Kenosha News presents 2023 wish lists of community organizations

"As we have done in previous years, Kenosha News has requested "wish lists" from local agencies that support our community so our readers can extend their gift-giving to include these fine organizations."

The full article is located at https://infoweb-newsbank-com.eref.kenosha.lib.wi.us/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/19583CFC4EAE0A98

Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha

1330 52nd St., Kenosha
Phone 262-653-7302

• Sensory table
• Tie-dye supplies (including white t-shirts in youth sizes)
• Storage bins and toy boxes
• Headphones (no earbuds)
• Snow pants and boots
• Playdoh and accessories
• Pencils and pens
• Coloring supplies (markers, colored pencils, crayons, oil pastels)
• Acrylic paints and watercolors
• Construction paper and cardstock
• White paper
• Hobby Lobby gift cards
• Walmart gift cards
• Amazon gift cards
• Rugs (new or gently used)

________

ELCA Outreach Center

6218 26th Ave., Kenosha; 
Phone 262-652-5545

• Diapers (especially sizes 5 & 6)
• Baby wipes
• Feminine hygiene products
• Warm hats, gloves, mittens
• Copier paper
• Personal Care Items
• Coffee
• Sugar
• Creamer
• Coffee cups
• Prayers for all those who are homeless and hungry

________

Grace Welcome Center

2006 60th Ave.; 
Phone 262-654-9143

• Men's Thermal Long Underwear -- L-XXL
• Men's Ski Gloves -- XL-XXL
• Men's Warm Boots -- sizes 9-13
• Sleep Bags (Zero Degrees)
• Men's Underwear -- L & XL
• Men's T-Shirts -- XL
• Hygiene Items:
• Shampoo (pump)
• Conditioner (pump)
• Body Wash (pump)
• Women's Hygiene Pads
• Men's Deodorant
• Lotion
• Toilet Paper
• Food Items:
• Jelly
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Beef Stew
• Canned Tuna/Chicken
• Hamburger Helper
• Soup
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Side Dishes (rice, pasta, potatoes)
• Carts w/ Wheels
• Monetary Donations can be made online at www.GraceWelcomeCeneter.org or by check to the welcome center.

________

Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha

6203 28th Ave., Kenosha; 
Phone 262-925-0360

• Foldable ladders
• Mobile scaffolding for 8-foot ceilings
• Extension cords; 12 gauge
• 7¼ circular saw blades
• Misc Sawzall blades
• Heavy duty, XL, construction tarps
• (4) Construction slap staplers
• (4) Single basement utility tubs
• (1) 80 lb flooring roller
• (8) Utility storage bins (black with yellow lid)
• Painting supplies: rollers, brushes, pans, drop cloths, etc.
• Safety equipment: gloves, safety glasses, etc.
• Contractor garbage bags

Common office supplies:

• Paper clips, staples, printer paper, etc.
• Cleaning supplies & paper towels

Volunteer Recognition Items:

• Prepackaged, shelf-stable snacks (granola bars, nuts, chips, pretzels)
• Cases of bottled water
• Bottled Gatorade or drink packets
• (2) Coolers for build sites and special events

Other Items:

• Menards Gift Cards or unused Menards rebates (to purchase building materials/supplies)
• Lowe's Gift Cards (to purchase building materials/supplies)
• Monetary donations are always appreciated.

________

Hope Council

6103 39th Ave., Kenosha;
Phone 262-658-8166

Youth Programs (ages 0-16)

• Board games
• Puzzles
• Barbies/dolls
• Toy cars/trucks
• Play kitchen food/dishes/pots & pans
• Lite-Brite + refills
• Construction paper
• Coloring Books
• Crayons
• Markers
• Glue sticks
• All art supplies
• Mini play dough cups
• Pocket folders
• 5x7 rug (kids pattern/colors)
• AA or AAA batteries

Teen Programs (ages 13-17)

