For more information on any of these activities, please contact the task force chairs directly! Our Transit Alliance continues to advocate for public transit needs as a part of conversations around…
JONAH News
Reflections on a Community Need
by the JONAH Mental Health Task Force After the shocking death by suicide of Sheriff Ron Cramer, many in our community had our eyes opened to the fact that mental…
Volunteer Highlight: Jackie Christner
This month we would like to highlight Jackie Christner. She is currently on the JONAH board and a member of the Mental Health Task Force and the Chippewa Valley Justice…
Meet Our New JONAH Intern!
My name is Shannon Severud. I am a social work student in my last semester at UWEC. I will be interning with JONAH until mid-May. I am excited to get…
Legal Immigration: Not so Black and White
by Perla Martinez, JONAH Communications What is Immigration? “Immigration [is] the process through which individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another country (definition from https://www.britannica.com/topic/nation-state).” Seems like a simple…
Religious Leader Article: Charity and Justice
by Christine Warloski I recently was involved in a community conversation that raised questions about the lines between ‘justice’ and ‘charity’. In my faith tradition, as a Pastoral associate with…
Reflection: Choose Hope
by Paul Savides “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.…
Justice Action Team
By Don Mowry JONAH's work around the criminal legal system has been evolving since its merger with the Chippewa Valley Justice Action Team (which is the name we have taken…
Volunteer Highlight: Kelly Mahoney
"This month we would like to highlight Kelly Mahoney, she is a part of the Justice Action Team (a merger between JONAH and Clear Vision) which works on the intersectionality of poverty, mental…
The Buddhist View On Justice
The Buddhist View On Justice By Gabe Brummett My friend Lynn asked recently if I’d be able to write something about the Buddhist view of justice. It struck me because…
The Community Haven House
A Community Accomplishes What It Is Committed To By Susan Wolfgram, Co-Chair of the JONAH Affordable Housing Task Force November is Homelessness Awareness Month in Wisconsin. There can be no…
Organizing Terminology: POWER
Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t talk about them enough. This…
Stay caught up on what our task forces are doing!
For more information on any of these activities, please contact the task force chairs directly! Our Transit Alliance task force continues to advocate for public transit needs as a part of conversations around…
Rural Outreach Update
By Ken Hood, Rural Organizer Below is a short update from our new Rural Outreach Team, and you can learn more about these new staff, Ken Hood and Kari Allen,…
Annual Celebration Review
By Mike Steuer, Executive Vice President I don't know exactly why I enjoyed this year's event, “Making It Happen,” more than past events. Maybe it was the long absence of…
JONAH Volunteer Highlight– Meet Susan Wolfgram
This month we would like to highlight Susan Wolfgram who is on the JONAH Affordable Housing Task Force. She is a great organizer and we hope you get to know…
Organizing Terminology — It’s Not Just About Us
By Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t…
Introducing The New CV EXPO Organizer: Segdrick Farley
Segdrick Farley is the new Fellow Organizer of EXPO of Wisconsin. He has decided to use his own experience to help others finding themselves in similar situations. He is a…
Faith Leader Perspective
by Bob Lesniewski Seven years ago I started organizing Inter-Faith Prayer Services. “Peace and Unity For All People” Our Prayer Leaders are Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Baha’i and Quakers. Three…
Introducing Our New Bookkeeper: Lori Leach
Lori has worked as accounts and operations officer for Eversole Associates, International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, Infinite Eversole-Specialty Crop Services, and the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research for the past…
Eau Claire County Budget Needs Your Accountability Today!
At a meeting on Tuesday last week, the Eau Claire County Human Services Committee voted 7 to 1 against proposed amendments (numbers 6, 7, and 8) that would have cut…
JONAH 15th Annual Event
We are excited to celebrate 15 years of making social change happen for the betterment of all. Sunday October 16 from 7-8pm at the Brewing Projekt or via Zoom. Tickets are $35 for in person and $15 for Zoom. Purchase your tickets here…
The Housing Issue and the Need for the Tenant Landlord Resource Center
Collaborative article by: Susan Wolfgram, Paul Savides, Debbie Gough, Judi Moseley, and Lynn Buske “One eviction can change the trajectory of an individual or a family’s life and multiple evictions…
JONAH Hiring 2 PT Temporary Positions by September 1!
