2024 Fundraiser

January 15, 2024

RCF's 2024 Fundraiser

- FREEDOM IS LOCAL -

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

5:00PM

The Barn on Prairie • 5828 S County Rd G • Janesville

RCF'S VISION

The RCF vision is to ‘protect liberty and freedom in our local communities.’ With this as the backdrop behind this year’s fundraiser, the theme is “Freedom is Local.” We are very pleased to be joined virtually by Ms. Yeonmi Park, a famous North Korean defector (see her bio below). She will be discussing the fragility and importance of maintaining our freedoms.

RCF believes freedom is local. This is where our educational (quality education), financial (local taxation), religious (ability to practice one’s religion), and electoral (providing consent of the governed) freedoms are largely maintained. These freedoms must be protected and reinforced by our local county, municipality, and school boards, which consist of the engaged citizens of Rock County.

Over the last three years, RCF has created a powerful platform and community focused on this mission. You and your participation are both appreciated and critical for our success.

Please join us at this momentous fundraiser on President’s Day, February 19th! Buy tickets via the button above.

“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

• SPECIAL GUEST, YEONMI PARK

Yeonmi Park is a renowned, human-rights activist and North Korean refugee and defector who has become a leading voice of oppressed people around the world. The BBC named Park one of their “Top 100 Global Women.” Her personal story of living in tyranny, then eventually escaping to freedom in the United States, is one you will likely never forget. Also, her words of caution to its citizens about its waning freedom is one that everyone should hear. Ms. Park will be joining us virtually.

EARLY BIRD GIFT

The first 20 RCF Supporters to register for this event will receive a FREE autographed copy of Ms. Park’s book entitled, While Time Remains.

BUY TICKETS

• SPECIAL MODERATOR, TIM BREMEL

Tim is probably the most ‘in touch’ person in Rock County as he interviews local business people, various local governmental administrators, as well as local, state and Federal elected officials five days a week on this local radio show called “Your Talkshow.” He also spends time speaking with local citizens on what is on their minds that day. The ongoing success of his radio show on WCLO (9:15 – 11:30 am Monday – Friday) is largely due to Tim’s willingness to speak to anyone on nearly any topic, and his penchant to ask the tough questions of his guests. For Tim, it is not as much about partisan-politics as it is about informing his listeners of topics they are most interested in learning more about, and those topics which may otherwise go uncovered. Tim is a resident of Orfordville and started as Program Director in 1998, but started his career as a successful copywriter. In the summer time you will catch Tim driving around in his ’98 Pontiac Sunfire convertible. His dream would be to own Janesville’s first Sonic drive-in.

“I believe the highest aspiration of man should be individual freedom and development of the individual.”

Ronald Reagan

Planting the Seeds of Leadership

June 11, 2025

For the next several months, you won’t be hearing much about elections, or property tax increases, or any of the other important topics that impact your liberty as a resident of Southern Wisconsin. However, this is not a time to ignore local leadership. It is time to explore it. In Rock County, elected officials on the county board, school boards, city councils, mayors, alderpersons and more shape the lives of over 160,000 residents. Far too often, vital seats on city councils, school boards, and county committees go uncontested—or are filled by the same small circle of people. The time to break those cycles is now. We need to ask ourselves: What kind of civic environment are we creating in Rock County? And are we doing enough to encourage our friends, neighbors, and everyday citizens to step up and serve? For many residents, running for office can feel uncomfortable. They may not know how to begin, worry they lack the right background, or feel shut out by an insider culture. These are barriers we can—and must—remove if we want our local government to truly reflect the residents throughout our county. The first step is transparency and education. Many residents aren’t aware of what county board supervisors, school board members, or city councilors actually do—or how to run for those roles. More educational opportunities need to be explored, created and presented on seeking local offices, because if residents see a path, they’re far more likely to walk it.

Unity and Educational Outcomes

April 30, 2025

What is public education and how we should pay for it are questions every resident should be asking themselves. The debate on education funding rages on, fueled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling that the Governor’s ‘veto’, which created additional funding of $325 per student annually through property taxes or state aid until the year 2425, is lawful. Yet support for public education in its current form is far from solid. A recent study shows that 68% of likely Wisconsin voters support school choice programs. It is a mathematical certainty that two systems will cost more to maintain than one. It is far past time that instead of just talking about dollars, a conversation is had about the erosion of support of public education.

YDF Grant Encourages Greater Civic Engagement by Local Youth

April 7, 2025

On April 7th, the RCF Youth Development Fund awarded a grant to the Milton High School civics class. The grant assisted with the cost of transporting high school students to the WI State Capitol where they were able to learn more about their Capitol and state government; as well as, hear directly from state legislators explain the importance of civic engagement. In the grant approval letter, the RCF board included the following: "The objective of the RCF Youth Development Fund is to encourage and help facilitate Rock County students to actively engage in American citizenship by focusing on local civics. We achieve this objective by working and collaborating with student councils and/or Social Studies/Government education classes in K-12 schools across Rock County; along with local business leaders and local elected officials."