Donor Stories
Immeasurable Impact: The Diermeier's Story
Though Rick and Julie Diermeier could count the thousands of clients Family & Children's Center has served over the years, they say they would never know how to measure the impact of the Center.
"We live in a small enough community that our lives and our children's lives cross paths many times with people who have been helped by the Center - co-workers, children in our kids' schools," says Julie.
"When you pull a child out of mainstream schools to attend alternative education, he won't be a distraction to the other kids in the school and he will be getting the help he needs," says Julie, offering just one of many examples of how helping one suffering individual also helps others. "The benefits of Family & Children's Center in our community are immeasurable."
We're all linked, say Rick and Julie. The individual - with all his or her gifts and challenges - is linked to the family. That family is linked to the overall community. "Individual well-being and strength and health of the family are the core building blocks of society," says Julie.
As donors to Family & Children's Center, the Diermeiers will never know how many people they'll touch or how many generations will be forever transformed. But they do know it's an investment with infinite dividends to others and themselves.
"Giving brings intrinsic rewards - the knowledge that what we do helps in some small way. That's why we do these things: other than doing good, it makes you feel good."
Hope for Generations Ahead: The Dahl Family's Story
La Crosse's Dahl family was among the first to pledge support for the Campaign for Better Tomorrows, calling it a family tradition to give to those in need.
Indeed, the Dahl family has been supporting the community throughout the five generations it has run Dahl Automotive. In 2004, the family formalized the tradition by creating the Dahl Family Foundation, from which they pledged $500,000 to the Campaign for Better Tomorrows. 
The Dahls- grandfather Kenny, dad Harry and sons Jansen, Andrew and Tyler - base giving decisions on a number of criteria but look especially for family and youth organizations. They say they chose Family & Children's Center because it is an all-encompassing organization that helps with both prevention and intervention for families in need. "We feel our charitable contributions are a direct reflection of our values and perspective on life," says Harry.
Andrew points to Family & Children's Center as a good example of an organization that addresses newer needs in today's society. "Divorce rates are up and single parenting has increased in our generation. We have been blessed with the means to address these needs in a positive way through our family foundation."
The family is especially concerned that county, state and federal funding cuts are leaving more children and families in need.
"You read the newspaper and you see it. Our communities are growing and so are crime rates, alcohol use, binge drinking and gang activity. There's more of that than the system can handle. That tears away at the social fabric of a community. People don't want to move to towns with crime and drug issues," says Jansen. "Family & Children's Center can be proactive and hip it in the bud, saving incarceration costs, police costs and immeasurable costs for communities and families."
The Dahls believe strongly that their gifts build better tomorrows. "If we didn't believe that we could make an impact, we wouldn't contribute," says Tyler. "By investing in families and children, we are investing in the future well-being of our community; we are investing in hope for the future."
Donor Stories
Immeasurable Impact: The Diermeier's Story
Though Rick and Julie Diermeier could count the thousands of clients Family & Children's Center has served over the years, they say they would never know how to measure the impact of the Center.
"We live in a small enough community that our lives and our children's lives cross paths many times with people who have been helped by the Center - co-workers, children in our kids' schools," says Julie.
"When you pull a child out of mainstream schools to attend alternative education, he won't be a distraction to the other kids in the school and he will be getting the help he needs," says Julie, offering just one of many examples of how helping one suffering individual also helps others. "The benefits of Family & Children's Center in our community are immeasurable."
We're all linked, say Rick and Julie. The individual - with all his or her gifts and challenges - is linked to the family. That family is linked to the overall community. "Individual well-being and strength and health of the family are the core building blocks of society," says Julie.
As donors to Family & Children's Center, the Diermeiers will never know how many people they'll touch or how many generations will be forever transformed. But they do know it's an investment with infinite dividends to others and themselves.
"Giving brings intrinsic rewards - the knowledge that what we do helps in some small way. That's why we do these things: other than doing good, it makes you feel good."
Hope for Generations Ahead: The Dahl Family's Story
La Crosse's Dahl family was among the first to pledge support for the Campaign for Better Tomorrows, calling it a family tradition to give to those in need.
Indeed, the Dahl family has been supporting the community throughout the five generations it has run Dahl Automotive. In 2004, the family formalized the tradition by creating the Dahl Family Foundation, from which they pledged $500,000 to the Campaign for Better Tomorrows.
The Dahls- grandfather Kenny, dad Harry and sons Jansen, Andrew and Tyler - base giving decisions on a number of criteria but look especially for family and youth organizations. They say they chose Family & Children's Center because it is an all-encompassing organization that helps with both prevention and intervention for families in need. "We feel our charitable contributions are a direct reflection of our values and perspective on life," says Harry.
Andrew points to Family & Children's Center as a good example of an organization that addresses newer needs in today's society. "Divorce rates are up and single parenting has increased in our generation. We have been blessed with the means to address these needs in a positive way through our family foundation."
The family is especially concerned that county, state and federal funding cuts are leaving more children and families in need.
"You read the newspaper and you see it. Our communities are growing and so are crime rates, alcohol use, binge drinking and gang activity. There's more of that than the system can handle. That tears away at the social fabric of a community. People don't want to move to towns with crime and drug issues," says Jansen. "Family & Children's Center can be proactive and hip it in the bud, saving incarceration costs, police costs and immeasurable costs for communities and families."
The Dahls believe strongly that their gifts build better tomorrows. "If we didn't believe that we could make an impact, we wouldn't contribute," says Tyler. "By investing in families and children, we are investing in the future well-being of our community; we are investing in hope for the future."