United Way names leader of $400K campaign

Jim Asplin has been named the honorary campaign chairman for United Way of Northern Ozaukee.

“United Way of Northern Ozaukee has been responding to local needs for over 73 years,” Asplin said. “As an organization, they have made a difference in the lives of thousands of people. Banding together with our local nonprofit community, they are influencing lasting change in the lives of our neighbors.

“What we share through United Way of Northern Ozaukee will come back to us all tenfold in some area of our lives and communities.”

As the honorary campaign chairman, Asplin will serve as an ambassador for United Way, reaching out to donors, sharing information on United Way and its partner agencies, making connections and supporting fundraising efforts, Board President Craig Modahl said.

Asplin and his wife Christine are Port Washington residents and long time supporters of United Way of Northern Ozaukee, United Way Executive Director Barbara Bates-Nelson said.

Asplin, who was a member of the inaugural United Way Campaign Committee, has been a financial advisor for 23 years and owns Newport Wealth Management.

He is a past president and 23-year member of the Port Washington-Saukville Rotary Cub and a past board member for Portal Industries.

He also has coached girls’ basketball  for St. Joseph School.

This year, United Way of Northern Ozaukee has set a fundraising goal of $400,000, Modahl said.

Last year, United Way raised more than $357,000.

“The health and economic crisis have escalated the urgency for organizations to extend a helping hand to some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” Bates-Nelson said. “Not only are we seeing an increase in the number of people needing help, but also in the number and complexity of services they need.”

According to its website, more than 7,000 people in Ozaukee County benefitted from programs funded by United Way of Northern Ozaukee in 2021-22.

More than 9,500 households in the county struggle to make ends meet and can’t afford basic needs, the agency stated.

United Way of Northern Ozaukee works with more than 14 local nonprofit programs, including Adult Literacy, Advocates of Ozaukee, Balance, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Family Sharing of Ozaukee County, Interfaith Caregivers, NAMI, Ozaukee Family Services, Portal and Starting Point.

In addition to its $400,000 goal, United Way will also be working to raise another $140,000 to support the Community Services Navigator Program it started this year with five of its nonprofit partners.

The program provides a centralized source of information and a trained coordinator to help individuals access the health and human services they need to make a long-term difference in their lives.

“It can be so overwhelming for people in need,” Modahl said, especially those with multiple needs. “We’ve gotten an overwhelming number of referrals to the program that really speaks to the need.”

Bates-Nelson called the program a “game changer” for the county.

United Way’s annual fundraising campaign kicked off earlier this fall, and Modahl said mailings were recently sent to community members who can donate online at UnitedWayNO.org or through the mail.