WAUPUN — Waupun Festivals, the organization behind Celebrate Waupun, donated the tip money collected from the ID-check tent to local nonprofit organizations.
A total of $2,200 was collected at the ID-check wristband booth, which was divided between the Waupun Food Pantry, Marsh Haven Nature Center, and Waupun Animal Shelter. All three received $500 each, with the remaining $700 towards Waupun Festivals.
Sue Haefemeyer, one of the members of Waupun Festivals, presented the checks to each of the organizations Monday evening.
Waupun Food Pantry:
“We’re so blessed. Waupun is such a great community and it just keeps fostering the needs and helping whenever a need aises,” said Terri Respalje, manager of the Waupun Food Pantry. “I have other friends that have other non-profits too in Waupun, and they just get blown away by the generosity and how it’s not about us, it’s about somebody else and people. It’s always first and foremost on people’s minds is, ‘what do I need to do? Where can I help?’”
“It’s easy to say, ‘bring some peanut butter in’ or something, but sometimes we have a lot of stuff that people don’t know,” Respalje said. “So this affords me to get exactly what we need—like we’re low on toothpaste right now. So, tomorrow I’ll be getting toothpaste. We can use all that stuff so much.”
Marsh Haven Nature Center:
“The Waupun Festivals committee has always been very supportive of Marsh Haven,” said Matt Rupnik, executive director at Marsh Haven. “It’s a great partnership we have with them and all this money goes right back to the facility. Whatever projects we’re working on, which could include bat houses, Purple Martin houses, building our boardwalk, adding on to our sheds—you name it, or just keeping things running.”
Waupun Area Animal Shelter:
“The Waupun Area Animal Shelter and all the furry friends here would love to thank the ID check-in group at Celebrate Waupun for the wonderful donation,” said Pat Beyer, who is manager at the Animal Shelter. “It can do so many wonderful things for us, covering care for the animals. We can’t thank you enough for the donation because of the fact that it’s something wonderful for us.”