• Fast food gift cards ($5 or $10)
• Amazon/Target/Walmart gift cards ($5 or $10)
• Motivational/fun stickers
• Individually wrapped snacks (chips, granola bars, trail mix)
• Small Gatorade drink bottles

Adult Support Groups

• Book - Baffled By Addiction? (Dr. Ed Hughes)
• NA Basic Text
• AA Big Book

Building/maintenance/office

• Postage stamps
• Disinfecting wipes
• Isopropyl Alcohol (any size, including gallon)
• Dustbuster-style handheld vacuum
• #10 envelopes (non-window or window)
• Copy paper
• 3-part receipt books
• Bottled water
• Paper Towel (multi-fold or rolls)
• Toilet Paper
• Lopper/hedge/pruning tools
• Ortho Ground Clear spray
• Ortho Home Defense spray
• Kitchen-size garbage bags
• Contractor garbage bags
• Vornado space heater
• Menards/Lowe's gift cards
• New driveway/parking lot (best tax-deductible donation ever!)

________

Hospice Alliance

10220 Prairie Ridge Blvd., Pleasant Prairie;
Phone 262-652-4482

• Visa / Amazon Gift Cards to be used for our Complementary Therapies/Connections program
• Visa Gift cards to purchase sheet music for Music Therapy
• Combination lock boxes for medications
• USB drives and recordable CDs for loading music
• Jingle Sticks
• Small-frame drums
• Small bottles of lotion
• Dishwasher-safe covered cups/lightweight with lids for Hospice House patients

________

KAFASI

7730 Sheridan Road, Kenosha;
Phone 262-764-7238

Volunteers

• Books about diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Kwik Trip gift cards for volunteer incentives
• Grocery store gift cards for incentives
• New toys, unwrapped, for our Family Service Christmas party
• Monetary Donations

Items for our Wellness Room

• Stress Balls
• Books on Wellness
• Plants
• Puzzles
• Heated Eye Massager for Stress
• Neck Massager

________

Kenosha Achievement Center

1218 79th St., Kenosha;
Phone 262-658-9500

• $10 gift cards for local restaurants and retail stores for use in holiday baskets for adults with disabilities
• New board books appropriate for toddlers
• Acrylic paint sets for adults
• 10x14 canvases
• Craft paintbrush sets
• Foam paint brush sets
• 200-piece puzzles for adults
• Oven bake or air dry clay
• 8-ounce wide-mouth mason jars with lids

________

Safe Families for Children

3626 Hwy 31, Racine;
Phone 262-221-8804

• $100 grocery cards (Walmart, Pick 'n Save, Piggly Wiggly, please no Woodman's as that is too far away)
• $30 Gas Cards (again, no Woodman's)
• $100 gift cards (to buy Christmas gifts at Walmart, Amazon, or Target)

________

Sharing Center Inc.

25700 Wilmot Road, Trevor;
Phone 262-298-5535

• Fresh yams and potatoes
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Soups and Stews
• Flour & Sugar
• Pasta
• Hot Cereal
• Cinnamon Powder
• Cold medicine
• Chapstick
• Warm weather-proof gloves for adults and children
• 2X-5X men's and women's clothing
• Children's pajamas 5T-22 plus and adult sleep pants in all sizes
• Prayers of peace for our participants, our community, and the world

________

Shalom Center

4314 39th Avenue, Kenosha;
Phone 262-658-1713

• Funding to assist in fixing the Soup Kitchen Oven
• Operation donations for Shelter
• $10 Gas/Gift cards
• Men/Women Body wash
• Men/Women Lotion
• Razors for men
• Shaving cream
• Garbage Bags (all sizes)
• Laundry Detergent (Tide Pods Preferred)
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towel
• Men's Undershirts (Size L – XXL Preferred)
• Men's Boxes (Size L – 2XL Preferred)
• Men's and women's scrubs (all sizes)
• Shower Shoes/Flip Flops (men and women sizes 7 and up)
• Jelly
• Cereal
• Nonperishable canned goods

________

Society's Assets

5455 Sheridan Road, Suite 101, Kenosha;
Phone 262-657-3999

• Laundry Detergent
• Fabric Softener Sheets
• Laundry Baskets
• Gift Cards for Groceries
• Gift Cards for Gas
• Household Paper Products (Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Facial Tissues)
• Personal Hygiene Products (Shampoo, Bath Soap, Toothpaste)
• Bath Items (Shower Curtain, Large and Small Towels)

________

United Way of Kenosha County, Inc.

