In this issue:
  • Community Highlight: Wisconsin Rapids
  • Active Wisconsin Network Call
  • 2022 Webinar Series from 1k Friends
  • News from 1000 Friends
  • Events
  • Resources and Funding Opportunities
Community Highlight: Wisconsin Rapids
1000 Friends of Wisconsin was awarded a grant from COWS in partnership with three Green Tier Legacy Communities (GTLC) to improve community health by promoting pedestrian and bicycle access for children and families, specifically by addressing active transportation gaps to schools and parks. In July, Susan went to Wisconsin Rapids to tour the downtown... Click here to read more.

Image: Dawn Desorcy and Carrie Edmonson, who work for the city of Wisconsin Rapids, sit on a bench at Witter Park.
Active Wisconsin Fall Network Call
Mark your calendars for the Active Wisconsin fall network call on Wednesday, September 14 from 10:30-12. The focus is preparing for Pedestrian Safety Month with guest speaker Darrin Wasniewski from AARP Wisconsin. We are also looking forward to sharing updates and hearing from all of you around the state!

Link to the zoom registration is here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtceuvrD4pG9AIhX0HcTAeuKHmo2EjRU4k
September webinar!
1k Friends Webinar Series - Wednesday, September 7, 12-1pm - Make Way for Pedestrians!
Get ready for Pedestrian Safety Month in October! Whether your primary form of transportation is a car, a bicycle, or a bus, one thing we have in common is that we are ALL pedestrians. Pedestrian Safety Month is a great time to evaluate the pedestrian networks where you live and advocate for better sidewalks, crosswalks, curb cuts, and more. Join us for a webinar on September 7, 2022 from 12-1pm. Presenters Denise Jess of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired and Cassie Steiner of the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter will share best practices for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and effective strategies for advocating at the local level.

The webinar is free. Link to register on zoom is here: https://sierraclub.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtcuitrDIjEtJCZzgqtvYxicbYDm8diQn5
News from 1000 Friends
New Board Member
The Board of Directors welcomed a new member in August, Atticus (Attie) Jaramillo. Attie is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Urban Planning at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP) at UW-Milwaukee. He specializes in housing and community development planning, affordable housing, zoning, and applied research methods. Originally from Madison, Attie is excited to give back to his home state through teaching, research, and service. When not in the office, he enjoys traveling to new cities, seeing live music and comedy, and cheering on the Bucks. Read more here.
Ride Across Wisconsin 2022
Ride Across Wisconsin was the weekend of August 20-21, and Susan completed the 2-day, 165-mile route starting in La Crosse and ending at the Trek headquarters in Waterloo. This includes her first century ride (100 miles) on Saturday! The route was challenging, with 55 miles of unpaved state trail on day 1 and some beastly hills on day 2. Highlights included tunnels along the Elroy-Sparta trail, gorgeous scenery, friendly riders, and many, many snacks. Kudos to Bike Fed and the organizers for such a well-run, well-supported ride!

Image description: Susan stands proudly in front of the long tunnel on the Elroy-Sparta state trail.
Events
Healthy Communities Summit
Join the Wisconsin Bike Fed and the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation for the 2022 Healthy Communities Summit on September 29-30 in Madison. Topics include all things outdoor recreation and biking, and will be of interest to business owners, trail enthusiasts, active transportation commuters, and more. (1K Friends Special Projects Manager Susan Gaeddert will speak on a panel about sustainability and complete streets!) Keynote speakers include Trek CEO John Burke, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, and award-winning mountain cyclist Alexandra Houchin. More information about the summit, including schedule and speaker information, can be found here.
Climate Fast Forward
1000 Friends is excited to be a sponsor for the Climate Fast Forward conference hosted by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison on October 17. Climate Fast Forward 2022 gives everyone in Wisconsin a chance to be a part of the solution to the climate emergency. Our own Gregg May will be speaking on a panel!
Read, Watch, Listen, & Learn
AARP is hosting Livable Communities Workshop: Housing for People of All Ages, a free virtual event September 21-22. Click here to read more and register.

Advocates who want to show what safer streets would look like in their communities can now sign up for DALL-E, a free AI generator that will create visual renderings. It may not be quite as polished as the work of a professional artist, but you can't beat the price tag. Read the free prompt book with instructions and examples here. Sign up for the beta version of DALL-E here.

The Emerald Cities Collaborative has released the Justice 40 Community Playbook, a series of guides to capturing federal infrastructure investments in 2022 from the IIJA. You can access the guides here.

The National Recreation and Park Association has released a new tool kit called Community Wellness Hubs for advancing community health and well-being through parks and recreation. Access the tool kit here. You can watch a short explainer video here.

In anticipation of an updated version of the Urban Bikeway Design Guide, National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has released a new resource called Breaking the Cycle: Reevaluating the Laws that Prevent Safe and Inclusive Biking. Read about it here.

Safe Routes Partnership is launching a Safe Routes to Parks Accelerator, a free technical assistance program to help states' departments of transportation, health, and natural resources improve community access to parks. Letters of interest to participate due September 23, 2022. Read more about it here.
Funding Opportunities
AARP is accepting applications for the Small Dollar Big Impact grant (up to $1000) through September 20, 2022.

T-Mobile's fall deadline is in September for the Hometown Grants program. Towns with population of 50k or less are eligible for up to $50,000 for revitalization projects. Read more here.

The USDOT is accepting applications for Tribal Transportation Safety through September 15, 2022. Registered Tribal Nations are eligible to apply for grants to develop and update transportation safety plans, analyze and assess crash data, improve roads and more. Learn more here.

The USDOT is accepting applications for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program through October 13, 2022. Learn more here.
Did you know we have TWO e-newsletters? Along with Active Wisconsin, 1000 Friends sends out e-news every month. If you would like to be on the mailing list for 1000 Friends, sign up here.
New! Text 608-405-6977 to donate to 1000 Friends of Wisconsin!
What Active Wisconsin provides to participating communities:
  • Resources (grant opportunities, tool kits, etc.)
  • Local and statewide advocacy opportunities
  • Collaboration and educational presentations during network-wide calls
  • A platform (social media and email newsletters) to share your work

Please reach out with questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you!