Megan’s Kind Community

08/23/2026

We e been putting the spotlight on our sponsors - we now want to let you know WHO we are raising money for:

💛 Mercer Education Foundation 💛

When we say LOCAL, we mean LOCAL.

One of the things that matters most to Megan’s Kind Community is knowing that the money raised through the 3rd Annual Be Kind, Be Nice Golf Fundraiser will make a difference right here in the communities we call home.

That’s why we are so proud that a portion of the proceeds from our raffle baskets will benefit the Mercer Education Foundation (MEF).

And when you look at what MEF does, you quickly realize this isn’t simply about handing out scholarships.

It’s about creating opportunities for Mercer students — in SO many different ways.

📚 College Scholarships
MEF awards scholarships to graduating Mercer seniors who demonstrate strong academics, leadership and a commitment to giving back to their community. Even better? These scholarships can be renewed for three additional years when recipients continue to meet the requirements.

🔨 Trades, Tech Schools & Apprenticeships
Because success doesn’t look the same for every student, MEF also offers renewable scholarships for students pursuing trade school, technical education and apprenticeships — with no GPA requirement to apply.

🧡 Recognizing School Spirit
MEF even recognizes the student who simply makes Mercer a better place to be. Their $500 School Spirit Scholarship honors a graduating senior who consistently demonstrates exceptional school spirit.

But their impact begins LONG before graduation.

Over the years, MEF grants have helped provide things such as:

✏️ Whiteboard tables and chairs for Mercer math students
🪚 Funding toward a SawStop for the Tech Ed room
🌲 DNR safety certifications for Outdoor Education students
🎨🔬 An Art & Science class trip to Chicago
💙 Special Education resources
…and so much more.

That is what LOCAL looks like.

It can be a piece of equipment in a classroom.

It can be a student experiencing something outside our small town that opens their eyes to a whole new world.

It can be resources that help a child learn in the way that works best for them.

It can be helping a young adult attend college.

Or it can be helping another young adult learn a trade and build a career.

Different students. Different dreams. Different paths.

One Mercer community investing in ALL of them. ❤️

So when you purchase raffle tickets at our golf fundraiser, we want you to know that a portion of those proceeds isn’t disappearing into some faraway organization.

It is staying right here.

It is coming back to Mercer students, Mercer classrooms and Mercer families.

And someday, many of those same kids may become the teachers, tradespeople, business owners, volunteers, first responders and community members who continue taking care of this little town we all love.

Small town. Big hearts. And when we work together, one heck of an impact. 💛

Thank you, Mercer Education Foundation, for investing in our kids — and in the future of Mercer.

08/22/2026

🌲 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Northern Exposure Realty and Northern Exposure Nites Inn 🌲

There are some businesses that simply feel like the Northwoods — and Northern Exposure Realty & Nites Inn Motel is definitely one of them. ❤️

And this year comes with something extra special to celebrate…

🎉 Dee is celebrating her 35th year! 🎉

For decades, Dee and Northern Exposure Realty have been helping people find their own little piece of the Northwoods. With extensive real estate experience throughout Mercer, the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage area, Oma and Sherman, their full-time professional agents combine knowledge and experience with something you can’t put a price on — personal service.

Whether someone is searching for a lakefront home, acreage, an off-water getaway or commercial property, Northern Exposure Realty knows this area because this is home. 🌲🏡

And then there’s Nites Inn Motel…

Just LOOK at those rooms! 😍 The warm knotty pine, cozy quilts and rustic atmosphere practically say, “Welcome Up North!” It’s exactly the kind of comfortable, unpretentious Northwoods place where you can settle in after a day of fishing, riding the trails, exploring Mercer or simply enjoying everything our beautiful area has to offer.

But there’s another reason this Sponsor Spotlight means so much to Megan’s Kind Community.

❤️ Dee has always supported Megan and her message of BE KIND. BE NICE. ❤️

That kind of support isn’t forgotten. It’s people like Dee — people who have spent decades building a business, serving their community and continuing to show up for others — who make our small towns so special.

Congratulations, Dee, on 35 incredible years, and THANK YOU to Northern Exposure Realty & Nites Inn Motel for supporting Megan, BKBN and our 3rd Annual Golf Fundraiser!

We are so grateful to have you as part of our BKBN family. 💛

BE KIND. BE NICE.
Because that’s how strong communities are built. ❤️

08/20/2026

To see the amount of local businesses (and beyond) coming to support Megan and her mission is so humbling….

Here is another sponsor we want to spotlighting!!!

