We envision a world where:
Friend!
63 people. 10 counties. And a roomful of honest conversation about what seniors in our communities actually need. Thursday was a good day. We're grateful you were part of it.
As we speak, we're currently sifting through all of the Connection and Action Cards. And they're so wonderful to read! So, if you filled one out, know that we'll be reading yours soon. If you didn't get a chance—or would like to say more–please do! Use this link.
Through a process of heat-mapping and polling led by Jake Susanne, we surfaced some really important information. About 7 in 10 of us were concerned about housing as a top and pressing issue for seniors in south central Wisconsin. That's a really high percentage. And we know from connecting that this is an issue we all feel deep in our bones.
Whether that's keeping our home or aging in place affordably—or simply finding housing that we can afford in the state, housing stood out as painful, pressing, important, and urgent.
After housing, social isolation was a close second, followed by a need for access to universal healthcare as well as lack of accessible, affordable transportation in our region and lack of support for volunteer drivers.
Lots of local problems that need larger solutions. Local issues that need people united around shared needs (and not divided around differing opinions), that need people united across county lines.
And honestly: We're glad to be united with you.
Here's what's next.
Stay connected. If you want to stay connected to the Senior Empowerment Project, Groundswell Collective, or Common Ground Lake Geneva, and you have not yet told us so, please do so now. Reply to this email or return to that form we mentioned above.
Show up May 6. The Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network Day of Action is virtual this year, so you can join from anywhere. Register at gwaar.org/waan-day-of-action-2026 and make your voice heard by lawmakers directly. [hyperlink this too in the final]
Meet with legislators. If you are ready to speak to lawmakers alongside other seniors—or be part of a town hall that puts our issues in front of candidates and elected officials—so are we. Let's connect and move into action.
Make a call. If you want to call your officials in support of Meals on Wheels, Volunteer Driver Insurance, Fall Prevention programs, or ADRC funding, reach out. Click here to learn who your elected officials are.
Host an event near you. If you came from further away and found yourself thinking "I wish something like this existed closer to home," reach out. We'd love to talk about bringing a summit to your neck of the woods.
If you are in Walworth County, know that the next meeting of Groundswell Collective (our Walworth County grassroots organizing group) is scheduled for May 14, 1:30 PM. We are currently changing the location of that meeting, so look out for details. We'll be talking about transportation and our Nursery to Nursing Home: We Need Care campaign. We'd love to see you there.
Let's talk! Please respond to this email or connect by phone if you'd like to schedule a 1:1 conversation or house meeting with an organizer where you live.
Revisit! If you missed Janet Zander's presentation or would like to revisit it, you can find a copy of the power point at the following link. Enjoy!
See you really soon.
~Your South Central Senior Summit Planning Team
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Dear {{ FirstName | default: 'Friend' }},
Wisconsin is facing a crisis of care. In more ways than one.
More than 33,000 families in our state need childcare. But they can't get it. Mostly, it's not available. And where it is available, it's at a price that most families can't afford.
Likewise, studies report that by 2030 we're going to need 33,000 more beds in Wisconsin if we decide to care for our senior neighbors and family members in the most vulnerable moments of their adult lives.
These crises are growing from the same roots:
When lawmakers decide to withdraw funding from care, the places that care for us are left with more work and fewer resources. As a result, staff become underpaid and difficult to find, as well. Rural and small-town communities like ours? Too often, they're blamed by those same lawmakers and admonished to "figure it out."
Well, good news. That's what we're doing.
The difference, of course, is that we are doing it together.
We're uniting. We're connecting. And we're growing.
And we're pushing back against decisions and decision-makers that would leave rural and small-town seniors stranded.
The groups, people, and organizations who are creating and becoming Wisconsin's Senior Empowerment Project are building. Because we know we need something better. For ourselves. For our neighbors. And for the future of care in Wisconsin.
And folks are noticing.
Below, you'll find a few stories from the front lines of the Senior Empowerment Project, both in the Northwoods and in South Central Wisconsin, where seniors and allies have been convening for breakfasts and summits, listening for the issues that matter most, and seeking solutions to local needs—while forging relationships across the state to achieve together what we can't in isolation.
You'll also see a story from PBS Wisconsin that highlights Maddie Sweetman, one of our leaders in Walworth County, where community members are organizing to convert the vacant wing of their county-owned nursing home into an intergenerational care center—addressing those twin needs of child and senior care in our state.
This is what we do, friends. We unite. We grow. And we build toward a Wisconsin that's better for all of us.
We're so glad you're a part of it.
A Movement to Connect Generations Takes on a Crisis of Care — PBS Wisconsin, Here & Now
PBS Wisconsin's statewide program features Maddie Sweetman and the Groundswell Collective, who are uniting kids, parents, and grandparents, and leading the push to turn a vacant wing of their county nursing home into a combined childcare and senior-living space. As Maddie puts it: rural communities can suffer extra from isolation, and intergenerational care bridges those gaps. Watch it. And share it widely.
