Monetary donations can be mailed to PO BOX 250 Shell Lake, WI 54871 or 304 2nd St. Shell Lake, WI 54871 ATTN: Prevention Team. We also accept in-kind donations to support our youth programs and events. All proceeds generated through monetary donation directly fund programming costs. As an example, that might be the food and boarding costs for the Youth Leadership Adventure.

Healthy Washco programs are provided at no cost to the participant. At this time we are able to accomplish this through grant funds. The approximate program cost per student participating in leadership programming specifically is $250 each.

We can observe changes in local data and trends. Many of our programs identify at-risk individuals and connect them with resources. Anecdotally, we have directly observed the benefits our programs have had on the youth we work with.

One challenge that HealthyWashCo has faced are the limitations of human resources in a rural community.

The community is unaware of the prevalence of mental health challenges and substance misuse. The complexity and interconnection of these issues makes addressing them complicated. There is no easy fix. It takes time and commitment from the community for meaningful change to occur. Unfortunately, most traditional funding sources are looking for very short-term measurable outcomes. Individual, group and community social norms do not change in a linear fashion, nor quickly. Sustainable community change is not a sprint, it's a marathon.

In short, grant funding to support programming is inherently unsustainable.

Washburn County Health and Human Services is the fiscal agent for Healthy Washco. The program and staffing costs are funded by the following grants: Drug Free Communities, Brighter Futures Initiatives, and Community Partnerships for Diversion from Youth Justice. We also receive some community support from local businesses and individuals.