Save the Date: Wed. Dec 3rd * WNPJ presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to Mary Kay Baum - plus our annual business meeting
- office62426
- Nov 8
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Special Virtual Event for WNPJ members, contacts of our 92 member groups - and guests:
Wed. Dec 3, 6:30 – 7:15 pm
Celebrate a Lifetime of Achievement for Mary Kay Baum as we join together for our annual Business Meeting
Bylaws* of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice call for us to hold an annual Business Meeting for members to reach a consensus on the slate of Board members for the upcoming year. Members and contacts of member groups will receive a link to an online ballot. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Join us on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 870 2675 9719
Passcode: 030717
Dial-in by phone: 1-646-931-3860
Program - Wednesday, Dec 3:
·        6:30 pm – Opening with Board Chair Tynnetta Jackson. State of the Network
·        6:35 pm– Acceptance by membership of the Slate of Board members 2026 (additional nominations can be accepted, send your interest to info@wnpj.org) **
·        6:40 pm– Acceptance of the 2026 Budget*** (see proposed 2026 budget below)
·        6:45 pm – We invite you to join us for a Celebration of a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to our long-time WNPJ member, Board member and activist, Mary Kay Baum!Â
Guests are invited to join the Celebration, too, via zoom, scheduled to begin at 6:45 pm. There will be an open mic opportunity for colleagues to tell brief stories about their work with Mary Kay over the decades!!
We'll keep the zoom going after 7:15 pm - for colleagues and friends of MAry Kay to carry on their conversation!
Mary Kay Baum - Biography
Mary Kay grew up on a family dairy farm just North of Appleton WI. Her first political act was a letter to the local paper about the way property taxes were taxing farms for their prospective commercial value for development, forcing farmers to sell their farm. She served on the  Dane County Board while in college and Madison Metropolitan School Board while in law school. She practiced public interest law in prisons, and volunteered during the Menominee Reservation during the Takeover of the Alexian Brothers Abbey. She led what is now Just Dane, a nonprofit primarily with formerly incarcerated persons. She has organized showings/discussions of the documentary "Bad River". Her own cognitive changes led her to retire early but continue to be active in environmental advocacy.
Why a heron? Great blue herons protect their community. May they be an inspiration for us!
This is just a short list of Mary Kay's work for peace, justice and democracy! To learn more please join us December 3!
Mary Kay was a founding member of Madison Arcatao Sister City Project. Pictured here delivering the official Madison-Arcatao sistering resolution to Maria Serrano in El Salvador in1986.
Joan Laurion joan.laurion@gmail.com - as part of the Madison Public Library oral history project - did an interview with Mary Kay about this SIster City work. You can listen here.Â
*************************************************************
Mary Kay discusses her work with the Hope of Alzheimers Project in this video made 12 years ago....: https://youtu.be/CIN2q68_co8?si=Lc38SP-xYbBXIfHW
***********************************************************************************************
......and here's a family photo Mary Kay sent WNPJ.... Mary Kay is the 2nd oldest of the 9 Baum children.
Mary Kay wants us to know about her own roots - as she credits her achievements as part of her upbringing in NE Wisconsin.
A PARENT LEADSÂ TOWARD PUBLIC SERVICE AND CIVIC LIFE - submitted by Mary Kay
   Mary Kay Baum and her eight siblings grew up on a Grand Chute dairy farm along Richmond Street near Appleton. Her father, Vincent Baum, was actually born on that farm. And her mother, Buelah Rose Mancl, was living nearby.   Â
   Buelah was adventurous, valued education and wanted a profession. She broke new ground when she decided to become a nurse, training in faraway Milwaukee. Fortunately, a friend of the Baum family assisted her by providing housing. Vince started visiting her in Milwaukee regularly. Then World War II 1942-1945 intervened, and Vincent was in the U.S Army Air Corp.  Buelah decided to volunteer to become an army nurse.  They got 'pinned' before they started their training - and were sent overseas.
     Vince became a communications Tech 4 Sergeant. He participated in battles in Algeria, French Morocco and was part of D-Day invasions in Italy, France and Sicily. On July 10th, 1943, Sgt. Vincent's landing ship was hit by a German plane - and although injured, he swam to shore, waving off rescue boats so they could evacuate those critically injured. Vince did not tell his children this story - of getting to shore by himself- until late in life.