5500 6th Ave., Suite 210, Kenosha;
Phone 262-671-2207

• White paper - letter size 8.5x11
• Sticky notes 3"x3" and larger
• Wide and large rubber bands
• Pens - black, blue, red ink
• Jumbo paper clips
• Binders - any size
• Staplers
• Staples
• Disinfecting wipes
• Napkins
• Variety of snacks – mini packs of crackers, chips, cookies, etc.
• Stickers, Sticker Sheets
• K-Cup pods
• Legal Pads
• New or Gently Used Children's Books (K-3)
• Composition Notebooks
• Misc. School Supplies
• Fidget Toys

________

Wagner Family Fire Fund

PO Box 73, Salem;
Phone 262-843-4685

• Monetary donations to be put toward the purchase of clothing gift cards
• $35 – $40 gift cards to fast food restaurants throughout Kenosha County

________

Walkin' In My Shoes
Bunker Coffee House for Vets

2211 50th St., Kenosha;
Phone 262-577-5218

• Any Ocean Spray 6 pack/10 fl oz size bottles of:
• Cranberry Juice, Cran-Grape, Cran-Apple, Cran-Mango, Cran-Tropical
• Mott's 100% Original Apple Juice
• Minute Maid or Tropicana – 8 fl oz each
• Minute Maid Orange Juice Drinks – 10 fl oz each
• V8 Original 100% Vegetable Juice – 5.5 fl oz or 11.5 fl oz each
• Bottled Water – 8 oz each
• Folgers Black Silk Roast Coffee – Dark Roast
• Coffee Mate 22 oz size Original Powdered Creamer, French Vanilla, and/or Hazelnut
• Laundry detergent
• Downy Wrinkle Fresh Fabric Softeners or Downy Dry sheets
• Clorox Bleach
• Clorox All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach Spray Bottle
• Clorox Toilet Wand Disinfecting Refills
• Disposable Wand Heads
• Bounty Paper Towel
• Angel Soft Toilet paper
• Tall kitchen trash bags
• Large black trash bags
• Windex glass cleaner
• Monetary donations

________

Women and Children's Horizons

2525 63rd St., Kenosha;
Phone 262-652-9900

• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Laundry Detergent
• Paper Towels
• Toilet Paper
• Trash Bags – 3-gallon and 13-gallon
• Kitchen and Bathroom Towels
• Dish Soap
• Blankets
• Children's Toys/Board Games
• Undergarments
• Toiletries – shampoo/conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair styling product
• Canned goods

NEWS STAFF, K. (2023, November 24). Your chance to help: Kenosha News presents 2023 wish lists of community organizations. Kenosha News: Web Edition Articles (WI). Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.eref.kenosha.lib.wi.us/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/19583CFC4EAE0A98.

Bright Spot Holiday Edition Day 3

From Brandee: "I would like to thank the uptown staff, Kahlil, Claudia, and Joe and everyone who comes over to take shifts. You guys all make the library a wonderful place to work. I enjoy working with each and everyone of you and it really shows that when we service our patrons here at uptown. We have had so many families and children visiting uptown recently and it has been a pleasure to see the impact we have had in the community. "

From Heather: "I'm so grateful for all of the incredibly hardworking, relentlessly creative, and deeply compassionate team members in Youth & Family Services. They bring such energy, joy, and humor with them to work every day. I'm constantly impressed by their passion and dedication to their jobs--especially on the hard, exhausting days. Thank you for everything you do, YFS Team! You are all the shiniest of stars.
Southwest YFS had several desk coverage gaps in the past month or so. Shannon and her team stepped up to help cover them all! I am so grateful to each and every staff member who jumped right in to do kid-based reference and readers' advisory, give endless clues for the scavenger hunt, refill coloring sheets and crafts, help keep everything tidy, and deal with the near-constant noise of the children's room. Thank you so much."

