'Cookies for a Cause' to raise funds for local organizations

From the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau:EAU CLAIRE — The Artists Series at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has partnered with Blugold Dining for a new initiative called "Cookies for a Cause." Cookies made especially for the program by Blugold Dining will be sold at all Artists Series events, creating awareness of nonprofit community organizations while also raising money for a deserving cause.

Cookies will be sold before each Artists Series performance and at intermission for $2 (cash only), with all profits going to benefit the designated cause. The following organizations will be spotlighted this season:

* The Community Table will be featured at the Golden Dragon Acrobats performance Sept. 23. An Eau Claire organization that serves hot meals to those who need food and hospitality, The Community Table is a collaborative effort of local churches, the area food bank and many concerned individuals, businesses and groups. Each day volunteers, guests and staff share a table, coming together to build community.

* The Meals on Wheels program of the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Eau Claire County will be featured at the Pro Arte Quartet concert Oct. 25. Meals on Wheels serves people who are 60 years of age or older and essentially homebound; a spouse of someone who qualifies, regardless of age; and those who are disabled and live with an eligible older person. As well as delivering healthy meals, Meals on Wheels volunteers provide a daily check on those accepted into the program and get in touch with designated contact people if there is ever reason for concern.

* The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic will be the designated cause at the Dec. 6 performance of The Rose Ensemble. Located in downtown Eau Claire, the organization provides health services, medications and advocacy for community members who have no health care alternative. The clinic staff comprises six individuals whose hours are equivalent to three full-time positions, and more than 200 people of medical and non-medical backgrounds donate their time and talent to the clinic's cause.

* The Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association will be featured at the Feb. 17, 2010, performance of Michael Fosberg's one-man show, "Incognito." The organization actively helps Southeast Asian families become socially and economically self-sufficient through education and strengthening of relationships and traditions. Funded by federal, state, city and local grants, the association is also a member of the United Way of Greater Eau Claire, the United Way of Chippewa County and the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce.

* Bolton Refuge House will be the designated cause at the March 1 stage performance of "The Scarlet Letter" by the National Players. Bolton Refuge House provides emergency shelter, education, support, children's services, options counseling and legal advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

* The deaf and hard of hearing program of the Eau Claire Area School District will be featured at the March 14 performance of "The Hearing World Around Me," a one-deaf-woman show by Trix Bruce. This school district program provides a quality education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in safe and accessible environments, empowering them to become productive members of society using their preferred modes of communication.

* Positive Avenues will be featured at the April 4 performance by TU Dance. A program of Lutheran Social Services, Positive Avenues is a daytime drop-in center for people with serious and persistent mental illness as well as homelessness. Emotional support, vocational and recreational opportunities, and structuring of individual schedules are available at this safe haven, located at 618 S. Barstow St.

"Cookies for a Cause" also will be sold on campus at Intermezzos (Davies Center) and Library Grounds (McIntyre Library) during the week of the Artists Series performance (or the week before if the event is on a Monday), with 25 cents of each sale being donated to the organization.

The Artists Series and Blugold Dining are administered by the University Centers, part of the division of Student Affairs.