Webster Foundation, family ups donation to Ripon Boys & Girls Club site

For the 21st year in a row, the Webster Foundation and the Webster family made 62-area organizations happy, awarding them more than $89,000 in grants that will help a variety of projects.

Representatives of the recipient organizations from Ripon and the surrounding areas were on hand for a luncheon hosted by Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church last week Thursday. They filled the room with happy thoughts and anticipation before receiving checks for their groups.

Rob Webster, former owner of Webster’s Marketplace and local philanthropist, addressed the group to kick off the event. His first words were to announce that the Webster Foundation would increase its pledge once again, to keep pace with the rising cost of building the Ripon Boys & Girls Club.

This comes after he announced last year that the foundation would fund 10% of the cost for the project, which at the time was $10 million. It has since grown to $13 million.

“Today, I’m here to tell you that we’ve decided to raise our pledge again, [still] 10%, to $1.3 million. I think this is the best thing that has happened to Ripon in a very long time,” he said of the Boys & Girls Club building. “It is a blessing to be a part of this community, and I thank you for all you do.”

The grants went to a range of organizations from area schools, church organizations, daycare centers, service organizations such as the Lions Club and Rotary Club, and several food pantries. In all, 62 organizations benefited from a donation, which ranged from $500 to as much as $2,500.

Members of the Webster’s Foundation board assisted in handing out the grant checks, as did Candie Webster, current owner of Webster’s Marketplace and daughter of Rob Webster. This year’s batch of grants brings the total to $1.6 million in donations to date over the 21-year history of the event.

Each recipient was asked to tell the crowd what the money was going to be used for, with the majority also thanking the foundation for the gift. The remarks occasionally brought a tear to some members of the audience, as well as Candie Webster. 

Candie noted that it is a family joke that she cries almost all the way through the event each year.

“We’re just blessed and honored to be able to share with so many great people,” she said. 

At the close of the event, once all the checks had been handed out and all the tears shed, Candie Webster took a moment to share her heart with the audience.

“When thinking about how I would close today, I thought about Valentine’s Day being yesterday. You could look [at it as] a Hallmark holiday or that it’s overrated, overdone. Or you can choose to see the love,” she said. “You could choose to say that we don’t make a difference in this small corner of Wisconsin, but I choose to see the butterfly wings. I believe that small flaps create wings of change, and if this room doesn’t epitomize the butterfly effect, I dare you to find a better one.”

Receiving grants were:

Calvary Lutheran Church — $1,200: Vacation Bible School;

Ripon Area Vacation Bible School — $2,000: Vacation Bible School; 

River Shores Church —$1,500: Vacation Bible School; 

St. John Lutheran Church Princeton — $1,500: Vacation Bible School/Soccer Camp;

St. John Lutheran Church Berlin — $1,500: Vacation Bible School;

St. John Lutheran School — $2,000: Smart boards for classrooms;

All Saints Catholic School — $2,000, plus $1,000 from Oshkosh Area Community Foundation (OACF): Books for kids; 

Campus Collective Christian Ministries — $1,000: Care packages;

Clay Lamberton Elementary — $1,000, plus $500 from OACF: Books for building brains;

Fellowship of Christian Athletes — $1,000: Bibles and study books;

Fellowship of Christian Athletes — $1,000: Dinner for students;

Berlin High School — $1,500, plus $500 from OACF: 9th and 10th grade book clubs;

Berlin High School — $1,000, plus $1,000 from OACF: Classroom library;

Berlin Middle School — $1,500: Technology integration;

Green Lake Elementary School — $1,000: Imaginative play;

Green Lake School District — $2,000: Math supplies; 

Peace Lutheran School — $2,000: School sound system;

Princeton School District — $1,500: Inspiring young authors;

Ripon Area School District — $1,500: Health services;

Ripon College — $2,000: Financial literacy and retirement planning;

Ripon High School — $2,500: Safety SawStop;

Ripon High School — $1,500, plus $500 from OACF: Visiting Writer Series;

Ripon High School — $1,300, plus $500 from OACF: Money Smart Book Read 2024;

Ripon High School — $1,000: Exploring Earth and Space Science;

American Legion Brown-Parfitt Post 43 — $1,000: Veterans quilts;

GFWC Princeton Women’s Club — $500: Sleep in Heavenly Peace;

Sew Happy Stitchers — $1,000: Charity quilt projects; 

Ripon Early Bird Kiwanis —$2,000: Socks and underwear program;

Ripon Lions — $1,200:  Handicap camp;

Ripon Noon Kiwanis — $1,500: Children’s Fair;

VFW Post 5278 Schultz-Klemp-Wentland — $1,000: AED;

Boys & Girls Club of Tri-County Area — $2,500: Operation Backpack;

Unimaginable Hope — $2,000: Tennies for Teens;

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac — $1,000: One-to-one mentoring;

Friends of Brandon Public Library — $2,000: Library expansion;

Princeton Public Library — $1,000: Learning Experience Passes;

Ripon Public Library — $600: Early Start Kits;

Winnefox Library System — $750, plus $750 from OACF: Wonderbook Project;

Berlin Community Daycare & Preschool — $1,000: Center cameras;

City of Ripon — $1,000: National Night Out;

Princeton Senior Center — $750: Accessible arts and crafts;

Ripon Area Fire District — $1,600: Seeing through walls;

Ripon Senior Activity Center — $1,500: Lunch and Learn;

Faith Community Church — $1,500: Student ministries;

Faith Community Church — $1,500: Endeavor America;

Fairwater Historical Society — $1,000: Archival materials; 

Marquette Historical Society — $1,000: Meadow Memorial Park;

Princeton Historical Society — $1,000, plus $500 from OACF: Wisconsin textbook materials;

Green Lake County Health and Human Services — $1,500: Food pantry;

Green Lake County Health and Human Services — $1,200: Equipment;

Emanuel Lutheran Church — $1,500: 150th-anniversary celebration;

Grace English Lutheran Church — $2,000: Soul Food;

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church — $1,500: Sharing Table;

Immanuel United Methodist Church — $1,500: Community meal;

Calvary Chapel Markesan — $1,500: Kitchen flooring;

Our Saviour’s United Church of Christ — $1,500: Community meal;

Our Saviour’s United Church of Christ — $1,200: Enhanced access to worship;

Prairie Lakes Unitarian Universalist — $1,200: Youth group;

Trinity Evangelical Free Church — $1,500: Community Bike Rodeo;

Trinity Evangelical Free Church — $1,500: Lydia’s Cupboard;

Berlin Food Pantry — $1,000: Food security system;

Markesan Public Library — $500: Summer reading program.

This article was originally posted in the Ripon Press