• Virtual Office Volunteer of the Year, Randi Hartwig
• Retired Volunteer of the Year, Jon Krueger
• Committee of the Year, Peoples State Bank
• Advocate of the Year, Donna Ambrose, The Neighbors’ Place 
• Dedication to Service, Ruth Hebbe, Faith in Action 
• Campaigner of the Year, Laural Harder, North Central Health Care
• Media Partner, WAOW News 9
• Volunteer of the Year, Dr. Swati Biswas, Marshfield Clinic 
• Partners in Caring, Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin
• Live United, J & D Tube Benders
• Special Project Recipient - Marathon County Health Department

International Women’s Day, March 8, is a global movement to honor the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year we are highlighting women on our Facebook Page by celebrating the power of mentoring. Did you know? 17 of our 30 volunteer board members are women. Click here for nine ways you can create change.

Adopt A Classroom, a volunteer project to enhance literacy in children, begins its sixth year this March. Companies and local businesses or individuals can sponsor a kindergarten classroom and provide supplies for students. Kits are pre-packaged to promote reading and literacy. Adopt A Classroom kits will be delivered to approximately 1,000 students at the Wausau School District, DC Everest, Edgar, Marathon, Mosinee, Newman Catholic and St. Mary’s Schools. Click here to Adopt a Classroom! 

United Way of Marathon County is committed to ensuring that people can easily and accurately file their taxes to receive the refunds and credits they deserve. By using www.myfreetaxes.com you can file state and federal returns for free. MyFreeTaxes is the largest free, online tax filing product offered by a nonprofit. United Way makes this service available as part of our fight for the financial stability of every person in every community.

United Way of Marathon County uses data, including the Wisconsin ALICE Report, to determine community needs and make investment decisions. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but less than the state’s basic cost of living. The report calls this the ALICE Threshold. In total, 600,626 of Wisconsin households (~26%) are ALICE, while another 271,935 (~12%) earn below the FPL. Thirty-eight percent of Wisconsin’s 2.3 million households struggle to afford basic needs like housing, childcare, food and transportation. We support evidence based programs with measurable outcomes so you can have confidence in your investment in United Way.