Warm The Children 2025 Wrap-Up
Record cold temperatures did not chill the generosity of donors for the 2025 Warm The Children campaign. As of this writing, we have received $88,350.39 in funds, and donations are still coming in – and gratefully accepted.
How The Program Works:
Applications for families for the Warm The Children program became available in late September 2025. Residents of Vilas County, Three Lakes and Sugar Camp were welcome to apply to receive a clothing voucher for a child under 18 years of age.
In a cooperative effort with the Vilas County Social Services, applications were reviewed to confirm eligibility, and a volunteer shopper was matched with the parent or guardian of the child.
A shopping date was arranged for the shopper, parent or guardian, and the child to meet at Glik’s in Eagle River or at Northland Clothing Company in Three Lakes.
The two stores provided discounts to Warm The Children and offered new winter clothing for the children. Vouchers were provided to the parent or guardian at the store. Voucher amounts were $220 for children ages 2 to 17, and $110 for newborns and toddlers younger than age 2.
Shopping was done November 1 through December 14, 2025. There were 45 volunteer shoppers who donated their time, energy, and holiday spirit to assist 213 families. Glik’s and Northland Clothing provided new winter clothing to 545 children.
Financial Overview:
The program received $88,350.39 in donations. This includes the interest earned on the bank account. Included in the donations was $4,000 from Byron and Brenda McNutt for administrative costs.
The program spent $115,560.97 on clothing, and $2,779.70 on administrative costs including postage, printing, volunteer shopper gift cards as a thank you for their time, mileage reimbursement to Debbie Buss and Nancy Brandner, and a small stipend to Nancy for managing all of the donations.
The founder and past coordinator of the Warm The Children program, the Vilas County News-Review, historically absorbed all administrative costs. This year marked the first time Warm The Children incurred expenses for program administration.
As part of their continued support of the program, the Vilas County News-Review provided administrative and advertising support at no cost, and provided free office space for Nancy and Debbie.
In summary, the program received $88,350.39, and spent $118,340.67. The deficit of $29,990.28 was pulled from the program’s reserves from previous years. The program currently has $66,059.48 in the checking account. Several years ago a contingency fund was also created, and that fund currently has $56,540.15.
Our volunteer staff and shoppers are taking a break, and plans for the 2026 season will begin this summer. Some tough decisions may need to made. In order for the program to continue to be sustainable, donations must exceed expenses. Planning considerations we will explore include reducing the dollar amount of each voucher and reducing the number of children served, and we will seek input from Glik’s and Northland Clothing on how to best serve our children.
The Rotary Club of Eagle River and our Foundation are proud to serve our community. This May, we will celebrate 98 years of service to our community. While Warm The Children has been a part of our Club for 29 years, this is our first year of administering the program.
We are so grateful for the community’s support. We are also incredibly thankful to:
Nancy Brandner, Program Coordinator, for her remarkable efforts in ensuring donations are recorded and acknowledged;
Debbie Buss, Volunteer Shopping Coordinator, who gave many hours and exceptional energy to ensure shoppers had a wonderful experience;
Glik’s of Eagle River and Northland Clothing Company in Three Lakes for their generosity, their excellent customer service, and their commitment to our community.
Donations are gratefully accepted any time! You may make a tax deductible donation online at eagleriverrotary.com/warm-the-children, or send a check to the Eagle River Rotary Foundation WTC, PO Box 1191, Eagle River, WI 54521.
Our children are warmly dressed and our hearts are filled with gratitude because of your generosity.
Kim Swisher, Treasurer
Rotary Club and Foundation of Eagle River