sales Bob somebody had to do it and she turned out to be valedictorian so I got a given complement. check for the first time came to Ferryville, you know you're courting Christie what were your thoughts of you know, Ferryville, Wisconsin. I keep coming back to about the network of people you know that there's a group of people here that are different then in a lot of areas. Click start the clicks and Ferryville Bob because people. It's such a melted pot of people that have come here and been able to adapt your because of 170 some people's all in the community. People welcomed into the community. See start to see people and you start to know people and you got involved in the church and you got involved in coming downtown have a few beers and knowing the people and the people that couldn't wait to be here on weekends. Bob from their jobs. Whether they were in Chicago or they were in Milwaukee or they worked in Janesville. They couldn't wait to be here in Ferryville so anyway yeah very well spent. Been a great run. Keep bringing up people. Charley and I agree the people in Ferryville are fantastic and the size of the hundred and 76 but I mean it's more than the 176 people communities. Another big word and another cool thing and you know we touched on it a minute ago. Tell me about the tractor pull. So the tractor pull started years ago, long before I was part of Ferryville and my father-in-law was involved in a lot at that point in the Gilman's and a lot of the farms in this area, but even back then, but they do farms from all over coming to be part of the tractor pulls you know you hear people talking about from being over by musket alien blue River and way down and I will come in over here to be part of the tractor pulls back in those days. And of course, it went away for a while. But guess what it's like a lot of things in the soul river. The river changes and so the community changed again and so different people came back and wanted to be part of them. Tractor pulls you mentioned the river and if you bench you know you mentioned people you mentioned the tractor pull and one of the big draws for a lot of people is the river what your thoughts on the Mississippi River. I come from the world of industry and commercial and agriculture. It's it's the reason we have so much strong cash drain in this area. That's why our fertilizers are able to be at a more affordable price. Because of what we can do coming off the river with product versus trucking. It all in and in being in a lot of those areas but it's also the recreation thing about how many people's lives have changed so that not a pontoon boat, drinking a few drinks on a Sunday afternoon with your best friends. People don't forget that stuff Bob know they really don't you deal with a lot of the local people that are farmers and that you know that are that the backbone of our community. There was a lot of tobacco raised here in the day you know and insert tobacco was a big cash crop and a lot of Norwegian heritage. When you get up in the hills around outside of Ferryville. Here, the Lutheran Church, the Freeman Lutheran Church got a strong heritage that way. So me and coming to the ferry to tell me a story about why would want to come here and stay here yet so for Milwaukee are only 3 1/2 hours so it isn't like it's a three day run to come out here and be part of this when you get here you can see some of the prettiest areas that you'll see just comparable to the Black Hills. People want to go to the Black Hills to look at the hills, nice hills out in the Black Hills but they don't have the river as we got here. Do they Bob know they really don't and 3 miles across your one of the widest spots in the in on the in the river right here in favor Wisconsin? He looks out there and I mean it it it's an amazing view. So I was blessed. Looking back on it now that that farm up on the ridge right beside us turned in Eagle Mountain. We got discovered Bob and so went once we got discovered and people started to buy land here and become part of the community. It was like they wanted to stay a part of that was really because of the people that were here and nationally that Them here. It introduced a minute and brought them into the area when we moved that Eagle Mountain was nothing but a farm called the lower place and it was that there was a set of buildings there in a tobacco shed and they burnt the whole thing. They started building roads. They started making views of the river and we met so many unique people that have come here to be part of the community to tell you a story about that that was really interesting so years ago, Christie, Ruben and me. We had tobacco right along the road there and the guy stopped and he built a new house out here. He was a long searching in Chicago and he said I want to stop and I want. I'd love to buy three beliefs tobacco I can have them what you do in a long searching and I want to show people what kills him. Got three big leaves that tobacco and took it back to us back to his office and he always told us he had him in his office and said we raise this back were I I I have a house that we raise it. He wasn't raising it, but he was part of the community. So use we Bob what your favorite story about Fernando. I think one of the things that's one of my favorite stories is actually been part of the celebrations of life with no cone funerals anymore Bob for a couple of really neat people over the years Tom Tower who is a big part of Ferryville and he loved very well. He loved the community, Wilbur Dinger was an old guy that used to be downtown near a lot. That was a great part of the community that they like the community they had a passion and they're all resting here now and so we're part of their life and be part of celebrating their heritage year. So, when push comes to shove, this is where I want to be.

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E11-HealthFirst - BreastfeedingPodcast For Hire E11-HealthFirst - BreastfeedingINFOHealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyJustine is a public relations and education specialist for health first network in Wausau, Wisconsin, as well as in other counties in North Central Wisconsin, what programs you guys are working on her with a program to do it is between outreach program or top what is Topl about top is a great program that we currently have implemented into the six grade curriculum at Adams Friendship area school district that we go in for one hour each week with different groups of students and we are able to provide curriculum lessons and then in addition to that we do a community service learning component that is part of this curriculum as well. Top is an evidence-based curriculum. There are different components to an indifferent fidelity requirements to make sure that this program is working to the best of its ability where some of the effects of the top program. The top program is really great for the students. There is a community service learning component so and that they are building ties to their community and we found that through doing that these students feel more of a responsibility to their community by having that tie, they are less likely to engage in behavior that is detrimental to their community. In addition to that the curriculum has three different components to it. So there is a connecting with others component of building my skills and learning about myself, so through those three different areas that are able to as it sounds, build their skills so there are things such as relieving stress and emotional intelligence. There is a social emotional learning component to this. So there are so many things that are going into this so that the students are able to learn about themselves connect with others connect with their community. So by building all these things we are scaffolding and building these students up to create self-confidence and by doing that it really has long-term positive effects on their health and on all the different realms of their health. So, not just health and the way often we think about it a physical health but there is an emotional health is a social health and so on and so forth that comes with this curriculum are the ties we made to the community. The tither being made to the community through community service learning which is a component of the top program or teen outreach program so community service learning projects could include a wide variety of things we often do projects with the students within the classroom. Since we are part of the school day where we may be. Create letters that we send then to an assisted living home or we have created things such as fleece blankets that we've donated to the assisted living home down there. We have created dog treats cat toys for humane societies. There's a lot of different ways that this can go. But as long as we have that tie to the community and something that can benefit the community members as the main thing that were looking for and then as part of that. We want the students to feel the glow and that comes right from the Wyman or top curriculum. And that's the big piece of it. So with the community service learning project. Those students are choosing what they want to do so. This isn't something that we tell them that you're gonna be doing this project or that project. It's something that they have a tie into and that they have communicated that they would like to do and that helps them really build that tie versus being told what to do because as we know that usually doesn't work with students or anybody. Anybody that that matter

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Joan Filla is a friend of the Franciscan Spirituality Center, and also a personal friend. She has attended many events at the FSC, and she has done presentations for us on the healing of trauma. Joan is a physician at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, and she has been on the front lines in the battle with COVID since the pandemic arrived in our community. Today, it is my honor to invite Joan to share her unique perspective in this traumatic period in all of our lives. Welcome, Joan.Doctor Joan Filla: Thanks, Steve. I'm happy to be here.Steve: You work as a physician for Gundersen Health System. What's your medical specialty?Doctor Filla: I am an Internal Medicine Hospitalist, which basically translates to I take care of sick adults who require hospitalization. I describe myself as the quarterback. I'm kind of the one that organizes things and needs to call in the specialist, when needed, to take care of a patient's needs.Steve: Take us back 18 months ago prior to the pandemic's arrival. What were your thoughts about what might be coming? And when did you know that we would be affected here in La Crosse?Doctor Filla: I have to admit that my first response and reaction was based out of naivety. I remember having conversations with my colleagues saying, ‘I just want to get this infection, get it over with, and be able to move on with my life and deal with other patients that have it.' I quickly realized I did not want this infection. I was not caring for the first patient that we had at Gundersen; that was one of my colleagues who has gone on to become as what I would refer to as our local hospitalist expert on COVID. It was with that patient, even though it was one patient, that I realized just a little bit of what the magnitude of this could be. That one patient where we really had no … there was really no guidance. We had no idea how to treat this other than to be supportive. We couldn't ask any specialist because nobody really knew a whole lot more than we did. I'm speaking for him and feeling what my colleague talked about, [and that] was it felt very lonely [and] very fearful. And then the family is afraid, [and] the patient is afraid. Patient and loved ones are separated. That patient changed me. It made me afraid to go down there, to go into the unit.Steve: That was the first patient you encountered, and then talk about, when was that, timewise?Doctor Filla: April of 2020. I don't remember the exact date. I was hearing about COVID kind of secondhand from my colleagues. I didn't work in the unit, I don't think until May when I actually took care of my first COVID-positive patient. At that point, we had a few hospitalists, docs, and physician assistants who had sort of gravitated there and become as much as we could the local experts. It's hard to say ‘experts,' but when you don't know a lot, that's literally what you are. I walked in as the physician leader for that team being one of the least experienced ones, which is also interesting. It's relying on a lot of past history [and] past knowledge of working with patients, and book learning, which it's been a long time since I've had to rely on book learning. It's been more based on experience and knowledge and actually taking care of people with issues. The first week of encountering patients, I wish I could say was the hardest, but it wasn't. If anything, it was a … there was some professional excitement because it was new. It was different, it was challenging. In some ways it was freeing, but it was also terrifying. During that week, I cared for the first COVID patient that I took care of that died. He's there, delirious [and] dying alone. [He] had already lost another family member to COVID. His other loved ones can't be there. I remember a phone conversation with one of the family members who wanted to talk to him, but he was not even in a state to be able to talk to his loved ones. The request came to me to tell him that I love him. To be the messenger in a situation of this gravity where the family has already lost another loved one, and now they're losing somebody else and they can't be there to be able to go into the room [and] tell him, ‘So-and-so says I love you.' His response was, he moved – that was as much as he could respond and to be able to share that. It was a moving moment. It was a moment that made me say, ‘As hard as this is, I want to keep doing it.'Steve: In that regard, this disease is unique in terms of, people are sick [and] people are dying, and yet you need to keep them isolated. And so family members were not in the room with them.Doctor Filla: Correct.Steve: And also, as physicians you have to have a level of – or even any healthcare workers [such as] nurses, therapists [or] whatever – you have to have a level of separation from the person that's not typical.Doctor Filla: It's an interesting dynamic because you need to keep a level of separation while you are there as their surrogate family. The largest burden of that fell onto the nursing staff – the registered nurses, the nursing assistants who spent the most time at the bedside. The respiratory therapists spent a lot of time at the bedside. I think it was easier as a physician to walk away because I had other people [and] other responsibilities. I'm not the bedside caretaker. But the nursing staff were phenomenal in being there to hold patients' hands, pass messages on from the family, coordinate and be present for the video conferences when we could get them, [and] the phone conversations. All of the times that they heard loved ones saying their last goodbyes, they were part of it. [They were] giving hugs when they could. It was very emotional. How do you keep separate, but yet still do that feeling and be present? That is a big challenge, and I think that's one of the traumas of healthcare in general: the art of keeping distance while being present and compassionate. But it was amplified with COVID.

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyKaren Zimmerman, a WIC specialist from health first networks talking with this the third time we've had a chance to talk in this podcast, which great this almost focus on breast-feeding. How does WIC and breast-feeding go hand-in-hand to doesn't seem like they would be in conjunction with each other. So, how we feed our babies is one of the main components of what the WIC program is breast-feeding is the gold standard for how we should feed our babies now a lot of moms haven't had very much support in their own histories and own lives to be successful at that, even if that is what they want to do because none of their people that they associate with have ever done that one of the things that the WIC program has is called a breast-feeding peer program and what that is is we have moms who have breast-fed their own children and have been involved in the WIC program. They connect with our new moms to be there support person. Oh, that's cool. One of the aspects of it as a peer is that they need to speak the same language and be of the same culture as the mom. So in our population. We have like 30% of our population is mom so we have a Monk's woman who is breast-fed her babies that can speak among that can call those moms and chat or be that support person for them to call back to and how it works. The moms are connected via text or phone call and we just reach out to them and say hey here a.m. if you have troubles. If you have questions. I'm here to help you is your typical? It all depends on the mom situation. If there's no problems then you talk about what to expect and what's normal baby behavior. In the beginning, but if there are troubles or the mom just has questions like is this normal or is my baby getting enough to eat. This doesn't seem like he's growing good enough or how do I breast-feed my baby when I have a two-year-old. That's also running around ripping the house apart right so those kind of just mom kinda conversations in support is what the program is all about is your such a thing as breast-feeding classes. Oh yes, yes, most definitely. That's another aspect of our program that we offer moms breast-feeding class that is available to them in in the last month or two before they are scheduled to deliver their babies and things that we talk about in that class we cover things like what are the benefits of breast-feeding. How do you get started. What can you expect from a normal healthy baby in the beginning what's normal newborn behavior and as a new mom. How do I know if my babies okay and what can I expect the baby to do or not do. And then if these symptoms show her this behavior shows then that's worth a call to reach out to somebody. It really helps moms be prepared so they're confident going into having this baby whether there breast-feeding or decide after they get going that maybe that it isn't working so well, but they have the ammunition then to do the an informed decision about what and how they feed their baby going forward. So, certain certification, the staff has to go through yes all of the counselors for the WIC program are certified to some level of breast-feeding certifications and there's varying levels of that all of the counselors have had additional training on breast-feeding and be certified and one of our breast-feeding counselors is in the process of becoming an IBC LC certified lactation specialist and that stands for international Board of certified lactation consultants, and that's the highest level it's a certification that's geared towards medical care professionals who undertake the clinical management of breast-feeding in support and education. So for those moms that are having more difficulties. She will be able to help them in a very specific way because of all this extra training that she said in the testes is quite involved. One of the goals with having her at the certification level. Besides being that extra asset and resource for all of us and our WIC population is that we'd like to open that up to the general population so that we can serve as a resource for that within our community. The local healthcare systems have very limited numbers of this level certification with in the hospital and primary care systems in our communities and so we've identified that is a lack and were trying to fill that void with this certification here so Karen, it seems to me that health first networks wants families and moms and babies to be successful, and that's why you guys are helping a staff member get through and get certified as IBC LC. It seems like you guys are working toward something that a lot of other people are pushing away. Yeah, I guess we really saw that there was a void in our community. So supporting our staff member to become an IBC LC we feel that this is just a way for us to support moms and I'm more complete way better resources for a moms to be successful at breast-feeding

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.orgSteve Spilde: Today, it is my honor to welcome as my guest Sister Rose Elsbernd. Rose is a teammate, a mentor, and a friend. She serves as a Spiritual Director at the Franciscan Spirituality Center, and is a longtime supervisor in the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. Recently, five FSPA sisters and staff traveled to volunteer at a facility on the border in Arizona. Rose joins me to talk about her trip and her efforts to respond with compassion to those seeking asylum. Welcome, Rose.Sister Rose Elsbernd: Thank you, Steve. It's good to be with you today.Steve: You recently came back from a trip to Arizona. Could you tell us where you went?Sister Rose Elsbernd: We went to, as a response to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had put out an asking for volunteers for people to work at the borders, partly because they were really in a need for volunteers. Many of the people who were helping during the winter were gone, and the students weren't yet back from college. As most of these facilities depend almost – I would say 95 percent – on volunteers, there was a need for us to go down. We Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration wanted to respond to that, and there was a number of us that just volunteered to go. Only four of us could go with our Justice and Peace person, Pat Bruda, who has gone a couple other times. We went to Tucson with the intention of coming to a knowledge of what's going on, because there's so much that you don't know, and you almost have to sort through the facts to know what it is. We were in Tucson. We did visit the border at two different places, and [we] went into Mexico twice. But mostly, we volunteered at Casa Alitas, which is a Catholic Charities-sponsored program that receives people from the border crossings, basically, either from Nogales or Yuma, and they have the paperwork. They have a file that's maybe an inch-and-a-half that they carry with them. At this point, they're legal to come into the United States.What they do as they come into this Casa Alitas is immediately they get water, they get some soup for nourishment, and then they begin to make them feel comfortable enough, and they stay maybe one or two days until they can get transportation out to where their sponsor is. If they can't find a sponsor, they start looking for one. There's a lot of navigation that they have to do to get them on the road and out, but most of the time it's a day or two. However, that's very different from on the Mexico side. They might have been waiting on the Mexican side for a year, year and a half, or even two [years], to get the papers for asylum that they need. It's kind of an interesting phenomena of how people are so desperate to get to a better life.Steve: So you went to this facility that serves as kind of a welcome for immigrants. These are legal immigrants [and] they have paperwork, but they've come to the border waiting to get in. They were waiting for a year or two on the Mexican side, and then they come in. But many of these immigrants really don't have anything as they arrive, correct?Sister Rose Elsbernd: No. What they get, of course, while they're there, they will get products they need for just hygiene, and then they get a backpack. Maybe they get a pair of shoes if they need it, [and] definitely shoelaces, because all the shoelaces are taken out of the shoes in Mexico – even the children's which is kind of like … They say it's for their safety, primarily, so they can't run. They get shoes, socks, a couple pair of underwear, two shirts, and usually one pair of jeans or something like that. That's what they carry onto the bus or the airplane as they leave.Steve: So they've come into this country [and] they're going to go to some … They might go to La Crosse if there's an organization willing to sponsor them. But basically, what they have as possessions is what's in that backpack.