🎣 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: St. Croix Rod Factory 🎣

When a company has been part of the Northwoods for nearly 80 years, it’s more than a business — it’s part of the fabric of the community. ❤️

Megan’s Kind Community is incredibly grateful to welcome St. Croix Rod of Park Falls as a sponsor of the 3rd Annual Be Kind, Be Nice Golf Fundraiser!

Founded in 1948, St. Croix has grown from humble beginnings making bamboo fishing poles into one of the most respected names in fishing. And while the company’s story has included plenty of twists and turns, one thing has remained especially meaningful to those of us who call the Northwoods home: Park Falls, Wisconsin remains at the heart of St. Croix. (St. Croix Rods - Dealer⁠)

In 1977, when the Park Falls operation was facing closure, Gordon Schluter stepped in to help save the company and local jobs. From there, St. Croix continued to innovate, eventually becoming known for its high-performance carbon-fiber rods and expanding into reels through SEVIIN Reels. Today, St. Croix rods are still carefully crafted, assembled and tested by skilled people who take tremendous pride in what they make. (St. Croix Rod⁠)

And if you’ve never made the trip to the St. Croix Factory Store in Park Falls, anglers might want to add it to their list! It’s the one-and-only St. Croix Factory Store and a full-service tackle shop carrying rods, reels, tackle, apparel, gifts and plenty more. (St. Croix Rods - Factory Store⁠)

For MKC, having the support of a company with such deep Northwoods roots makes this sponsorship extra special. ❤️

Thank you, St. Croix Rod, for supporting our fundraiser, our mission and the communities we are so proud to call home.

🎣 Nearly 80 years. Northwoods roots. A name anglers know around the world.

Be Kind. Be Nice. ❤️

08/20/2026

🌟 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Johnny's Bar & Grill 🌟

If you’re looking for a place that feels like Mercer, look no further than Johnny’s Bar & Grill.

Veteran-owned and run by Mercer born-and-raised owner Avery Brandt— and no, he’s NOT Johnny. IYKYK. 😄 — Johnny’s has become one of the places to be in just three short years.

But if you ask Avery, he’ll be the first to tell you he didn’t do it alone. Johnny’s is truly a family affair, with Mom Christan, Dad Noel, brother Connor and sister Chloe all helping make it the welcoming, lively place it has become.

And the FOOD. 🤤

Johnny’s has quickly become known for its Friday Fish Fry, smash burgers and those CHEESE CURDS… but don’t stop there! The menu has plenty more to love, including gyros and, every once in a while, that delicious Oriental Beef that has people watching and waiting for it to make an appearance!

But as much as Johnny’s is about great food, cold drinks and a good time, what makes this sponsor especially meaningful to BKBN is the heart behind the business.

Avery doesn’t just own a business in Mercer — he serves his community. 🇺🇸❤️

He is a veteran, a Mercer firefighter and EMR, and the current president of the Mercer Area Sno-goers. That kind of commitment says a whole lot about the person behind the business.

Johnny’s is the kind of place where you can bring your family, meet up with friends, watch the game on one of the many TVs… and chances are, before long, you’ll make a few new friends while you’re there.

Small-town businesses like Johnny’s are part of what makes our community so special, and we are incredibly grateful to have Avery and the entire Johnny’s family supporting our 3rd Annual BKBN Golf Fundraiser. 💛

If you haven’t been to Johnny’s lately, make it a point to stop in soon. Come hungry. Stay awhile. And enjoy one of Mercer’s favorite gathering places.

👏 THANK YOU, JOHNNY’S BAR & GRILL, FOR SUPPORTING BKBN AND OUR COMMUNITY!

Be Kind. Be Nice. 💛

08/20/2026

YUP! BE KIND BE NICE!!!!

With so much heaviness and negativity in the world, here’s one simple reminder:

Kindness still matters.

It takes very little to give, costs us nothing, and has the power to change someone’s entire day.

Never underestimate the difference a little kindness can make. ❤️

08/19/2026

❤️ SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: The Pines Restaurant ❤️
Some sponsors support the mission. Some become part of the reason the mission exists.

For Megan’s Kind Community, Margie and Colin “Erv” Ervin and The Pines Restaurant hold a place in our hearts that is very hard to put into words.

Long before Megan’s Kind Community became what it is today, Margie and Erv did something incredibly meaningful:

They gave Megan a chance. ❤️

The Pines was the very first business to welcome Megan as an employee and give her the opportunity to show everyone what she could do.

And now?

Megan is working on her FIFTH YEAR at The Pines! 🥹❤️

If you’ve ever enjoyed the beautiful Beer Garden or noticed those sparkling-clean bathrooms, there’s a pretty good chance Megan had something to do with it! She takes tremendous pride in her job, and Margie and Erv gave her the opportunity to discover that pride.

For a family, that kind of acceptance is never forgotten.

