Nurse’s Nook Receives $40,000 Grant from Bond Foundation

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation, Inc., has awarded a $40,000 grant to support Nurse’s Nook – a program that provides aid to children and families in need in all five school districts in Oconto County: Gillett, Suring, Oconto Falls, Oconto and Lena.

Nurse’s Nook provides students and their families with basic needs items including non-perishable food, personal hygiene products, clothing, medical supplies/devices and vouchers for transportation to medical appointments. Items are kept stocked within each of the school districts throughout the year and provided to students free-of-charge on an as-needed basis. Nurse’s Nook also offers an Adopt-A-Family Christmas program to provide families with winter necessities including boots, jackets, hats and gloves. It also offers a Weekend Food program which provides students a bag of nutritious food that contains enough items to allow them to make a full meal at home each week.

“We are immensely grateful to the Bond Foundation for their generous support of Nurse’s Nook and the children and families we serve here in Oconto County,” said Nuala Nowicki, founder of the Nurse’s Nook program. “These funds will allow us to maintain programming, purchase additional supplies and serve more families in Oconto County.”

This is the second Bond Foundation grant to be awarded to Nurse’s Nook. In 2018, it awarded Nurse’s Nook $30,000 which was used to help expand the program to the Oconto and Lena school districts.

Nurse’s Nook informally began in 2014 when Nuala, who is also a Prevea Health school nurse for the Gillett School District, recognized that poverty in the community was negatively impacting students’ abilities to learn and succeed in school. Today, Nurse’s Nook is an official program of HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, operated in collaboration with Nuala, Prevea Health and countless volunteers and donors who dedicate time and effort to collecting, organizing and distributing supplies.

The Nurse’s Nook program relies solely on support and donations from the community to operate. Anyone who would like to learn more information or donate to Nurse’s Nook should contact Debbie Hockers at (920) 433-8653 or email ewfriends@hshs.org.

Chamber Donates Toward Dog Park

dog park Oconto Falls
(L to R: Emily Gonnering, Gail Yatso, and excited visitor Luna Star)

The Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce recently donated $3,000 to the fundraising efforts of a dog park in Oconto Falls. Donations continue to come in after the project received approval from the Oconto Falls City Council. To date, the campaign has raised approximately $20,000.

Emily Gonnering, an Oconto Falls High School senior and Girl Scout is working toward her Gold Award by spearheading the creation of a dog park – from budgeting to fundraising to design concepts.

The Chamber supports the project because of its focus on being a healthy community. Oconto Falls was recently awarded the Bronze Level from the Wisconsin Health Communities – the only city receiving an award north of Appleton. “It’s with great pride to say that our community has been awarded such an honor. Oconto Falls offers so many wonderful opportunities and programs to make our lives healthier. With the addition of the Oconto Falls Dog Park, our furry family members can stay healthier, too. Playtime is a perfect way to spend time with our pups and get the exercise we both need. Great achievement, Emily!” stated Chamber President Gail Yatso.

HSHS St. Clare, Prevea Now Offer DOT Medical Exams in Oconto County

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital and Prevea Health now offer DOT medical exams at five locations throughout Oconto County: Oconto Falls, Suring, Gillett, Mountain and Lena.

A DOT medical exam is the evaluation required in order to operate a commercial vehicle in the United States. It is referred to as “medical fitness for duty” examination which ensures that each driver is capable and healthy enough to successfully complete the duties associated with commercial driving. DOT medical exams include vision, hearing, blood and urinalysis screenings, and are conducted by licensed medical examiners listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry.

“This is a convenient, local service for anyone needing to maintain or obtain their commercial driver’s license (CDL),” said Jennifer Gibbons, APNP, FNP-BC, who is one of four FMCSA-licensed medical examiners now seeing patients at HSHS St. Clare/Prevea Health locations throughout Oconto County. Others include: Janet Richlen, MPAS, PA-C; Clayton Keene, APNP, FNP-BC; and Erin Bancroft, APNP, FNP-C.

Appointments for DOT medical exams are now available at the following HSHS St. Clare/Prevea Health locations:

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Gillett Health Center
340 N. Green Bay Ave., Gillett
(920) 855-2823

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Lena Health Center
200 S. Rosera St., Lena
(920) 829-6400

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Mountain Health Center
14353 Hwy 32/64, Mountain
(715) 276-1600

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Oconto Falls Health Center
835 S. Main St., Oconto Falls
(920) 846-8187

HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital Prevea Suring Health Center
913 E. Main St., Suring
(920) 842-1147

Oconto Falls High School Senior Tea held May 1


Row 1: Caitlin Johnson, Samantha Shallow, Joslyn Tolzman, Adeline Pumplun, Charis Wirtley, Andrea Waschbisch, Addison Hatch, and Janna Jeske
Row 2: Emma Huberty, Breanna Sadowski, Amber Proctor, Katelyn Albrecht, Grace Williams, and Lydia Murphy-Hendricks
Row 3: Isabella Behnke, Mackenzie Staidl, Emily Gonnering, Paige Stapleton, Kaelyn Allen, and Laken Wall

The 68th annual Oconto Falls High School Senior Tea took place on Wednesday, May 1 at Grace Lutheran Church.

The event has been sponsored by the Oconto Falls Women’s Club since 1951 and was originally held at the Cook Memorial Library and area homes. In 1961, Grace Lutheran Church in Oconto Falls became its new location and has been the host site since that time!

The Senior Tea traditionally occurs on the first Wednesday in May and invites OFHS senior girls and their mothers or female guests to spend the evening sharing their accomplishments and dreams for the future. At this year’s event, snacks, desserts, and punch were served in the lower level of Grace Lutheran Church by the Oconto Falls Women’s Club members who coordinated the event, including President Romelle Delzer, Verna Peterson, Jeannie Waschbisch, Sally Holtz, Rachel Collar, Jeannie Peebles, and Laurie Fries.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by the Oconto Falls High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Singers, and several vocal soloists performing a variety of classical and musical theatre selections.