Category: Donors’ Stories of Giving

New London residents Joe Van Alstine and Lori Dehlinger Van Alstine noticed the nearby communities of Shawano, Clintonville and Waupaca had an affiliate of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. Shared Lori: “We looked around and thought, why doesn’t New London have a fund in place to support its local nonprofits in forever?” […]

The Community Foundation held its annual Celebration of Giving on Nov. 2 at the newly opened Community First Credit Union headquarters with good numbers to share. John Hogerty, board chair during the 2016-17 fiscal year, announced to the more than 200 attendees that a record $26.8 million in grants had been awarded in the fiscal year […]

Holly Hartung isn’t sure how charitable giving became so important in her life, but she suspects the little offering envelopes she was given while attending St. John’s Catholic School in Menasha might have gotten it started. She knew the little envelopes were just for her, and she alone could decide the amount of her contribution. […]

From homelessness to coming home, Pillars provides shelter, support, and solutions to address the housing needs in our community. That is more than 150 homes per year and more than 45,000 nights of shelter each year! Recently, to support these efforts, Lisa Strandberg, Executive Director of Pillars, accepted a grant of $797,245 from the U.S. […]

Two simple words can motivate and satisfy the people we work, live or do business with. Thank you. They are at the heart of the holiday we celebrate this week. True, the origins of Thanksgiving are religious and involved more of a divine appreciation, but the holiday makes plenty of room for more earthly giving […]

As the big tent comes down after U.S. Venture’s 32nd annual golf outing and dinner, we marvel at the power of the event to raise money to fight the root causes of poverty and consider the complex ways those roots are entwined throughout society. Wednesday’s U.S. Venture Open raised an incredible $3.96 million and attracted […]

For the first time in history, there are five generations over the age of 21. This generational diversity has a tremendous impact on all areas of our culture, including family philanthropy. An organization called 21/64 created a Generation Impact training course for families with foundations, community foundations, and wealth and philanthropy advisors to help multiple […]

Pictured is the LAST surviving Duluth-style Life Saving Station on the Great Lakes. Due to the threat of COVID-19, the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands delayed the restoration of two range lights on Plum Island to be funded in part by a $200,000 grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within […]

Chuck Self says his two loves in life are his family and serving his community. The Village of Harrison resident made his home in the Fox Valley eight years ago, and recently retired after a 40-year career in investment management. “I’m not slowing down though,” laughs Self, who now has more time to pursue his […]

Tomorrow’s Children of Waupaca recently received a grant from the Waupaca Area Community Foundation, one of our affiliate partners, toward the purchase and training of a therapy dog to work with children with traumatic or difficult pasts. The Waupaca Area Community Foundation’s grantmaking this year was extended by an extra $20,000 thanks to a new […]

Each “largest” gift comes with an element of surprise and awe. The May 1 announcement of David L. and Rita E. Nelson leaving the largest gift in the history of the Community Foundation — more than $100 million — to their donor advised fund seems like a gift that could never be matched. That’s the way […]

The hefty $20,000 price tag for this food processing equipment was covered by grants from generous donors and will help distribute food for the hungry in our area. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin was offered a donation of 200,000 pounds of sweet corn from an area processor – a rare chance to distribute a large quantity […]