Bethel House Celebrating 30 Years of Local Homelessness Prevention Work
July 16, 2024

Join us in celebrating this significant milestone!

Whitewater, WI, June 11, 2024 - Bethel House, a local ecumenical nonprofit organization focused on homelessness prevention, is celebrating 30 years of local service in 2024.

“For the past 30 years, Bethel House has provided unwavering support to prevent homelessness for children and families in the greater Whitewater area. As a small, grassroots nonprofit supported through the generosity of local individuals, businesses, churches, and organizations, Bethel House has epitomized the impact of the collective power of a community,” states Jessie Dugan, Bethel House Board Chair. “To celebrate these influential 30 years, we’ll reflect on who and what brought us here, highlight the strength of our critical work today, and look ahead to strategically plan how we can continue to support families for the next 30 years.”

To honor this 30th anniversary year, Bethel House has released a video highlighting its local impact work, which can be found on its website at www.bethelhouseinc.org. The organization has also launched a new 30th Anniversary campaign donation page, with a goal to raise $3,000.

“We are excited to launch our new campaign pages, providing donors an easy way to directly support different Bethel House initiatives,” states Megan Hartwick, Bethel House Executive Director. “We’ve set a goal of $3,000 for our 30th Anniversary, which we hope can be achieved by 100 community members donating $30 towards our mission.”

The 30th Anniversary campaign donation page can be found at https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/AR1eP or via the Bethel House website. 

Over the next six months, community members can also expect to see features on the organization’s founding members, quotes from current board members, and success stories from clients shared on the Bethel House social media pages. The organization will also release a new website later this summer to communicate its programs and support options more effectively. 

“We’re really eager to spend this 30th anniversary year better messaging our work, both to our supporters and potential new donors and to families who can benefit from our services,” adds Hartwick. “We look forward to recognizing the key stakeholders who have played a crucial role in developing the version of Bethel House we all know today and will share details about how our support is truly changing the lives of children and families in our community. We hope our communities learn more about what we do and consider lending their support through a donation and/or investing in our upcoming Fall Dinner fundraiser.” 

Coming off of a very successful 2nd Annual Spring Raffle Fundraiser, having increased fundraising efforts by over 40% from the 1st annual event, Bethel House leadership is focused on increasing fundraising levels for the annual Fall Dinner, setting a goal to raise $30,000 from the event to coincide with the milestone anniversary year. 

“The Bethel House Fall Dinner has become a critical fundraiser for our organization and is considered a must-attend event amongst our supporters,” Dugan states. “Last year’s event raised just over $27,000 to support our mission and local impact. Our event committee has set an ambitious goal to raise $30,000 at this year’s dinner, as we’re hopeful our already generous community of givers will lend additional support during this celebratory year.” 

The 2024 Fall Dinner will be held on Friday, November 1st, at 6pm at Staller Winery. Full details for sponsorship and ticket sales will be released later this summer. 

​In addition to attending the Fall Dinner, community members can support Bethel House in a number of ways. The organization accepts donations for an in-office toiletry pantry and household and furniture items to help furnish its seven housing units. For specific needs at any given time or to coordinate the delivery of items, please contact the Bethel House Director of Case Management, Sydney Johnson, at casemanager.bethelhouse@gmail.com or by calling 262.473.2715. 

“While monetary donations keep our organization financially supported, and item donations help support the daily lives of our housed families, our organization is also always looking for volunteer support,” Hartwick states. “Volunteers provide invaluable support in helping prepare our houses for new children and families and turn them into furnished, comfortable places for them to call home. Those interested in lending a few hours for light cleaning, moving furniture, painting, and more can simply complete our online volunteer interest form to be added to our outreach list.” 

Those interested in volunteering can visit http://www.bethelhouseinc.org/volunteer.html to complete the online volunteer interest form.

“Bethel House is honored to serve our communities and for the opportunity to help keep local families in their homes and their children stable in their schools,” Hartwick states. “Our programs are vital to the stability of many families in our community, and we are humbled by the generous investments that continue to be made in our mission. We hope that support continues to grow throughout this 30th anniversary year, allowing us to serve even more children and families.” 

For questions about Bethel Houses' anniversary, program offerings, or how to lend support, please contact director.bethelhouse@gmail.com or 262.473.2715. Monetary donations can be mailed to 133 S. Franklin Street - Whitewater, WI 53190.

