It Takes A Village - 40 weeks of Giving

11/13/2025

Hello Community Members! In this season of giving, we are grateful for all of the organizations, non-profits, churches, and community service groups that call West Salem home. Your efforts don't go unnoticed! In just over a week, our 2025 giving campaign "It Takes a Village-40 Weeks of Giving, comes to an end. If you have been saving $1 per week for the past 39 weeks your efforts are almost complete! If you would still like to donate and/or would like to give the full 40 weeks of contributions ($40), that is definitely possible! Donation boxes will be in place until next Saturday (November 22nd) and are located at the Village Hall, First National Bank-West Salem Branch, the West Salem Library, Le Coulee Cheese, and other business locations around town. As a reminder, all funds donated will go toward 16 non-profit groups in the Village of West Salem as a year end gift toward their efforts. Donations of any amount are accepted and are tax deductible. Checks can be written to the West Salem Area Community Foundation (WSACF). Thank you to all of the individuals and businesses that have taken part in this giving campaign so far! It certainly does "Take a Village," and each of you are an equally important part! Stay tuned for our final total in the coming weeks!

07/27/2025

This event is looking for crafters/vendors/food trucks to participate and promote West Salem and the “It takes a Village” initiative. Please let your friends and family know about this fun event

https://www.facebook.com/share/16fGvsd9fc/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Market & Mingle West Salem is an event that provides an outlet for West Salem area businesses and entrepreneurs to introduce/reintroduce their business to the community and allows community members to explore what West Salem has to offer!

06/10/2025

West Salem Lions Club - Spotlight

West Salem Lions Club (a/k/a West Salem Lions of Wisconsin Charities Inc.) is a Lions Club chartered by Lions Clubs International since 1948. We have 55 local members that follow the International Lions motto of "WE SERVE", and we raise money for local, state and international projects.

Examples of local projects include improvements at the local baseball and softball parks, improvements to the Village of West Salem Park downtown, we contributed to the West Salem Bike Playground on Lewis Point, we help to fund local scouting, Eagle Scout projects, Panther Portfolio projects, scholarships, Junior Livestock showmanship at the county fair, we provide Christmas Baskets of Food at Christmas time to local families in need, sponsor a number of families with Christmas gifts through the Guidance Department at West Salem School, we originated and fund the Random Acts of Kindness Fund at the West Salem School District, we refurbished the Welcome to West Salem Sign on Hwy. 16.

We also help fund the local food pantry and summer meal program, the West Salem Boys and Girls Club, the Heider Center for the Fine Arts and any other worthy projects that might come our way. Our club members volunteer to transport eye tissue from Gundersen and Mayo in La Crosse, and are part of a chain of transporters that ensure the tissue arrives in Madison is time to restore someone's sight. In addition, we make contributions to the Eye Bank of Wisconsin for eye tissue transplants, the Wisconsin Lions Camp for children with special needs, the Lions Leader Dogs for the Blind Mission, and various Lions Foundations that make grants available for disasters and other funding.

With a donation from the “It Takes a Village”, the West Salem Lions Club may purpose those funds for new playground equipment at Greene Park. Our Club Board of Directors would review any donation and then make a recommendation to our entire club as to how to best use the proceeds.

04/10/2025

04/03/2025

HELP THE HELPERS!!!
"It Takes A Village" has identified 16 organizations, churches, and non-profit groups that spend many hours fundraising for the various causes and projects in the West Salem area. Today we are showcasing another of these generous groups: WEST SALEM HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
1. What is your organization about?
The West Salem Historical Society is all about preserving, recording West Salem history, and advancing the culture and history of the West Salem area. The Historical Society is passionate about history. The Historical Society young and old of the Village of West Salem to know the when, where, who, and why regarding our Village of West Salem and the preceding Village of Neshonoc. The Historical Society has worked for 50 years to preserve the history of its native sons and daughters. To fulfill this purpose the Hamlin Garland Homestead, the Palmer-Gullickson-Octagon House, and the Palmer-Lewis-Octagon House are used as a center for cultural events and local history study. It is the hope that these houses will become a living testimony to the pioneer spirit fostering our American heritage and contributing to our own growth as a community.

2. What is your mission?
The West Salem Historical Society preserves and advances the culture and history of the West Salem area. Our mission is to keep the history of our great village alive and relevant so generations to come can enjoy and appreciate those residents who came before them.

3. What would the West Salem Historical Society do with its monetary share?
The West Salem Historical Society would use any donations received to continue to maintain and restore our historical properties in order to continue to educate visitors on the unique history of West Salem.

03/25/2025

"It Takes A Village" has identified 16 organizations, churches, and non-profit groups that spend many hours fundraising for the various causes and projects in the West Salem area. Today we are showcasing another of these generous groups: WEST SALEM EMERGENCY MEDICAL TEAM:
1. What is your organization about?
Our organization provides basic, initial medical help to those in our community.

2. What is your mission, or who do you help?
We help anyone who needs medical help, who calls 911, or requests assistance located within Towns of Barre, Hamilton or the village of West Salem.