We're tapping into this growing spirit of unity at the upcoming South Central WI Senior Summit — and we hope you'll join us.
South Central Wisconsin Senior Summit
Thursday, April 23 | 1–5 PM | Elkhorn, WI
Seniors from across South Central Wisconsin will be sharing what they know, meeting their neighbors, and building people power to make real change possible. We're stronger when you're with us. Save your spot here
Gatherings & Governors
And that's just the beginning. This summer, in addition to regional gatherings across Wisconsin, we'll be offering an opportunity for seniors to connect across the whole state—and even with new Senior Empowerment Project chapters that are taking root in Michigan. The movement is spreading.
We're also planning a Senior Empowerment Project Gubernatorial Town Hall this summer. Dates TBD, but we'll get you those soon! This will be an opportunity to put the issues that matter most to Wisconsin seniors directly in front of those running for governor. Watch your inbox.
Also in the news:
Northwoods Senior Breakfast Draws Nearly 90 Neighbors | Merrill Foto News
Nearly 90 people turned out for the Northwoods Senior Breakfast in Merrill last month. And that was just a beginning.
South Central WI Senior Summit to Be Held in Elkhorn | Whitewater Banner
Local coverage ahead of next week's Summit. Worth sharing with friends and neighbors in the area who might still be deciding whether to come.
Sign up for updates | senior-empowerment.org | [email protected] | (262) 394-6659
Senior Empowerment Project Wisconsin is a people's organization, uniting seniors to name the issues we face, find solutions, and work together toward solutions.
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[ learn more ]This past November, seniors from across ten Wisconsin counties came together. Many of us arrived already active and pretty darn involved in our own counties and communities. Some of us were working to add resources and opportunities for seniors where there's been not enough. Others were working to defend resources, nursing homes, and healthcare centers, institutions built for seniors, now under attack by bad corporate actors and, far too often, factions of county boards who refused to listen to the needs of our communities.
Some of these struggles we won. Some we did not. And yet each made us stronger and more skilled along the way.
Still, we knew that, together, we could accomplish much more than we ever could on our own. Under the banner: Senior Empowerment Project, we created a shared vision. A Wisconsin where:
- Every senior has a home
- Every senior has access to high-quality care, where they are, and at a price they can afford
- Seniors are no longer isolated, but integrated into community life
- Care workers are treated with dignity and paid what they are worth
And we committed to building toward this vision both locally and, as we grew, throughout the state.
We made a plan. In 2026, we plan to meet 5,000 seniors across the state. Real people power. Real growing. So we can achieve some real wins for Wisconsin seniors today and for generations to come. One way we are building these relationships is through regional events. These include the upcoming Northwoods Senior Breakfast, Saturday, March 28, 10 AM until Noon in Merrill; and the South Central WI Senior Summit, the afternoon of Thursday, April 23 in Walworth County.
We hope you'll join us for an event or sign up to host a Senior Empowerment event in your neck of the woods.
Email, call, or stop by an event. [email protected] & (262) 394-6659.
Some of What You've Been Up To
"Just Plain Wrong" | The Sauk County Board tried to sell the community's 5-star nursing home to an out-of-state corporation for a fraction of its value. Residents showed up, organized, filed a lawsuit, and forced the company to back out. The fight is still on. This article shares the story as relayed by Judy Brey, a key leader in the struggle.
"Seen Better and Know Better" | A lovely piece about our November Wisconsin Senior Summit in Stevens Point. Seniors who have watched programs they paid into get stripped away are building something new. And they're doing it with clarity, humor, and hard-won wisdom. "The hardest part is to say: We aren't done yet! We can't be done. We've got too much work to do!"
Wisconsin Communities Fight to Save County-Owned Nursing Homes | A statewide look at what's happening to publicly owned nursing homes in Wisconsin and why communities are fighting back. A great piece to share with folks who are just learning about this issue.
A Rural Wisconsin Community Charts a Path for Intergenerational Care | In Walworth County, community members are proposing turning a vacant wing of the county nursing home into a combined childcare center and senior-living space. They call the campaign "Nursery to Nursing Home: We Need Care." After a year of organizing, the county board approved a feasibility study.
Be part of what's next:
Northwoods Senior Breakfast | Saturday, March 28 | Eagles Club, Merrill | 10 - Noon | RSVP here
South Central Wisconsin Senior Summit | Thursday, April 23 | Covenant Harbor, Lake Geneva | 1 - 5 PM | Reserve your spot
Stay Connected! | Sign up for updates | senior-empowerment.org | [email protected] | (262) 394-6659
the Senior Empowerment Project is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
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