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyJustin public relations and education specialist at health first networks. What is helpers network do for the schools that you are involved with. So we provide education within the schools and most of the counties we serve. We either provide in tandem with the curriculum that they are providing. Or we might be there main point of education for the students and we either provide education on STI's are sexy transmitted infections and/or on contraceptives as well. So in one of the schools, in particular, we are one of many community partners that come in so we provide as a set on STI's in contraceptives and then they also have other community partners come in and talk about other things related to healthy relationships. Sexual activity and the law and things of that nature wears other schools. We are there main point of education and maybe the only education that they are receiving as far as contraceptives or STI prevention to deliver school presentations. We do we do a lot of school presentations and then we can adapt our presentations to fit whatever grade level were presenting to so for talking with middle school students that might look a little bit different than if we are presenting to seniors and we can really tailor it as well to what the school is looking for. So if they've already covered STI's are contraceptives we can provide the opposite, or if they are looking for something more in that middle school level. I've presented on things such as healthy relationships and consent and communication and focusing more on that piece before we dive into some of those heavier topics so health first network is a lot of things of network means that you're probably involved a lot of different things a lot of different people a lot of different organizations. How are you working with some of the other organizations in the area to help out the students and help out the population as a whole so we work like you said in coalition so we have the tricounty coalition in our southern counties. So in Sauk Juneau in Adams County. We work with different organizations with different health departments talking about the topics that are important to the communities that we serve and the clients that we serve or hope to serve. We are part of coalitions in our northern counties as well and different workgroups in different counties who try to be involved in all the counties again that we serve. Making sure that we are working with our community partners determining how we can help serve those individuals making sure that they are aware of our services that we can serve as a resource we can provide education, we can help provide care at a lower cost or no cost for those who are in need of that. So, although we serve one kind of niche were able to help a wide variety of people at different points in their life know you should care what you mean by care care could be annual visits. It can be STI or sexy transmitted infection screening. It could be pregnancy testing, and referrals for prenatal care or adoption services. It could be for our WIC programs so women, infants and children, and that's our nutrition program so there's a lot of different facets of what we provide. You can find all this information on our website as well. Justin is one or two but you know when you're talking what kids in school so click that I hear about kids texting and doing things like, you know that they shouldn't be doing online on texting you know on different social media sites is that something that you work with students on it as well. It is so that is something that we are starting to see more and more of they will get referred to us. So if they have minor fence and this is their first offense they get referred to us for education so we can provide education on not only the STI's in the contraceptives and things like that to help them take care of themselves or to help them be healthy, but in addition to that we talk to them about the laws in Wisconsin and how partaking in these certain activities are going to affect them or could affect them if they get caught doing those things. So in addition to us again community involvement. We also work with other community organizations that provide education as well. So it's really a group and community effort to ensure that these students are getting the education that they need to hopefully get them on the right path should just be one of the other things that he is working with with the community projects and the involvement that health first networks is in. I'd heard that just recently guys started working with Special Olympics Wisconsin. So in addition to working with special effects Wisconsin. We are working with Special Olympics international as well so they are working to create a curriculum with another organization and then in addition to that we are working on a clinic experience guide that we can provide to the athletes and their caretakers, and through that those individuals will be able to use this guide to help those individuals understand what those reproductive health visits that they might have what those all entail what to expect. What sorts of medical equipment and supplies they might see during that visit just to be able to prepare them for that. So they aren't surprised when they get asked certain questions are not surprised when they're asked to do certain things. So just helps take away some of that fear factor that individuals might have walking into an appointment if they're not sure what two of the anxiety you about is amazing. You know it's it's probably overwhelming to some people, absolutely. And this is geared for special-effects athletes. But really, we see that a lot of individuals it's just sometimes the fear of the unknown whether it's reproductive health or anything in life, so anything that we can do to ease that fear and make people more aware and provide the education that really helps to empower them to come in and be able to advocate for their own health

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295https://www.fscenter.org

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyJesse Scharfenberg is the Chief Executive Officer and health first network in Wausau, Wisconsin in nine counties usually all over the place, which is great and my favorite times of the year's planting started gardening a couple years ago and I love gardening. I love the fresh vegetables and love the fresh fruits that love the chance to get out there and see what other people of harvested and farmers markets are huge thing farmers markets are a good thing you see them everywhere there every day of the week in every county and they're just a great access points to fresh fruits and vegetables. Some of the really cool things about the WIC program is that in the summer between June 1 and October 31. Individuals will receive farmers market check you can go to the farmers market and get fresh fruits and vegetables with the WIC program so give you a lot of variety of the early-season versus the late seasons on the October timeframe. The key to go to apple orchards and get fresh apples. So depending on the year. Individual families will get between 30 and $35 worth of farmers market checks. One of those little differences with this is that mostly with the WIC program. Each individual within the family gets their own food package to farmers market. Checks are per family. Okay, so it's not that each person is been received, the $30-$35 at each family will receive what you get a lot of things in the farmers market for 30 but you can get all have fresh fruits and vegetables, which is really great because it's an extremely important part of the diet but also supports local farmers by giving back to them by using their fruits and vegetables what we do is kind of a twofold so we work with the local farmers that the farmers market to see if they want to accept WIC checks so they have to go through a training program and then when you are actually a shopper at the farmers market. You probably see a bunch of yellow signs on different vendors and that you will find means that they accept WIC benefits. Individuals with the farmers market. Checks can go to the farmers market and the checks are for five dollars each so that you can go to different vendors so you can only use one check per vendor.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyWe talked about a lot of different programs with health first network and Suzanne plot check. During this time talking about food families and for families, ties in with the WIC program which makes sense because you're with dietitian and you soon taking over the WIC program here correct. Yes. So the for families program is a program that we do in conjunction with the WIC program it's geared towards 2 to 4-year-old children and potentially their families. The program is one that focuses on childhood obesity and preventing childhood obesity. So what the program does is families choose a goal, something that they want to work on and then we help them achieve that goal. Over the 13 month time. So how do you do that the families to the goal that they like to work on it could be something from decreasing screen time, increasing physical activity increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables they consume in a day or changing the beverages that they drink we set a goal with them and then work with them on a monthly basis by either texting, calling or emailing them and checking in with them to see how their goal is going and then giving them tips and suggestions on how they can better achieve that goal they mentioned was 13 months why 13 months rather than like six or 12 or you know that the typical time link that usually think of something going sir. So we collected starting data we get BMI from the family and then we ask some of the questions regarding how much screen time how much fruits and vegetables they consume and then we wait, that full year to make sure that you know we've captured all the data we can and then we re-ask the same questions at the 13 month mark to see what changes they made, or if there's been improvements in certain areas with use of the data for the state that family program analyzes that data they have a separate team that analyzes it and then they send back reports annually that tells each program how they've done in terms of improving the fruit and vegetable consumption in children or decreasing screen time

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Today it is my extreme pleasure to welcome John McHugh. John is a longtime presenter for the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. He has presented Biblical Spirituality to our participants and does an amazing job. Beyond that, John is a very popular presenter at the Franciscan Spirituality Center. [He is] a wonderful Biblical teacher [and] a wonderful representative of what it means to embody spirituality in life. Welcome, John.John McHugh: Thank you. Steve. It’s good to be here.Steve: Just to say a few things about John, John had a part of his life where he was very involved in ministry. Then for the last 16 years he’s been part of the senior management team for Kwik Trip, who is a big employer in the area surrounding La Crosse, Wisconsin. That area continues to grow, and you’ve been part of that growth. How would you describe your current job?John: Steve, that’s a great question. I have a lot of different things I do, and none of it fits into a single title. Officially, I’m the Director of Public Relations, but on a broader scheme, anything to deal with culture in our company. [That includes] making sure that we live our mission and values as a company. [I] oversee a lot of what happens in our training program. I work with the family members who come into the company, [meaning] the third generation and the grandkids now coming in to work with them. I make sure that they get on the right foot, and I spend a lot of time out in public talking about our culture at Kwik Trip. We’re listed as a top workplace in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. This last year, even Glassdoor nationally [ranked Kwik Trip] the 79th-best company to work for in the country, which is pretty huge for a small regional company like this. A lot of places want to know how you create that kind of culture, so I’ll go out and give keynotes and addresses about that.Steve: Knowing you, you really do identify what you do as a ministry. How would you draw the parallels between more traditional forms of ministry and what you do in the business world?John: I would say this. As a matter of fact, when Don Zietlow, our CEO and owner, hired me 16 years ago, he knew that I did a lot of public speaking [and] adult education, a lot in the gospels and in religion. Officially, he said, “When I hire you, I’m going to bring you on deck and you’re going to tell the same stories you’ve already told. But sometimes you’re going to take out the name Jesus.” I have former students in mind from Aquinas who are now here at Kwik Trip who say, “I remember when you told that story back at Aquinas, and now you tell it here.” It really is telling the same stories, but in a way that helps all of us realize that no matter where we’re at in life, the gospel is alive and well and keeps us going.

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes only One of the question with a lot of people that are sexually active have is how to prevent having a sexually-transmitted disease or infection you know what. Since this is such a big topic to both you guys here Jesse Scharfenberg is the Chief Executive Officer of health first network and just the entity is the public relations and education specialist. It is a much of STI's are scary. What can we do to prevent them. Use a condom that the number one thing is to use a condom and we don't see individuals using condoms anymore. Why is that so there's many reasons that people don't use condoms anymore. One thing is that we have really great access, birth control methods so they know that if their partner is on a birth control method there's no risk of pregnancy. So we kind of forget about the STI side of things and preventing those. The other aspect is we have some really great resources to prevent HIV in a taxi take medication that's prophylaxis so that you could have sexual intercourse with someone with HIV and not get HIV. So now that were not wearing about preventing HIV as much because there's other medications that are working for that people kind of forget about having to use a condom to prevent chlamydia and gonorrhea and herpes and warts because those aren't thought as long term diseases or a consequence infections. Here's a question, although still viable diseases. Yes, we are seeing large numbers of chlamydia still occurring gonorrhea for the last five years we have seen increases in STI's across the United States in all categories. So this isn't something that is even plateauing or that were seen going away by any means not just the Jesse mentioned using condoms is that as an educator. Is that something you have to teach people how to do, how to use a condom. Yes, absolutely. So when we go into education for students or we are doing outreach in the community. We make sure that we let folks know about condoms how to use them and we can provide demonstrations as well so we are able to show how to use internal and external condoms, or more commonly known as male and female condom okay you got me there. What is an internal condom. So an internal condom is sometimes still known as a female condom but that is a condom that can be used internally as the name would imply, so that could be utilized in someone with of the China they would insert the condom internally and it would provide protection that way. So you would use either the internal or external condom, but you would not use them both together to use one or the other and that internal condom can also provide some additional STI prevention externally. So when were thinking of those STI's that can be spread through skin to skin contact. The internal condom can provide some additional protection by having some of that condom outside of the body as well much in my stupid for not knowing what those are. No, but I feel that a lot of people don't know what they are. They're not commonly used is something that we encourage and we give out to all of our clients on a normal basis is using the internal condom should be used. It should be widely known but it's not. We think there's a lot of education that just focuses on the external or the male condom and when education occurs. They just forget about the internal condom. The other great thing about the internal condom is that it can be used for a no sex as well and exit points. The annual cavity. So one thing that we talk about. STI prevention ever it is that all penile to the badge. No sex will actually STI Xerox you can get Estes and Uranus. You can get it on your penis or in your Regina. So when were talking about. STI prevention were talking about. If you're having oral sex, wearing a condom to follow it out. That is why there are flavored so we went to the Reading is coming. We don't know that there are flavored condoms so if you are having oral sex and the penis is going into your mouth that individuals should be wearing a condom. There's also what we call dental dams, which are they got almost like a piece of plastic that would go over the national area that an individual could put there over the penis just so that there's for the protection from the skin to skin contact so that were not transmitting infections between individuals just review offer both of these types of condoms at health first network. Yes, we have both of these and all of our clinics available for anyone who's looking for them so people can pick these up regardless of sex, so again as we said for the internal and external condom with health first network to talk about. STI prevention. What about if you know you had unprotected sex and you're worried about you know, did I catch something or did so in noted something slick by the combo Maury got a bit your burner. It is your testing available yes. So we do testing for STI's and just as you said it whether someone has had unprotected sex, and even if they had protected sex, condoms work really really great at preventing STS, but since they aren't 100% we do recommend getting screened routinely for STI's. If you are sexually active, so at least once a year on the everyone should be getting screen for STI's, and if you are having a change in partner. If you have multiple partners then we would likely recommend getting screen more routinely so you can talk with one of our providers and then they would be able to let you know how frequently to be screened for that at health first. We test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV genital herpes genital warts trichomoniasis or sometimes known as trick and HIV is there like a shot or vaccine or something that that somebody could take to prevent STI's there is a vaccine is called got a cell and it will protect you against nine of the most common cancer causing strains of HPV, which is the human papilloma virus. So what we see is that human papilloma virus is There's a lot of people out there that have cervical cancer that don't know that they have it or have the precancerous cells for cervical cancer correct. Yeah that's very true. So that is why when individuals come in for their annual exams. They are on schedules to have their Done and then we also do eight what's called HPV Co. testing. So we are taking samples of the cervix to be looking for the HPV virus as well. As part of the FP OS and is part of the family-planning only services or F because so with the Gardasil vaccine in the annual exams that Pap smear the HPV co-testing all of that is covered FP OS so individuals are getting these services at zero cost and were do we go about getting appointments. You call 1-800-246-5743 in nine counties in north-central Wisconsin

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Today it is my great pleasure to welcome Lucy Abbott Tucker. Lucy has been a great contributor to the contemporary practice of Spiritual Direction. She was instrumental in the formation of the organization “Spiritual Directors International.” She has had decades of experience as a Spiritual Director. She has been a teacher of other Spiritual Directors. She now serves as a teacher of other teachers. We look forward to welcoming her this spring to the Franciscan Spirituality Center, where she will lead a workshop for our supervisors in the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. Welcome, Lucy Abbott Tucker.Lucy Abbott Tucker: Thank you very much, Steve.Steve: Lucy, as we begin, a good place to start, I think, is, what is Spiritual Direction, in your understanding?Lucy: For many years I described Spiritual Direction as a conversation between two people who believe in the reality of God, however that is named, where one person is primarily the speaker and the other is primarily the listener. We are trying to touch more clearly the presence and the activity of the sacred in the speaker. I like that definition, and I still use most of it. Several years ago, I listened to a TED Talk by a man named Simon Sinek. He talked about what makes organizations and people great – what helps them to stand out among others. He used three concentric circles, and the innermost circle was ‘why’; the second circle was ‘how’; and the largest circle was ‘what.’ He uses a lot of examples, and I would encourage you to listen to his podcasts. One example he used that always stuck with me was Martin Luther King. He said in the 1960s there were many great people speaking about civil rights. Why did Martin Luther King speak on the steps of the Washington Monument and have thousands of people listening to him? We all know the answer: He had a dream, [which is] his famous speech. But his dream was there are laws of God, and laws of men. Until those come together, we will never have justice and peace. Simon Sinek described that as the ‘why’ of his energy that made him stand out from others.When I looked at my definition, I realized it didn’t have a ‘why’ in it. Why do I do this work? So now, I use the same words as I started out with, but I begin with, “Because I believe God is present and active in every moment of life, Spiritual Direction is a conversation.” That’s what Spiritual Direction is about for me: Touching that God presence that is always with us.Steve: Thank you, thank you. … How do you spell Simon Sinek? How is his last name spelled?Lucy: S … I … N … E … K. It’s a TED Talk. I can get you the exact title, Steve.Steve: I think if people Google “Simon Sinek” and “TED Talk,” it will come up. Thank you for sharing that resource. It sounds like something I want to watch. … You do a lot of work for the organization called “Spiritual Directors International.” Could you tell us what is SDI? How did it form? How were you involved in that beginning?

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes only

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Today I am excited to introduce Sam Rahberg. Sam is a presenter in our Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. He presents a weekend about “Introduction to Spirituality.” Sam is also a longtime supervisor in the program, helping our participants with their work. I know Sam to be an incredibly gifted presenter, and also a deep spiritual individual. It’s my pleasure to welcome Sam Rahberg.Sam Rahberg: I’m glad to be here. It feels a little bit like people get to be a fly on the wall in great conversations you and I have had in the past. I’m looking forward to it.Steve: As I usually begin these conversations, I invite people to explain their own spiritual tradition. As you were young, describe the spiritual atmosphere in which you grew up.Sam: I was a church-working kid. I grew up moving tables and chairs with my dad at the end of every church function. We were part of a Lutheran church, and he was the Director of Christian Education. I like to joke that I had an 18-year-long internship with him about what it means to be a professional in the church, to be working in ministry. I grew up in that environment knowing not much different than the formal structures of the church. I was always hungry when we would talk about discipleship. Or when I’d hear about spirituality, I’d quickly chase down those types of texts and learning opportunities once I was an adult and able to recognize something was stirring. I followed on that trajectory. I still think of myself being involved in a ministry of sorts, although for the last many years I haven’t served professionally in a parish. My spirituality and my understanding of vocation and calling has shifted, with no less appreciation for parish work. I still admire most professors I had who would say, “You know I love you guys. I love what we’re talking about, but I would rather be with the people in the parish. I’d rather be serving in those intimate relationships than in an academic sort of setting.” They’re just different birds. I have a great deal of respect, and I had the good fortune of being able to support people in ministry – pastors and priests and deacons and lay leaders in congregations through spiritual direction or retreat formats, and [also] working one-on-one with people in supervision fields like equipping people for ministry.Steve: You really grew up with a desire to be involved in that ministry. How old were you when that first desire came to your awareness?Sam: Actually, in high school I had anything but that desire. I had a stretch where I was wanting to go to the Air Force Academy. I wanted to be a computer programmer. I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. One of my high school teachers said, “Sam, you ought to consider becoming a teacher.” I said, “Well, maybe.” And then I realized, you know what I know how to do? I know how to do churchwork. It’s already who I am, [and] it’s already what comes naturally, so I bit on that and I did go [and] become trained as a Director of Christian Education. Part of what I loved about that was that I was being trained and equipped to do the things that were feeding my own personal spiritual hunger, [and] that were giving me a way to integrate my study of scripture, my spiritual reading, [and] my deep conversations with people into the work that I was doing. And to this day, I’m grateful for that privilege, [and] that I continue to be called into conversations that reflect some of the things that are most important to my inner journey. I’m grateful for that. I haven’t always been appreciative when days are busy or projects are hard, but when I can remember those moments, I do appreciate it.Steve: How long did you work in a parish setting?Sam: I had a yearlong internship, and then I was in a parish for five years before I went to the Benedictines and started working in Retreat Ministry there.

