Warm The Children Program Coordination Transitions to Rotary Club Foundation
The Rotary Club Foundation of Eagle River has assumed management and operation of the award-winning Warm The Children (WTC) program to ensure its long-term sustainability.
For decades, the Rotary Foundation partnered with the Vilas County News-Review on a joint venture that raises approximately $80,000 annually and provides new winter clothing for more than 450 children in Vilas and Oneida counties.
Multi Media Channels (MMC), which acquired the News-Review in April 2023, transferred oversight of the program to the Rotary Club. The newspaper will continue supporting the effort through local coverage and other community-based services.
Rotary leaders confirmed that longtime WTC coordinator Nancy Brandner of Eagle River will continue to lead fundraising and coordinate volunteers. Debbie Buss, also of Eagle River, will remain involved, assisting with planning, correspondence, and coordination of the many volunteer shoppers who help families select clothing each November.
Warm The Children is a Connecticut-based nonprofit established locally nearly 30 years ago by then-publisher Byron McNutt, a Rotary member and past president. The program has earned multiple community-service honors from both the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the National Newspaper Association.
Since its inception, readers of the News-Review have contributed more than $2 million to help local families. The Rotary Club Foundation enhanced fundraising capacity by offering its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, enabling contributions from family trusts and charitable foundations.
Rotary plans to continue using the existing systems and partnerships that have made the program successful while strengthening its sustainability for the future. Key partners include Glik’s of Eagle River and Northland Clothing Co. of Three Lakes, both of which provide discounted winter apparel for participating families.
In 2024, Warm The Children raised more than $80,000 and provided $260 per child to 468 children. Children under the age of two received $130. Family applications are reviewed by Vilas County Social Services to ensure eligibility.
MMC General Manager Mike Hollihan confirmed that the Vilas County News-Review remains committed to supporting Rotary’s leadership of the program.
Warm The Children was originally founded in 1988 by newspaper publisher Mack W. Stewart in Connecticut, who encouraged community newspapers nationwide to join the effort. The News-Review answered that call, and since 1995, the Rotary Club Foundation has served as the program’s fiscal partner.
“As our community’s needs have grown, so too have the donations,” said Kim Swisher, Treasurer of the Eagle River Rotary Club and Foundation. “We are deeply grateful for the ongoing generosity of our donors and the volunteers who make this work possible.”
Donations can be mailed to:
Eagle River Rotary Club Foundation
Warm The Children (WTC)
PO Box 1191
Eagle River, WI 54521
The Rotary Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The federal tax ID is #22-3931662. All gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by U.S. law.