Sussex Patch's 'Person of the Year' a Friend of the Elderly

For more than a decade, Joanne Lapcinski has been taking care of elderly homebound in Sussex.

Some people volunteer in their spare time, but few do as much for the homebound elderly as Joanne Lapcinski. And that’s why she was nominated — and has been named — Sussex Patch’s "Person of the Year" for 2012. “She comes to my house all the time,” said Marge Tinger, 90, of Sussex. "She’s wonderful. I told her the other day, 'You’re like an angel from heaven.' She does anything I ask her, you know. And she volunteers, 'Can I do this, can I do that?' "She’s out of this world. She does my toenails, and she cleans. She changes my bed, she scrubs the floor on her knees, vacuums; she does everything. And she is so pleasant," Tinger added. "I just love her.” Tinger said that Lapcinski helps her not be lonely. “I look forward to her coming,” she …

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Nancy K

10:38 am on Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Kudos to Joanne! There need to be more people in the world like her. I volunteer for Interfaith Senior Programs and grocery shop for a lady who lives in Menomonee Falls, but that's nuthin' compared to what Joanne does!   more ›

Sussex Outreach Seeking Donations for Annual Christmas Party

The Christmas Basket and Gift Distribution event is Saturday, but organizers still need a little help to make the event a bigger success.

Members of Sussex Outreach Services are hoping to make the season brighter for those in most need in the community, but they still need your help. The SOS is planning a Christmas Basket and Toy Distribution event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at St. James Church on Town Line Road. Registered pantry users can select a basket of food and also shop for toys to place under the tree on the big day. To participate in the event, pantry users must register before Saturday. Please bring a current bill and identification card to the toy distribution. However, to make the event a bigger success, the SOS still needs a little help from the community. Organizers are in need of gift donations for children ages 11 to 18 years old. Additionally, they are…

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Students Collect Food, Supplies For Good Cause

Woodside pupils participate in food drive for Sussex Outreach Services.

Two Woodside parents took it upon themselves, creating a way to generate more food for the Sussex Outreach Services. Kristyn Brandt and Jen Southern, volunteers in charge of the Scholastic Book Fair, decided the teachers of the two classes that gather the most items for the food collection will be awarded Scholastic "bonus money," which can be used to buy books for their classrooms. “We thought that the students would really get into it because who wouldn't want their teacher to win something?” Brandt said. “Plus, it would show the students that they can help others who are in need.” The food drive will end Dec. 14. Community members can support the cause by dropping off donations between  9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Woodside office. The food…

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Food Drive To Benefit Sussex Outreach Services On Saturday

Food Drive to benefit Sussex Outreach Services. Members of St. Alban's Episcopal Church will be collecting food donations for Sussex OUtreach Services.

Retired Sussex Couple Takes Volunteering to New Levels

Dolores & Chester Becker have lived in Sussex for 22 years, and their volunteer work at the food pantry raises the bar for local residents.

If you’ve ever set foot inside the Sussex Food Pantry over the past 13 years, chances are you’ve probably encountered Dolores Becker.  Dolores and her husband Chester have lived in Sussex for 22 years, and they're bringing new meaning to the word "volunteer." Dolores, 82, works in the clothing and house wares donation section while Chester, 81, who decided to start volunteering his time last year, works in the food donation area, stocking the shelves. For this couple, it’s more than just another chance to do something together. It’s a passion to simply help those less fortunate. “I wanted to do something,” Dolores explained. “We’re retired and I didn’t want to spend all of my life just at home doing nothing. I went to work at the Sussex …

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Lions Daze Making it Easy to Help Others

The food pantry is in dire need of donations, so the Lions are stepping up to make it even easier to help families in need.

The Sussex and Lannon Lions Clubs are joining forces with Sussex-Area Outreach Services to remind people that Lions Daze this weekend is more than just a carnival, and it’s never been easier to help out while having fun. Jennifer Waltz, the director of SOS, says that the food pantry that feeds and clothes hundreds of area families is running low on supplies. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Lions Daze is donated to charity, so at the heart of the carnival lies the spirit of giving. “I just want to get it out there that the food pantry is beginning to run low on food,” Waltz said. “We are out of peanut butter, and other needed food items are: canned meat, rice sides, cans of fruit and juice. We also need baby formula, diapers and …

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SOS Having Local Fundraiser at Culver's

The local Culver's restaurant is donating 10 percent of this Wednesday's proceeds to Sussex Outreach Services.

Sussex Outreach Services is joining forces with Culver's Restaurant on the corner of Hwy 164 and Main Street to do a little fundraising. Jennifer Waltz, SOS's exective director, is passing out coupons for the local custard joint so when residents eat there on Wednesday, Culver's will donate a percentage of the proceeds to a good cause. "Culvers is going to host a fundraiser at their restaurant on Wednesday, June 27th, ALL DAY!" Waltz wrote in an email. "You need to bring in the coupon with you when you eat in order for Culver's to donate 10 percent to SOS. Come out for lunch, dinner or some yummy custard!" You can find a copy of the coupons attached here to this article, or by emailing Jennifer Waltz. 

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Heat2O Fitness Grand Opening Celebration Saturday

Sussex's newest business Heat2O Fitness is holding a grand opening Saturday, along with a charity food drive for Sussex Outreach Services.

Sussex Week Ahead: Memorial Day Parade and SOS Family Fun Day

From the annual Memorial Day celebration to Sussex Outreach Service's first annual Free Family Fun Day, this is a list of places to be and things to do this week in Sussex.

Don't forget that Memorial Day is on Monday meaning a few things will be changing around Sussex. First of all, students in the Hamilton School District will have classes canceled on Friday and Monday of next week. Also, the Pauline Haass Public Library, Village Hall and Community Center will all be closed next Monday.  However, the most exciting and important thing to remember is the Memorial Day Parade. Sussex's parade on Main Street is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. It will start at the corner of Waukesha Avenue and Silver Spring Drive, proceed west down Main Street and end with a ceremony at the VFW Post. Sussex Outreach Services is excited to announce its first annual Free Family Fun Day, where everyone is invited and all proceeds go …

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Food, Games and More at SOS' Free Family Event

Between bouncy castles, snow cones and a scavenger hunt, Sussex Outreach Services' first annual Family Fun Day is giving residents a way to kick off the summer with the whole family.

Supporting the area’s most famous volunteer organization doesn’t always have to mean collecting canned goods or sorting through Christmas presents, and come June 3, you’ll know just what we mean. Sussex-Area Outreach Services is proud to announce its First Annual Free Family Fun Day at Sussex Village Park. Between noon and 4 p.m., area residents are invited to show support to SOS by simply having a good time. Jennifer Waltz, SOS’ director, has rounded up an enormous amount of family entertainment with all proceeds going toward the organization’s mission. Between face painting, a bouncy-house, food and more, Waltz is excited to teach people more about SOS in a fun way. “The event is really going to be more of a community-focused event,” …

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