Downtown Main StreetDMI422 Main StreetLa Crosse, Wisconsin54601(608) 784-0440Transcription for SEO only. Art Fahey joins us on this DMI podcast. Downtown has the college area, which is always fun for people to enjoy. I think of such a variety no myself for not being your lacrosse centering at the multiuse building sign in one day we might have a sports vacation shown the remaining efforts. The organic farmers conference and turn around and get high school basketball games coming in or entertainment that comes through so I think the shield of the varieties were small town feel people come in they feel safe will crosses embraces and welcomes all our guests and then realize how important our guest coming to the Aryans are local people coming to the downtown area are so I think is quite a warm reception everybody coming to the area so I think were unique in the beauty that we got as well) features a lot of things that neglect communities would look at art, say, is the director of the La Crosse Center in downtown La Crosse and a lot of things are happening down there, including the remodel of the La Crosse Center. Let's talk a little bit about the remodel to be tells is going on with the lacrosse in her care is the process it's going to take about almost 2 years to get completed. We had a renovation remodel of the arena, so this new seating in their sound system, lighting, HVAC, dressing rooms, locker room concession stands have all been remodeled were to be going in the outer court order that goes around the buildings that people have to go outside to navigate to the building and we put up a new North Hall called a noteholder call and that is ready to go. We are at now is called the punch list time where construction guys are going through. They really have turned the keys over for us for those two particular rooms that we still have construction guys are better available and you will a midway point through the first phase of the construction for part that still continuing as a number of meeting rooms and a volume that overlooks the Riverside that scheduled for the end of November to be completed and that there continuing with that process over the front Street area, which is adjacent to Riverside Park and will assign the building so we move along very well. You know it. If you ever look for a no light in the middle Kovacs and the construction crews that stay healthy throughout last actually progressed very well and very quickly. Overall, no work on time and on budget. It always is all good things there. As far as the overall construction venue absolutely destroys positive things to be on time and on budget. So art what will the impact of the remodel have on the downtown La Crosse area well you know when forecasting this we had economic impacts of increasing but the center could do for the downtown area in the range of $79 million a year that on top of already the 18 million it was doing so already and admit hi $29 per year economic impact for the area here. So now this is something that certainly has a direct impact on hotels and restaurants and shopping locations that are near to us by others sent ripples throughout the county. So it's something that can be beneficial to West Wisconsin because we slowly ramp up and get out of this code. People start meeting again and I will see the effects of this in our success with a lot of things we have here have been and made multiple small events and we see that continuing and we do have a large marquee event that comes through the multiple small vents is obviously the core of our success for the La Crosse Center, how many employees work for the La Crosse and well test test test code is created all kinds of fluctuations in pre-Covid, we had 15 full-time at about 300 part-time. So when we got in the Covid all, unfortunately, all part-timers and all were just the work form and we went from 15 full-time down to seven full-time now that were slowly coming back were starting to make plans and we have an escalating plan to add people back in. Based on the floor business. Now we we will have again somewhere in that 15 to 19 range of full-time people. Once we are considered at full steam and will be in at 250 to 300 part-timers again. Once we have everything back in place in the world stacked some consents and normal art. Let's look forward to the future to pass 2022. When things are back to running normally. What is the future look like for the La Crosse Center while you know what we've got is new meeting space is a different kind of meeting space here and were anticipating know that that will bring a different clientele down to us and always got a lot of floor space to tradeshows and go along with this and breakout space were looking for a lot more regional type of business coming our way, which I think was an area that we hadn't been delivering which certainly can be done now and we could see things coming out based on the Minneapolis are based on the lighting as well as island in Wisconsin to come our way related to some right things and some exciting things that you would be opening up the doors as you go along here and there's certain events that are to be large events that will also come our way here that will take up the entire building with the La Crosse Center expansion and everything art is La Crosse and are still going to be hosting like the big Moses vent that comes every year. Yes, that definitely was going to 2022 there making plans come back and be with us and is a featured event that does come to the building. A lot of people are aware of it and continue to come our way and so were looking for a long-term relationship will continue with the organic farmers organization part which have an impact as the downtown La Crosse area have when you have an event committed. Let's say the WIA basketball tournament was very important that our neighbors in the downtown area and are involved in greeting people just seating for 500 people in relation to the downtown and they're going to go out and have a cocktail and maybe a meal, and maybe do a little shopping you know you really set many people in a downtown you can quickly see where the restaurant that's 50 to 75 tears to be filled out fairly quickly, so they just need to be aware know if what were doing when relation peak, which is great communication between us and the commission has grown the downtown organization and DMI to let these folks know that they're coming to be in town and you will probably feel the effects of sin on hotels or to three days parking all comes into play. So we need to partners in the downtown area know to be able to welcome those folks = insane welcome this organization in the town and given the hospitality La Crosse is known for. Because these people are taking and not just La Crosse, and it is taken whole community. So art how much of a factor is that having a vibrant downtown is trying to sell the center to the prospective new client. I think that's important now. Each community got their own little sales point La Crosse certainly got ours without saying you know this but the back door and get the Mississippi River Riverside Park right here. Not hardly any community in the state of Wisconsin I can talk about the Mississippi River. So your features here that we sell are important to know in comparison to others.That's why Vince move around taking those different things the city has you know we have things like the DMI what they do is they get the message out to all the membership and those are the ones downtown Main Street. To me those are the people that are wrapped right around this year and what we do and what they do you know are joined at the hip. If you will, and so the value of DMI having a communication and filling storefronts and giving people things to do once they leave our building that's important is if we didn't have a downtown. It was thriving like it is and how it can really make our guests coming to town to go for a little when I go Baptist because it is not much going on but the way our downtown is its active it's lively it's driving snow so DMI is a great job

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription for SEO purposes onlyFrom expectations to conversations. We offer all the services you would expect health first network provides quality confidential reproductive health care, education, and nutrition counseling this month's health first podcast features Karen Zimmerman service line manager for WIC Karen's work for the WIC program at health first network for 32 years so Karen who qualifies for the WIC program. The qualifying criteria are pregnant moms breast-feeding moms moms who have children under six months of age if you're not breast-feeding, and then kids up to the age of five in those households where those people reside that gross income needs to be under hundred and 85% of poverty which an actual dollar terms. Let's say you have a mom and dad and two kids. Your annual income grows, we need to be roughly under $48,500. So if you think about it. If you're making almost $50,000 a year as a family with two kids. That's a lot of people today that work in positions where that's what their income is that number is the thing that makes us different because we are designed to help those people that make more than would they be eligible for other resources and is a stop off program to write is not a you get your here forever. It's a were helping you to attain the next goal right and the other thing that we do that makes us so that it is that step off once a year everybody that participates in the program needs to come in and do another appointment where we reevaluate all the eligibility criteria roughly every three months where contacting people to do some follow-up education or another way, in a measure on kids to see how everybody's growing and it's an opportunity for us to provide that additional education for parents with young children because as you know they change rapidly and the problems they present change rapidly and we're here to provide that just one-on-one education to help parents do the best they can to help their children grow to be the best we do a health and a diet assessment because all the counselors like is that our dietitian. So that's our focus, so if you think of the well-child visit with the nutrition focus we don't do medicine. We don't do what the doctor does but we also are trained and can identify things that would warrant a hey this is something that you maybe want to give your doctor call about because this doesn't look quite right in the program called with women infant and children know that there's something over some single beds that are rich in kids with his grandparents in a region kids and it always blended families and families now is there a lot different than they used to be part of that work are they able to get help from work yes yes and those are ones to that we really struggled to reach because they don't realize that we're here to help them as well because the child is the one that's eligible for the program. So if the child meets the criteria for eligibility. Whether it's the grandparents raising the child that dad a foster child if they qualified they can qualify for as long as they meet the criteria. If, for example, a child qualifies for badger care. They most likely would qualify income wise, even if the say the child is with grandma and grandpa and they could get the help because the child is meets the criteria so it's all about helping the children helping the children and so we really encourage anybody that is interested in at least checking it out. We can screen them over the phone. That's a simple process with a phone call. There's also some online things that people can go to Whitcomb on strong where you can just fill in your information. Your information gets passed along to us and then we give you a phone call and we can have a conversation. There is another website through the state. That's called Wisconsin well badger which is a really cool website where people who are looking for some assistance in one type of thing or another Wisconsin well badger you can do it online or you can call the number that pops up when you're looking for that is process is easy if you were did come for an appointment. What happens is you get checked in. We do have some documentation that families need to provide like a piece of mail ID check stubs and then have a conversation about where the family wants to do better and set goals in three months they come back to see us or we contact them. Then were checking in and helping them do better whatever they want. For more information visit www.health1network.org or find us on social media at health first network

Downtown Main StreetDMI422 Main StreetLa Crosse, Wisconsin54601(608) 784-0440Transcription for SEO only. A new Location and a new Executive Director DMI a.k.a. downtown MainStreet Inc. lacrosse is moving in the right direction with Terry Bauer the new Executive Director for downtown Main Street, Inc. Terry, what is downtown MainStreet Inc. it's an organization nonprofit concert with the city of La Crosse to ensure ongoing economic development while cultivating a relentless downtown BMIs membership driven organization Terry so one of the benefits of becoming a member of downtown MainStreet Inc. I think all of this is realize that their low storefront filled with businesses that the downtown community is much more vibrant and that works for all businesses solicit selfish interest to be part of downtown because it does build traffic promotions and events that create some vitality in downtown La Crosse and with the election without something like downtown MainStreet personals initiatives forward Terry that's working with the other organizations in the community, absolutely Bob, we have developed a synergy group which includes the explore lacrosse and concert convention and visitors Bureau Chamber of Commerce seven rivers Velasco and ourselves know-how, common theme to improve and enhance the La Crosse area featuring different strengths to the table. I think were better together about working together and working together to the missions kind of overlap with each other enough uniqueness with our missions and our memberships that it does broaden the base of appeal to our members to see my have a vision statement or a mission statement derivations to promote the vibrant downtown… Businesses, braces, history sober sculpture captures the spirit of community while enhancing the vitality of the entire region, which is probably what we are grouped together and that synergy group because we want to include the entire region in our marketing. A lot of our business here is certainly local in the tourist business that we do get this kind of icing on the cake tour businesses. We really need to get people living within 50 miles of lacrosse coming into lacrosse to shop dying and stay in hotels people enjoy walking around historic downtown La Crosse County talk where members Terry talk about investors rather than members and membership why you do that way. Why are they investors rather than members. I think words have meanings and is an investor, you have ownership part of the solution when you put in the downtown MainStreet and my investment is to generate a return for me so that's kind of the challenge that were faced with those following and going that investment return to those people that through our marketing efforts are events or promotions, just creating activity in downtown La Crosse. I want to see all our storefronts don't know the significant growth that have all storefronts don't to drive additional new business in the downtown La Crosse to get a hold of DMI number 608784 0440 784-0440 the website of La Crosse downtown.com ridiculous social media search for downtown MainStreet Inc. and get files on Facebook downtown is a place you want to be when you shop one live, work, play with a lot of unique shots downtown that you'll find anywhere else on the cross. Enjoy

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Welcome. Today it is my pleasure to introduce Marcia Bentley. This is a pleasure for me because Marcia is a teammate. She serves as one of the leaders for the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. Marcia is also a personal friend, and so it is a joy to talk to her. And beyond that, I’m excited because Marcia is one of the wisest and spiritually deep individuals that I know. She comes with a great deal of wisdom, and it’s a pleasure to make that wisdom available to a larger audience. Welcome, Marcia.Marcia Bentley: Thank you, Steve. What a wonderful introduction.Steve: As I often begin these conversations, I’m interested to hear you describe your family’s religious tradition.Marcia: Good place to start. My family had a very strong Catholic identity. Both of my parents were born and raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools, never dreamed of marrying anyone other than another Catholic. That was the tradition we were raised in, so we went to Catholic schools. My parents were both very involved with the church. My mom was an organist. Both of my parents taught religious education, so it was really the culture of our family, an identity – even to the point, for instance, Sundays we would get up, have a big breakfast, go to Mass together. Then, Sunday afternoons … Sunday was a family day. We would do thing together. My dad owned a business, so he was busy six days a week. But on Sunday, he would spend time with us, and [those were] some of my most fun memories of childhood of coming home from Mass and deciding what we would do for the day, whether it would be something as simple as going to visit my grandparents or whether we’d go to the swimming pool or maybe parks, or even just sit around the living room and divide up the newspaper, and whoever got the comics first was the winner. It was just a friendly and happy and very nurturing upbringing in the Catholic Church.Steve: It sounds very traditional, kind of like the image of what people would expect of a Catholic upbringing.Marcia: Absolutely. And we lived in a neighborhood where so many of our neighbors were Catholic too, that it was just kind of reinforced in an unspoken kind of way. We were Catholics. We had Catholic friends, Catholic neighbors. It’s really its own subculture.Steve: When you were young, how would you have described your image of God? There probably isn’t another word you would have used as a young person, but looking back at that age, how would you have described that image?Marcia: Very much how God was taught to us in church and in school from a child’s viewpoint that God was this all-powerful man who lived in heaven, which was above the clouds. We would look up when we prayed to God. But for me, I guess a difference that I hear compared sometimes to other people’s perspective is that God was very loving. God was powerful, but God was loving as well. I think that was an underlying factor for my whole life, that I just trusted in this loving, wonderful God who was always with us.Steve: What sort of situations would you feel particularly close to God at that stage in your life? Or do you have any particular memories of feeling particularly close to that sense of God?Marcia: Good question. I guess I just felt close to God all the time. It was just this constant feeling of trust and love. But when I was a young child, I don’t remember this, but I was told that I used to write letters to God and then hide them under my bed because I knew God could see everywhere. So God would read those letters under my bed and no one else would find those. But when you talk about a particular experience, when I was in high school, it was during Lent and there was a tradition in the church where, on Holy Thursday, families would sign up to come to church all night long for a particular hour – kind of like the Hour of Perpetual Adoration that the sisters do. I just remember this one particular time where my dad signed us up for like three in the morning or something like that. We were all roused out of our sleep and had to get dressed and go to church and keep Jesus company for an hour in the middle of the night. It was something new and kind of exciting, and you also had to make sure you didn’t fall asleep in church. I was the first one to walk outside after that experience. I walked out and it was still pretty cold weather, and it was just a clear night. After that wonderful feeling of peace of just being in silence and being close to Jesus, walking outside church and looking up at the sky and seeing these stars, I just had this moment of connection with everything. At the time, I don’t know that I called that “God,” but looking back on it, I would call that just a real experience of being one with God, which was awesome.

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Jesse Scharfenberg CEO of health first network talking about how reproductive health affects other areas of health and why is health first network essential we provide reproductive health care and there's many people that would probably argue that reproductive health care isn't essential, but your whole body is connected from head to toe. So each system is so important have to jump in analysis of what how can it not be essential. I thought I heard a lot of the bigger hospitals suffered, turn people away from you know testing in birth control and seeing patients when you're at home alone. I'm just to say that what you doing right and that's really interesting. We've heard that we seem kinds of action had an increase in client caseload right now. During the Covid pandemic because individuals are being seen health systems for reproductive healthcare because there was certain subsets of services at health systems that were deemed nonessential and when I heard this and I was thinking unlike how is reproductive healthcare nonessential. It is such an essential part of your body. It controls pregnancy and controls STI there's UTIs. So it is some of the system is known as TI and UTI and STB and all the stuff what it would've yeah sorry I like to use alphabet soup last thing that is lying me out and that STDs were sexually transmitted diseases and then back in 2015 2016 timeframe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed it to STI which is sexually transmitted so that the same thing the same thing that STD STI is definitely interchangeable. We try to go with the new nomenclature of the STI so that we are in line with what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are utilizing UTI is a urinary tract infection. So a lot of individuals may confuse that they have been STI but it could be a UTI or someone may think they have a UTI and is actually nasty so bring those individuals in for testing and treatment is super super important. So infections can travel. So it's really important that we are having and performing STI testing on a normal basis. One of the big things that we do is screenings for cancer health first when you thinking about breast cancer we do clinical breast exams all the time, was sometimes the first line of defense of identifying some sort of nodule that were to refer an individual out for mammogram we do pass in politics after a Pap smear, an individual may have been identified that they have cancer cells of the next things that we can do here is actually doing a cervical biopsy to identify what's going on in referring an individual out. It's really unfortunate that individuals would think reproductive health is essential in that education around reproductive health is not essential because a lot of these things that we see we could prevent there's so many essays that could be prevented if an individual just knew how to prevent it. So let's use a condom. Let's practice safe sacs. We offer the HPV vaccine which is human papilloma virus that something that's in controversy over the past 10 years. I don't understand why Dixon is the only vaccine out there that prevents cancer and at that it prevents nine strains of the most common cancer causing strains of HPV cancer is given to both boys and girls in humans about Boys and Girls Club and which was really really cool last year we actually changed the age range, so it used to be €11-€26 and now 27 to 45-year-olds can receive the vaccine as well so working and continue to prevent cancer in individuals who are already sexually active as well. How can that be nonessential. I don't know. It was really interesting when this came out there was a lot of reproductive health clinics that can put services just on hold. I took an initiative and worked with you to perceive Wisconsin collaborative for reproductive health. The Wisconsin contraceptive access network and then Wisconsin family-planning reproductive health Association, which I serve as president for and said hey we need to put something out there to let individuals know that reproductive healthcare is an essential service. Individuals should have the choice of when they want to become pregnant, they should have the choice to go in for STI testing if they are sexually active. We know during this timeframe. Individuals are not ceasing sexual activity. So let's give them the tools to do it safely. Whether that be condoms and whether that be education or let them choose when they want to become pregnant by letting them properly space pregnancies or just prevent pregnancy with a contraceptive method. One of the things that kind of has his big black cloud over is the word abortion. Abortion is not something we do at health first. My personal mission is that an individual should never be in the position to have to make the choice as to whether they have an abortion or not, because we should be preventing every single pregnancy that wants to be prevented education having conversation with your staff over the last few hours today but I've learned quite a bit. Do offer educational services. We do we accept quite a few different educational services and we continue to look at expanding those we going to schools and give many presentations around, pregnancy prevention, contraception, and then STI prevention so that individuals know what. STI's are. They know that if you can be sexually active, you may become pregnant and how do you prevent that we give community presentations. We've instituted a really awesome curriculum in the Adams Friendship school district. It's called top the teen outreach program and it's really about building self-esteem and then talking about sexual health. On top of that, so we want to give them a good base at the sixth grade level to hopefully prevent some of those unintended pregnancies and STI rates that we are seeing in Adams so we provide a lot of education around that we have individuals that just come in for education and they may not be coming in at all for reproductive hands-on services, but just education. We have another really cool partnership down in Adams Friendship. It's called the diversion program so we know that individuals once they are in the juvenile justice system, they're more likely to be repeat offenders and continue to have charges that become worse and worse and worse. So our goal is to keep individuals out of the juvenile justice system and in that county. We were seeing a lot of young individuals being referred over to the DA for consensual sex acts. So maybe it was 215-year-olds having sex. Maybe they were texting pictures to each other. Our goal is, whether it be the district attorney's social services. The school or local police department identifies that and they actually refer the individual over to us for consequence education. So taking the educational route versus a prosecution route with those individuals and we have the school Health and Human Services local Sheriff's Department local police department. The DA everybody's involved in what we do with this huge prevention aspect of we have these kiddos there identified go over education with them once they refer to us. We have the local women's shelter come in and provide healthy relationship education and then when that charge actually goes across the DA's desk. The DA can see that they actually went through the educational session and most likely are going to pursue charges to put them into the juvenile justice system

