The Council wishes to congratulate our volunteer, Karen Lee Weidig, who has been selected as one of the Community Shares of Wisconsin’s Backyard Heroes for April 2019.
Karen Lee is originally from Milwaukee, and moved to Madison in the 1970s. She has volunteered her time at the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired for over 20 years.
Karen Lee has volunteered at Legislative Day, assisting people in finding rooms of legislators. She served as a greeter at Council events. Most recently, Karen Lee volunteers in peoples’ homes, helping with filing and organizing of papers, going to Spanish club and practicing Spanish, and assisting an author by making edits to the book she is writing.
“I’ve been offered such a growth-producing, wide variety of experiences,” says Karen Lee. “I’ve come to consider Council contacts as friends.”
Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) has always been focused on recognizing and supporting grassroots efforts throughout the state. Each year, the 24 Backyard Heroes awards acknowledge ordinary citizens working behind the scenes supporting CSW member organizations. CSW sees the awards as an opportunity to distinguish people who might not be recognized in the newspaper or on the radio for the work they do. The nearly 70 member non-profits of CSW nominate volunteers for the Backyard Heroes award. CSW appreciates this chance to give a shout-out to these volunteers and the member organizations they serve. Doing so demonstrates how important member groups are to CSW in spreading the work throughout the community and collaborating with one another.
“We are a federation of the members and our strength is the strength of our members,” says Cheri Dubiel, Executive Director of CSW. “When we can recognize members, it helps the community acknowledge all the people behind the work that is being done. It is more than the people working at CSW. It is hundreds and thousands of people throughout Wisconsin working together to accomplish change.”
We would like to thank Karen Lee for her commitment and dedication to the Council, and CSW for providing us this opportunity to acknowledge all she has achieved while volunteering with our organization.
Karen Lee will receive her Backyard Heroes award at the 2019 Change-Maker Awards celebration in September, in Madison.