From Janet: "My nomination is not just one person, but the whole crew here at Northside. I am so lucky to be working with such friendly and compassionate folks. We all work well together and enjoy each other's company. It's a pleasure to work with them every day."

From Lisa L:"Gabe arrives in the morning, a quiet kind of guy, while many are still just waking up. He does his walk around NS and puts things in order before beginning his cleaning routine. He is missed on his days off, the job he does is appreciated and we notice his attention to the smallest details. I am lucky enough to witness the pride he takes doing his job. I for one am very grateful that we have him on our team. Thanks for keeping us clean.
Jeff is great! He can accommodate almost any request from any staff member. In my opinion, he excels at finding solutions for staff. No request is too big, no solution too small. If it breaks, Jeff will try to fix it.
When the Youth Outreach Collection moved to the garage, Jeff made the transition as easy as possible. From putting up shelving to making sure there was a ladder for access, He was even willing to relocate his spiders. When my materials break through eager children’s attention, or they just wear out, or they get damaged in transport, Jeff is alway willing to find a solution. From the tiniest screwdrivers to the best location to plug in the computer. Jeff is willing to go with the flow and makes life for the rest of us better. Jeff is a great coworker, when I need random things for outreach, he never asks me what I could possibly need it for, but cheerfully points me in the right direction. Thanks Jeff for your thoughtful support.
I am very thankful for the Outreach Team. We all have the same goal, Serve the community to the best of our ability, but we each do it in a very individual way. Dan - during the day, only he can drive the BKM, he does it cheerily and makes every trip the best possible. Amy - Columbus Park - your storytimes, your trips to the county - all of your marketing skills (displays) you inspire me! Hillary & Kristen - you make things run smoothly and really know your patrons! Nate, thanks for working those evenings at the BKM stops. Harbor Market and the special events are a time when you shine and represent the best of what outreach can be. Thanks for working all of those weekends! And Marcia - You encourage us to keep trying new things. You encourage us to be the best we can be. You find our strengths and encourage us to play to them. You team us up when we need support and you shoo us away when we need to go home…You all make it look so easy, and I know it is a very difficult job, loading up, unloading, timing, weather, mechanical issues, working with children, families, classes, daycares, seniors, the homebound you all make such a positive impact on our community!"

From Shannon: "I'd like to give my SW branch staff kudos again for their perseverance this year. I know it wasn't easy for them to keep up with my multiple maps, mind-bending math and blue tape madness during the flooring project. Now that the dust has settled, I sometimes still find that tape peeking out somewhere and it makes me smile (remember when the range of CDs almost tipped over on the movers? Good times!) I love giving tours of our building now because it gets lots of compliments and they deserve it. "

From Hillary S. "I would like to give a shout-out to Dan Sommerfeld and Nate Herrera, our awesome Bookmobile drivers! Without their valuable skill sets as CDL drivers and their dedication to KPL, we wouldn't have near the presence and impact that we do in the community! We appreciate you!
I would also like to give a shout-out to Heather Thompson. I have known Heather for a few years by way of participating in KPL programs with my children. Heather has a way of connecting with youth and their families--facilitating book discussions, creating activities and crafts and inspiring others to read...Heather pours a lot into programming and our library experience has been greatly enhanced because of her time and talents! Thank you for everything you do! "

Bright Spots Holiday Edition Day 2

From Aliyah:"I'd like to give Claudia at Uptown praise, while we haven't had a cleaner in the mornings she's really gone above and beyond to keep up with all the cleaning at uptown, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, checking the trash, she really is an amazing worker!"