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Welcome. I’m excited today [because] my guest is Sister Karen Lueck. She has experience as an educator, as a pastoral counselor, [and] as an author. She has been involved in leadership of the FSPA community, most recently serving as president. It’s my pleasure to introduce today Sister Karen Lueck.Sister Karen Lueck: Thank you. I’m glad to be here, too.Steve: As I often begin with guests, Sister Karen, could you tell me about your family’s religious tradition. Let’s get that grounded so we kind of know where you’re coming from.Sister Karen: My family is Catholic, [and is] very grounded in being Catholic. We were from a small town, a German town, in Iowa. Everybody in the town was Catholic, except a stray Lutheran here or there. The town and the church were pretty much one, so everybody was both. We were very dedicated Catholics, I would say – just being very, very much Catholic.Steve: When you were young, how would you have described the word “God?”Sister Karen: I think it was always, for me, it was hard to do because I think I knew that God was somebody who really cared about me at some level. But what I heard from homilies and from the church a lot of time was that I was a sinner [and] I was bad. Therefore, the only way I would be able to get to close to God is by confessing my sins and being this perfect person. I think that messed with my head and my heart for a long, long, long, long time, and it still comes up at times, I think. On one hand I was very proud of being Catholic. I was very happy [and] was inspired by the rituals and that kind of thing. But it didn’t feed my soul in other ways.Steve: People who know me know that I’m a big fan of Brene Brown, and I find her content on shame to be very helpful. But I know that you were studying shame at a deep level long before Brene Brown came along.Sister Karen: Yes. I could have been the first Brene Brown. My professor said I should publish my work, but I never did.Steve: Society wasn’t quite ready for it at the time.Sister Karen: That’s it. That’s right.Steve: Can you connect some of that work you did later in your academic study to some of those experiences you had as a kid, because it sounds like that was ambivalent. There were good things about that background, but there are also things that weren’t helpful.Sister Karen: As I went through life, starting in my 20s or probably before that, [I was] always feeling a sense that I wasn’t good enough. As I look back now, I do say that a lot of it came from the religious beliefs or what we were hearing in church. I spent a long time – and at times I still need to revisit that – working on that shame because I kept saying to myself, ‘No, it can’t be that. I want to be feeling like I love myself, and that other people love me, too.’ I spent a lot of time doing therapy, reading books about shame. Then, like you said, eventually going to graduate school and having that be my main focus to look at especially women and their psychology and spirituality or theology. [I] therefore got into the feminist movement more, again feeling like going into that it would sever me from the church because I knew that that wasn’t something the church was really advocating – then or now, probably. I think I had to do that for myself to feel like I was OK. And as I grew through that, my relationship with God also changed because all of a sudden, now I was a good person, so God must be loving me all the time because that goodness is inherent in me, and it’s inherent in others, too. I started seeing myself as a good person and God loving me. It’s all combined, and to this day I am still learning how that is – what does that mean when I believe that I’m good, [and] that other people are basically good and how that contributes. I’ve come to believe or know that God is with me all the time. God is the one who is loving me all the time – even sometimes when I’m not able to do that. That’s a real comforting thing, and it’s something I think that other people need to know. That’s why I’m glad Brene Brown is doing a lot of her work. It’s bringing it to the ordinary people about how we are good inside. We have to fight against anything that tells us that we’re not.Steve: When you were young, that message … Certainly I know myself, [and] I know a lot of people heard the negative elements of that message. But part of what made it so confusing is that there were also positives. We were hearing these mixed messages that you’re loved [and] you’re good, but also [that] you’re bad [and] you’re evil. Which is it? Where did you experience the positive side to that? When or where did you feel closest to God when you were younger, or feel the love of God?Sister Karen: I think even though my family was not demonstrative – we’re staunch Germans, and so [we’re] not as demonstrative with love – I did feel centered and loved in that way. I don’t know if I could have expressed it at that time, but I think where I felt close to God, not know that that was really spirituality at the time … I go outside sometimes and go out in our pasture that we had a creek running through there. I would just sit there and just be aware of nature. And sometimes just laying on the grass in the sun, and with my face to the sun, feeling peaceful and whole. I think later on when I was more of a teenager, I remember going into church sometimes when there was no service or anything going on, but just sitting there in the quiet and feeling something [and] feeling like, I don’t know what it was, but I think it was in awe. I don’t even know if I could have defined that as God at the time, although I think I did believe that. That’s where I found God, and where I still find God today mainly is in awe of nature – sitting in nature, walking. Now I find it in journaling now that I know that what comes out of my mouth is really hopefully what God has already put there. Every morning I ask God to let me speak God’s words. That has brought me closer, too.Steve: Where did you become acquainted with the Franciscan perspective? Was it just simply a matter of meeting Sisters over time [and] learning deeper what their perspective was? Or were you really drawn to a Franciscan perspective?Sister Karen: At first, I think I was really close to the Franciscan Sisters, our community Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. I have two aunts who were in the community, and so we would go up to La Crosse to visit them, so I was very familiar with the community. I was taught by them for 11 years; my last year we transferred high schools. I knew them, and I felt comfortable with them. When it was time to join the convent, then that’s where I was going to go. But ironically, at that time – I joined in the late 60s – Franciscanism was only starting to come to … There was more knowledge of that. Before that, I don’t think a lot of the Sisters even focused on Franciscanism a lot. But where it really struck me was when I was invited to go to Assisi with the leadership pilgrimage when I was in leadership the first time. Going there and going where Saint Francis walked and finding out what he said and how he loved God and God loved Francis, I remember sitting on a mountain there and saying, ‘I think I am Franciscan.’ Before that, I had probably been in the community for 25, 30 years already and knowing in my head that I was Franciscan, but here, all of a sudden now knowing in my heart that I was Franciscan. It just struck me that this is what it means to be Franciscan. I think it also went along with all the work I had done on shame and goodness to recognize my goodness, and to realize that that is what Franciscanism is: to recognize that all creation is good.In the Middle Ages, when there were debates going on, Franciscans lost out in a lot of ways because the dominant message became that we’re sinners – that’s the basic thing. Francis always said everybody is good, and he saw that in everything – in nature, in people. I think that’s where I first really realized that I was Franciscan, that it wasn’t that I got it from being in the community. It was that I was that originally.Steve: To paraphrase, what I’m hearing is that somewhere inside you, you had this desire to find this source of goodness. It was kind of a pleasant surprise [to discover that], “That’s in the tradition I’ve already committed to.” That’s at the core of Francis’ message.Sister Karen: Yes. Somehow I stumbled into it, right?

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comThe city vision 2020 podcast we started this thing off back in January 2020 and were already at December 2020. My first guest in this podcast was Mayor Tim Kabat and my final guest in this podcast for city vision 2020 is Mayor Kabat Mayor this year was kind of a cluster and he will challenge great when it was a challenge for all of that and made no looking back on January 2020. That seemed like that was about 10 years ago already like this year's particularly long and particularly challenging in a notary lot of folks that have shared with me that they're happy to see that the next year. All the challenge and in many ways and very, very difficult. I've been pleased and proud of how our community has responded to the most part and just people we can help people receive a lot of shop local efforts to help our merchants and just a lot of giving in and trying to be there for each other so that that part of it is obviously very positive and surprised me because I know that lacrosse community is about stealth and very very difficult in your heart goes out to those that have lost jobs and all that are struggling right now. Mary asking about Covid 19 and then the coronavirus at one time this past year lacrosse was in the national spotlight for being one of the places that had some of the most outbreaks in the in the country. What what was done to stop that spread you right we were in the muddy list of the stars being one of those hotspots in the entire country, and that's not where you want to be that the combination of people returning to school and unfortunately most of that community spread impacted not only the schools but then also our assisted-living and long-term care facilities. That was really a bad thing. There was and there has been really all throughout this especially around that time, you know, ramping up the communication, and context of those institutions that really trying to get people to do the right thing, which is to stay home and to wear a mask if you go out and do the social distancing of the good hygiene, so the collective group between the healthcare providers in the county health department and ourselves and other institutions really increase that level of communication that the universities also increase their level of testing. So they were really trying to identify their their young people and their students that that might be positive and the contact tracing as well that the county has been doing really trying to charge people and let them know if they've been exposed to in close contact with someone so those efforts have been that they set on going but they were really ramped up around the fall and you know those universities that can things were quarantined and and going more virtually their classes which also help being the mayor and then this time of Covid and seeing businesses shutter and shut down for a while and some have gone out of business that way on you man are not taking things personally because we do see a business or or you will find what the pros build and scale up in the storefront really is hard to not take this personally and unfortunately we lost some thing else and long-standing businesses here to this whole thing in, we did respond to the city again in the area were we really did try to do whatever we could resources we have available to provide grants to our local businesses. The program back in April named their we down to through our own efforts on that map to any care spending your federal stimulus but through our own efforts. We distributed close to half $1 million to about 80 businesses to try to help them out. And no, there are many of those that are still in business, but the challenging the committee's frustration is that we receive the businesses we see are our friends and neighbors who might be struggling will make them right off and the health really has to come from the level in that first round of stimulus checks and the Malones and in the PPP support the government provided to businesses again back in April and May was very positive and needed. It's just unfortunate that that will get you know there wasn't anything there hasn't been anything else sense and that really where needed it throughout the summer and fall now into winter to think that people can survive on all $1200 support back in April and make that last year or sketch that out to the whole year is that's just not possible in the same goes for the business support site we've been working hard to not only try to support our local and also to reach out to our federal and state partners to encourage them to morning were still hopeful that maybe will be something done to you in the next month or so that can help people in O'Mara looking back this year there hasn't been any playbook or anything in history that we could've compared this to Rosalie thing on the front lines being in a part of the decision-making to help out. The city will we be treated this as an you still treating it as a community emergency so we established our emergency management protocols back in late March, which is really a different way he goes about communicating and organizing itself so the organization you know being able to respond to not only to continue to provide our services. So we spent the year still doing all of the essential things, providing safe water and taking care of people's waste and garbage and recycling and having our public safety be a priority in an emergency response and no still fixed in the streets until you those things so be modified somewhat the approach and how we communicating within the department. You can think of been very positive because I don't believe are residents of the really missed a beat and how we have provided those services and then then the other part of that was the partnering and will work with those I mentioned earlier healthcare providers are county health department are businesses to really try to encourage and support them and slowing the spread of Covid 19 some cases the notes and positive and successful. In other cases, as you mentioned earlier will now number one in the country hotspot and still continue to have high case numbers not gone as well so you know that, coupled with trying to provide grants for businesses to keep them going in and partnering with our nonprofit provide assistance in trying to prevent conviction. It has been below the there's been challenges almost on every front and we have responded pretty well, but it'll be interesting to see take a step back a year or two from now and really analyze what worked and what didn't do that to care for the Mexican community emergency that might come along in O'Mara's we have this last conversation for the 2020 vision podcast. I want to bring up some of the nice things and some of the good things the city is done like the fixing up of a lot of the roads there's a lot of stuff that happened at the different parks there's been you know the movement downtown with the La Crosse Center. I mean there's a lot of great things that happen this year as well and I think we have been all in all considered. We still maintain are those services and need to get that close libraries and we closed parks and beaches in our swimming pools and some of those things which were a disappointment to our our residents that we also expanded and added more miles of trails this year so people have the opportunity to get out more areas of the city on our trail network which I think is really phenomenal and like you mentioned are very significant renovation and expansion of La Crosse in the downtown is moving forward to be a beautiful addition that this guy lying in and we connection to the park and the river is spectacular and people are very excited to see that any of the other the other projects in an effort to will working on just again taking care of the business. The I will be breaking ground in the new fire station on the north side early next year on the road work in trying to just be the thing that people expect you know what their hard earned dollars in the pot contact that they pay trying to meet those expectations and I think no, all things considered, to get a good job this year, give or take away or get good memory. Good thought about 2027 or later or lead to an earlier that's just how people in our area have come together and there's been a number of separate to raise money for local businesses before you can about the marketing of topping local and just reinforcing how important it is that our our dollars stay here in the community have been very pleased and impressed with how many people I see on social media and no talking and communicating with people around around the city just that Patrick is been really pleasing to you and and and am hopeful that some businesses going during this very difficult times. I think that's probably the biggest thing is yes. 2020 think for everyone. Probably not on their top 10 list of favorite gears, but I think that the community response and somebody is trying to get through a shows how how resilient crosses and in the meanwhile look forward to brighter days ahead to share you know when we started this podcast were talking about looking at 2020 is that it is a great year. What did you want to get accomplished this year. That didn't happen. I would question that there's probably a few of the of the projects that just get longer you will be will delayed a little bit because of the need to respond to Covid I think about the Riverpoint district that still moving forward. I think that was delayed a little bit because of Covid

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601608-791-5295Steve Spilde: Welcome. Today I’m excited to introduce our guest, Karen Skalitzky. She teaches in our Spiritual Direction Preparation Program. She comes to each group and presents Ignatian Spirituality, talking about Saint Ignatius and the spirituality that he offered the church. Welcome, Karen.Karen Skalitzky: Thank you.Steve: So, tell us, who was Ignatius, and why was he important for people of the year 2020?Karen: Ignatius, as you know, was a Saint in the Catholic Church. He’s most widely known as the founder of the Jesuits, which is a religious order that went all around the world. I think what makes him particularly relevant in 2020 – and particularly compelling to me, personally – has everything to do with the theology of what he taught about God. And what he taught is that God is present here in our lives, active [and] moving, and that we can attune our hearts to the movement of God in our lives. He taught that in the 1400s, and it’s still relevant in 2020, especially given our current cluster of crises that keep happening. It can sometimes be hard to find God in the midst of all of that, but he taught that God is here present in every moment moving in our lives. He taught that our spiritual journey and on our faith walks that you never actually arrive anywhere. There isn’t a destination that you’re trying to aspire to. There isn’t some point in this walk where you say, ‘I have that all figured out and I’ve got it and I’m good.’ He taught that what there is, is just a constant invitation to go deeper in our relationship with God. I find that to be the most compelling piece of his theology.Steve: Introduce us a bit to Ignatius, because he had an amazing personal story. Tell us who he was and the parts of the story you find very interesting.Karen: I love his story because it’s like anyone else’s story. It’s just full of all these twists and turns. What he taught about God was actually born out of his lived experience, which is also what he taught. He taught that you could trust your lived experience of God, and he was very inclusive of everyone else’s lived experience of God. I think he is one of 11 kids born in the northern part of Spain. He is from a fairly noble family. He goes to become a page in the King’s Court at like 11 or 12, which had to be pretty exciting. His first big twist and turn came when the king died and he essentially lost his job. He was laid off, and he had to refigure out what he was going to do. He ends up going to defend the border between France and Spain. And he, at this famous battle which name has completely escaped me, is in a fortress defending Spain, and he’s surrounded by the French and he refuses to give up. Some people think that was really bold and wise, and some people think strategically it was completely the wrong move altogether [because] there was no way they were going to win. Either way, a cannon shoots into the fortress and it shatters his leg, and he goes home in defeat. They have to surrender, and he is carried home on a stretcher, humiliated, in pain, and suffering. Again, another general … turn in his life in terms of how he’s going to recover and what’s going to happen then. He spends time recuperating and he’s pretty bored. The story goes there are only two books in the house because he has to read something, and of course there is one about Jesus and one about the saints. He starts reading and gets compelled into it. He spends all this time daydreaming, which just seems like something all of us do whether we want to admit it or not. He spends all this time daydreaming, and he just starts to pay attention to the movement of that and he has one of his romantic notions of how he wants to win this woman’s hand back and he’s worried because his one leg hasn’t healed properly so he has them break it again and they had to reset it so he could look … appropriate to win this woman’s heart back.Then he has these other daydreams about serving God and just going in a completely different direction. He starts to pay attention to the energy of them over time and what makes you feel good and the is short-lived, and what comes back and what gives you life. He makes a radical choice and he tells his family that he’s going to go off and become a priest, and he follows the daydreams that keep coming back to him that give him energy and give him life, and he takes on the life of a beggar in service of God and he’s ministering to people who are ill at time, much like now without insurance or coverage or access to healthcare. He’s present to them, and in that time of his life he experiences sort of high highs and low lows. He experiences time where he feels really great union with God, and he experiences time where God feels really far away. He begins to write those experiences down, and a lot of his teaching is rooted in the idea that God is present in both places, that God is present in the high highs and the low lows, and each have value, and that they’re redemptive and God uses that to transform us. He went on to write down his experiences of God, and he started talking to other people and incorporating their experiences of God and the iterated and iterated and iterated, and they eventually became the spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, which many people pray. It’s a 30-day retreat or a weeklong retreat – there are two different ways that you can do it – and I think he would have loved that. He loved iteration. He loved the idea that there isn’t one singular way to know God, and there isn’t one singular way to be in a relationship with God. What there is is this invitation to go deeper.He takes a few more twists and turns. He tries to get to the Holy Land to see the Holy Fathers, and they basically kind of kick him out and say, “Who are you? You’re not schooled. You don’t have a degree? What are you teaching about?” I think that something like at the age of 40 he decides to go back and become a priest. He has to learn Latin, and he goes and sits a grammar school with other boys to learn Latin because that’s the only place he can learn that. He becomes a priest and he eventually starts the Jesuits, which goes all around the world. The unique think about the Jesuits was that their mission was to serve people, and to go to be the church with the people, and to be present to everyone. It was a very sort of … Sometimes we think of things as “high church” and “low church.” He would have been kind of a low church kind of guy. I think the piece that I always found really compelling is that in his letters and in his writing he always referred to himself as a pilgrim. He too was on a journey going deeper in his relationship with God every day.Steve: When did you discover Ignatius in your life? What was going on in your life at the time you discovered Ignatius?Karen: I would love to say that I have a great story about that, but I really don’t. And I think sometimes that’s the way it happens. You’re off thinking you’re going to do this one great thing, and then a door opens somewhere else. I did the exercises because I was curious about them. I did them through a church group and it met every week for probably about two years. I loved the group, and I loved all the sharing. I didn’t actually care for the exercises all that much. I didn’t find Ignatius’ writing to be particularly compelling. He has a regalness about him, and having been a knight he used a lot of more military-based terms in terms of talking about God, and it just didn’t … Some of the more masculine forms of God really didn’t speak to me. Then, only as things can happen, I had a background working in schools and I coached teachers at underperforming schools and I coached principals, and I used to present in schools all the time. There is no harder audience than a group of teachers who don’t want to be in a professional development and who look at you like, “What are you going to tell us now to go do?” So I learned. I learned how to earn credibility. I was at that time in my life have a mentor say, “You really should start speaking about God.” I thought to myself, “That’s absurd. Why would I talk about God?” It was sort of about as antithetical to me as I could possibly think, and it made me uncomfortable. It made my hands sweat. I tried a few out, and they kind of went OK. I got asked to speak at a retreat house and kick off the Ignatian exercises. It was a daylong event, and they said, “By the way, the person who did it in the past was this Jesuit, and here are all of his notes.” I have never been more intimidated. I’m not even sure I feel comfortable talking about God, and now I’m going to teach Ignatius on the heels of a Jesuit? Are you crazy? I pored through every book. I read every everything that I could, and what I found was that his theology, what he taught about God, really resonated with me. It really spoke to me, and it was really easy to take my lived experience and use that as a way to teach Ignatius and build a bridge for everyone else to tap their experience with God.Steve: So there was a period where you weren’t comfortable talking about God, and now you are. How did you start out? Tell me the beginning.Karen: I grew up in this very devout Catholic household into my adulthood. I had an experience in my mid-30s that was really life-changing, and up until that point I actually thought I no longer believed in a God who punished. I didn’t believe that you had to say the right prayers to get the right thing to happen. Up until that event, I honestly thought that about myself. Then the event happened, and I felt really forsaken and I felt like, “What had I done wrong, and why was I being punished by God?”

