Category: General

Hello! I’m Cassidy Mickelson, and I recently joined the Community Foundation as a Donor Services Manager. In this role, I work with donors to thoughtfully shape their philanthropy – connecting their interests and values with community needs and supporting giving that creates lasting impact. I’m excited to partner with donors as they pursue their charitable […]

News conference at Calumet County Park announcing new mental health screening and counseling initiative. By Jane Frantz, Development & Communications Director, Samaritan Counseling Center A coalition of five Calumet County school districts will begin to offer school-based mental health screening and counseling services this spring thanks to a $231,544 grant from the Basic Needs Giving […]

Howdy! My name is Camara White, and I recently joined the Community Foundation as the Scholarship Coordinator. I provide administrative support to our Scholarship Manager, Choua Schommer, and serve as the point-of-contact for Scholarship Selection Committee members and scholarship applicants. Having grown up in Houston, Texas, I often get asked why I made the move, […]

Jim and Sue Spierings know the help cancer patients need because they’ve been there. Jim was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer in 2007 at age 50. After successful treatment at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, the family created the Spierings Cancer Foundation to help other families. Their main fund-raiser, Rock Cancer, held on the […]

We’ve posted a brand new podcast episode of Voices from the Valley, as we continue our conversation about how a new two-year pilot program is embedding an Outagamie County clinical therapist within the Appleton Police Department to improve the way first responders handle crisis situations involving mental health. The idea is to have the therapist […]

Everyone learns and adjusts during this COVID-19 pandemic because every day is different, requiring us to live, work and play in ways we hadn’t before. This new world also includes new tax incentives for charitable giving included in the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act. What does this mean […]

By Michelle Lippart Hardwick Director of Gift Planning With the holidays and the end of 2017 just around the corner, it’s not too early to start thinking about year-end giving. We’re approaching a busy season and the Community Foundation is here to help you easily fulfill your charitable goals and learn more about your favored […]

Lindsay Fenlon of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Maren Peterson of NAMI and Lisa Kogan-Praska of Catalpa celebrate the ribbon-cutting. Watch it on the Waupaca Information Network. A boost to the mental health of Waupaca’s youth announced its arrival Tuesday with the grand opening of offices in the Waupaca Woods shopping center for the Appleton-based counseling […]

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 […]

The 51st Earth Day doesn’t have flare of last year’s 50th anniversary, but it comes at a time when more people are enjoying the outdoors than we’ve seen in a long, long time. The unlikely and unwelcomed motivator is the COVID-19 virus and the bad case of stir crazy it gave so many people. Trails […]

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Community Chords: Engagement through Music and Art is an exciting community project I lead as the Hmong Family Outreach Specialist with the Appleton Public Library. It celebrates Hmong American Day on May 14, a time to remember and honor Hmong people’s history, stories, and contributions in the […]

July is Disability Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring the achievements, history, and struggles of the disability community. This month is not just about celebrating diversity, but also about fostering a deeper understanding and awareness of the issues faced by disabled people.   Women with disabilities often face a double bind of discrimination due to […]