Submitted by Lori Schaefer, St. Croix Valley Foundation

HUDSON, WI – The St. Croix Valley Foundation has awarded $167,000 to 13 organizations across Minnesota and Wisconsin to support children and families during the first three years of life—what experts call the “first thousand days,” a critical time for physical, mental, emotional, and social development.

This marks the second year of grantmaking from the Foundation’s First Thousand Days Grant Program, a growing initiative aimed at ensuring every child in the St. Croix Valley has a strong start in life. The funding was made possible by the generosity of Bill and Rita Lawson of Somerset, WI, who established the First Thousand Days Field of Interest Fund with the St. Croix Valley Foundation in 2022.

Inspired by research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis showing the lifelong return on early childhood investments, the Lawsons launched the fund to catalyze local action and invited others to join. This year’s grants were also made possible by contributions from additional donors, along with the support of a volunteer grant review panel.

Among the 13 grantees is “Little Moments Count,” a regional initiative led by Lakeview Hospital and HealthPartners. Thanks to First Thousand Days funding, the St. Croix Valley became the first place in Wisconsin to adopt this groundbreaking program, which promotes early brain development through simple, everyday moments—like talking, reading, and playing with babies and toddlers.

“With support from the St. Croix Valley Foundation, we brought “Little Moments Count” across the river to the St. Croix Valley in 2024 and launched an important regional collaboration,” said Kristen Mollan, Community Health Manager at Lakeview Hospital.

“This year, we’re building on that momentum—training new community ambassadors, hosting outreach events, and expanding the circle of people and organizations supporting early development. This funding helped us spark something here that has real potential to serve as a model for other rural communities.”

Mollan and her team partner closely with Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley and Family Friendly Workplaces to implement the program locally.

“This kind of collaboration is what makes the St. Croix Valley special, said Neil Kline, Development and Communications Manager at Family Resource Center and Executive Director of Family Friendly Workplaces. “We all understand the importance of early childhood development, and by working together and building on each other’s strengths, we’re expanding the circle of people who know about it, care about it, and want to support it. And that’s good for our kids and our rural communities.”

Congratulations to all of the 2025 First Thousand Days Grant Recipients:

Bridge to Books – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Washington County): $10,000. Chisago Lakes School District #2144 – Early Childhood Education (Chisago County): $5,000. Elsie’s Barnyard – Babies at the Barnyard (Pierce County): $3,000. Family Friendly Workplaces, Inc. – General Operating (Regional): $5,000. Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley – General Operating (Regional): $30,000. Lakeview Hospital – Little Moments Count (Regional): $30,000. Larsen Family Public Library – Storytime Program (Burnett County): $1,000. Mahtomedi Early Childhood – General Operating (Washington County): $5,000. Pierce County Public Health Department – Birth to 3 (Pierce County): $8,000. Reach Out and Read Minnesota – General Operating (Regional): $30,000. Reach Out and Read Wisconsin – General Operating (Regional): $30,000. Western Dairyland EOC – Child Care Partnership Program (St. Croix County): $5,000. And Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community – Babies Are Artists, Too! (Chisago County): $5,000.

“These grants are a testament to our region’s shared commitment to families and children,” said Angie Pilgrim, St. Croix Valley Foundation’s Vice President of Community Impact. “We know that early investment builds a foundation for everything that follows—school readiness, lifelong health, social well-being, and economic opportunity. We’re grateful to the Lawsons and all our funding partners for making this possible.”

The St. Croix Valley Foundation serves a six-county region spanning Washington and Chisago Counties in Minnesota and Polk, Burnett, St. Croix, and Pierce Counties in Wisconsin. Partnering with donors, local community affiliates, and nonprofits, the foundation stewards and grows endowments that fuel vital programs—today and for generations to come. Through strategic grantmaking and strong community partnerships, the St. Croix Valley Foundation is helping build a more vibrant, resilient, and generous region.

To learn more about the First Thousand Days initiative or to contribute, visit: scvfoundation.org/FirstThousandDays.

Submitted by Ryma Lindquist, WWH

BALDWIN, WI – Western Wisconsin Health (WWH) is excited to welcome Lia Pender, DNP, to our Urgent Care team. With extensive experience in both Primary and Urgent Care, Lia brings a patient-centered approach and a passion for delivering high-quality, efficient healthcare to our community.

Lia earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Chippewa Valley Technical College before advancing her education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she obtained both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees. Her background includes experience in Primary Care at Marshfield Clinic and Urgent Care at Prevea Health, where she thrived in the fast-paced environment and enjoyed providing compassionate care to patients and their families.

