Month: September 2016

John Felker, who made it his mission to make sure area elementary students could experience a live performance, received one last thank you from the kids he helped. A display at his funeral today included a variety of awards he received and a banner from grade schoolers that said, “Thank you Mr. Felker for all […]

With a performing arts center dominating downtown Appleton and restored opera houses and high school theaters scattered across its counties, Fox Cities residents may view the area as being fairly strong in the arts. The numbers say otherwise. There were 6.85 creative jobs per 1,000 in the Fox Cites region in 2014, compared to 10.80 in Wisconsin […]

John Felker knew he wasn’t going to go on forever, but he had a favorite cause that he wanted live on. John died yesterday on his 93rd birthday, but his Performing Arts for Youth will continue to send students to plays, operas, dance performances and concerts in 10 area school district as a charitable fund within the […]

It’s never been more important for boards and staff to work together effectively to solicit financial support for your organization. One of the nonprofit nation’s best presenters on that subject will share his expertise at a workshop 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Bridgewood Resort and Hotel, 1000 Cameron Way, Neenah. […]

Little rivulets of rain water cut through clay soil and carry with them phosphorous  on the way into the lower Fox River. It’s a big problem. Water pollution, algae blooms, fish die-offs all can result from fertilizer that should be on the farm fields ending up in the river. Additional federal regulations are on the way, and […]

The Communty Early Learning Center’s efforts to unite community resources to improve early education has been recognized with a 2016 Collaboration in Action award fomr Lawrence University. With help from $786,750 in grants from Community Foundation funds and supporting organizations, a $2 million renovation converted the former St. Mary Catholic Central School at 313 S. State […]

We are a community with a broad range of nonprofits doing important work to improve all aspects of life here. Likewise, the people running and overseeing these efforts bring to the job a wide range of talents and experience. A lot of organizations are putting a lot of time and effort into a way to give […]

The staff at the Community Foundation is skilled at responsibly and effectively handing out grants, but we also can get our hands dirty. Two crews from the Foundation have signed up for morning and afternoon duty at Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Fox Cities Area’s Rock the Block in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of […]

Teachers need to be certified. So do plumbers. Your hair stylist and you accupunturist are certified. You certainly would expect no less from your community foundation. Getting our certification renewed by the Council on Foundations as meeting the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations was a long and grueling process. We have been informed that our certification has […]

Despite threatening weather, the community turned out the morning of Sept. 10 to dedicate Waupaca’s new Eco-Park — a partnership including CAP Services, the City of Waupaca, the Waupaca Foundry and other businesses, with funding from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership and Environmental Sustainability Fund at the Community Foundation and the Waupaca Area Community Foundation. The Basic […]

Casseroles. That’s one of the solutions for dealing with mental illness, according to Liza Long, a mental health advocate and mother of a child with a bi-polar disorder. The speaker at Thursday’s 16th annual Women’s Fund luncheon said we need to respond to someone having a family member hospitalized for a mental illness in the same […]

The Fox Cities offer clean air, good water and plenty of places to enjoy the outdoors — if we choose to take advantage of them. The 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study reports that from 2012-14 our air quality rated as good 72% of the time, moderate 27% and unhealthy just 1%. […]