JONAH Rural Outreach Project – Job Posting Overview: Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope (JONAH, Inc.) exists to deepen relationships within and among faith communities and partner organizations to empower people in…
Environmental Organizing Perspectives from Eau Claire Newcomers and Leaders
Collective Action – by Regan Watts Last May I took the position as Eau Claire County’s Recycling & Sustainability Coordinator. I was excited to move to a new community with ambitious…
Organizing Terminology: Faith-Based
By Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t talk…
Religious Leader Voice – Murmurations of Justice: Changing the World Three Feet at a Time
By Pastor Phil Ruge-Jones, Grace Lutheran Church One of my favorite authors writing about transforming the world is adrienne maree brown (she, like bell hooks, opts not to use capital…
SUMMARY OF RECENT JONAH ACTIVITY
As of 6.27.22 The JONAH Board and Committees has held several fundraisers, is working to improve sustaining membership experience, is finishing a huge update to our website, spoken at congregations and…
Mental Health Wellness Community Project Evaluation
By Jan Frase, First Presbyterian Board Member In early 2022, JONAH received a grant of $2000 for a Mental Health event from the Cody and Molly Filipczak Family Fund of…
Interfaith Green Teams
By Pat Mertens, Trinity Lutheran Member, Environmental Task Force Member, and Interfaith Committee Leader A few months ago, prompted by discussions at the Environmental Task Force Meetings, 6 women from…
Organizing Terminology – Shared Leadership
By Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t talk…
Baha’i Faith and Social Justice
By Lori Arsenault “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.” “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.” “We cherish…
Religious Leader Reflection
By Tom Westcott, Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran It seems to me that our culture is entranced with the idea of justice equating to fairness. That is, it is heard…
Immigrant Drivers Cards – What’s the Real Deal?
By Megan Schaefer and Perla Martinez The Real ID Act was passed in Congress in 2005 and took effect in Wisconsin in 2007. This makes it mandatory for states to…
Organizing Terminology: Leadership Training
By Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t…
Impact of Books – JONAH Volunteer Highlight
Meet Rebecca Wurzer – a JONAH Volunteer doing great things! Name: Rebecca Wurzer JONAH Roles: Book Group Leader, Fundraising Team, Past-Secretary, Past Board Member What is your favorite thing about…
Reflection Upon Arriving Home from a Vigil
By Robbie Joern The crowd at the vigil for Ukraine was quite large, and, while several people there were friends, many were new to me. I wish we could have…
Voting & Cultural Differences Article
By Perla Martinez, JONAH Communications and WISDOM RVP Organizer Working with WISDOM and JONAH with IVE (Integrated Voter Engagement) & RVP (Relational Voter Program) I have learned that a lot…
Can Composting Save the Landfill?
By Megan Schaefer, JONAH Intern My name is Megan Schaefer, and I am an intern with JONAH. I am currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In my…
Organizing Terminology: Agitation
By Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology simply because we don’t…
Social Justice From a Faith Leader Perspective
While we all come to JONAH with shared values around compassion, inclusion, justice, equity, sustainability we individually bring our own faith perspectives to the work. We have much to learn…
Vote for Clean Water April 5th
By Nancy Coffey, Environmental Task Force Member and County Supervisor The JONAH Environmental Task Force looks at how our values lead us to tend to the environment and make a…
JONAH Recognized with Sustainable Eau Claire Award
by Amy Kalmon, Environmental Task Force Member JONAH’s Environmental Task Force will be recognized on February 16 by the City of Eau Claire Sustainable Advisory Committee with a Sustainable Eau…
Homelessness Vigil Reflections
by Rev. David Huber, Interim President On the evening of December 20, the night before winter solstice, JONAH Religious Leaders held a Candlelight Vigil for Homelessness. Our community gathered to…
Organizing Terminology: Self-Interest
by Lynn Buske, JONAH Organizer Many of our followers, no matter how long they’ve been part of JONAH, aren’t familiar with our organizing techniques and terminology. Maybe they haven’t taken…
Benefit Concert a Huge Success
by Martha Nieman, Board Member Representing EC Quakers What a concert! Truly an evening to remember! On November 6 at Grace Lutheran Church, Carrie Newcomer, folk singer-songwriter, enthralled JONAH supporters and her…
Religious Leader Perspective: Defining Justice Biblically
by Tom Westcott, Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran It seems to me that our culture is entranced with the idea of justice equating to fairness. That is, it is heard…
JONAH’s Communications and Voter Engagement Hire: Welcome Perla
My name is Perla Martinez-Beltran. I am the new communications hire with JONAH, and I also am part of the Integrated Voter Engagement & Relational Voter Program team with WISDOM. …
Religious Leader’s Column: Seeking Justice with Joy and Rest