“We are thrilled to have Lia join our team at Western Wisconsin Health,” said Ellen Thompson, Chief Operating Officer. “Her dedication to patient care, combined with her experience in both Primary and Urgent Care settings, makes her a perfect fit for our organization. Lia’s commitment to putting patients first aligns with our mission to provide accessible and high-quality healthcare to the community.”

A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Lia is looking forward to growing as a Nurse Practitioner and embracing new opportunities at Western Wisconsin Health. Her approach prioritizes patient well-being, ensuring that each individual receives the care and attention they deserve.

Outside of work, Lia enjoys spending time with her family. She is eager to connect with patients in our community and continue making a positive impact through her work at Western Wisconsin Health.

Please join us in welcoming Lia Pender to the team! For more information about WWH Urgent Care services and hours please visit wwhealth.org or call 715-684-1111.

By Julie Huebel, PCHA

ELMWOOD, WI – I first researched this family a bit back in 2020 when I was mapping out how my classmates from Elmwood’s class of 1997 were related to each other (A FUN PROJECT!).

We all went a little crazy during lockdown, and this was one of my outlets. If you wish to view my in-progress results, I have created a poster showing the connections between classmates illustrated by a vast web of lines crisscrossing every which way that’s at the Pierce County Historical Association (PCHA) History Center in Elmwood. There were three classmates of mine (Christy, Brandon, and Breeze) that I found all connected to a surname that I was pretty shocked and delighted to discover. I will warn you; I had to cheat just a little on this one, but I thought it was worth bending the rules for. We tend to take place names for granted, but everything is named for something or someone. You are going to learn here that locals still living in the vicinity have a link to some very early history in our area. Let’s plunge into it, shall we?

F is for Feiler… I have two classmates with obvious links to each other, being first cousins. They share the same grandparents, Stanley Feiler and Audrey Campbell. Stanley was born in 1926 to August Feiler and Rochelle Murphy in Rock Elm Township. I’ll come back to his wife, Audrey Campbell and share about her family tree in a moment.

August was born in 1891 in Rock Elm Township to August Sr. and Marie Sobottka and his wife Rochelle was born in 1899 in El Paso Township to John and Katheran Murphy. August Sr. was born in 1853 or 54 in Jakobsdorf, Germany to Gottlieb Feiler and his wife Maria was born in Germany as well. This is where the trail runs cold on the Feiler line, I don’t know if Gottlieb ever came to the US. If someone has more on this Feiler line, please do reach out to share with the Pierce County Historical Association.

Now, back to Audrey (Campbell) Feiler. She was born in 1926 in Salem Township to Walter Campbell born in 1898 in Rock Elm Township and Florence Walsingham who was born in 1901 in Maiden Rock Township. We are going to follow Florence’s line, her parents were Bert Walsingham born in 1878 in Hartland Township and Esther Stockwell born in 1879 in Gilmanton, WI. From here, we will follow Esther…her parents were George Stockwell and Georgia Lunderville, both buried in the Ono Methodist Cemetery. Georgia’s parents are Andrew Lundville born in 1834 and Flavie Taylor born in 1832, both born in Quebec, and both buried in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Flavie’s parents were Stephen Taylor and Flavie Pepin… yup, THE Pepin family! We’ll call her Flavie, Sr.

Stephen and Flavie Sr. are the common ancestor link between my classmates Breeze and Brandon with another classmate, Christy, via her father’s Smith line. Flavie Sr.’s parents were Emmanuel Pepin born in 1785 and Marie-Louise-Genevieve Chartrand born in 1788, both born in Quebec. Emmanuel’s parents were Louis Pepin born in 1746 and Marie Charlotte Sylvain born in 1756, again both in Quebec. Louis’ parents were Jacques Pepin III born in 1718 and Poudret dit Lavigne born in 1718, in Quebec. Jacques’ parents are Jacques II and Marie Dufrensne. The father of Jacques II was the original Jacques Pepin, born in 1646. In the 1670’s, two of his brothers are credited with exploring the Wisconsin area that would come to be named after their family with Lake Pepin and the town of Pepin both bearing their name.

King Louis XIII is believed to have granted a huge piece of land in the Upper Mississippi River Valley to two Pepin brothers, one of these a direct descendant of the Elmwood Feiler family, Gillaume Pepin born in France in 1606 and died in Quebec in 1697. He is the father of Jacques Pepin born in 1646.