A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News April 2, 2007 - Celebrate three years of progress By Fred Siemers, for the Daily Tribune What is the Community Progress Initiative? Three years ago, many people were asking just that question. Community Foundation of South Wood County and Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance launched the Community Progress Initiative with the goal of creating a business-friendly culture and building a strong and positive community. Today, we are on the verge of celebrating the three-year anniversary and looking back on how much has been accomplished and how far we've come. More than 100 people have participated in entrepreneurial boot camps to gain the basic skills necessary to start or expand their businesses. To date, more than 30 businesses have opened their doors and 20 others have expanded. Sixty-one individuals have taken part in the Community Leadership Program and have developed such projects as the Snow Sculpture Spectacular, Downtown Classic Cinema Under the Stars and Community Care Day. These are two of the many programs within the Community Progress Initiative. It is programming like this that has garnered national attention for our area from many prestigious organizations, including the Ford Foundation. On April 17, Susan Berresford, Ford Foundation president, will be in attendance to help us celebrate our three-year anniversary. Susan was named by Forbes magazine in 2006 as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The Ford Foundation's support of the Community Progress Initiative makes a tremendous impact across various areas of programming that hundreds of volunteers have been involved in. We invite you to celebrate this overwhelming success with us April 17. Cocktails will begin at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the program honoring our community will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and must be purchased in advance by calling the Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance at 423-1830. Contributed by Fred Siemers, Community Foundation of South Wood County board member and Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance board member.
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