While the COVID19 pandemic has impacted all of us, especially hit hard have been our Veterans. Many were already suffering from service-related injuries or being challenged with mental health issues and limited incomes.
During the fall season of 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic flared up across the United States with an increased wave of new cases and deaths throughout the civilian and Veteran communities.
In early 2020, Energy Services Inc. (ESI)/ Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund (KWW/CF) opened an expanded Customer Care Center in Madison, Wi. The expanded space allows us to continue to be the primary place to turn for individuals that struggle to keep the heat and power on in crisis.
ESI was created in 1982 as a result of the ESI was created in 1982 as a result of the unfortunate hypothermia deaths of two seniors during a harsh Wisconsin winter, followed by another death in Dane County of a fragile elderly person from heatstroke during the summer.
Customer Care Specialists at the expanded Customer Care Center for ESI and KWW/CF take 1000’s of calls each day from those in need.
The Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund Golf Classic has been a major fundraising event for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund. The 19th Annual Golf Classic event held this past August was no exception. Even in a year when many events across the state were postponed or canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sprawling and well-manicured greens provided plenty of wide-open space for the event to move forward in a safe and socially distant manner.
Golfers at the 19th Annual KWW/CF Charity Golf Classic and Silent Auction shown here getting ready for a great day of golf in Lake Geneva, WI.
Now in its 7th year, Flannel Fest has become an annual celebration of local, regional and national Americana music benefitting the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund (KWW/CF). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, most live music events have had to postpone until 2021, or they have created virtual events on the internet. Flannel Fest 2020 did the latter, with a successful online and virtual Facebook Live music event held on November 21 that raised over $15,000 for KWW/CF thanks to a 2 to 1 match challenge. While the event was free for anyone to attend, donations were strongly encouraged via virtual tip jars.
Booths such as the one pictured above staffed by Noel Ayala of Heat for Heroes, help get information on vital assistance out to those Veterans in need.
Faced with the possibility of living in homelessness, a military veteran and family in Douglas County recently became one of the thousands of America’s heroes that Heat for Heroes has supported with life-changing assistance.
Read all about how Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund is helping people all around the state of Wisconsin.
There are many Waushara County residents that are struggling on fixed or limited incomes that find it difficult to keep pace with the high energy bills of the winter. Many homes also have furnaces that are faulty and have no means to repair or replace them. Energy Services for Waushara County is prepared to assist with these needs.
You do not have to be reluctant to ask for help, and just know that Energy Services is located at 220 N. Oakridge Court in Wautoma and they are committed to removing any artificial barriers to help you qualify for a Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance grant. Grant amounts and payments are determined by your energy costs, household size, income, dwelling type, etc. The approved payment is submitted directly to your utility or fuel company within a month of application.
To apply you will need 3 months of income statements, verification of your heating costs, identification docu-mentation such as your Social Security Card and photo ID. An example of the income guidelines is a household size of two with three-month income of $9,374 or if you are self employed an annual income of $37,496. The process to apply is easy and to schedule an appointment call 1-800-506-5596 or 920-787-1830. The team working at Energy Services is prepared help you in every way – you just have to make the initial contact.
Timothy Bruer, Founder and Executive Director of Wisconsin Energy Services, told the Argus Waushara County is one of the most challenging, with pride being such a barrier and the remote isolated households attempting to survive on their meager incomes. The County has some of the greatest unmet needs in Wisconsin. “To date Energy Services for Waushara County has served 1500 households in the county, a 15 percent increase over last year at this time, shortly we will have already served more households during February than we did all of last year,” Bruer said.
He also was quick to add there are still residents in Waushara County in need of assistance and wants those residents to reach out for help. “We are a Hand Up – Not a Hand Out” program and ready to assist households with the basic needs of heating their home. For those with high medical risks and/or energy costs, there are also additional resources available with the households payments to make those monthly utility costs much more affordable.
“With pride or lack of awareness of resources available we are also asking family, friends, and neighbors to come forth and let us know of a struggling household in need that you may be aware of,” Bruer added. We will work together to help gain all of the necessary information to make the process as painless as possible. We also realize with pride being a factor or if you homebound, no worries, we will make house calls by appointment, he added.
Bruer says his organization takes great pride in the fact that Waushara County has a 95 percent eligibility rate. The vast majority of recipients are the working poor with children under 6, elderly, disabled, and Veterans. He also said the fastest growing unmet need is with Veterans in Waushara County.
In addition to assisting with energy bills, Energy Services for Waushara County will help to determine if residents qualify for free home weatherization and furnace services provided by CAP Services. Upon completion of your Wisconsin Low Income Energy Assistance application, if eligible your household will be automatically considered for the services of the low-income weatherization pro-gram.
If you or someone you know needs energy assistance, don’t hesitate please call Energy Services for Waushara County today at 1-800-506-5596 or 920-787-1830 and remember it is a Hand Up – not a Hand Out.
Energy Services, Inc, the energy assistance program contact, is located at 514 Main Street in Friendship. Executive Director and founder of this nonprofit, Timothy Bruer, is passionate about the services it provides to Adams County. As a young community organizer in Dane County, Timothy Bruer was motivated to found Energy Services after recalling individuals who froze to death without heating, or suffered heatstroke without air conditioning. It is the fact that many people have to choose between paying for utilizes and food, or paying for medical care that makes Bruer passionate about helping people in our community.
Energy Services places a priority on young working families with children, the disabled, and the elderly especially veterans. Veteran organizations can encourage elderly veterans to come forward to receive assistance. Through Energy Services, Inc and the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund, the Heat for Heroes Campaign was launched. The Heat for Heroes Campaign with Wisconsin Home Energy Plus/Low Income Energy Assistance Program helps Veterans to alleviate life-threatening energy related emergencies through the use of energy assistance grants.
Bruer urges people to contact Energy Services before they are in a crisis situation. He said, “We want to help out folks who are struggling on inadequate incomes. Incomes have not kept pace with heating costs. Last year 1,435 households in Adams County were helped out by Energy Services. We bridge the gap between need and energy resources. Adams is unique because it has some of the most isolated and rural households and there are challenges to transportation. Some people are choosing between eating and heating. Energy Services is here as a hand up instead of a hand out. We want to help empower people to take control over their basic needs.” Bruer is putting out a call to action for family members, friends, neighbors, workplaces, and other community members to identify those who are in need and tell them about Energy Services.
Through Energy Services, qualifying applicants may receive energy assistance along with home weatherization assistance. Resolution to utility issues are usually resolved in 30 days or less. The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) provides a one-time payment during the heating season. A household may be eligible for crisis assistance if they have no heat, have received a disconnect notice from the heating vendor, or are nearly out of fuel and do not have the money to purchase more. WHEAP emergency heating system assistance can provide services to eligible home owners if the furnace or boiler stops operating during the heating season.
The Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund, a charitable arm of Energy Services bridges the gap not met through grants from about 17,000 annual donors. Utilities and energy providers cooperate with Energy Assistance so no one has to be burdened with heating and cooling costs.
An application can be completed in about fifteen minutes. Applicants can call the local service center to schedule an appointment and need to provide required information such as three months of income verification and their utility records from their landlords. Energy Services can do home visits for those who are ambulatory homebound. Reach out to Energy Services for Adams County at 608-339-6767 and see how they can help you with your energy needs