Promotion of the 30th anniversary will continue throughout 2024.

Angeline Doman Joins Bethel House as the new Director of Case Management & Operations

By Megan Hartwick • January 4, 2025
Whitewater, WI, January 2, 2025—Bethel House has announced that Angeline Doman has been hired as its new Director of Case Management & Operations. She will officially start on January 6th. “Bethel House is so excited to have Angeline serve as the new leader of our organization,” said Jessie Dugan, Bethel House Board Chair. “We’ve worked hard the last two years to streamline our operations, expand community partnerships, and increase our critical client support, and we’re eager to continue that growth. Angeline’s knowledge, experience, and passion for nonprofit work will be a tremendous asset to our organization and all the families looking to Bethel House for support.” Doman holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Aurora University, as well as a Bachelor’s in Social Work and Associate degrees in Nursing and Human Services from George Williams Aurora University and Gateway Technical College, respectively. She has over six years of social work and case management experience, having previously served as a social worker and crisis advocate at New Beginnings and most recently as a Social Worker and Case Manager at Mercy Health. “The hiring committee unanimously chose Angeline as our new Director based on her experience and authentic passion for supporting families,” adds Dugan. “We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead Bethel House and add to our important presence in the Whitewater community.” Doman will fill a newly created role following the departure of Megan Hartwick and Sydney Christianson and will be joined by a part-time administrative assistant, who will begin in March. “Our previous staffing structure of a full-time case manager and part-time director was critical at a time when a focus was needed on operations and fundraising,” Dugan notes. “Megan and Sydney provided such important stability to our organization at a time of significant transition, and our hiring committee is confident this newly created position can effectively meet the needs of all those we serve, partly due to the hard work of our outgoing team.” Doman will be responsible for distributing emergency financial assistance, managing casework for housed families, and managing the organization's marketing and fundraising efforts. “I am excited and honored to help lead an organization that is so special within the Whitewater community,” states Doman. “I’m looking forward to meeting with local families, listening to their stories, and helping them navigate their hardships.” Doman will serve in her capacity full-time and will be available during office hours of 8:30am-5pm Monday-Thursday. “The entire board is thankful for the Whitewater community as they've steadfastly supported Bethel House in so many ways,” states Dugan. “Our organization has been a mainstay of support in Whitewater for 30 years, and we could not be more excited to have Angeline leading with optimism and enthusiasm.” For more information on Bethel House's programs and services or on how you can support It, visit www.bethelhouseinc.org or call 262.473.2715.

Bethel House Celebrates a 30th Anniversary Year Filled with Success and Gratitude

