ECCF is delighted to announce the allocation of $100,000 in grants from the newly established William A. Bingham Family Endowment Fund, an unrestricted Fund that aims to benefit the Eau Claire community. Grants have been awarded to The Wellness Shack, the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eau Claire Police Department. Each grant has the potential for immediate and lifesaving impact.

The Wellness Shack has been granted $20,000 to bolster its staffing and capacity-building efforts, enhancing its ability to provide crucial mental health resources and peer support to those who may otherwise lack access to such services. The transformative work of The Wellness Shack has the potential to be lifesaving, particularly for individuals in crisis.

The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and the Eau Claire Police Department will each receive a $40,000 grant to acquire Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and support mental health initiatives for law enforcement personnel. The UAVs are a significant tool in locating missing children and vulnerable adults. They will play a pivotal role in supporting the Eau Claire County Child Abduction Response Team's search and rescue operations in cases of abducted children.

A minimum of $10,000 from each grant to the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and the Eau Claire Police Department will be dedicated to initiatives that address the mental health challenges often faced by officers due to the unpredictable, stressful, and sometimes dangerous nature of their work. By enhancing the well-being of these officers, the grants will also improve their ability to serve the community.

These generous grants are made possible by the legacy gift of esteemed community member William "Bill" A. Bingham. Mr. Bingham's estate included a $4.75 million bequest to establish the William A. Bingham Family Endowment Fund at ECCF.

“Bill was as generous as he was friendly. As a life-long Eau Claire resident, he was always lifting spirits and improving lives,” remarked ECCF President and CEO Wesley Escondo. "These grants honor his love of Eau Claire and the community he was proud to call home.”

The grants were officially presented at ECCF's Autumn Social on October 10, 2023. This annual event serves to inform the community about ECCF's mission and to honor the dedicated volunteers who make it all possible. A formal process for future grants from the William A. Bingham Family Endowment Fund is currently in development. However, ECCF's Board of Trustees has decided that this year's Autumn Social is the ideal occasion to celebrate Bill Bingham's legacy by presenting the first three grants that his generosity has enabled.