From Joe: "I would like to send a big shout out and thanks to all my fellow staff at Uptown! Thank you for all the support and understanding when I take over the desk with all my crafts and program materials! Also a big thanks to all of YFS for supporting me over this first year here at KPL, I could not have made Uptown YFS as awesome as it is without all of you helping me along the way!"

From Barb: Shout out to Dan who has worked hard this year to reduce our trash and use more environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals. One of the most innovative ways he's made an impact is by purchasing a leaf sweeper that empties right into the trash receptacle, eliminating the need for wasteful plastic bags. 

From Kahlil: "I want to highlight the work of the staff at UPT and SI. Everyone works hard to satisfy patrons, going over and beyond at times, which makes my job easier and keeps my spirits high. They truly mean a lot to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world besides a trillion dollars!"

Bright Spots Holiday Edition Day One

I want to begin by thanking everyone for their Bright Spot nominations all year. It's really impactful to take a minute and send a word of praise to someone you work with and let them know that what they do matters to you and to the people we serve. So this week we have a very special Thanksgiving edition. I hope you see your name here, either as the person sending praise or receiving recognition. We All contribute to the success of KPL and to the success of our community and all of you matter! 

From Elliott:

"Hi friends,
I just want to shout out any YFS rockstars at NS who have been helping Maria Maravilla out. She came in today and mentioned that while she didn't recognize me (understandable as I am only here once a month), many YFS folks here had been helping her find books. English is her second language, and children's materials have been very helpful for her in learning the language and to read English. She particularly likes true stories, and said she had been learning so much from the books we had been giving her. She typically asks for 12-15 books at a time and she was so excited to share some of the cool things she had been learning.
Maria was really excited to learn about historical figures and major events that she didn't know about. She said getting these books was great to help her work on her English, but also was like getting to go to school and learn. I speedran getting her a selection today because she only had about 5 minutes before she needed to leave for church, but she was very excited to read about the people and events I grabbed for her.
Maria was just so beyond grateful for all the help we provide. It was a really positive interaction and I want to shout out the amazing work everyone has been doing to go above and beyond with readers' advisory for this patron. Way to go the extra mile to improve ESL literacy and incorporate some major general education along with it!
I love that I work with such major rockstars!"

Also from Elliott:
"I want to shout out Zander and Karen, who made sure we had a plan in place for a 12 year old at SW at closing on Friday. I was in the teen space making sure the other four teens had rides arranged or had plans otherwise on places to go. Zander let me know that there was a 12 year old teen who might not have a ride by 6:15. He had already arranged with Karen to make sure at least two of us could stay until the teen was picked up. I also volunteered to stay (Karen and I worked Saturday and could flex a few minutes if needed), and sat with the teen until their ride got here - which was thankfully before 6:15. I am so glad that we had a quick plan in place already by the time I met the teen, and that we were all so willing to make sure they got home safe. Grateful to have such a flexible and compassionate set of coworkers looking out for our young friends!"

From Tessa:

"I'm so thankful to have Jennifer as our NS branch manager. Her leadership manifests itself in many ways, including Northside's supremely executed responsive displays to timely events or further marketing library resources/new formats people may be unaware of. I so greatly appreciate her efforts for clear communication to her staff, both in email and face-to-face. She really has a knack for looking at the big picture while simultaneously focusing on the small details that create a big service impact to our patrons and for KPL (especially NS) staff. Yay Jennifer!
I must also acknowledge "the Wolf to my Fox" - Shawn amazes me with her creativity and early education expertise on a daily basis. Her background in child development and early education is such a valuable resource to the families we serve. Youth & Family Services would be lacking such an important star without Shawn's hard (and fun) work ethic!"

From Claudia:

"I actually love working with all the SI/UP staff. They all are helpful to our patrons and go the extra mile. Kahlil is a great boss too! He cares about the patron's and us."

