Art show benefits caregiver services

Beth Stankiewicz, program director and accounts manager for Waseca Area Caregiver Services (WACGS) and Jess Stuckmayer, director of the Waseca Art Center have organized a Hometown Art Show and Silent Auction at the Waseca Art Center, to raise money to help individuals in need.

When executive director Kelly Beddeger of WACGS reached out to Stuckmayer with the idea of a hometown art show and fundraiser, Stuckmayer said, “Yes, let's do it!” The fundraiser involves art, and it involves the community, so it fit right in with the Waseca Art Center. The idea was conceived in April, and, taking advantage of a last-minute cancellation of one artist's exhibit, information was distributed in May to allow for an exhibit that began on June 8 and runs through July 29.

Organizing the event took the combined efforts of a community. Both galleries in the Art Center are filled to capacity with donated art, about 30% of which is original work donated by the artist, Stuckmayer estimates. Stankiewicz said, “A big thing for us is just getting the community together and getting everyone in the same space and talking. All the money that is raised is going toward caregiver services, and that goes to support our programs […], so it goes to a really great cause, to a nonprofit.”

WACGS only recently started up again after state funding for the program was cut due to other budget priorities during the Covid 19 pandemic. Observes Larry Johnson, board chair for WACGS, “Coming back out of Covid, it was really hard to get going because it relies almost a hundred percent on grant funding.”

Which is why WACGS holds monthly fundraisers in order to maintain these essential programs. Recent events were a Flag Day fundraiser at the American Legio, and a St Patrick's Day fundraiser at the Ward House Brewery.

Stankiewicz and WACGS were delighted to make the acquaintance of Stuckmayer, who took up the mantle of Art Center director in Aug. 2021; both organizations hope to make the Hometown Art Show and Silent Auction fundraiser an annual event.

Stankiewicz explains that one priority for WACGS is to support older community members. “Our main goal is to help our aging adults live well at home and age in place,” said Stankiewicz, who explained that many adults don't want to leave their homes or move into assisted living. The organization has a support group for caregivers, making provision for a couple of hours of at-home care per week, so that care receivers' usual caregivers can get a break.

Another branch of WACGS, called Journeys, provides services for high risk youth. Some of the life obstacles faced by young people whom WACGS encounters are homelessness, hunger, and drug and alcohol abuse. “We have lots of referral sources that we can send their way,” said Stankiewicz.

Although it isn’t as visible as in larger communities, homelessness is a problem in our area. Young people especially may not have a legitimate place of residence, resorting to “couch hopping.” According to Johnson, WACGS often tries to find work and a more permanent living situation for people enduring homelessness. A younger individual might be placed with foster care. The Bethlehem Inn, another non-profit organization in Waseca, is a homeless shelter for women and children which acts as a referral service for WACGS. Although no homeless shelter for men is currently available in Waseca County, WACGS maintains connections with homeless shelters in Steele, Rice, and Le Sueur Counties in order to help these individuals.

WACGS serves all of Waseca County. Although many people know about the Waseca Art Center, WACGS is not as well known, and the Hometown art Show and Silent Auction at the Waseca Art Center is helping to get the word out that there is help for people who need it. “It begins the conversation about what they do, and how they're able to service the community, and how they really do kind of fill in a gap either county or state services,” said Johnson, who explained that an individual must be homeless or out of work for a certain amount of time before the county or state is permitted to step in.

“We get calls from the county a lot for people who the county can't necessarily help, so they send them our way,” said  Stankiewicz. Sometimes, too, calls for help come from friends or family members who are looking out for each other.

Johnson calls WACGS one of Waseca County's “best-kept secrets.”

“But we don't want it to be a secret,” he said. “We want folks to know that the service is there, and that it's available to them.” 

During the Hometown Art Show and Silent Auction, visitors to the Waseca Art Center can visit the galleries and bid on artwork during gallery hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from noon - 5 p.m. At the close of the auction on July 29, visitors will have the opportunity to bid until 6:30 p.m., at which point winning bids will be announced. At the closing celebration, the Mill Event Center will cater beverages, Morgan's Meat Market will provide meat and cheese trays, and Lush Cakes will offer desserts. Bob Stephan will provide entertainment with live music. 

“We're really excited,” said  Stankiewicz. “It was really fun to get all the artwork together.”