     After the European Theatre ended in 1945, Vincent was able to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, Buelah, as she was serving as an Army Nurse in Europe. They married on June 15th, 1945, in Paris - then went back to Wisconsin together to care for Vincent's parents and the family farm - and now the raising of a family.  Â
  Vince sought tech school training in agriculture; always interested in conservation as God's call. . He banded together with local farmers to jointly purchase seed through a Young Farmers Club. In 1952 Vince was elected Fire Chief by the local Fox Valley fire fighters and he served with expertise and good judgement in that role for 40 years! Â
Vince cherished Buelah through 50 years of marriage, including 20 years of Alzheimer'sÂ
symptoms and 4 years of her being bedridden at home.  Â
  When invited to speak at a local classroom sharing WWII stories, Vince told of the high cost of war on veterans and their families and the need for making a lasting peace.
This father of 9 has brought to each one the greatest gift a parent can - the gift of modeling public service and civic engagement, showing pride for each son or daughter... including telling a story of hope in the midst of cognitive changes of loved ones.
**************************************************************
----------
**Board Approved Slate of Board members for 2026
to be confirmed by the Members on Dec. 3rd (bios here: https://www.wnpj.org/board )
·        Co-Chairs: Christine Olson of Superior and Dena Eakles of Ontario
·        Co-Secretaries: Erika Bach and Judy Miner of Madison
·        Co-Treasurers: John Peck of Brooklyn and Shahzad Hussain of Wauwatosa
·        Board members: Tynnetta Jackson and Debra GiIlispie, Milwaukee
----------
***Board Proposed 2026 WNPJ BUDGET
prepared by current treasurer, Vicki Berenson treasurer@gmail.com
REVENUE | TOTAL Projected Revenue: $16,772 | |
9,712 | Individual memberships and donations | |
4,500 | Organization memberships | |
2,500 | Grants | |
60 | Bank interest | |
EXPENSES | TOTAL Projected Expenses: $16,747 | |
2130 | Events and outreach | Assemblies, newsletter postage & printing, tabling materials |
778 | Software & online services | Database, Zoom, Quickbooks, web & email hosting |
1,439 | Office expenses | Postage, PO Box, Supplies, Licenses, bank fees, Contractor forms, phone & internet |
11,400 | Professional fees | Weekly bulletin production, Bookkeeping, Newsletter production, Video production, Social media, web & communications support |
1,000 | Misc unanticipated expenses |
NOTES:Â
The 2026 budget is based on 2025 actuals and anticipated projects & expenses for 2026.
We have a healthy reserve fund, some of which can be used for one-time projects or emergencies.
WNPJ has no paid employees. We would need much more dependable income to sustain regular staff.
For a more detailed view of the budget, visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JNAkKJmralmZzzOFSCCgQ4c76Sn7G-0XJUSqrrMGFlA/edit?usp=sharing
----------
*WNPJ Bylaws
 (relevant excerpts below; complete bylaws can be found at https://www.wnpj.org/_files/ugd/20d842_34194dc366e34a7dbb7baa76d6c904c0.pdf)
The General Assembly shall hold a meeting each fall for the purposes of: 1) electing officers of the organization; 2) electing at least ten (10) members of the Board, including officers and at-large members, but no more than twenty (20); 3) reviewing the financial status of the WNPJ; 4) reviewing the year's activities; 5) setting priorities for the next year's activities; 6) making any necessary Bylaws changes; 7) conducting such other business as may be deemed necessary; 8) presenting a program on topic(s) of general concern. Notice of the meetings of the General Assembly including the agenda, nominations and any Bylaws changes shall be sent to all designated contacts of member organizations and individual members at least three weeks prior to the Assembly.
Procedure for adding Board members: Nominations for the Board and officers will be solicited openly. Notice of the proposed slate shall be sent for review to all members at least three (3) weeks prior to the General Assembly meeting. Nominations from the floor. Any member of the WNPJ has the right to place a name in nomination, provided the person named is present or has consented in writing to the nomination, and is an individual member of WNPJ or designated contact of a member organization of WNPJ.
Decision-making Procedure: Section 1. Consensus. WNPJ shall operate under a consensus process. If there is no consensus, members may either stand aside, which allows a proposal to proceed, or block consensus, which prevents a proposal from proceeding. Section 2. In the case where consensus is blocked, those who object to the proposal shall be part of a committee seeking resolution to the impasse. If those who object do not serve on the resolution committee, their block shall be negated. The resolution committee shall include at least one person objecting to the original proposal and one supporting it, and have at least three members total. The resolution committee shall either develop a compromise proposal to be considered by the larger body, or shall report to them why they failed to reach agreement on a compromise proposal, by the next meeting of the larger body.