Green County Leaders is proud to announce the graduation of 30 community leaders from the 2024-2025 leadership development program. These participants were celebrated during a graduation ceremony and were recognized for their community project accomplishments and educational achievements.

Green County Leaders is an educational program where individuals practice leadership skills, deepen their understanding of community issues, and prepare for leadership roles, thereby creating a network of active and visionary individuals who leverage their experience and expertise to benefit their community and local community-based organizations. Green County Leaders participants attend a full-day program once a month, held in various locations, from September through May. This year participants met over 100 community leaders and toured 19 sites in the 7 communities of New Glarus, Belleville, Brooklyn, Albany, Brodhead, Monroe, and Browntown. 

Participants also take part in a team project and other activities to hone leadership skills and community impact. This year’s class projects were instrumental in laying groundwork for future efforts and included:

●  Green County Humane Society Pathway Happy Paws Walkway focuses on bridging the Green County Humane Society and Pleasant View Nursing Home with a quarter-mile pathway to increase the relationships and access between Pleasant View residents and animals at the Humane Society, who offer companionship and comfort. 

●  Green County Smiles is an extension of a 2023-2024 Green County Leaders project, with this year’s efforts aimed to improve oral health throughout Green County by visiting first graders at Juda Elementary School to teach students proper tooth brushing techniques in partnership with Fowler Dental. 

●  Greener Monroe utilizes focused fundraising and awareness campaigns in partnership with the City of Monroe Parks to bring approximately 27 new durable recycling bins to Monroe’s parks in the summer of 2025, helping to reduce litter, promote proper recycling, and foster environmental stewardship. 

●  Impact Green County was created to address the gap between local organizations needing volunteer support and community members eager to get involved by means of a new online platform to serve as a hub for Green County volunteer engagement, making creating and signing up for volunteer opportunities simple and accessible. 

●  New Glarus Dog Park project was launched in response to a community interest in the creation of a safe, accessible, and well-designed space for dogs and their owners. Research on the creation of comparable dog parks in southern Wisconsin and meetings with community stakeholders were completed, and recommendations were provided to the Village of New Glarus to ensure a smooth transition of project responsibility to a local nonprofit. 

●  Temporary Animal Care Network was created to address the issue of individuals experiencing unexpected crises such as homelessness, illness, deployment, or abuse, and the resulting need for temporary animal care in such situations. Surveyed Green County residents expressed a willingness to act as volunteer animal care providers as a part of this assistance network.

The Green County Leaders program is made possible through generous support from and partnerships with a variety of local entities. We would like to thank our donors and sponsors for their assistance: Dairy Queen, Jack Link’s, Kuhn North America, Precision Drive & Control, The Bank of New Glarus, and Colony Brands. Additionally, Green County Leaders works with and visits many communities, who we would like to thank for hosting our program: Grace Church - New Glarus, Tofflers Pub and Grill, Village Park - New Glarus, Monroe Arts Center, Belleville Public Library, Albany Lions Club, Brooklyn Community Building, Green County Justice Center, Monroe Clinic Hospital, Bullet’s Restaurant, Green County Courthouse, Colony Brands, Badger State Ethanol, Monroe Truck Equipment, Kuhn North America, Williams Bedrock Bovines, and Hawk’s Mill Winery. The program would not be possible without their contributions and investments in the future of Green County.

Overall, Green County Leaders has completed 23 program years, resulting in an alumni network of 494 people. There have been 95 community projects, and very conservatively $661,762 skilled volunteer hours contributed to Green County communities. This does not include the amount of fundraising conducted to fund these projects.

For more information on the Green County Leaders program, contact Victoria Solomon at the Extension Green County Office at (608) 328-9440 or victoria.solomon@wisc.edu.