MOVING FORWARD
A Note From Our Incoming Board President
A hearty congratulations to our community of Beloit Meals on Wheels volunteers for a very successful year. We are serving more clients than ever and continue to make ends meet. Over 500 of you make sure our home-bound seniors receive a nutritious daily meal regardless of their ability to pay. Not only that, but your visit is a safety check that provides human contact to many who live and spend a great deal of time alone. This next year will mark the 25th anniversary of our Executive Director, Marcy Berner-Reedy. Her enthusiasm for the program is unparalleled. That fact is recognized by the Meals on Wheels Association of American who have elected her to their board of directors the past few years. That contact with Washington, D.C. provides Beloit with a voice in the battle over ever-dwindling federal subsidies through the Older Americans Act. When I first came to serve on this board in 2005, government funding covered 42 percent of operations. This year it will only represent 28 percent. Knowing how tight those dollars are, Marcy has lead the charge locally with grant writing and a number of very successful fundraisers, with the support of generous community businesses and volunteers.
I could not be prouder of the hard work our Board of Directors puts in to make sure this program does not operate in the red. United Way Blackhawk Region, Gifts of Love, and March for Meals continue to fill in gaps. Our planned giving program is growing and will someday become a significant source of funding.
On a personal note, I would like to thank our past President, Larry Kane, for his years of leadership during the program’s most successful time. My guess is that few readers even know who Larry is because of the quiet way he goes about his business. However, Larry obviously knows how to get things done Let us all continue working hard on this important task.
— Jeff Johnson, 2014-15 Board President
