Tag: Bright Idea Fund

Five years after its establishment, the Fox Valley Memory Project has made a difference in the options available for people suffering memory loss and their caretakers, and also in how the community accepts them. That’s the short version of how concern about people experiencing memory loss has heightened, as outlined by Beth Belmore, who chairs […]

Home ownership seems like an impossible dream for many in the Fox Valley, but thanks to a unique partnership and a lot of elbow grease, it’s achievable. Through Almost Home, a program of Goodwill NCW in partnership with Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity, a single mom named Shantelly put in the work necessary to become […]

Looking to make a difference in the Fox Valley? Grant dollars from the Community Foundation’s Bright Idea Fund are helping United Way Fox Cities quickly mobilize an additional four to eight AmeriCorps members to serve the Fox Valley area by increasing the capacity of local nonprofit organizations engaged in COVID-19 pandemic response. AmeriCorps is a […]

Local artist Irineo Medina and a few at-risk youth from the Art Works program at the Trout Museum of Art worked on a mural across the street. He stands with Education Coordinator Marci Hoffman from the museum. At-risk youth in the Art Works program at the Trout Museum of Art are gaining an opportunity and […]

By Dave Horst, Donor Services and Environmental Grants Manager What is it about water? Author Wallace J. Nichols brought his message of the calming and healing power of enjoying or viewing bodies of water to Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance’s 2020 Watershed Celebration last week at Bubolz Nature Center. The conference draws engineers, municipal officials, regulators, researchers […]

Rock the Block 2019 Brillion committee members: Left to right: Bob Endries, Sarah Wylie (Habitat), Ryan Roth (Habitat), John Weyenberg (Habitat), Pat Endries, Sarah Pielhop.  A $50,000 grant from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation is just one of many gifts from generous donors that will help expand Rock the Block into Brillion […]

Columbus Elementary students with their art teacher, Elizabeth Austin, creating butterfly props for Saturday’s Big Puppets Parade in Appleton. Newspapers, toilet paper and huge gobs of paint and glue have been transformed into gigantic puppets, thanks to the imaginations of young artists in several Appleton schools. These puppets will star in this Saturday’s Neighborhood Big […]

By Katy Hopp, executive director of Makaroff Youth Ballet Behind the scenes of every great stage performance is the work to bring the production to life through outstanding costumes. This past May, Makaroff Youth Ballet dancers practiced for over 72 hours to prepare for Prokofiev’s classical tale of “Peter and the Wolf.” In January of […]

Michelle Duster holds a photo of her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells Grants from funds within the Community Foundation are helping Fox Valley 19th Amendment Centennial Coalition welcome award-winning author, educator and great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, Michelle Duster, for Black Women’s History: African American Suffragists and the Struggle for Inclusion. The event is this Saturday, […]

Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra remains committed to making music, including their virtual “Stay at Home Concert Series” and socially distant versions of their educational programs, such as “In Harmony” pictured here. By Carolyn Desrosiers, Community Engagement Manager, 
Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region During this difficult and uncertain time, it’s important to find things […]

Kids and parents are excited for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)  through the Innovation Lab, the latest expansion at the Building for Kids Children’s Museum. Thanks to a $35,000 Bright Idea Fund grant from the Community Foundation, the Building for Kids added an Innovation Lab Coordinator, who is responsible for creating weekly interactive STEM  challenges, writing curriculum […]

Catalpa Health of Appleton has trained 13 counselors for its Seedlings program to address the mental health needs through its infant mental health program. Supported by a $40,000 grant from the Bright Idea Fund and $16,000 from two donor funds within the Community Foundation, these providers work with parents of children from birth to age […]