Chris Jones is well known for his appearance on America’s Got Talent when he made the impossible happen: Known germaphobe Howie Mandel shook hands with Heidi, Howard, and Mel live. Since his first TV appearance, Chris has performed on shows like The Steve Harvey Show, Windy City Live, Good Day Chicago, Penn and Teller, Scam School, and the Adam Carolla Show.

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comLa Crosse Wisconsin is a great place to live, work and play the city vision 2020 podcast this month featuring Jared Flick recreation specialist from La Crosse Park recreation forestry Jared a lot of things stopped this year because of Covid-19. Let's talk a little bit about Covid-19 and will can move on to some other things. How did the city of La Crosse Park and rec deal with Covid-19 and what are things moving forward when it comes to dealing with Covid-19 why things happen. We had outright programming it canceled. We lost our aquatics needs and we also thought how important parts are the people we saw a flurry of flooded people into the park this summer, which is great but short of a weakness that showed a lot of positive things that are out there really help the singles out there. The programming people is very difficult just because things start off with some restrictions as far as you want people to get together and we tried programming some things and we tried many baseball program. We had to cancel it now or try to be proactive with things that were doing as far as they could fall we ran track and soccer program athletic that is easy to social distance is less contact with you. Turn out that that never going to get you turn the page to winter here in Wisconsin. What are some of the things that the La Crosse Park and rec is going to be working on are doing in the winter season. Yet some of them are hoping that we would do would be like our basketball program for kids and that is something that we can't do this because access to facilities around the school district. Right now schools are closed so that way. So will try to focus on things that we can kind of control would get people outside correctly starting hiking program for kids highly structured setting go out and move around as an exercise in kind of time to help improve their overall really doing that we have a figure skating program or another were doing over the Green Island ice arena and then we can focus on more stuff that we can outside the work we were working with thought about running with you from Bali over a Copeland something to get people out and move around and motivated your dimension Green Island in early Green Island was a big in the news at the beginning of the year that staying open now right and there's new facilities happening there as well. It is yes, that the arena itself is open, the River city youth hockey organization that didn't do a six-month use agreement with the city, with operation of the facility. So it is often worse over up and out and they're doing everything they do a great job in there to get a lot of use over there right now a lot of construction happening in that area. Tennis courts happening. As a matter fact and that the and in that specific location right there. As we entered into agreement with UBL Aquinas and the tenants Association of La Crosse to build three of 13 brand-new outdoor tennis courts and the construction was completed in red on Labor Day so we did have a few months of having been opened and they then they been popular at the outset of our first phase to the construction out there with the tennis courts in phase 2 was in becoming an looking at some whites to the seven of the court. So we kind of expand the community access to the courts in the spring and fall file phase. Phase 3 would be coming probably in the next you know one to two years would be indoor course, that's all you to be raised privately we know about the organized groups of the tennis Association. There is a lot of like little sob popular groups about playing there's a lot of people and I was actually surprised because this last summer, especially Covid-19 and everything being shut down. My kids took up tennis and they're playing a wagon park at the tennis courts there. Yeah, all of the courts this summer got slammed whether they were the tennis courts and what we saw the really really heavy to be at Invesco court over a call and that things that Joseph is been bombarded with people everything a lot of people. It was an improvement over the Erickson festival course over a block you as well to that people are just think they need something to do and that's it. As her going sledding coming up in the upper Midwest. As always, you know that the thrill of going sledding. Is there any places in La Crosse to go sledding German poor so that is a very popular place. This led last year we started doing the pop-up letting nights where we bring lights out and people can play that night with hot chocolate fires like that were do more of that this year just trying to keep people out motivated sledding very popular. Where do something that we also got some other kind of ideas out there that were to try to do with letting actually learn to skate his or so learned skating times as well are now is that part of the hockey is a hockey Association on Valencia program now, so if you want to do the initiate programs I received. Hockey is doing that late summer early fall. There is some construction over depending on what happened over there yet we cannot restructure the parking lot you never really have like a road intersecting a parking lot to destinations is create a problem. We redesigned it will replace the parking lot up to the bathhouse and the beach and then we move the road behind it. That kind of our Facebook first phase of construction at tableware next year will actually raise the S. Table Dr., Road where you go from the bathhouse to the boat club. It tends to flood a lot back there and it floods that low level as well. Square way that the defendant just enhance that state and a lot of people put their kayaks in right there in front of were you rented out the kayaks and panel boards. Is that still going to be an option. We actually just finished some construction of that. Do we put a new paved walking way for people to feel user kayaks and a little better approach space to. So what are some flaws and blinking lights and some stuff to get others in your road that kind of intersect that but it should be a lot safer for people he saw that your was extremely busy for people to be watching kayaks and canoes and stuff over. They don't let it cool things happening with La Crosse Park recreation enforcer department chair and how we find out more information about all the fun things in all the excitement that's going on with the park and rec department can add to our Facebook page city La Crosse Park Receration for streamlining that to our website city La Crosse.org and that's/Park, telephone number area code 608-789-7533 their number 608-789-7533 the your vision 2020 conversations with department heads from the city of La Crosse is a podcastforhire.com production. For more information about the cross, visit the website city of La Crosse to work

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription is for seo purposes onlyThere are a lot of services that are provided at health first network Jesse, what are some of the things that you do we have the WIC program which is women, infants and children went to the nutrition education program and provide supplemental food benefits for moms that are pregnant, postpartum, and then children 0 to 5 years of age. We have the breast-feeding peer counseling program we have the for families program, which is an obesity prevention program for preschoolers. Then we the farmers market program within the WIC program so families who are on the WIC program are also qualified to receive a $30 fruit and vegetable voucher that can be used at local farmers markets during the summer and fall months so that they can go and get fresh fruits and that's both then if we change course and go into the reproductive health program the reproductive health program offers several services from annual exams FTI or STD testing for STI testing a sexually transmitted infection testing. It used to be called FTD, sexually-transmitted diseases, but that nomenclature has recently changed. We do, pregnancy testing, we do referrals for individuals who are pregnant to any resources that they may need, including the WIC program we provide contraceptive methods or birth control to individuals that come in with provide colposcopy's which are biopsies that the service for individual had abnormal paps. We also provide just general labs that an individual may want and then a lot of education around sexual health. Health versus the confidential reproductive health clinic that means individuals who come in, have confidential services, and that's not being shared anywhere else that we serve adults, but we also search for teenagers within the clinic and do some pretty great programming with teenagers outside of the clinic as well just interrogate you're in charge of the teams program yes so we do the teen outreach program, and we recently implemented that down in Adams friendship. So within the Adams Friendship school district. We work specifically with sixth-grade students implementing that program so teen outreach program is an evidence-based program that has a holistic approach to education. So it does focus on reproductive health, but also focuses on things such as decision-making, goalsetting, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, things of that nature. So really encompasses a lot more than just the reproductive health side, but were happy to be able to include that in there as well know it. With this education piece that you bring out of the schools and Adams friendship. Does that encompass both Boys and Girls Club yes we serve the entire sixth-grade class. So unless someone chooses to opt out our parent would choose to opt their child out of that that is just part of their curriculum. Now that we are implemented into the school day. When we serve those to finishing which success in the program yes so will last year was our first year implementing it. We saw really great success. The students are really engaged in that and there is a community service learning component to that as well so they get to be engaged within their community, which is a huge piece of that. We were caught a little bit short due to COBIT. 19. In talking with our funder is that when we met at the end of our first program year they had relayed to us that they thought really great results. We have a previous survey and post-survey that goes along with that were able to kind of track anonymously how the students have progressed, or what is change throughout the course of the year and then just being able to meet the criteria to make sure that were implementing the program correctly and we were on track with all of that to have a really successful year so I still talk that up as a success, even though we didn't get to see it quite through all the way to the end. Due to those unforeseen circumstances, any other type of outreach programs that you do. Yes. So we do a lot of education within the schools as well so we serve eight different counties and we actually have been in at least one school in each of those counties that we serve. So we go mostly into high schools. We do a little bit of education in some middle schools as well, but we are able to provide education. STI's are sexy transmitted infections and prevention of that and then we also discuss birth control methods and just kind of safer sex practices. We touch on consent some independent overall message of getting a comprehensive look at reproductive health education along with that, we did serve on the committee for human growth and development for the Wasit school district just to help kind of sure that their education again was not only comprehensive but to make sure that it's evidence-based and accurate information that's being provided to those students as well. And of course we make sure that we're providing that sort of education regardless of what school district were in or were serving. Have you thought about taking your curriculum that you're using for sixth-graders and taking that to some of the other counties that you cover yet so that is a potential in the future and we are hoping to do that down the road when there is the opportunity to do so. Currently, as if it were just in that Adams friendship school district at this point in time, but we do hope to spread that again in the future. There is a beginner and intermediate and advanced level to each of the lessons you can really tailor it to make sure that it's going to make sense for those students that you're serving at that point in time. Just it seems as though health first network is doing a ton of things. Is there anything that health first network doesn't do someone a large misconceptions and that communities that we serve is that where an abortion provider and that is not a service that we provide is not even the service that we refer for it something and that we are aiming to prevent through access to easy contraceptive services for individuals

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Steve Spilde: Today it’s my pleasure to welcome Sister Rita Heires. Sister Rita is someone that I’ve had the honor to know for several years. One of the reasons why I am speaking with her today is that Sister Rita is the oldest Sister at Saint Rose Convent. I find Sister Rita to be an amazing person. I always enjoy my visits with her. One of the things I enjoy in visiting with her is her sense of perspective. She’s 93 years old. She was born in 1926. She has actual memories of The Great Depression. She has actual memories of World War Two, especially during this time of the pandemic when this is a very difficult time for folks. Sister Rita has seen a lot of life, and [she’s] seen similar experiences in the past. Without further adieu, I want to welcome Sister Rita Heires.Rita Heires: Hello.Steve: Sister Rita, tell me about your family. You grew up in rural Iowa on a farm. Tell me about your family, you siblings, and where you belonged in the family.Rita: I grew up just on the edge of the little town of Carroll, which at that time had about 5,000 members. My mother and father lived on this farm where we grew up, and the farm was actually my father’s farm. His dad built that house, and just as an interesting aside, it cost $1,600 to build that house. The lumber came from a little neighboring town called Maple River, and it was a lovely house. It was Florentine in style, and [it had] ornate kinds of trim on it. So this is where I grew up, yes.Steve: And that house was built in about what year?Rita: It would have to be about 1900, I would say. It’s around that time, yes. My family is composed of eight members, eight siblings, [and] my father and mother, Walter and Rose Heires. My mother’s name was Rose Brooke Heires. We had eight children. The oldest was Dorothy, who became Sister Mary Walter as a Franciscan Sister here at Saint Rose. The second was Helen, who became a Medical Mission Sister from the order in Philadelphia. The next [siblings] were three boys: Carl, Paul, and Donald. And then comes myself and two more boys, Alfred and John. I always call myself “the middle of five boys.”Steve: In your family there was eight children. Two of your sisters became religious Sisters, so you had that experience. Your family experienced The Great Depression. Your dad was trying to take care of eight kids in the midst of The Great Depression. Both your parents, how did they remain resilient in that very difficult time?Rita: Everybody was in the same circumstances, which I think gave a sense of support to each other. When the Stock Market broke in ’29, that was a huge loss, and it created a sense of stress on everybody. I think the comforting part was that everybody was in the same circumstances, so no one was poorer, perhaps. I’m sure there was a gradation of poverty, and there were people of great faith. Their faith was very strong to them, and Carroll is a very Catholic town. We always called it the “Sioux City of Iowa.” Sioux City was very, very, very Catholic, as well as Dubuque, [which is] even more Catholic. Iowa has pockets of Catholicity, and [there are] a lot of Methodists, et cetera. We made do with practically anything, and nothing. We always had enough food when we lived on the farm, so it was never a matter of starvation or any kind of poverty that way. But poor in many other ways, we all were. There was scarcity of clothing. We had what we needed, but [we] never let anything go to waste. We had handed down, handed down, handed down, as many families have done in all ages, I think. I would say that my father was always a very serious and burdened man concerned for how to make things mate. And I remember my mother telling me at one time that he said if he just had $1,000 in the bank he would feel so grateful and relieved. That’s not very much. But of course, money went a little farther in those days, too, than it does in this time. With the faith of God, and very faithful to each other, and to all of us, I think that was probably the guiding of it all. And good friends; he was a friend to everybody. That helped, too.Steve: Basically you’re saying part of what made The Great Depression so stressful was there was no margin, there was no savings. It really was getting through day by day, week by week, and trusting that you would have what you needed for today and you didn’t have energy to worry about tomorrow.Rita: That’s correct. And following the Depression years, that was mostly ’29, ’30, ’31. And just actually sort of coming out of the economic depression, in ’33 and ’34 in Carroll where we lived, we had a severe drought. I remember my brother telling me – he was old enough to pick corn in those days – the entire farm of corn yielded 90 bushels of corn. The whole farm. Now, of course the 160 acres would have small grain and hay and pastureland, so it wasn’t like it was a whole 160 acres of corn, but can you imagine? That would probably be three wagonloads.Steve: So as a result of that, survival [and] starvation was actually a concern for your family even though you lived on a farm – has the farm produced for us to survive?Rita: Right. But again, I would emphasize we had a big garden, and mother would can, can, can. We didn’t have lockers in those days [and] we didn’t have freezers, so there was nothing like that. But they would have hundreds of cans of fruits and vegetables and meat. We never felt starvation. [We had] simple foods and simple meals, and you ate what was on the table. That was for sure. It wasn’t a matter of, “I don’t like this” or anything like that. We were just happy to have whatever we had. It was a struggle, that’s for sure.Steve: Part of what I’m hearing you say is part of the challenge of that [was] there was the economic depression that started in 1929, and that had started to ease somewhat. But then you had the drought, which added a couple more years of very, very challenging times for people on the farm. And then about the time that started to ease up, then World War Two was looming and began, correct?Rita: That’s right. I would just add this cute little incident about the whole thing. My two sisters, Dorothy and Helen, were going to Saint Angela Academy, which was a tuition school. I know my tuition was $40 a year. I can’t remember if theirs was less than that or not. There wasn’t money to pay for that, but the Sisters were very happy to receive food because there were borders there also. We raised a lot of potatoes, and when the potatoes were harvested they would take a whole wagonload of potatoes down to the academy and store it there for the Sisters and borders to pay for their tuition. That was another way of bartering and getting the job done.Steve: You have memories of these times, which was very challenging. And you shared with me too not only raising food in the garden was the difference between survival and not surviving. And yet even then, at the peak of the drought, there was actually concern that the well was going dry. Your dad had to go to town and bring water from town so that the livestock would have water to drink. Rita: That’s correct.Steve: So it was kind of challenge upon challenge.Rita: Right.Steve: In what ways does that feel familiar now? And in what ways is it very different than what you’re experiencing right now?Rita: Now we have so many more resources and possibilities of things. I think the challenge is pretty much real regardless of whether you’re looking at what era of time it is. Expectations are higher today than they were then. I think calls upon the same kind of faith and trust, but I guess I would go back to expectations weren’t as great then as they are now. Even to be without air conditioning, we think we’re going to die, don’t we? I remember when my father was very sick. He also had blood poisoning at one time, and he was very sick at home. His brother had an electrical shock, and he brought out a fan probably 10 inches in diameter. And those are the ones we had blowing on him because he was so sick. We slept out on the lawn at night sometimes [because] it was so hot in the house. Expectations are just so different today in the sense we’ve become wimps from what we were then. I don’t decry that, but what a different era.Steve: What is your sense of how this will go going forward, this time of challenge?Rita: That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? It just seems like we have no end time to this, but it will end sometime, I’m sure. Science will come to the rescue again. What is the sense of how it’s going to go? I don’t have the faintest idea. It’s going to call upon the same kind of faith and trust on all of us, as it did for those folks. I guess I keep coming back to the expectations are just so different today than they were then. But we all want happiness and safety and comfort of some sort. I think that’s the million-dollar question.Steve: What I hear you saying a little bit [is] part of what will change is our expectations.Rita: That could very well be. I guess the one thing that bothers me or gives me concern within my heart is, are we up to the change of expectations? Or is it cause for suicidal kind of actions [because] it’s so bad? What’s the alternative? I pray for that a lot because I think people are going to feel so cornered. I suppose it depends on how deep individually our faith is, and our trust in a God who is kind and good and stands by us if we can truly – I’m speaking of all humanity – but all of us – yes, all of us – will be faith-filled enough to know that we are never alone. We don’t walk this way alone.Steve: Tell me more about that faith that both sustained you back in the 1930s, and the faith that sustained you now. Part of it is the sense that you are not alone –

