NEW YEAR, BIG OPPORTUNITIES. Power Up Eau Claire certainly had a busy year in 2024 – an impactful Get Out the Vote campaign, a gala, and more accomplished – but 2025 has the potential to be even busier, aided by its newly awarded nonprofit status. (Photos via Facebook)

Ahead of its sixth year, Power Up Eau Claire has achieved an organizational milestone that could exponentially expand its impact in the Chippewa Valley and beyond: nonprofit status.

Founded in 2019 by Pa Thao – lauded local educator, Hmong and BIPOC advocate, former director of the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, and executive director of the Black & Brown Womyn Power Coalition – Power Up Eau Claire is a community-building and civic-engagement grassroots organization, specifically focused on Hmong and BIPOC populations.

Over the last year, Power Up Eau Claire dedicated its efforts to strengthening community civic engagement, with a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign perhaps its most successful project to date. “Through a combination of phone calls, text messages, and outreach at community events, we reached approximately 11,740 BIPOC individuals across the greater Chippewa Valley,” Thao said.

“In addition to our GOTV campaign, we collaborated with the Black & Brown Womyn Power Coalition Inc. to host two signature events: the 2024 HMoob Heritage Month Gala and the HMoob Day Celebration,” she said.

The collaborative "Candidate Meet and Greet" event held at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library this fall.

The two events brought the Hmong community together alongside neighbors and allies to celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Hmong people in the Chippewa Valley, Thao explained. They ultimately highlighted the connection and unity in the community, and both events are slated to return in 2025 thanks to their success. The group’s new nonprofit status could also contribute to these events as well as to future events and projects.

Reflecting back to Power Up Eau Claire’s first year – when it began as an “incubator project” of the Black & Brown Womyn Power Coalition in 2019 – Thao said it was always a goal to become a nonprofit and achieve more fiscal independence and control over their operations and resources.

“With this status, we can now directly solicit donations and sponsorships, allowing us to connect with supporters who share our vision and want to invest in our mission,” she explained. “This also opens the door for us to apply for a wide range of grants that specifically require nonprofit status, which will enable us to expand and sustain our programming in meaningful ways.”

Already, the new year is shaping up to be an incredible year for more community events beyond the return of the HMoob Heritage Month Gala and HMoob Day Celebration (with the 2025 theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Hmong in the Chippewa Valley”). In 2025, Power Up Eau Claire will continue its Community Building Campaign, aiming to create spaces for meaningful conversations between those with diverse backgrounds to address current issues affecting HMoob and BIPOC communities.

“Together, these efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to empowering the community through civic engagement and cultural pride,” Thao said. “We are excited about the opportunities ahead in 2025 and remain committed to creating spaces where community connections thrive and important conversations flourish.”

Moving forward, Power Up Eau Claire continues to lead with its collaborative, advocacy-focused mission, with its foundation built thanks to support from the Black & Brown Womyn Power Coalition. Keep up with the organization on its website and social media for future announcements with more information about the HMoob Heritage Month Gala, HMoob Day Celebration, Community Building Campaign, and more.

Learn more about Power Up Eau Claire at powerupec.org • Find Power Up Eau Claire on Facebook and reach out at admin@powerupec.org