By Megan Hartwick • December 23, 2024
Throughout 2024, Bethel House has been celebrating its milestone 30th anniversary year. “For thirty years, Bethel House has been providing critical support in homelessness prevention for families in the greater Whitewater community,” states Jessie Dugan, Bethel House Board Chair. “Maintaining our position as a small, grassroots nonprofit while strategically growing and evolving over the past three decades is a testament to the founders and continued supporters of this great organization.” Founded in 1994 by the dedication of Ken Kidd, Jim Winship, Carole Scharinger, Dick Triebold, Don Triebold, Richard Telfer, and Mark Olm, Bethel House has continued to be supported almost solely through the generosity of those founders, partner churches, local foundations, and other generous community members. “I have worked in the nonprofit world for almost twenty years, and the generosity I have seen from the Bethel House donor base and community in the past two years has left me truly humbled and awestruck,” states Megan Hartwick, Bethel House Executive Director. “Not only are their investments generous and consistent, but our donors truly believe in our work and understand its importance.” That importance is directly reflected in the number of families Bethel House has supported over the past thirty years and the impact of that support. In 2024 alone, Bethel House provided $20,801.24 in emergency assistance to support 79 local families, helping to keep 141 children housed. “Too often, we hear from families facing eviction because they are $300 behind on their rent,” Hartwick notes. “More often than not, those families missed work to stay home with a sick child, and those days without pay left them unable to fully pay their rent. Our Bethel House program provides critical support for those families to help keep them and their children safely and stably housed.” The heart and soul of Bethel House support is delivered through its Transitional Housing program. Bethel House operates seven housing units where families can live for up to a year while actively participating in an extensively supported case management program. The program focuses on addressing the specific needs and goals of each individual family. Bethel House has aided families in obtaining car insurance, a driver's license, setting up their first savings account, and earning GEDs. Families work on creating a resume, paying down their debts, and sticking to a monthly budget. Each family is required to pay 30% of their monthly income to Bethel House as a “rental payment.” Those funds are kept in a savings account on behalf of the family and returned to them when they successfully complete the program. “Our donors love to talk to us about our Transitional Housing program,” Hartwick adds. “They appreciate and respect that we have a structure in place to truly work to change the financial situation of our families and provide them a level of stability they didn’t have before entering our program.” The organization also fully furnishes each home before a family moves in, and the items moved in are the family’s to keep when they move out. All items are supported through local donations. “Outside of financial investments, the most significant form of support we receive from this incredible community are the donations to furnish our homes,” Hartwick states. “From beds to dressers to curtains to pizza cutters to garbage bags, this community shows up to help ensure every house of ours feels like a true home to each new family who moves in.” And Bethel House support doesn’t stop there. From referral services to application support to a free in-office toiletry pantry, Bethel House aims to meet families where they are and find a way to avoid ever telling a family, ‘we can’t help you.’ “While our support is focused on families in the Whitewater community, we also recognize individuals who fall outside of those parameters that are still deserving of assistance,” Hartwick states. “As much as our capacity allows, we are happy to support Section 8 applications, referrals to community and regional services, and we offer access to free toiletries. Sometimes, the difference between a family being housed or homeless can be ensuring a housing subsidy form is filled out correctly. We are proud to support that prevention work.” That work would not be possible without the continued support of this community, and that support was substantial in 2024. “Early in the year, we launched a 30th anniversary campaign to raise $3,000 of extra support for our organization, outside of our other fundraising efforts,” Dugan adds. “And, of course, the generosity of our donors far surpassed that, contributing $9,000 to that specific campaign.” In May 2024, Bethel House hosted its 2nd Annual Spring Raffle fundraiser at 841 Brewhouse. The inaugural event raised $9,525 in 2023, so Bethel House set a goal to increase that to $10,000 in 2024. Through generous sponsorships, in-kind support, and cash winners who donated their prizes back to the mission, the event raised a total of $14,443. “The Spring Raffle has been such a wonderful, fun addition to our overall fundraising strategy,” Dugan states. “It brings our donors together in an accessible way while raising critical funds for us during a time of year when our emergency assistance requests are at their highest. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the support for this new event, and we look forward to continuing it for many years.” Then, in November 2024, Bethel House hosted its annual Fall Dinner at Staller Estate Winery in Delavan. The event welcomed 165 guests for a five-course dinner and wine pairing and includes live orchestral music, an extensive silent auction, and a short program to update guests on Bethel House’s work. “Our Fall Dinner is a beautiful celebration of the work Bethel House provides,” Dugan adds. “The event serves as our primary fundraiser and allows our team the opportunity to publicly thank all those who play a critical role in supporting our ability to serve families.” A goal was set to raise $30,000 at this year’s dinner to mark the 30th anniversary celebration. Through increased sponsorships, a successful auction, and the generosity of donors and attendees, the 2024 event raised $40,000. “To say we were humbled by the support shown for our Fall Dinner during this anniversary year would be a drastic understatement,” Hartwick states. “To surpass an already ambitious goal by $10,000 says so much about the folks who invest in our work, and it serves as such motivation and inspiration for us to continue the legacy established 30 years ago.” To honor that legacy, the Bethel House board and staff presented special thank you plaques to the founding members of the organization. “We could not have let the 30th anniversary of this organization pass without recognizing the incredible efforts of those whose caring power started this organization,” Dugan notes. “It was an honor to acknowledge the foresight and compassion of those seven individuals for all they have done over the past 30 years. Their legacy inspires our work each day.” Bethel House is eager to continue that legacy heading into 2025, with a continued steadfast focus on support, advocacy, and community partnerships. Details on how to support Bethel House in 2025 can be found on their website at www.bethelhouseinc.org . “Serving Bethel House for the past two years has been an absolute honor and privilege,” Hartwick adds. “This organization is so special, not just because of its critical work and its impact on families who call our community home, but because of the kindness, compassion, and generosity shown for the work. Everyone who contributes to Bethel House in any way is a part of our mission to prevent homelessness for local families. And we should all be proud of that.” Anyone with questions can contact Bethel House at 262.473.2715 or director.bethelhouse@gmail.com .