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comThe city vision 2020 podcasts this month featuring Adam Lorentz from the MTU Adam thanks for joining us again a lot of things happening with the MTU this year. I think with any department a lot of things happening. There's been some big impact to our services and then how we operate, but there's also some really good things happening. Well, let's talk about was positive with the MTU. We are actually awarded to additional buttons those buses came as part of the round two of the VW settlement which was a settlement that VW settled with the government for falsifying emission records and we were awarded to hybrid buses. The purpose of the VW mitigation was to take some old boxes that produce a lot of that carbon footprint. Heavy levels of fumes out the bus replace more efficient buses were really thankful that we were one of the year that were awarded to buses and after put our fleet up to 10 new buses by the end of next year. So 10 new buses coming in 2021 Adam what is that mean for the average writer in the city of La Crosse wanted just to be an easy riding on somebody's bus that we had were mundane back from 2001, 2002 and to get those off the road obviously anything new is better. Things like needed a ride can always send this now that the fumes that come from the box you know what the lowly mission titles uniting only minutes about anything with Erica on 1015 20 years ago where you know the joke was that there is a cloud of smoke coming out of the back of the buses, so it's really just user-friendliness of the buses you know some of our new buses are equipped with charging stations for USB charging all the buses now are equipped with an anti-out monitoring system. So the riders can see where the buses are in real time so that they know exactly if the buses can be there in one minute to answer the next buses need and 21 of the things I noticed in the last few years as more and more people are using the bike racks in the front of the buses are the new buses going to be equipped with those, absolutely. Yeah, you know we work with a lot of the local bike advocate groups around the Supercross and they always call us are. That last mile they call it where you know the bike rider you want the life of these great trails throughout the La Crosse but they can get from point a to point B to utilize them variable to use the MTU to get the last mile that the nation absolutely will be bike rack and all the people at diminished abilities to get on and off the buses there any help for that all the buses are ADA equipped so buses can lower light to the curb right to the ground and all the buses are equipped with the motorized ramp. So anybody has something mobility device. We can get them in their we also have securement stations and answer new buses are equipped with more efficient and safer securement stations are people that have such a motorized scooter or wheelchair ramp this your kid against the front of the box so I don't have to worry just not getting on the bus to one third line on the box. They can feel safe and now with their time. The nation think the speaking of safety and a lot of protocols in 2020. That is that in common and I see the bus drivers using them all the time with the masks and stuff do the riders have to wear masks as well when they're on the buses yeah yeah so as to before the government order. We were putting in. Where everybody had to wear a mask on the box and obviously are bus operators are required to the that's really just the tip of the iceberg of what was done here from faculty protocol we spoke last time. The kind of getting started with some of the items but you know me have a fog or any Mr. machine that each sanitize the buses every single day. We have new chemicals that are proven to kill not only the culprit but also the common fluid other types of viruses that our cleaning staff relentlessly goes over the buses. We have used utilize the back door as much as we can to try to stop that close proximity with the bus operators the passengers and talk about positive the vessel on the positives is that we were actually awarded there's money directly to us. The federal government, which allowed us now spent care for the rest the year. So what that does is two things. One is obviously not the interaction with the bus operators that keep that up for something also was handling of cash bears and passes that you don't want to do right now but really certainly it's allowing people that are maybe have been impacted by COBIT feel financially that they know that they don't have to worry about the bus pass at the bus there for that day and month and on all the midst of all the negativity I think that's one positive that's really set out that the MTU for their people in the now obviously there's a cost to a lot of the stuff. How to cite in the getting paid for was funded federally and through the state, then also there's some local share. So on the city La Crosse is a portion that's running contact communities of the Crescent Campbell and I'll have to double that goes into it, but that, but the main course of action are capital purchases such as the buses are equipped for the buses, really. The majority of our purchases are coming gently from federal or state ranked very little amount that is actually charged by PDW and the grant fees tend to buses all or part of a grant and out of our ABL system was part of it to what's the name of the city La Crosse MTU okay so I just researched city of La Crosse and to you one last question. I have Adam's work we find out about what's happening right now, so we really try to make a good effort to keep our website up-to-date kind of right to the city La Crosse not working right on the front page of the transit was also really had an increase on enter Facebook on so we do daily updates there in daily posting to find out that is across the MTU Facebook and then also our app so I talked about a mobile app which is free download for Apple or play or through iTunes and we do updated information on there as well. Really trying to make sure that people have that information. Right then and there is a post that you know back in a row had a newspaper posting now. People That the content and then lastly people that don't have access to those items that can give us a call here rally staff year can visit the fourth, Monday through Friday minutes, occasionally on Saturday morning so that you want to call it that 608-7973 50 will be something in the morning to get more

HealhFirst Network216 South 3rd AvenueWausau, WI 54401(800) 246-5743Transcription is for seo purposes onlyJesse Scharfenberg, the CEO of HealthFirst Network. Let's begin with what is health first network. We are a network of clinics throughout north-central Wisconsin that serves individuals usually have lower income with reproductive health services and then with services such as the women infant and children program is about first network for a long time hasn't so we are actually at 47 years old now, so we are created back in 1973 as family-planning health services of Marathon County and as the organization has grown. We went to just family-planning health services and then back in 2016. After I was hired part of my mission and part of coming to health first with developing them new mission bring us forward. So what health services were provided through reproductive health, 40 some years ago. It looks completely different than what healthcare looks like today. The goal is really to move us forward family-planning health services had a lot of negative connotation because some individuals don't like reproductive health services are family-planning services. So going with a more generic name such as health first. Also included are with programs so we were so focused individuals would call and that receptionist is a payment plan health services and some of that. Oh, I thought I was calling the WIC program now is this an individual calls and the answer HealthFirst Network. They understand that we are network of clinics and services that offer many different services, so it's not just reproductive health is not just wickets several service so why was family-planning health services of Marathon County started 40 years ago there was a need for reproductive health services that were affordable for individuals. I know what we charge for services compared to other health care entities in our area and I know what we charge for the specific services is way less than other healthcare entities charge were you see health first network in 510 years from now growing on that part of our strategic plan is to find areas that are deserts for reproductive health care and let's fill in those gaps. That's really what we do is fill gaps and provide access to individuals who don't have access to. So we are looking at the map and figuring out where contraceptive deserts are. That was a term that was new to me when I started 4 1/2 years ago, but there's criteria that considered a contraceptive desert that individuals don't have access to birth control. So how can we help fill those gaps. How can we put clinic locations strategically in areas that don't have access or partner with individuals who are already there to provide better access to the individuals who need services which are typical client depends on the program really so far reproductive health program individuals between 18 and 24 years of age. Usually females that are coming in. They don't have health insurance so we help set them up with health insurance and lower income when looking at the WIC program. I would say we have a wide range of age anywhere from them to 14 up to 45 years of age. Individuals coming in pregnancy or with children that are really struggling to feed their catalysts, and that's one of the great benefits of the WIC program. It is not only do we get by nutrition education for that we also get to provide supplemental food benefits to them on a monthly basis to help feed the kiddos. One of the really cool things about the WIC program compared to that say snapper the food stamps program is we only provide healthy foods so we know that the individuals that are leaving are going to get adequate amounts of calcium and protein in their diet versus just giving them a check and they can buy whatever they want you mission, but there's a different clinics do they have different focuses order. They all basically running the same type program yes. So they different clinics have pretty much the same focus, so our WIC program is only in three of our clinics which would be our Wausau laying late and Tomahawk clinics, and then in all eight of our clinics is reproductive health and the really cool thing about being a network of reproductive health clinics. It doesn't matter which clinic you go to you getting the same set of services. We have the same model of services you can contact in the same way. The nurse practitioners. That is, serve you in the same way is very prescriptive so that if an individual moves throughout the states which we do see a lot of individuals bouncing between clinics to getting the same services and is delivered in the same way. So when you say reproductive services. What is that mean to somebody that just wouldn't go so reproductive health is a conglomeration of different services. Whether it's annual exams. STI testing and treatments, pregnancy testing, contraceptive methods of birth control methods for individuals. One of the big focuses after I came was shifting a little bit from just reproductive health services to more of a preventative focused so, ensuring that individuals come in for those annual exams that they're having some of those general baseline labs drawn every year. The majority of our population doesn't go anywhere else for services. So if were only focusing on reproductive health. There is a pretty large percent of the person that were missing out on so really looking at the whole person care as well as the focus knows of something that's been part of the mission since you been here in the last four years. Results of this but the whole time knows that was part of the changes that were made after I came was to really look at the whole person versus just the very small focus of the reproductive health services only. So we've really looked at making sure that were having individuals come in for those annual exams. We seen a huge increase in male clients, which is great. Our men are coming in quite as frequently for the annual exams has we would like to see them by offering the services to both men and women is extremely important to the services. Are you offering to most of our men are only coming in for STI testing and treatment, but any man can come in for consult. We can do different labs for them. We can do an annual exam for them if they would like to come in, but our main population that we see or serve the 18 to 25 year old. We don't see a lot of men in general. Outside of even health first that are going in for those annual exams between 18 and 25 years and yet be within a certain guideline of income in order to come in now that's one of the best things as there is no income qualifications for the reproductive health program. Anyone with any insurance that they can't pay. If they don't have health insurance. Anyone can walk to the door and were going to serve them with a lot of different opportunities within the reproductive health program for an individual to come in, say, is an undocumented citizen and they don't have any source of income. We can put them on our sliding fee scale and if health is your pain. They don't have to pay for their services, but they can still get those super important services we have that group of individuals that are Wisconsin residents that make less than $20 an hour and we can sign them up for F because it is the family-planning only services waiver program. Part of Medicaid. It covers all of their services that 100%, but we can say have a doctor walk in from a different location and that wants confidential STI testing, but also has private health insurance. We can build that private health insurance as well so we have so many options for individuals of whether they have health insurance. They don't but we can sign them up for something or they just don't have a payer source at all and they don't have to pay for the services that they have

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comLa Crosse Wisconsin is a great place to work and play lacrosse. Vision 2020 podcast this month featuring Art Fahey from the La Crosse Center.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Steve Spilde: Welcome, everyone. Today it is my great honor to welcome John Heagle as my guest. I’ve had the privilege to know John for about 10 years. I first was acquainted to him … He is the presenter for our Spiritual Direction Preparation Program, our weekend entitled “Personal Growth in Faith Development.” John has had a great influence on me and my own personal growth and faith development, so it’s a real privilege for me to join John in conversation today. Thank you.John Heagle: It’s good to be with you – very much so. Thank you.Steve: Could you talk about how when you first met with the participants in the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program, how long ago that was, and what your first experience was.John: I couldn’t give you the exact time. I think I’ve been there four times now, and that would be every other year, so it would be about 10 years ago I think that we began that process – particularly because the topic was one that I felt so comfortable with.Steve: What are your credentials to talk about that? Where does that come from? I know you as having experience as a priest. I know you have experience as an instructor [and] as a therapist. Talk about your background.John: I guess I would like to start briefly [with] how I would frame my early life. I grew up with two main elements of energy. One is a very close farm Catholic family. My parents were survivors of The Great Depression, and they got married in 1934 and began farming together on the same land they lived on for 65 years, and that’s where I grew up. They had four boys; I’m the second oldest. There was a lot of boy energy in our house, a lot of physical interaction, a lot of testosterone energy that was there. We were never a perfect family, but [we were] a close family. What I remember in addition to my farm-close family is that I was born in the context of the beginning of the Second World War. Obviously I was too young … I was born in 1938. In November of that year, seven months after I was born is when the famous Kristallnacht happened in Germany when the Nazis began to persecute the Jewish people. I was too young to remember. I was even too young to remember much of Pearl Harbor; I was about three years old. All I remember is my parents being very upset. Only later did I come to understand that that was kind of a background setting that I didn’t become aware of until my adolescent years. I could remember the blackouts, the rationing of gasoline, butter, and sugar. Of course we made our own butter, so that wasn’t a problem with all that. But I just think that was a very important part.I also remember when you turned six, you officially started helping with the chores in the barn. Also, since mom only had four boys, she also taught us how to cook and clean, so we also learned that. We had to get up before going to school and throw out the sileage and feed the cows, and then go back in and take a bath and catch the school bus. There was this kind of sense of uber responsibility. I know I was raised as kind of a pleaser, to be “a good boy,” and to jump through all the right hoops – not just with my parents, but [also] in school with the sisters and with the whole church part of it, which was also very important. We went to church every Sunday and prayed every day. We had all our meals together because we were working in the field or doing the chores together, so it was that kind of setting, I think, that really helped shape me. I think that’s a very significant influence, anyway. And also, the war part of it got me back into social justice work.Steve: You grew up in northern Wisconsin, near Menomonie. You became a priest. Can you talk about that journey and at what point that idea entered your mind and kind of the path that led you in that direction?John: It’s interesting that probably the two sources of what I would call spirituality – in those days they didn’t speak of it that way – but the two sources of mystery I guess is the word I would use, or of religious presence, were the forest, farmland, the fields. And we had a creek at the bottom of our land, and a river within a quarter of a mile, Red Cedar River. The rivers and the forest and the fields were one real profound source for me of spontaneous nature mysticism. I had a real sense of union with mystery, with the holy. I wouldn’t have called that “God;” God was more in church. The second part of it was I became an alter server early. As soon as you receive your first communion in second grade you could become an alter server, but you had to memorize the Latin. In those days, the mass was in Latin. For some reason I was always a questor; I always wanted to know “why?” I remember the first response prayer before the alter was, “Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem meam.” It took me a long time in the second grade to memorize that. I went to the sister who was training us and I said, “What does that mean?” She said, “It doesn’t matter what it means. It’s from one of the Psalms. Just pray it.” But I was determined to find out what it meant, and when I found out it was Psalm 42 and it meant, “I will go to the altar of God, and I will do so with the joyfulness of youth.” I thought, “Holy mackerel, that’s great.” Being an altar server, there was something about church, the eucharist or the mass, that really was very sacred even though it was in another language and the ritual was outdated.I experienced another kind of mystery in the fields and the forest and the river. Probably going into high school and especially in college, the question became for me, “What’s the connection between creation and the holy in religion?” The message often was the world is a veil of tears, and it’s something that we’re here to find the escape route from. Yet I kept saying, “I don’t know what they mean by the world, but the world I know is something that I deeply love, and I find life in it. So I kept trying to resolve this paradox of, the world is a suspicious place or a dangerous place, and our purpose is to get to heaven. That was an ongoing struggle for me in college.Steve: What I’m hearing you say is, the struggle is to get to heaven to get out of this bad place. But you’re thinking of the forest where you grew up and thought, “This is not a bad place. I could spend my time here.”John: Precisely. In grade school, on the last day of school, we get off the school bus at the corner and take off our shoes, carry them home, and we never put our shoes on until it’s time to go back to school again in the fall. That’s how it was. I’ve come to understand now what Jesus means by, the world is not creation. He means the world of oppression and political mechanizations and the power of imperialism. That’s what he’s talking about. That’s the world in the Gospel of John when the Gospel of John says, “God so loved the world …” That’s not the systems of oppression. That’s creation. But I didn’t know that at the time. That was a struggle for me, and I think that the breaking point for me was in 1958 [when] I was sent to Catholic University for my further seminary training. I was studying philosophy at the time, and it was still kind of the old, worn-out scholastic philosophy of studying St. Thomas in Latin. I was getting more and more bored with it. I remember reading someplace this book [entitled] “The Human Phenomenon.” It was forbidden in the seminary library. One Saturday afternoon I took the bus downtown to Galleries Bookstore, and I purchased a copy of “The Human Phenomenon.” I brought it back under my coat, and that night I told my roommate, “I’m going to read this book after Grand Silence.” I was still reading it when the bell went off at 5:30 to get up. It was a breakthrough because Teilhard [author Pierre Teilhard de Chardin] basically resolved that issue of, there’s not the world over here and the holy or the divine over there. They’re both together through the process of evolving creation and evolving human beings. It was like a light went on for me. It was at the same time a great relief because I was saying, ‘Maybe I’m in the wrong place and I shouldn’t even be in the seminary because I don’t believe this stuff.’ ”

