Cheese Grater & Danbana Dash donates $15,500 and Spring Valley-Collins Lodge #192 donates $1,276 to the Western Wisconsin Health Foundation for mental health programming and services

The Western Wisconsin Health Foundation is honored to announce the Cheesegrater & Danbana Dash presented a check for $15,500 and the Spring Valley-Collins Lodge #192 presented a check in the amount of $1,276. The funds are designated to be used for mental health needs in the region.

The Cheese Grater & Danbana Dash is an annual fundraising event coordinated by Wanda and Terry Blaedorn and Paul Gerbec and Kelly Brenna. This fundraiser takes place to honor the memory of their sons Corey and Dan who both lost their lives to suicide. The funds are raised in order to create awareness of suicide prevention and are distributed locally to various organizations. “We don’t want barriers to get in the way of someone getting mental health services,” states Kelly Brenna. The Cheese Grater and Danbana Dash was held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the River Falls, WI American Legion. This year the event included a 5K Run/Walk, silent auction, and basket raffle, with live music throughout the day.

In addition, the Spring Valley-Collins Lodge #192 held their 14^th annual June Bug Days Car Show.  A portion of the funds raised were matched by the Grand Lodge and then donated to WW Health Foundation.  Learn more about the many wonderful things Lodge #192 does at collinsspringvalley192.d2wi.org/.

The funds donated to the foundation will be used towards mental health needs of WW Health patients, including mental health and crisis transportation, funding for behavioral health services and insurance deductibles, and helping in the continuation and growth of our newest efforts around teen resiliency programming in the Baldwin-Woodville School District and expanding to other schools very soon.

Western Wisconsin Health is located in Baldwin, WI and offers comprehensive health and wellness services, including preventive care, behavioral health, primary care, emergency care, advanced surgical procedures, integrative health, orthopedic services, rehabilitation services, women’s health, and a fitness center and therapeutic pool.

The WW Health Behavioral Health team consists of four psychiatric professionals (two psychiatric nurse practitioners and two psychiatrists), two psychologists, and six behavioral health counselors. Our behavioral health team provides child, adolescent, individual, family, couples, and marital therapy services.

Learn more about WW Health at wwhealth.org.

Photo 1 – Pictured: Left to Right: Rosa Magnus, Development Manager, Natasha Ward, Community Health Improvement Director, Dr. Christopher Babbitt, WW Health Director of Behavioral Health & Psychologist, Wanda and Terry Blaedorn, Cheese Grater, Kelly Brenna and Paul Gerbec, Danbana Dash, Alison Page, WW Health CEO. Additional $500 was received the day of the photo totaling to the $15,500 (not reflective in photo)

Photo 2 – Pictured: Left to Right: Rosa Magnus, Development Manager, Natasha Ward, Community Health Improvement Director, Roger Keller, Earl Gunderson and Terry Blaedorn, Spring Valley-Collins Lodge #192, Dr. Christopher Babbitt, WW Health Director of Behavioral Health & Psychologist, Alison Page, WW Health CEO.