But The Pines has a story that reaches back generations.

🇩🇪 A NORTHWOODS TRADITION BUILT ON FAMILY

The recipes served at The Pines today began with Margie’s mother, Aranka, whose journey started in pre-WWII Hungary and eventually brought her family to Germany and then America.

Aranka began cooking professionally at just 13 years old in Oestrich, Germany. Years later, after she and her husband Ernst settled in Wisconsin, those treasured German recipes followed them north to Mercer.

By the 1970s, Aranka’s cooking had become legendary around the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage. In 1981, Ernst and Aranka convinced their daughter Margie and her husband Erv to return to Mercer and open a restaurant.

What followed has now become a 45-year Mercer tradition.

Through different names, renovations and generations, the heart of the restaurant has remained the same: family, tradition, incredible German food and a love for this community.

Although Grandma Aranka is no longer with us, her spirit most certainly is.

You can feel it during Loon Day.

You can feel it in the Beer Garden.

And you can REALLY feel it when German Fest rolls around! 🇩🇪🥨🍺

Margie and Erv have continued those traditions while making The Pines their own—including live entertainment and the wonderful German Beer Garden that has become such a special gathering place in Mercer.

And when summer winds down, don’t think for a second that Margie and Erv finally put their feet up. 😂

🍪 THAT’S WHEN The Pines/Sweetie Pines BEGINS!

More than 15 years ago, Margie began using old family recipes from Aranka to handcraft German and Hungarian cookies and desserts right here in Mercer.

Today, Sweetie Pines Cookies are shipped across the country from September through December, becoming part of Christmas celebrations, birthdays and family traditions far beyond the Northwoods.

And somehow, with a restaurant, a Beer Garden, German Fest, thousands of cookies and everything else on her plate, Margie still finds time to give back.

We are incredibly grateful that Margie also serves on the Megan’s Kind Community Board of Directors, sharing her time, heart and experience with an organization that means so much to all of us.

❤️ Margie & Erv — thank you.

Thank you for supporting Megan’s Kind Community.

Thank you for supporting this fundraiser.

But most of all, thank you for seeing the ability in Megan before there was ever a nonprofit asking others to do the same.

You gave her a job.

You gave her responsibility.

You gave her a place where she belonged.

And five years later, she is still proudly part of The Pines family.

That is what Be Kind. Be Nice. looks like in real life. ❤️

🇩🇪 The Pines Restaurant — Mercer, Wisconsin
🍪 Sweetie Pines Cookies
❤️ 45 years of family, food, tradition and community.

08/19/2026

🌟 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Wisconsin Coating Specialists 🌟

There is something extra special about supporting a local business that turns around and supports its local communities. ❤️

Megan’s Kind Community is excited to recognize Wisconsin Coating Specialists as one of the sponsors of the 3rd Annual BKBN Golf Fundraiser!

Wisconsin Coating Specialists takes ordinary spaces and transforms them into durable, showroom-quality spaces built to handle everything our Wisconsin seasons can throw at them. From garage floors, basements and sunrooms to work areas and other residential spaces, their professional coating systems are designed for both beauty and serious durability.

And they don’t stop at floors! Wisconsin Coating Specialists also offers CTECH Storage Solutions, including aluminum carts, cabinets and drawers to help turn garages and workspaces into beautifully organized, functional spaces.

As Wisconsin’s certified Elite Binary Dealer, they offer advanced multi-layer flooring systems along with an impressive 10-year transferable warranty — giving homeowners protection today and added value should they ever sell their home.

But what really caught our attention isn’t only what Wisconsin Coating Specialists does for homes and businesses.

❤️ It’s what they do for their communities.

Supporting and serving the communities where they live and work is important to this locally owned business. Rachelle gives her time and talents as a member of the Wausau Area Builders Association Board of Directors, while also serving on several committees, including:

• Building Youth into Builders
• Home Show Committee
• Membership Committee

That kind of involvement says a lot. It’s local businesses choosing to invest their time, energy and resources right back into the people and places around them. And we are proud to have Rachelle Cota on our Board of Directors as well!

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities — and businesses that believe in giving back make those communities even stronger.

Megan’s Kind Community is incredibly grateful to have Wisconsin Coating Specialists joining the BKBN family and supporting this year’s golf fundraiser.

Thank you, Rachelle and Wisconsin Coating Specialists, for not only helping make Wisconsin homes and businesses better — but for helping make Wisconsin communities better, too. 💛

Be Kind. Be Nice. And support local. ❤️

08/18/2026

From a rock star to super star NOW an Olympic star!!!

08/18/2026

Always a great visit
Thank you Up North at 4 with Lily, Dan & Geoff