Richard Miller – Volunteer – Westmorland Neighborhood

Celebrating 50 years!

For fifty years, since 1973, the Westmorland Health Fund Drive has provided an annual opportunity to contribute to health-related charities, with donations directed to local chapters for local impact. In the early years, this was a door-to-door campaign designed to make charitable giving more efficient for both residents and worthy causes.

Participation was typically high, peaking with 621 contributing households recorded in 1981. That number may have been even higher: the number of households was not recorded in all years and the highest recorded total collected was $14,170 in 1987. That is equivalent to an inflation-adjusted $36,391 today!

Embracing the times: More options, declining participation

Since the 1990s, the number of contributing Westmorland households has steadily declined. In 2002, when I became the fourteenth Health Fund Drive Chairperson, 240 households contributed $12,220 through the annual appeal that accompanied WNA’s fall membership drive. In the most recent effort in 2022, about 60 households contributed $5,618. I would like to believe that this change reflects the effects of new ways for us all to make charitable gifts, through targeted, direct online donations to health-related charities and other good causes.

Our WNA has offered an online donation option, in addition to paper checks passed on to Block Captains, since 2018. This has added some technical challenges that have increased the administrative load, while overall participation has declined.

Consequently, the WNA Board has agreed with my recommendation to suspend the WNA Health Fund Drive. See below for links to make donations directly to health charities of your choice.

A special thank you

Here are the Westmorland neighbors who made this work over the years by chairing the Health Fund Drive: Tricia Ornes, Nancy Winter, Marie McKeisie, Karen Cuccia, Elaine Neitzel, Myrtle & John Plenke, Ellen Scheidler, Melba Suee, Ronny Saeman, Loree Davies, Dorothy Brugge, and Richard Miller.

We should take a moment to congratulate ourselves on the impact of this program over fifty years. Since 1974, Westmorland residents have contributed more than $482,000! (Much more, in 2023 dollars!) Over the twenty-one years of my stewardship, this amazing neighborhood donated a grand total of $215,560! It was a privilege to write those checks each year. Thank you!

Statistics (2002-2022)

Health Charity	2022 Donation	2002 – 2022 Total Donations
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin	$1,287	$20,713
Alzheimer’s Association: South Central Chapter	646	18,481 (2004+)
HospiceCare Foundation	551	20,368 (2004+)
American Cancer Society	451	22,907
American Heart Association: Madison Chapter	321	18,203
Am. Parkinson Disease Assn, WI Chapter	281	8,575 (2009+)
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: WI Chapter	271	14,625
Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc.	231	11,233
National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin	231	9,906
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: WI Chapter	221	12,403
American Lung Association of Wisconsin	206	10,293
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County	186	8,201
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Madison Branch	171	8,060
Arthritis Foundation: Wisconsin Ch., SW District	161	11,379
Muscular Dystrophy Association: Wisconsin Ch.	156	8,249
Easter Seals Wisconsin	126	9,114
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation	121	2,582 (2014+)

Total Contributed	$5,618	$215,560