Category: Donors’ Stories of Giving

As a long-time member of the Chilton community, Ruth Bolz knew she wanted to leave a legacy that would strengthen the town she was born and raised in. Ruth passed away in January, and her estate gift to the Chilton Area Community Foundation will forever improve the quality of life in Chilton. Celebrating 20 years, […]

Todd and Mary Raether want to encourage people to support their community through a fund at the Community Foundation, but they realize giving now is not a possibility for everyone. But for some, giving a gift through their estate may be achievable. The Raethers have arranged for a gift from their estate to support the […]

With the wisdom to save every penny and a passion for giving back to the community, a grandmother’s nickname, Penny, has been turned into a family legacy. From an early age Kaelyn Ahola learned the importance of helping people as she comes from a family of givers. Repeatedly she has witnessed her family offering their […]

When tragedy struck, taking the life of 29-year-old Jesse Pickett in December 2013, his family wanted a way to remember him and carry on his legacy. From an early age Jesse had a passion for firefighting and helping others. As a Grand Chute firefighter and fire inspector, Jesse was able to educate people of all […]

The Grand Chute Fire Department is inviting the public to “Jesse Pickett Family Safety Day” Thursday, Sept. 9, at Fire Station One off County A. The event showcases the services of more than 25 partnering safety- and health-related organizations and agencies from throughout the Fox Valley. Jesse Pickett was a Grand Chute firefighter and fire […]

Lydia Merizon’s name is spoken  frequently when the Bates College Division 3 varsity crew team takes to the water in Lewiston, Maine, though she is no longer part of the crew and has graduated from college. The athletes are referring to the sleek Lydia C. Merizon ’16, a 62-foot racing shell purchased after Lydia graduated last […]

For the Wittmann clan, a dairy farm near Brillion was the place childhood memories took shape. That also was where grandma and grandpa – Alfred and Anna Wittmann – lived and taught subtle life lessons. One of the important ones concerned giving back. To honor those lessons, the couple’s 16 grandchildren established the Alfred and […]

Mary B. Sensenbrenner, a founding board member of the Community Foundation and the only woman among its initial board officers, died at her Neenah home June 7. She was 89. She served on the Board of Directors 1986-91. “Mary Sensenbrenner was one of those people that had the ability to see a need and then […]

When you have more than $1 million in scholarships available, with the qualifications determined largely by the donors who establish the endowment funds that are the source of the money, the result is a diverse list of opportunities. That can mean good things for students who fit the very specific guidelines requiring that the money go […]

A leading website for evaluating the impact of charitable giving has given its top rating to nine charities in the Fox Valley region, including the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. Charity Navigator gives a four-star rating — its highest — to the these nine local charities: Boys and Girls Club of the Fox […]

The next time Mary Harp-Jirschele takes up her usual volunteer position behind the big griddle at the Homeless Connections shelter’s kitchen, she may be looking at gleaming, new metal. As a tribute to her career, most recently as executive director of the J. J. Keller Foundation, the Robert Dohr and Lilas Dohr Charitable Fund within the […]

The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region has received an estate gift of more than $100 million, the largest single gift in its 32-year history and among the largest ever in Wisconsin. The gift, arranged by former media executive David L. Nelson and his wife, Rita, has established the David L. and Rita E. Nelson […]