3. What would the West Salem 1st Responders do with its monetary share?
Our biggest concern is the lack of members. We would use the money to try to recruit more members.

03/12/2025

We asked each of our 16 recipients the same three questions. Below is our third recipient “spotlight”: WEST SALEM VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT!

1. What is your organization about?
The West Salem Volunteer Fire Department was established on January 1, 1893, to protect lives and property of the Village of West Salem. The Department was further expanded into the West Salem Fire Protection District in July of 1976 to include protection for the Townships of Hamilton and Barre. This area now encompasses 75 square miles.

2. What is your mission, or who do you help?
Our mission is to extinguish fires, provide protection of lives and property, fire prevention thru inspections and education.

3. What would the West Salem Fire Department do with its monetary share?
We would use any monetary donation to purchase equipment that has worn out or become obsolete.

03/04/2025

We asked each of our 16 recipients the same three questions. This is our second recipient “spotlight”: PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WEST SALEM.
1) WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION ABOUT?
Trusting in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and guided by the Presbyterian tradition, the vision of the Presbyterian Church of West Salem is to provide a friendly and open environment that encourages spiritual growth for people of all ages. For 169 years, the Presbyterian Church has been a proud member of the West Salem community helping to serve our brothers and sisters in need.
2) WHAT IS YOUR MISSION OR WHO DO YOU HELP?
The mission of the Presbyterian Church of West Salem is to provide a Christian community for people of all ages which promotes spiritual and intellectual growth through activities involving worship, education, leadership development, and fellowship by:
- allowing everyone a means to become connected to the church through programming
related to their interests;
- bringing stability to people’s lives by providing an environment where they will feel
accepted, learn to cope with changes, and learn to live by Christian principle;
- sharing our faith by reaching out to other through various evangelistic and mission
activities.
3) WHAT WOULD THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WEST SALEM DO WITH ITS MONETARY DONATION?
Any money our church would receive would be used toward our mission outreach programs, including our monthly community dinner and our support of various other local causes (Salvation Army, WINN, Community Assistance Fund, etc). We are grateful to be included in this giving initiative.

02/24/2025

We asked each of our 16 recipients the same three questions. Welcome to our first recipient "spotlight": WEST SALEM CARES.

1) WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION ABOUT? We established our organization in August of 2022 with the hope to keep generating this sense of community that runs through West Salem, by being a source of help to those on hard times.
2) WHAT IS YOUR MISSION OR WHO DO YOU HELP? Mission Statement: Strengthening our community by fostering generosity and connecting people who care with those in need.
3) WHAT WOULD WEST SALEM CARES DO WITH ITS MONETARY DONATION? The monetary share that goes to West Salem Cares would be used to fulfill the needs of people in the West Salem community. Some of these needs include rent, utilities, gas, food, school supplies, or sometimes just a plant to let someone know they are cared about.

02/06/2025

It Takes a Village

In just a few days, an awesome giving opportunity/challenge will begin in our community. The West Salem Area Community Foundation is sponsoring this giving initiative, titled “It Takes a Village, 40 Weeks of Giving.” Beginning on Valentine's Day, February 14th and running until Friday, November 21st, the hope of this initiative is to raise money for the “helpers” of West Salem. Each and every year, organizations, churches, and non-profit groups located in West Salem spend many hours fundraising for the various causes and projects that each support. Volunteers, often overwhelmed, continue to work hard for the good of our community throughout the year. This giving initiative aims to help those groups with only a little effort from all of us.

All you have to do to be part of this “funding” opportunity is to be willing to donate $1 per week (or an amount that works for you) or a onetime gift of $40 (or again, an amount that works for you). At $1 per week, we hope this is a fundraiser that both young and “more experienced” people can take part in. At the end of 40 weeks (November 21st), all money raised will be divided equally among organizations, churches and non-profit groups in West Salem as a year-end boost. We hope this is an exciting opportunity for giving that all will want to take part in, including businesses. It will be awesome to see how much we can raise in 40 weeks!

The 16 Recipients this year include:

West Salem area churches (Baptist, Christ Lutheran, Hope Community, Our Savior’s Lutheran, Presbyterian, Prince of Peace, St Teresa’s)

Nonprofits (WS Care and Share Food Pantry, WS Cares Foundation, WS Historical Society, WS Area Community Foundation)

Organizations (WS Fire Dept, WS First Responders, WS Business Assc, WS Lions Club, WS American Legion).

Donations can be made at First National Bank in West Salem, at Le Coulee Cheese, or at the Village Hall. Donation boxes will also be available at local businesses around West Salem. If you wish, a donation receipt can be given to you for your tax purposes when donating at any of the three primary locations. Donations can also be made by sending a check/money order to The West Salem Area Community Foundation, PO Box 30, West Salem, WI 54669 – with a note with the word ”Village” on it so the funds are directed appropriately. Our hope for this initiative is our community coming together to support and uplift all of those “helpers” who enrich the lives of our family, our friends, our neighbors and countless people each and every year!