Make a donation in their name and we will send them a Tribute Card informing them of your gift!"

From Thursday, February 25th through the weekend members of nineteen softball teams were collecting items at the Hodag Dome from our wishlist.

Thursday and Friday four teams from the National Junior College Athletic Association softball leaugue arrived at the Dome and started filling the collection bins. We can't wait to see how much was collected.

Thank you to all the players who donated.

If any of you have heard me speak to your agency or group, you have heard me say that when

people ask me if we make a difference in the lives of those who call Frederick Place home, I tell

them, “Yes!” This is because the residents and former residents have shown us that we do. Here are a few examples of reasons why I believe we make a difference:

#1 Just this week a former resident who had been at Frederick Place twice, first from 7/20/17 to 8/1/17 and then again from 11/21/19 to 11/23/19, stopped by Frederick Place and made a $100 cash donation. I am guessing you are thinking, "Wow! He wasn't there long either time.” Not only did he not call Frederick Place home for very long, but both times he was here we had to ask him to leave because he ignored our zero-tolerance rule. During my speaking engagements I talk about the fact that some residents we have asked to leave Frederick Place have returned to thanked us. This is just another example of this statement.

#2 Our very first resident to call Frederick Place home was a 62-year-old female who was an only child, had never been married, and never had a roommate. By day three at Frederick Place, she decided that our group setting was not for her, and she left the house. A few years later she donated a couch to Frederick Place for another resident to have when they got their own apartment.

#3 During our first few years of operation one our residents, Tom, needed to get his driver's license as he had a job that required him to drive vehicles. He had lost his license due to drunk driving 8 years earlier, had done everything he needed to get his license back, but didn't have the money to do so. Between our "Friends of NATH" and our staff "Jean Fund" we were able to cover the cost of his license. I was the lucky one who got to take Tom to the DOT. When Tom came out of the DOT he was grinning from ear to ear. I said to Tom, "Every time you look at your driver's license you are going to think of Frederick Place." Tom said, "Tammy, it's good for 8 years!" I truly believed that Tom did think of us, and he proved I was right when two years later he dropped $200 worth of food of at Frederick Place.

These are just a few examples that show me that we are making a difference in the lives of those who call Frederick Place home. That means that you, too, make a difference, as we would not be where we are today if it weren't for partners and supporters of NATH - Frederick Place like you. So never question whether what you are doing to partner with us makes a difference or not, because

IT DOES!

If you’re a Rhinelander native, you probably remember that there used to be a bar where Dunkin’ Donuts sits now. Its official name was Hodag Bar, but back in the 80s and generations before the era of big hair, everyone affectionately called it “Judy’s.” Judy was the owner and lived in the attached quarters behind the bar. Judy was as iconic as the Hodag that sat on top of the bar. To this day every time I hear Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” (Yes, I do listen to artists other than Springsteen) I think of Judy because that was how I imagined Billy Joel’s bar, minus the piano, to be. Judy was adored by every patron, especially those still in high school. Back in the day, the punishment for underage drinking was the confiscation of whatever libations you had not consumed, so Judy often didn’t ask to see an ID, and we loved her. My most vivid memory of time spent there was on my 18^th birthday. My mom and aunt took my underage friends and me to Judy’s as a rite of passage. Shortly after we arrived, I noticed that my mom was quietly talking to Judy, and Judy had a huge smile on her face. I found out after the fact that my mom asked her what drink would perhaps steer me away from alcohol which would alter my alcoholic destiny. Before I knew it Judy made me a slow gin fizz, and it was yummy. So, the drinks kept coming. I puked for hours, and the end result was me deciding I’d never drink that crap again, but all other beverages were quite alright for me to consume. By now you’re probably wondering why I’m sharing my past instead of writing prose about whoever it is I am profiling. I am shining the spotlight on my fellow night shift worker for over a year, Jeff. Jeff is Judy’s son. The connection I’d already felt with Jeff was strengthened the day I found that out.