More big Confluence Project news. In addition to the Joint Finance Committee restoring $15M for the arts center to this year's state budget, OakLeaf Medical Network in Eau Claire has announced a new $1M pledge to the project. Here's the press release:

OakLeaf Physicians Pledge $1,000,000 to the Confluence Arts Center

Nearly 35 physicians affiliated with the OakLeaf Medical Network in Eau Claire have made a collective $1 million in personal pledges to the Confluence Arts Center’s fundraising campaign. To acknowledge this generosity, the lobby of the new arts center will be known as the OakLeaf Physicians Lobby. Thanks to their generosity, the total commitments for the Confluence Arts Center are closing in on $9 million. 

The Physicians’ Initiative was spearheaded by Dr. Steve Immerman, founder and general surgeon with Evergreen Surgical in Eau Claire, and his wife, Eileen. The Immermans, who had made an early $50,000 commitment to the project, worked with Dr. Jim and Holly Iwakiri and Dr. John and Helen Drawbert to extend the message about supporting the Arts Center Project. The collective initiative to join their gifts toward a common goal of naming the Art Center’s lobby was accomplished over the past five months.

“Telling the Confluence story was easy – I’m proud of our community and excited about creating a showcase for art and culture in our city,” said Steve Immerman. “Our colleagues recognized that their personal investment, coupled with that of many others, would really make a difference with this project.”

Many of the commitments for the Arts Center project were at the $50,000 and above level, which qualified the donors for membership in the Century Club. The goal of the Confluence campaign is to secure 100 gifts of $50,000 or more for the Arts Center. With the additional pledges from the OakLeaf physicians, the campaign now has nearly 70 donor units in the Century Club.

“We have been deeply gratified by the generous response of the OakLeaf families,” said Eileen Immerman. “The Confluence Project has the potential for vastly improving the quality of our city center.  Its ramifications will benefit generations of Chippewa Valley residents and businesses both culturally and economically.  The OakLeaf families recognize this potential and support it.”

In addition to the wonderful response from the individual physicians, the OakLeaf Surgical Hospital has made a Century Club commitment to the project.

The Immermans added that there are still a number of pledges pending from the OakLeaf Network physicians, so they expect that $1 million number will grow before the campaign ends. The total philanthropy goal for the Confluence Arts Center is $13.5 million.

Philanthropy is one part of the fundraising target for the $40 million arts center.  City and county government have conditionally pledged $8.5 million for the project. Early today, the Joint Committee on Finance approved $15 million in bonding for the Confluence Arts Center.