Chris Jones is well known for his appearance on America’s Got Talent when he made the impossible happen: Known germaphobe Howie Mandel shook hands with Heidi, Howard, and Mel live. Since his first TV appearance, Chris has performed on shows like The Steve Harvey Show, Windy City Live, Good Day Chicago, Penn and Teller, Scam School, and the Adam Carolla Show.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Steve Spilde: Welcome. I am excited today because my guest is Linda Kerrigan, one of the very wise mentors in my life. She is a friend. She was a long-term teammate. We worked together in the Spiritual Direction and Preparation Program. If there is anything I know about spiritual direction, chances are it came to me through Linda. It’s my sincere pleasure to be joined by her today. Welcome, Linda.Linda Kerrigan: Thank you, Steve. I am happy and honored to be invited for this opportunity. It means a lot to me.Steve: Since I’ve given you credit for teaching me about spiritual direction, I’d like to hear from you. Describe your understanding of what spiritual direction is, and what it is that you do when you’re sitting with someone.Linda: I think over the years we’ve often been asked in our Ministry of Spiritual Direction that question; basically, what the heck am I doing? And what is this that we call ‘spiritual direction?’ I think a very simple and basic description I read – and I like it very much – [is], spiritual direction is walking home together. Walking home together. That brings to mind the _____ story where the disciples were walking and Jesus showed up along the way. That is what happens in spiritual direction. It’s not just walking together, but it’s joining heart-to-heart, being open to your own vulnerability and that of the other person. It’s about sharing compassion. As a spiritual director, it’s about inviting the person to be in touch with their inner wisdom. I think more often than not, people do not credit themselves with having a deep well of wisdom. Sometimes, just putting words and language around that [and] get a person[’s] lightbulb to go off. [It’s like], ‘oh, really? You think I have something inside me? Of course you do, because God has placed it there for you to access. It’s a profound experience. It’s meeting a person on sacred ground, honoring that sacred ground, and inviting them to share their story in a way that, I’m their spiritual director to receive that story, hold that story, honor it, and assure my directee that yours is a sacred story.Steve: Spiritual direction – can you break that down for me, just the words. Or Spiritual Director – what’s your understanding of what we’re talking about when we use the word ‘spiritual?’ And what’s your understanding of the word ‘director?’Linda: ‘Spiritual’ goes way beyond the confines of religion. Spiritual, to me, is in the everyday sacred. Spiritual has to do with the notion or the belief that all are connected. When I was on retreat once, it was a very profound peace that my Spiritual Director offered me, and that is God is everywhere. And not only everywhere, but equally everywhere. And also beyond that, that God is within us. When I think about spiritual versus religion, to me, religion is limiting and confining. Spiritual embraces all and wholeness and possibility and wonder and awe and concepts that we haven’t even imagined. It’s very embracing. It’s inclusive. It’s for everyone to make some kind of connection. Again, I think religion is more confining and associated with church buildings and dogma and rules and so on. That’s what spiritual means for me, and the other is as I sat and thought about spiritual and spirituality, I don’t think I had that word in my vocabulary until I was in my 50s. And I think what helped me have a greater understanding of spiritual, spirituality was the programming, the relationships through the Franciscan Spirituality Center. That was a wonderful invitation and an opportunity for immersion for myself to expand my understanding of what spiritual means.Steve: As your understanding of spirituality started to evolve, in what ways did your life change? Or in what ways did you start to practice your spirituality in new ways?Linda: I think one experience that kind of drew me in [was] having an opportunity for a pilgrimage to Assisi, there was such a fond presence of spirit. I was very, very overcome by a sense of … The word I had for it then was humility. I was just overcome with humility. I felt so very small as I moved about the streets of Assisi and followed in the footsteps of Francis and Claire. But my smallness wasn’t like I felt minimal or minimized, but it was just because I was overcome with feeling humbled. The spirit was so alive in the various places that we visited where Claire and Francis lived out their life, and where they played and lived and so on. You could just sense that there was something happening in these places. You just sensed it your body. The experience that changed me; it was a conversion kind of thing. I came back home, and from there I then began to pursue becoming a Franciscan affiliate with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. That led to signing up for the Spiritual Direction and Preparation Program. I felt really drawn to live out this feeling and connection with a greater spirituality in my life versus in limited religious practice.Steve: For people who don’t know what we’re talking about, the pilgrimage to Assisi, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in La Crosse have a program where some of their long-term employees, they think it’s important for them to walk in the footsteps of their tradition’s founder, Saint Francis, to walk in his personal footsteps. Francis lived a long time ago, back in the 1200s in Assisi, Italy. My understanding is your husband worked for the Sisters, so that’s how you had the opportunity to go to Assisi, correct?Linda: Yes, spouses were invited to go along.Steve: Explain to people why the Sisters would make that investment. Why was it so important, because it was a significant investment, to send people to the other side of the world to spend a week or 10 days walking in the footsteps of someone who lived 800 years ago?Linda: The Sisters are very wise. They are always looking forward. Given their sponsored institutions at the time – Pat worked at Viterbo University, which was a sponsored institution – they felt very strongly that key people in leadership in particular really needed to have a fuller understanding of mission and ministry. The Sisters are well aware of their declining numbers and their need to let go of sponsored institutions, at least in a financial way. They felt a profound responsibility to immerse their key people in Franciscan values, understanding history to have an immersion experience so that they could have a profound connection and bring that back to their institutions and to their workplace and to they people they served – in this case, the university students and those who were at Mayo – to maybe refigure or at least deepen the way that they were already providing servant leadership to assure that Franciscan values were at the basis of their work in mission and ministry. At this point there’s probably been several hundred people – at least maybe 200 to 300, for sure – who have had this wonderful opportunity because of the Sisters’ investment.Steve: What I’m hearing you say is that that pilgrimage, that trip to Assisi, really reshaped your understanding of what we mean by spirituality or faith or God or spirit, correct?Linda: Right. And it also got me to be thinking about, where am I going in life? What is it about? How can I live out mission and ministry? Coming back from that experience changed from being in the counseling field to being drawn to spiritual direction as a work career opportunity.Steve: This experience helped you make your spirituality, would be fair to say embodied? It became a body experience [and] not just simply an experience of your mind – a thinking experience?Linda: Definitely. I probably never had been so much of a head level person anyway. I think I’m more connected with gut level and intuition and the ____ space. It just kind of made that more expansive and stronger.Steve: Being able to walk in the footsteps of Francis was much more powerful than just simply reading about him or hearing about him.Linda: Absolutely. I don’t mean to say that everybody has to make a pilgrimage to Assisi to make that happen for them. I’m just saying that that is how it happened for me. It was life-changing and impacting my outlook and my way of being in the world.Steve: That fits with my understanding of you and who you are as a Spiritual Director because my sense is that many times people come to you, perhaps as a Spiritual Director, and their understanding of God or their understanding of what it means to live a life of faith really is a lot in their head. It’s come to them through a book. It’s come to them through preaching. But yet, they’re struggling to connect that with their own life experience. So you as a Spiritual Director are really helping them to find that story within their own life.Linda: Indeed. Again, I think the beauty of spiritual direction is to have that position, that environment, the atmosphere of openness, accepting that people become who they are, where they are. It’s not my job to move them along or teach a certain way of understanding, but again, just honoring who that person is, where they are coming from, trusting that God is present in them, God is working in them. It’s not my work; it is God’s work. But God has called me to be a part of whatever transformation, openness that might happen for that individual. I find the other challenge – and I really do appreciate the challenge – of people who come who have fallen away from their faith practice or maybe have had no faith practice whatsoever. And yet, what I see in them is a deep, deep longing and hunger for connection. They often can’t explain; they don’t understand it. To be present to that person, to journey in a deeper understanding or a new way of seeing things, I am so honored to be able to be with those people.

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comLa Crosse Wisconsin is a great place to work and play lacrosse. Vision 2020 podcast this month featuring Ian Turner from the La Crosse Regional Airport

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Welcome to the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin’s, What is Spirituality podcast. Your host, Steve Spilde, is the associate director at the Center. His guests talk about their evolving understanding of God. My name is Steve Spilde, and today I’m meeting with Barb Kruse. Welcome, Barb. Thanks, Steve. Good to be here. We've known each other for about five years. We met before when we were part of the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program and that is a program of the Franciscan Spirituality Center and you were on the staff long before I joined the staff of the FSC. So, could you tell me when you joined the staff of the Center and, what brought you here. Sure. So, I knew about the Center and have been part of Spirituality Center long before I started working on staff and probably I think I began coming to the Center maybe in the ‘90s and looking for spiritual direction. I remember coming to an Enneagram program. I was connected with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, the FSPA, through my husband, Joe's, work at the hospital so we were connected to the sisters in that way because the sisters were sponsors of the Franciscan or St. Francis at that time, so I know a lot of the sisters. I knew about the Center and just felt the draw to come here. So, I would guess that was probably through than ‘90s that I started coming to the Center again for programs and also spiritual direction. With that came an invitation to think about and consider the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program, and I listened to that invitation and it felt right for me and so I started the program I think it was like in, gosh, 1999 maybe, and then finished the program in 2001 or 2002, somewhere in there. Those are the dates that I was part of the part of the program. So, then that connected me to the Center in an even a greater way, but I did not come to work at the Spirituality Center probably until about maybe in 2007 or 2008, I came on just to work on a Venture Grant that the Center had received from the Franciscan Sisters, from the FSPA, to have a Franciscan fest so we created this festival and I was part of that planning and I did that and then what surfaced from that experience was a part-time position on staff in spiritual direction and then eventually leading into being director of the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program and being here for 10 years after that time, knowing you Steve for half that time. That's a long version of long story. No, it’s all good. You mentioned coming for spiritual direction and being involved in providing spiritual direction. For people who are new to that, how would you describe spiritual direction? There are so many definitions of spiritual direction, probably that the one that would come to mind first and foremost would be spiritual direction as an opportunity to sit in the sacred setting with another person who will listen deeply, compassionately, nonjudgmentally to your deeper story . We hear a lot about each other's stories throughout our days. There's a lot of our story that we keep hidden, and that deeper story is a story that when we do share it, and in a spiritual direction setting, it opens us up to tapping into our truer and authentic self, which I believe is our God self and our spirit self. And with that ability and opportunity to do that we find, at least I found, that I become more connected. This flow of love, of what I would call God, other religions would call it something different, that is always calling me more deeply and to love and have compassion for myself and for the world around me, so spiritual direction can offer that place to understand our belovedness and free us from the wounds of our deeper story and help us be more connected to all of creation, which we already are. We just don't really get it most the time. Do you remember the first time you went to spiritual direction? The first visits? Sure I do. Who was your spiritual director? Sister Mary Kathryn (Fogarty). It was great, and you know the best part about it, and I don’t know, it took maybe a couple visits, but really, to have somebody listen who really cared and didn't, I felt that they weren't waiting for their opportunity to speak about their story because I'm a listener, so I'm always waiting for the other person to share and then my story stops and then I receive what they had to say but she was there just fully listening to me so I felt really heard, and I also didn't take very long for her to help me see the connection between my story and God's story and how my story fits into that. Just that beautiful story of love that I am okay just as I am. Even with my baggage and even with my brokenness. I’m fully loved it, and that that was the most freeing thing for me to have somebody tell me what I intuitively knew which I think we all know that we just, it's locked away. Is that what you expected you would get from her? No, I didn't know what I was going to get, no I just felt that a point in a time in my life probably in my late 40s, mid-40s and raising kids, life was full crazy good that it was so good, but inside I felt that unsettledness in a restlessness and even a simmering anger that I just couldn't quite put my finger on, and I don't know, I think, again, I'm all about paying attention to the invitation, so somewhere along the line I heard a conversation between people or a comment or read something that just invited me to consider spiritual direction as a place to go in and maybe to look at the more deeply into my story. So, you did, you met with her one-on-one for spiritual direction, for how long? Well, you know, on and off several years, I'm sure. The peace that sometimes happens in spiritual direction, but not always, Mary Kathryn being the really astute and attentive spiritual director, she listened to my story for a couple of sessions and then said that it might be a good idea for me to see somebody professionally to unwrap the story a little bit more, So, of course, you know I was like you mean go to what, a therapist, which felt real scary, but I think I was brave enough to know that it was the right thing to step into and again. Yet it was the right thing. So I was seeing Mary Kathryn for spiritual direction and went to see Mary the therapist. I saw her for probably four or five times and I just had a deeper story I needed to tell and I told that story, and she listened and there was a healing that happened in just telling the story. So how is therapy different from spiritual direction? How is what you got with Mary different from Sister Mary Kathryn. I think when you go to therapy that there is always a little more outcome focused. When you go to therapy that, as a therapist, a therapist would feel that responsibility to move the person you know maybe from point A to point B. Oftentimes not considering the spirituality that underlies the whole story. So, I think Mary was able to take my particular story and experience in my life, and offer me some tools and some insights that helped me understand the story a little bit more and again a lot of it's just giving permission, like you're okay, this wasn't your fault, this is what happens, so that was really a freeing and healing thing for me but that wasn't the spiritual piece woven through that. Some therapists will do that. But typically that doesn't happen so spiritual direction is not about getting a person to a specific place because as a spiritual companion or a spiritual director, I will just continue to listen to the story, invite the directee more deeply into their story by asking them feeling question longings, but where is God in the midst of this for you? What do you feel you're being invited to? A little more deeply, the directee can explore their particular experience or story in the context of what God's invitation is for them in. You mentioned when you started seeing Mary Kathryn you were busy as a mom and you got four sons? I do. So that's your current family and then the family you were born into, how big it was your family, where did you fit in? Yeah, the family of origin. There were six of us kids and I was the fourth, and in the way the family happened, there were four of us older kids and then this period of no kids and then two more kids a little bit later on so I'm the youngest of the first of the first four and then there's nine years between myself and my sister and then three years between her and my brother Tom, So I have three older brothers and me and then my sister Marianne and my brother Tom. So even though I was fourth born, I was the first girl. And you were kind of like the youngest child when you grew up. Until I was nine. okay yeah. My dad called me fairy wings, but I really wasn't much of fairy wings. I was a real tomboy, I had these three older brothers. Yeah. So, the family you grew up in, religious, not religious? Yeah, I grew up in a Catholic household. I was born in 1956, so my elementary school years were the during the ‘60s, went to parochial school from second grade to sixth grade in a parochial school and then that was it in the town we lived and so then we went to public school. My mom was born and raised Catholic. My dad was not. He was, I think his family was Lutheran. I don’t know how much they would practice their faith, and then my dad converted to Catholicism, probably in order at that time, to marry my mom. This would be back in the early ‘50s yeah which is once I remember his family could not come, no his brother, nobody could be in the wedding party from his family because they weren’t Catholic and I think his mom didn't even come to the wedding. She was just pretty disappointed about the whole thing. I’ve picked that up over the years, that was a little bit of a sore spot, a sadness. But anyway so Dad was the best Catholic he could be. We went to church every Sunday

Transcription is for SEO purposes only. To find out more about the city of La Crosse please visit their website www.cityoflacrosse.org to find out more about Podcast For Hire please visit PodcastForHire.comLa Crosse Wisconsin is a great place to work and play lacrosse. Vision 2020 podcast this month featuring Char Wegner from the La Crosse recycling department. I first met Char nine years ago, eight, nine years ago when the city of La Crosse first started talking about bringing the garbage carts out and bring the recycling carts out and I thought to myself there's no way that these things can be great, Char. You told me when he came in to talk to me my radio show that these things can be fantastic and I won't regret it. Just what Char you are absolutely 100% right. I love them. I really like them AI with a nonbeliever off and he actually may bring one surprise and I went from having six garbage cans a week to one garbage spin and one recycle bin and honestly my recycle bin fills up just as fast or faster than the garbage men. So let's talk about the recycling. So how are we supposed recycle etc. people say you're supposed to put everything into a bag and dump it in there that I've heard that you're not supposed to do that. What's the true city of La Crosse rules Char when it comes to recycling bins should be loose in your car to be cleaned lead and cart carrying out that is collected get transferred to tears. They stepped out that's not really like about that were putting in. It goes through a variety of different ways and Then that separate that then also that they were putting including the bank that we get to like the Walmart whenever they get entangled in the equipment that sets down the equipment we supposed to do with those bags because we all have a ton of them take them, is to have them or Walmart usually have somewhere that you can have them recycle based on them somebody I know that when we got a fact that the pain is there that says make a part. So whenever we go to the grocery store. My husband always said grab the bag they need to make crackdowns. Char Wegner's are just this month, the recycling coordinator for the city of La Crosse was talk about the bins because those bins are fantastic but how do you know that the bin that's in front of my garage is the bin that was assigned to me that question. We have been very busy making sure that everyone has the correct part did you know that when the cards were delivered. They were and find herself number on the front of your cart that identifies your personal let's say over your house. You call me and say carts missing or my carts not the right one. It's a smaller cart or like a car you can ask us what your current numbers are and will give it to you and is not right. Well, I sent letters out to the neighborhood sure how to get hold of the recycling office so that we can check her cards to make sure it right once you can contact us at 608 7897508 people getting new beds all the time when we supposed to do with her old mattresses because I know that we had our large pickup a couple of months ago and I saw a bunch of beds out there then but what are you supposed to do during the rest of the year recycling, which is part of seven rivers, recycling, recycle the mattresses so what you need to do is take them out to the county rank fell and Connie ran so that you want it to be recycled and not land so they will have a specific spot that you can have that taken care of three dollars cheaper than landfilling on wait wait wait wait wait so stupid recycle that it is a throw away a lot of people don't know that Char know they don't. It is so interesting to see how there is Michael they have staff that go in and tear the bedding and they reuse and screensaver use the word that matches had most of those items I got bailed. And then there's that recycle your vision 2020 conversations with department heads from the city of La Crosse is a podcast for hire.com production. For more information about La crosse, visit the website city of La Crosse website www.cityoflacrosse.org

Chris Jones is well known for his appearance on America’s Got Talent when he made the impossible happen: Known germaphobe Howie Mandel shook hands with Heidi, Howard, and Mel live. Since his first TV appearance, Chris has performed on shows like The Steve Harvey Show, Windy City Live, Good Day Chicago, Penn and Teller, Scam School, and the Adam Carolla Show.

