Salad Luncheon and Love Basket Auction Feb. 9

Love_BasketsThe Oconto Falls-area community is invited to the annual Salad Luncheon and Love Basket Silent Auction, hosted by the HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and employees of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 9 at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, 855 S. Main St. in Oconto Falls.

The luncheon will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the hospital’s Dining Room and will feature the Auxiliary’s famous hot chicken salad, as well as a wide variety of hot and cold salads, sliced ham, cheese, rolls, coffee, milk and desserts. Tickets are $9 at the door for all you care to eat. For more information on the Salad Luncheon or to make group reservations, contact Mary Lemmen at (920) 846-2322 or Hope Hrabik at (920) 373-5774.

In support of the Auxiliary’s Salad Luncheon on Feb. 9, employees of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital will host the Love Basket Silent Auction in the HSHS St. Clare Assisi Room from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the same day.

“You can enjoy lunch with family and friends at the Salad Luncheon and also do some shopping for one of our unique, love-themed baskets,” said Lisa Terry, Credentialing Specialist for HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.

Themes for baskets vary from year to year. Popular baskets from previous years have included I Love the Packers, I Love Wine, I Love Gardening and I Love Birds. In addition to the silent auction for the baskets, raffle tickets are sold for love-themed bucket raffles. Bidding on the Love Baskets and raffle ticket sales begin at 9 a.m. For more information about the Love Basket Silent Auction or to donate a basket, call Lisa Terry at (920) 848-6348.

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Auxiliary, which raises money for health care improvements at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.

Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities encourages small business customers

A message from Lisa Miotke.

Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities encourages small business customers to take advantage of the Main Street Efficiency Program which can provide funding assistance for efficiency upgrades such as lighting, heating & cooling systems, motors, drives, food service equipment, energy management controls, among others for our small business customers.

This program is designed to remove some of the financial barriers for small businesses looking to make changes to reduce energy usage.
For qualifying projects, the utility will match incentives from Focus on Energy, the statewide energy efficiency program, up to 60% of the project cost. Additional low-cost financing is available through the utility’s Shared Savings Program.

Business owners or managers served by Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities may contact the utility’s Energy Services Representative, Lisa Miotke, at 920-254-8931 to learn more about the program or other services provided by OFMU.

Brochure Details

2017 Wisconsin Choral Directors Association All-State Choir

The Oconto Falls High School Choir was proud to have students selected for the prestigious 2017 Wisconsin Choral Directors Association All-State Choir.

Representing Oconto Falls High School in the Men’s Choir were three juniors—Camden Jackson, son of Jeff & Pam Jackson; Hunter Ryczek, son of GinnyDunsworth and Chad Ryczek; and Peter Murphy, son of Candice Behnke and Steven Murphy.

The 120-voice All-State Men’sChoir performed Brightest and Best arranged by Shawn Kirchner, Zion’s Walls by Aaron Coplan, Black is the Color byConnor Koppin, The God Who Gave Us Life by Randall Thompson, and We Rise Again by Leon Dubinsky and Stephen Smith. They gave an exceptional performance at the historic Grand Theater in Wausau to a sold-out audience and received a standing ovation.

The director for the All-State Men’s Choir was Dr. Lee Nelson, Director of Choral Activities at Wartburg College in Iowa. “He treated us like we were his own choir. His knowledge and the skills he showed us were incredibly useful,” commented Camden Jackson. When asked to reflect on their experience, HunterRyczek commented that “It is amazing—the difference in sound when everyone is so passionate about the same thing.” Peter Murphy added that “It feels amazing to be surrounded by the greatest and most talented men in the state.”

The students were nominated by OFHS Choral Director Amy Thiel. They rehearsed on Friday and Saturday, January 6-7, before their final performance as part of the WCDA State Choral Convention.

Jennifer Longsine, daughter of David and Diane Longsine and Lillian Olson, daughter of Gary and Barbara Olson, were also selected to participate in the Women’s All-State Choirs, but were unable to participate in the performance due to illness. The Women’s Choir was directed by Rhonda Vieth Ruelberth, Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Hospital Celebrates Opening of Welcome Center

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce the opening of its Welcome Center, located inside the hospital’s main entrance. The Welcome Center at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is staffed by friendly volunteers to provide patients and visitors hospital campus directions, information and wheelchair needs.

The Welcome Center at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, a non-profit hospital, was made possible thanks to a generous donation from ST Paper in Oconto Falls. Construction began in September 2016 and was completed in November. On Wednesday, Dec. 21, hospital colleagues, volunteers and ST Paper representatives gathered to celebrate and bless the
opening of the Welcome Center.

“Our hospital campus is growing as we continue to add new services and technology to meet the health care needs of our community,” said Dan DeGroot, Chief Operating Officer at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. “The Welcome Center serves as a touchpoint for all of our services and enhances the experience for patients and visitors the moment they
come through our doors.”

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is in need of more volunteers to staff the Welcome Center. Those interested should contact Regina Boettcher, Volunteer Services, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital at (920) 848-3648.

Slip-and-fall injuries due to icy conditions

Slip-and-fall injuries due to icy conditions are a common occurrence during Wisconsin winter months. To prevent injury, consider the following tips from HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital and its partner, Prevea Health.

 

  1. Walk like a penguin.Waddle and keep your center of gravity over your front leg. Raise your arms slightly for balance, keep your hands out of your pockets and your feet pointed slightly apart.
  2. Wear shoes or boots with traction.
  3. Be careful when entering or exiting a vehicle.
  4. Assume that all surfaces are slippery.
  5. Stay on designated pathways.
  6. Apply salt or sand to slippery surfaces, but keep in mind that salt will only melt if the temperature is 20 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.

Snow can also be a safety hazard this time of year. For tips on safe snow removal, click here.

Broken and/or Unwanted Christmas Lights

Christmas LightsHSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is accepting broken and/or unwanted Christmas lights between now and Friday, Jan. 13, 2017.

Anyone who would like to drop off their unwanted working or non-working Christmas lights can leave them next to the small electronics recycling box on the Ground Floor near the entrance to the cafeteria at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, located at 855 S. Main St. in Oconto Falls.

“Millions of Christmas lights are discarded each year in the United States,” said Dan Rocheleau, Campus and Sustainability Facilitator at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. “Many people do not know that Christmas lights can be recycled, and we encourage others to do their part in keeping this recyclable product out of our landfills.”

The Christmas light collection is sponsored by The Green Team – a group of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) – Eastern Wisconsin Division colleagues that share the common goal of identifying, educating and implementing sustainability programs that support the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis’ mission of reverence for the earth.