New Assistant Director Chosen

I am delighted to announce that we have chosen an Assistant Library Director. Congratulations to Brandi Cummings! Brandi will begin her new role Monday morning and will continue to manage CPP during our search for her replacement. Thanks to Michelle and the full leadership team for their participation in the selection process.

Congratulations to Shannon for winning another collection grant from UW's Center for East Asian Studies. The $1,000 grant will add a PopAsia collection at Uptown.

Congrats to Heather and team for grant funding to host a series of programs called Thinking Money for Kids!

This week's Bright Spots:

From Brandi:

"I want to nominate Emily Kastelic for a bright spot this week. Emily has been running our Call In Book Club, a partnership with KAFASI where people who may have trouble getting out of the house can call into a shared line and engage in a book discussion. This program is nearly invisible to the rest of us, but Emily's impact is great. The members love getting together to chat about the titles they read, and I am so proud that this is a service Emily is providing to part of our community that can often be overlooked. Great work, Emily!"

From Barb:

Brandi has been a Bright Spot in this organization since the day she joined us 15 years ago, and through the years she has worked hard to learn and grow in every position she's taken, often spearheading projects outside the confines of her position description and always lending a hand to others. Today marks the culmination of her efforts. She has gained the trust and friendship of her colleagues and earned her place as the new Assistant Director with a 100% vote of confidence from the interview team. There is no one who loves KPL more and I am confident that she will shine in her new role. Please join me in congratulating her and offering your full support as she takes this next step in her successful career.

KPL Honored on the National Stage Again!

Congratulations to all of you for receiving Honorable Mention in the Jerry Kline Community Impact Award national competition! Only one library was selected and only 2 libraries received honorable mention from all the applications submitted from across the country. Read the lovely profile in Library Journal  Once again, KPL shines brightly, a beacon for other libraries to follow. Because it isn't just hard work that gets you this type of award, it's big hearts and a lot of courage, something KPL sure has a lot of! Your community is proud of you and so is your library board and your director- Congratulations on an honor well deserved!

Congratulations to Brandi for wowing her audience at the annual Library Marketing conference which was held this week in Columbus, Ohio. Way to shine!

We'll be hosting candidates from Ohio and Texas to interview for the Assistant Director position this coming week. Please be sure to introduce yourself and make them feel welcome. We're also delighted to have an internal candidate. Good luck to them all!

We'll participate in the State Parks Pass program again this year and we've expanded to a multitude of passes for checkout including Betty Brin Children's Museum, Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum. You can discover them all in the catalog by using the term "experience pass." 

Have a warm and restful weekend, everyone!

Barb

One Retirement and Lots of Bright Spots!

Kristin Kornkven has announced her retirement date as December 30, 2023. Hired in April 2000, Kristin has been a faithful member of the Simmons Neighborhood Library team for most of her career at KPL. We will miss her terribly and hope to see her often reading all those books she's meant to get to for the last 23 years.

Lots of Bright Spots again this week:

From Karen: 

"I'd like to nominate Langsdorf (and Mitchell) for a Bright Spot award this week.
Lisa Langsdorf and Mitchell are amazing! I asked her if she had a treasure chest that I could borrow for a program this week. After getting off work on Monday, she went home and got the one that her son, Mitchell had and she came right back to work to give it to me. Thank you Lisa and Mitchell! "

From Megan:
" I would like to nominate Karen and Joe in YFS for a Bright Spot Award for helping me deliver the Light the Way grant collection items to Shalom this morning. Karen covered the desk so that Joe could help me load bookshelves and drive them over to Shalom. Joe also assembled all three shelves for me, which was really helpful.
I would also like to nominate CS, especially Tara, for ordering and receiving all the items for me and answering my questions about the process.
I would like to also nominate Aaron for creating the stickers and signage for the project. "

From Barb: Megan is my Bright Spot this week, as her Light the Way grant funded the deposit collections you see here at Shalom and also at Women's and Children's Horizons. Her kind heart will bring sunshine into the lives of children and families in their darkest hours. Thank you, Megan!