“Rest is a beautiful interruption in a world that has no pause button.” -The Nap Ministry The Nap Ministry is an amazing instagram account started by Tricia Hersey. Hersey is…
JONAH Welcomes New Interim President – David Huber
The JONAH Executive Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. David Huber as the JONAH Interim President to fill the vacancy in this position that occurred with the…
Current Efforts to Reduce Child Poverty
By John Wagner, Chair of the Child Poverty Coalition Poverty remains a pervasive issue in the US, Wisconsin, and the Chippewa Valley but there are some positive developments. The US…
Affordable Housing Update
By Judi Moseley, AHTF Co-chair “A friend tells me that his children’s grandmother is being evicted. She’s in her 70’s, has special needs, and will be homeless if they kick…
JONAH Annual Celebration Review
by Jackie Christner, First Congregational Core Team Member Although JONAH’s annual celebration on October 10 and the accompanying silent auction were held virtually for the second year, they were well…
Passenger Rail Updates from JONAH Transit Task Force
*On August 21st, 2021 a public “Rally for Passenger Rail” event took place at Phoenix Park in Eau Claire. The event was initiated by the Chippewa Valley Transit Alliance to…
Sept-Oct Summary JONAH
Thanks for your support of JONAH, here is a short summary of current activities. Executive Committee - In process of hiring a new bookkeeper, looking for next treasurer(s) and secretary(ies),…
Religious Leader Perspective: Justice and Poverty
By Christine Warlowski, St James Justice is such a formational part of nearly every world religion. In Christian scripture (and most other religions), the demand is clear that we take…
JONAH Reflections on a COVID Year
By Donna Raleigh Soon after COVID started, JONAH Organizer, Lynn Buske, created the JONAH COVID Advisory Task Force to share ideas on JONAH’s role in the time of COVID. Recently,…
Madison Action Day Perspective
By Krista Cleary Over here in River Falls, WI, I feel like a lone outpost of the Jonah affiliate, one the western edge of the state. Jonah folks have always…
Current Child Poverty Information
By Chris Hambuch-Boyle Child Poverty is finally in the forefront of the news and legislation. For so long the conversation has been around the economy and the workforce with very little…
Earth Day Reflection: State Budget Testimony on Composting
By Sue Waits As co-organizer for the JONAH Environmental Task Force I am excited to hear about all the local and state initiatives to address Climate Change. But I am…
Bolton Refuge House and JONAH
By Katelyn Wonderlin When I first moved to Wisconsin I had no idea what I was getting myself into. To start with, I was certainly unprepared for the winter. You…
Overcoming Division
This was originally a sermon given at First Presbyterian Church on January 31, 2021 by Lynn Buske. I am a Community Organizer for JONAH – an interfaith organization that does…
Video – Building Relationship
Building authentic relationships is the cornerstone of JONAH's organizing work and we believe it is the key to the beloved community for all. We worked with Micah and Genevieve of…
Engaging in Voter Engagement
By Sara Larsen - Volunteer JONAH provided multiple opportunities for individuals (with the option to be paid) in the community to get involved in building relationships through sharing education on…
Community Catalyst Grant Experiences
Below, three members of a grant project within JONAH, which they affectionally call LIFT, talk about their meaningful experiences and successes working towards reducing barriers people with conviction histories face…
“And Let it Begin With Me”
By Robbie Joern (JONAH Board Member - Spirit Lutheran) I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have been worried about our beloved democracy staying intact. But I…
Finding Community
By Lynn Buske I grew up in a Lutheran church. Faith was part of our daily life it seemed, for which I am grateful not only because of the faith…
Immigrant-Family Support Fund Update
By Jacky Miller and Sandy Ayres The Immigration Task Force worked with local partners back in late spring to develop a Neighbor to Neighbor Immigration Fund for donations to assist immigrants that are…
The JONAH Affordable Housing Task Force says “Yes!” to YIMBY
By Judi Moseley - Co-Chair NIMBY is an acronym that stands for Not In My Backyard. It is a response that we see frequently when affordable housing proposals are made…
COVID-19 Community Survey Results
JONAH has released our report of the analyzed results of the survey we put out earlier this year hearing from area residents on how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. The…
Talking to Each Other About Voting
2020 is a big election year for all of us, and Wisconsin is a key state on a national level. Voting is important because it is part of our civic…
EXPO Efforts in Justice Reform
By Nycki Wallsch and Kelly Mahoney Chippewa Valley Expo is excited to announce the new campaign called Free, which was created to specifically help women who have been impacted by…
JONAH Hiring: Eau Claire Tenant Landlord Resource Center Program Coordinator
The Eau Claire Tenant Landlord Resource Center (TLRC) is a soon to be nonprofit, currently operating under the nonprofit status of JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope), committed to housing…