Faith and a Former President Give Teen Challenge WI a Boost

Tomorrow, Mary Scheibel and I will be attending a fundraiser for Teen Challenge Wisconsin, and I just want to put in a personal plug for this worthy organization.

I’m excited to attend the event for three reasons:

President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker. I didn’t agree with every one of his decisions or policies, I’ve recently come to realize I miss the man himself. He always seemed sincerely concerned about doing what he thought was right for our country and, most of all, its citizens. So it makes sense for him to reenter the public limelight on behalf of an organization such as this.

Teen Challenge Wisconsin has an important mission. It’s solely focused on helping individuals confront their personal substance-abuse demons. Mary and I care deeply about programs that empower people to take charge of their lives and overcome challenges. This is one of many organizations that have called out to us.

The approach is faith-based. Mary and I always strive to ground our individual, professional and business behaviors in our Christian faith. While we don’t always measure up, we’ve never forgotten where our blessings come from. And we believe strongly that faith is the key to success in solving any problem people face.

Go to the Polls with Manufacturers in Mind

The October numbers show that manufacturers continue to pick up the pace, carrying our economy forward on their shoulders.

But the current recovery remains tenuous at best.

That’s one reason manufacturers are stepping forward in this election to make their voices heard, as Don Loepp points out in Plastics News.

I believe they need our support, as well.

A recent survey by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, “Made in America? What the public thinks about manufacturing today,” suggests our policies and leaders are falling short of manufacturers’ needs.

Are we taking the initiative and making the right moves in terms of trade, taxes, infrastructure, workforce development, etc.—all the policy areas that directly affect the prospects of our manufacturing base (and all the great jobs that come with it)?

I’ll let you answer that, while I repeat a message shared in BizTimes Milwaukee:

Please vote today. And when you do, be sure to consider our country’s vital manufacturing base in your decisions.