Our Mission

Protect. Empower. Remember.

Bubba’s Fund honors Charlie Lonning Weber by improving the safety, opportunity, and wellbeing of children — starting in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Bubba’s Fund is a donor-advised fund of the La Crosse Area Community Foundation, created in memory of Charlie Lonning Weber (“Bubba”).

We exist to help communities, do right for children, open doors for youth, and turn love into action thru projects that create real, measurable impact.

Guiding Principles:

  • Love in Action: Turning grief into good — and ideas into outcomes.

  • Community First: Building with local partners, families, and trusted experts.

  • Prevent the Preventable: Closing safety gaps with tools, training, and awareness.

  • Access for All: Removing barriers so more kids can belong, play, and thrive.

It all begins with a purpose — and it becomes a movement when people show up.

Maybe you want to protect children. Maybe you’ve experienced loss and want to turn it into action. Or maybe you simply believe every child deserves a safer, stronger community.

Whatever brought you here, Bubba’s Fund is built to turn that purpose into impact.

Current Focus

Initiative 1 — AED Access (La Crosse):

In December 2025, Bubba’s Fund — alongside community partners 7 Rivers Cardiac Arrest Preparedness and Education, The Parenting Place, and La Crosse Fire Department — helped ensure every state-licensed childcare center in La Crosse is equipped with an AED. That local finish line matters… and it’s also our starting point for what comes next.

Initiative 1 — (Next) — Completed in La Crosse -> Expanding the Model:

We’re supporting efforts to scale AED access and close the gap statewide through smart policy, community partnerships, and sustainable solutions— so childcare providers have both the training and lifesaving equipment to match.

Initiative 2 — Youth Access to Sports:

Through a partnership with Rising Athletes, Bubba’s Fund helps increase youth access to sports by supporting things like equipment, fees, registration, participation costs — especially for families that need the support.

“We created this fund to honor the life of our son — and to fight for the lives of countless other children. We believe in turning grief into good, and building a world where every child has a chance to thrive.”

— Coach Moran Lonning and Alex Weber

Our Vision

We believe a child’s future should never depend on luck —or on whether adults had the resources they needed.

Bubba’s Fund will continue building a model that combines local action + trusted partners + scalable solutions — improving the lives of children by expanding opportunity, and helping communities do more for kids, faster.

How You Can Help

If Bubba’s Fund means something to you, here are three simple ways to move it forward.:

  • Donate to fuel child-focused initiatives

  • Volunteer / Partner with us as we build what’s next

  • Share our work — one post, one invite, one conversation at a time.