Franciscan Spirituality Center920 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601Steve Spilde: My name is Steve Spilde. Today I’m here with Vince Hatt, the longtime director of the Franciscan Spirituality Center. Tell me about your work at the Spirituality Center, and maybe specifically your understanding of what the Spirituality Center is all about.Vince Hatt: I started out as basically the Spiritual Director. From there I eventually became Director of the Spiritual Director and Preparation Program, and I eventually became Director. My purpose, I think – one of the main ones, anyway – was to provide a safe place for people to explore the big questions of life. It gave me the most joy when I saw people ask themselves the hard questions and go deeper.Steve: Tell me how you came to the Franciscan Spirituality Center.Vince: I was a priest in Iowa for 27 years. I resigned in 1993. I called Mary Katherine to basically cancel during a retreat because I was no longer going to be a priest, and she said, ‘Would you like to work here?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ She said, ‘Well, that’s good.’ Then I said, ‘How do I apply?’ She said, ‘You’re the only applicant.’ So I resigned on August 15th, 1993 and started here September 7th, 1993. I worked here until I retired.Steve: We’re going to circle back to that, how you ended up here and how you resigned from the priesthood. But I want to find out how you entered the priesthood in the first place. Let’s kind of rewind the tape to the beginning of your life. Tell me who Vince was as a young boy, and how you ended up becoming a priest.Vince: As a young boy, my purpose was to be successful. I not only wanted to be a good student, I wanted to be valedictorian of the class.Steve: Did you succeed?Vince: Yes, of course. When I put my energy into something, it was focused. Then I not only wanted to be the best long-distance runner my school, I wanted to be the best in the conference. My focus was always on succeeding. Another question that arose pretty early is, what is my purpose? I’m a goal-setter, so what’s my purpose? On October 4th, 1957, I was on my way to a cross country meet in Ames, Iowa, and [there] was breaking news. They didn’t use that term as frequently as they do now, but the breaking news was that the Russians had sent up the first space satellite, Sputnik, and then right away I knew my purpose was to catch up with the Russians in space. Because of my record, I was offered a full-ride scholarship to Notre Dame in physics and math. I thought that was my purpose. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but you know, what am I supposed to do? Well, that was the environment, so I did that until the third year. I was taking a course called “Quantum Mechanics,” and about halfway through the course I thought, ‘You know, maybe someone else can help the United States catch up with the Russians in space.’ I pulled out of that, and then the last year at Notre Dame I was thinking about, what was my purpose? I decided the church needs priests [and] somebody’s got to do it. I was always kind of the guy [who said], ‘Somebody’s got to do it. I would.’ That had good results in some areas, like when I was in high school [and] I got elected to any position, usually I didn’t volunteer. They would come to me and I would say, ‘Somebody’s got to do it.’ That was kind of the person I was, and that’s how I ended up a priest.Steve: What was your experience in the church when you were young?Vince: When I was young, I grew up in an Italian family and the church was very important. I would go to church all the time with my grandparents and my parents. I think my first purpose in the church was to get to heaven. That was my spirituality. That worked pretty well until I hit adolescence. Then I thought, ‘This is not so easy.’ Pretty much the whole thing was getting to heaven.Steve: What was your understanding of how you would get to heaven from that age?Vince: Keep all the rules – excel in them, of course. I was going to be the best rule keeper. I’ve always had an intense desire to succeed. That was my drivenness.Steve: What was your image of God at, say, 15 years?Vince: God sets the rules. If I keep them, I get eternal bliss. That was the deal. I was very practical. It might be a struggle, but life only lasts so many years and heaven is forever.Steve: As a young man becoming a priest, at that point had your view of God changed?Vince: Not a whole lot. I think I was evolving into it’s more a matter of loving than keeping the rules. In fact, the basic rule was loving God above all, and your neighbor as yourself. It kind of took the emphasis off of keeping the rules to being a loving person.Steve: How was it for you as a priest.Vince: It had its plusses and minuses. The plusses included the opportunity to be part of people’s lives at critical junctures in their lives, and they were forever grateful. If you were there when a parent died, the kids would never forget it. They would bring it up years later. The hard part was it was very isolating. I would be in a parish for six years, and then I would rip it all up and end those relationships and go start over in another place. It was exciting at first – a new challenge – but then after 20 years it was like, ‘Man, this is lonely.’ That’s when I started to say, ‘Maybe I have some other options.’ I didn’t like being the one who had, in middle management, had to deliver the message to the folks about stuff I really wasn’t that enthused about. It took me a lot longer to leave than to enter. I decided to be a priest in a couple of years. The process of leaving took about 10 years from the first rumblings to finally saying I am leaving.Steve: Was your understanding of God shifting during that time of rumbling?Vince: Yeah. I came to the conclusion that my lifetime commitment was to God as I understood God [and] not to the church. So I could leave the priesthood and still be faithful to God. That was the big struggle originally. I was in the era when priests were leaving. The ones who remained had more to do. I had certain friendships that were originating through my priesthood. It was renegotiating important relationships as a lay person. It was hard, but finally, after three years of depression, I thought I had to do it. I would not be at peace until I did.Steve: What was your understanding of spirituality at that time if someone had asked you, what is spirituality? What would have been your answer?Vince: Spirituality was tied up with your relationship with God at that time. Now I would say spirituality is the lived experience of your values. So in that format, everyone has a spirituality. If the lived experience of your values is to make a lot of money, that’s your spirituality. Everybody has a spirituality. Now, the people I saw here and other places, that view of spirituality was bankrupt. There are bigger things, bigger questions, like, who am I? What is my purpose? How am I to live? Those are the big questions. When I was younger, the emphasis was on, what is my purpose? Now, as it evolved, the question more was, who am I – really? That became a lot more important because if I knew who I was, I presumed the purpose would become clearer at how I was to live became clearer.Steve: If you had to rewind the tape of your life, what decisions might you have done differently or perhaps done sooner?Vince: I believe as Richard Rohr entitled the book: Everything Belongs. It’s all part of the story. Just as Jacob wrestled with God all night and ended up with a damaged hip, in the struggle I’ve learned a lot about me. So any of the struggles belong, and they took as long as they took. Jacob wrestled with God because he sought a blessing. He wanted to be blessed. I think my wrestling with God meaning purpose needed to happen for me to be open to a blessing. It all belongs. I rewind my life, and I don’t say, ‘I wish I’d made another decision.’ I rewind my life and say, ‘Isn’t this interesting? This is really fascinating. What a story. I couldn’t have written a plot if I tried.’ And actually, I tried. I tried to write the plot. I was doing an RCA retreat. These are people interested in becoming a Catholic. I had 16 people there. Most of them were UW-L students. I said, ‘When I went off to Notre Dame to catch up with the Russians in space at your age, if you would have told me at the age of 80 you’ll be leading a retreat for college people who are considering becoming Christian or Catholic, I’d have said, what are you smoking?’ That’s what I would have said. I didn’t plan it, but Saturday I felt like, I’m just where I belong. This is where I belong, and there’s no better feeling than that because at different times in life I would sit in my chair and say, ‘I don’t know where I belong, but it’s not here.’Steve: At this point in your life, how would you describe God?Vince: God is a sacred presence that’s always there. I cannot say specifically a description of God because that would be to know the essence of God, which is way above my pay grade. But God, at the deepest part of myself, is there. And that would be my best guess right now. When people ask me questions, my usual statement or assumption is, what is my best guess right now?Steve: A couple of things I want to ask you. One, you have a great story about sorting through the voices in your head, particularly the voice of anxiety, which is a voice you’re well familiar with.Vince: I believe holiness is wholeness. You need to love every part of yourself, or else you cut it off and you’re not whole. You’re fragmented and less than you are. I named that part of me, that drive for success, ‘Successful Sam.’ I’m the chairman of a board of several people. There is ‘Needless Ned.’ There’s ‘Special Whatever.’ When I come to a decision now that’s kind of confusing, I have to say to ‘Success

Contact School District of La Crosse807 East Avenue SouthLa Crosse, Wisconsin 54601(608) 789-7600https://www.lacrosseschools.org/Transcription is for SEO only37 years in the education business and the lasting a last dozen or so into working in administration probably didn't see this coming at all. At the at the end of your career for sure. As we look at this and we look at the on the pandemic of a look at the school closings that we've had what you think. You think will be different in the future. Randy because of this I wish I knew. I wish I could provide everyone with a really clear description of what this is going to be like I can't and I think that one thing is really it's becoming clear to me though is that it's never to be the same it. If this is our education and the way we do education the way we see education is never going to be the same essay that the most simple way because I do believe that even though our work in remote learning. We jumped into that and at times may be haphazard and not at the same level of quality. Perhaps others of face-to-face classroom. We also know that we've got. We have some some students out there. We have some families out there that like that stay like that method of delivery and usually we leave kind of remote learning and online learning as an option that we think about after everything else has failed. Well, you could try reading on that strontium online and I think it's time for us to make sure as we talk about us being the school district of choice to make sure that a remote learning opportunity is considered a viable part of education. When I extrapolate that out into the future. Just a little bit. Part of the immediate future is you don't goodness. What we do in July we got summer school and we have two schools that are on your own calendars and what's going to happen with them in July. Are we gonna be able to start school with them in July so that's one of the that's one of the upcoming questions that were having to answer were just waiting for the next kinds we want to know more about okay, what's after this current safer at home, executive order, there's gotta be something there, since you gotta be some sort of a statement that says okay here's the pattern that were in now until further notice, or until a particular date summer, waiting for that shoe to drop, so that we know better how is this can impact you live in summer school on your own calendars. I have to tell you I also think that even when we get to September. Not so certain that schools can be the same way in September is that as it was last September. To be honest with you, and I think we have to prepare ourselves for that and you know there's a whole process of gotta go through the grieving process when you realize that it's knocking to be the same, but I think once you get through that process. You also then can quickly move in the process of a gate what you can be and what's our opportunity where are we and what how can we make this great because I still think inside of a really huge challenge that were in right now. There's always opportunity our administrative team is been meeting virtually three times per week. I'd be lying if I told you that I love these virtual meetings in my face-to-face guy myself, but I'm getting really tired of these virtual meetings, but else I will be got a good group of folks and what were talking about is Chris trying to extrapolate out to the fall what you know what could this mean so were actually starting to run some scenarios, what would it be like for instance if we had to do school in the fall and we had to do social distancing can we even do it so we been exploring models. For instance, and the models of you in exploring that might be. We arty have a six day cycle ABC DEF you help and so on may be. As it turns out just so that we can only have 1/3 of the students in the school buildings at any one time that students come to school maybe two out of the six days and then their home for out of the six days. Now think about the ramifications for that home, especially if parents are starting themselves if they haven't been working to get themselves back in the workplace and trying to stabilize their homes financially and now 4/6 days. Their children are still going home want to know what is that look like and how how does that work and how do we guarantee which I don't know that we can. How do we guarantee that the parents who do send their children to school in the fall. What will be social distancing. When you've got so many things that are if common need, whether it's general going on the hall are going to use the restroom or it's the media center, or it's the the cafeteria and we would have to re-teach and help think about our kindergarten, first and second graders. Many of them who you know I think we can teach them. Certainly, here's how to do social distancing, and here's all works but since it's a whole new world that we can have to get into if we were to decide that we can even deliver school that way in the fall. I could not imagine having your job at this moment. One of the biggest challenges I think that has come about as a result of all this. Our work in equity to try to bring it together and give every student equal chance equal footing as much as we can. That really took a huge step backwards when we were required to do this now. I think that doing a remote learning situation is better than doing nothing at all, so building the relationships think connected to students is really important. I can imagine the discussion at the state level because at the state level know the guidance that we were given is okay. We need to shut down our schools by whatever date and so school is out will put in the place a lot of contingencies so that you can don't have to worry about the hours and minutes in meeting those but bargain-hunting over to shut this down what you realize that when we shut it down. Think about statewide. The number of school districts who were not able to do anything when it comes to remote learning. Maybe they're able to do some connecting and just some relationship building, but because of their circumstances or because they don't have the robust technology supports that we do here in the cross the Internet. For instance, just think about how all of a sudden students don't have access and so I think that what one of the things that has happened. State level and it translates into local level is you really see even clearer the discrepancies and also the inequities that are there. If we don't have school face-to-face if we don't have school to gather everyone coming together somehow because they're there and every home has a different learning environment. Some homes have environment that are really plush with books and supports in moms and dads that are there to help and others don't. That's no fault of the parents as much as it is a circumstance that makes it really sometimes more difficult for a child to have the resources at his or her fingertips to be able to do the homework and support the homework

Contact School District of La Crosse807 East Avenue SouthLa Crosse, Wisconsin 54601(608) 789-7600https://www.lacrosseschools.org/Transcription is for SEO onlyThanks Randy, you know the challenges of the kids and the families are dealing with nowadays is a lot different than what I had to deal with with my other children as they were getting close to graduation. I got twins are graduating this year and is still, it's been different. I feel bad for the seniors in high school this year and I feel bad for the underclassmen as well because they don't have the opportunity to kinda learn from the older kids as their wrapping up the school year and I'm sure that you're probably seeing that throughout the entire school district in Trenton throughout the entire state throughout the entire country right now as we as kids are getting ready to ramp up for their next piece of life, but they haven't really had the chance to turn the pages of the last few chapters of this part of their life. Think this is one of the big challenges that were that everyone is having a not just here in our district but all over the place now and then that really is a lot about how do we come to closure. But how do we help our students come to closure. How do we get them poised and ready for the coming school year and there's a so many questions that go alongside of that. But what were looking at so many different perspectives to end the school year and in this, the graduation piece is one of the one that they were taking a look at now I we've Artie decided this. That's the best closing of summer school for June. That was rather easy to do because we were pretty much required to do that based on the last ordered that Gov. universe of made it doesn't require us to completely close school, but it does require us not to have face-to-face school through June 30. And so we will continue to support learners in this remote learning environment which some learners are finding really good works well for them and others are thinking. Boy that's not that's not gonna work well for me. So some of the face-to-face and small group things in the enrichment kinds of opportunities that we've typically had for June are not going to happen this year as a result of summer school and I were taking a look at July and getting into the July piece and we have not made any decisions in July and July happens to be our most prolific month when it comes to summer school about 80 different courses were running in July. Many of them good hands-on face-to-face kinds of classes and so we don't know the full disposition of that were moving forward and asking people to register as they have always registered for summer school, but it's very possible that summer school in July could be in jeopardy, as well. As we move forward. Read over were waiting for, the next shoe to drop on the state level or the county level or someone is okay, here's what's going to work. Now here's what we do love now here's of the, here's when the numbers are hears of the metrics are and so now here's what we can do next and so come to closure. I think has been a challenge for us. We are doing some adjusting with our curriculum as our teachers made this change from the classroom into the online environment they really had to step back our curriculum folks. We took the time to step back and say okay probably in this environment. This remote learning environment. The coverage of curriculum is not gonna be as broad as it would've been if we would've had you in classroom so actually what they did is they started working on what we would call power standards. No these are the tested standards. The most important standards that we have at the state level in each one of our content areas. Each grade level and support and have a focus on these and then what were trying to do is to make sure that we have a good degree of communication in place for the teachers for the students in the upcoming year so that they can catch up and they can they can pick up with some of the contents of the just a lot of pieces in this closure piece that need to happen, we see the school you're kind of ending now, but the kids that are finishing up the school year is here finishing up six grade now and the moving into seventh grade. There's probably going to be more of a ramp at the beginning of the school year next year to get the kids back into being in a classroom. I think we be kidding ourselves if we said that there wasn't going to be a lag but we certainly anticipate that the students who were sixth-graders this year are going to go on to grade 7 next year. We also know that due to this gap that we have in April and May of this year there's going to be a little bit a lag of the content and that's what were trying to make sure that we establish and that we document and communicate so that our teachers next year. Have a good chance to move this forward. I think our biggest challenge here along the way as we bring closure to this is there are some students who, despite our best of intentions have not reconnected with us since since March and so in a work and have to be talking a little bit there about what what and how. How do we help you reconnect and how does June look for you because we may have to do some online things in some remote things in June and maybe even July for you to be as ready as other students for our next fall

Contact School District of La Crosse807 East Avenue SouthLa Crosse, Wisconsin 54601(608) 789-7600https://www.lacrosseschools.org/Transcription is for SEO onlyThanks, Randy and his podcast and hoping you can give me your thoughts on academies. We talked about that in the past but exactly what makes an academy on a particular school district. We been working on academies mostly for grades 11 and 12. Probably her most prolific Academy. There is the health science Academy that's in its 10th year and I really started with conversations with folks at Gunderson and also with folks at mail and quickly turned into follow-up conversations with our higher end partners including UW well the turbo and Western what we did as we pulled together and experience for students in grades 11 and 12. It provides an opportunity for them to really good practical hands-on experience in the areas of the health science but we also have a construction academy and we also have an engineering Academy this year for the first times are really excited about these opportunities for students a couple of critical things that really need to happen inside of an Academy model forest. First some sort of a career focus. It's really helping our students get themselves immersed in a career or careers and help them sort out a little bit in their heads. Okay, I've experienced this enough. I don't want to do this or I love this and this is exactly what I want to do for it to be interdisciplinary is also important. We don't want them to take a class on health science just to take a class in health science we really want there to be some connections with other areas, whether it be mathematics or social studies or English language arts or science if it makes sense or physics, so we always want there to be some ways that the teachers who are involved in the program can collaborate with one another and they can provide lessons from several different perspectives of the children they go through the academies. They get all their regular classes even though they gone the Academy they still can graduate with the kids. They started kindergarten with absolutely. So what we've done is we've taken our English 11 English 12 classes to get brought right into an Academy situation. The teachers are given the opportunity that make changes to that curriculum to make it work inside of that particular Academy. So if the students are still getting their English credit there still getting a math credit and they might be getting this career in tech and credit that they're involved with, as well. Salted brings all the pieces together keeps a student on track to graduate but it brings a flavor of that work inside of it so it mathematics. For instance, think of all the mathematics you might find in a construction academy, especially in geometry, so the students are getting credit for that mathematics and while at the same time they're getting credit for understanding of the construction side of it and the safety side of it and how to build things, etc. maybe the physics out of it. There are a lot of components that all come together and students are getting multiple credit for doing this one thing inside of the Academy, which is typically two and half hours or so every morning is part of the schedule a couple of my children have gone to the construction academy at Central High School will now as a union carpenter. The other one graduates in 2020 and is interested in getting into construction as well because of the love of construction that they both learn through going to school. While this is what's really cool I think about the academies because not only is it about pulling together these content areas in math and science, and English language arts with something that's connected to a career, but it also allows some of our staff who really love these kinds of opportunities I can think of our teacher in the construction academy. I get tired. He loves this work and he loves being out at a site in working with the city to acquire this property in a build a house on this property and make this happen. P is in his element. When that happens. And even though sometimes he's got 16, 18 or 20 students walking around overexcited one time and people are using saws and power to other power tools. It's amazing what he gets done and he's in his element and he loves it so it's not just about the students having a good experience in connecting all these pieces it's about a teacher and teachers connected to this were also saying I love doing this. This is my passion. This is what I love to do regular talk about the success of these academies. We've had with school District of La Crosse. What kind of proof. Have you had that that these are working but you, especially in our health science Academy where we have most of our documented success. It's just about every single student when they graduate out of that health science Academy. They are pursuing some sort of a health related career and just about every student also receives some sort of a scholarship to help pursue that career moving forward if we use that is at least one of the litmus tests we really are burring the interest of students were helping them sort through opportunities and then helping them get on a path and bolt up the experience that they can get from the beginning to the end of a career pathway inside of that area sweetheart what engineering we talked about health science. We talked about construction academy any types of academies going forward. Really what we been doing is exploring some sort of a future teacher Academy. This is an area that we see is a challenge for us in education is having teachers ready to go, especially in some areas of licensure. Teachers are really difficult to find and so this could really make for us a chance to connect with students to tap a student on his shoulder see what kind of interest they may have when it comes to teaching and encourage those students with our own mentors to be able to have them be teachers anything amiss and I would say that another really important part when we put together academies to make sure that there are off-site learning experiences. We want to make sure that students are getting a chance to actually experience this kind of work hands-on outside of their high schools and someplace embedded inside of our community and in order to do that it brings on another part of our elements and that is to mature, that we have community business partners along the way. That's where students are getting the most hands-on experience sometimes is connecting and working with people who are doing these things for a living on a day in day out basis