Category: General

I discovered several more reasons to feel confident about the future. What I found were some well-grounded, caring young men sharing their thoughts and convictions about what they can do to change society’s often stereotyped views about women and girls. The voices were those of young men ages 14 and 15.

By Kempton Freeman, Cultural Adviser, Appleton Area School Disctrict Thank you to the Community Foundation for this opportunity and for their continued support of the Appleton Area School District. My name is Kempton Freeman, Cultural Adviser and Black Student Advisor (BSU). I am part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department and work alongside Dr. […]

Thirty years ago, the Volunteer Action Council, a network of a dozen volunteer administrators, formed the Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin. Their goal was to find a way to help local nonprofit organizations address critical needs in the Fox Cities. With funding from Aid Association for Lutherans and United Way Fox Cities, the Volunteer […]

Marie Waddell describes herself as “the crazy lady at Walmart.” She’s the one with the packed grocery cart, buying for 66 kids. They are her kids in the sense that she takes responsibility for making sure students from lower income families at Ferber Elementary School in Appleton have enough to eat. Her volunteer activity isn’t […]

Photo of Cindy Reffke courtesy of The Post-Crescent. Cindy Reffke has used her family’s painful loss to make others aware of suicide in our community. Reffke is the Celebrating Volunteers winner of the 2019 Janet Berry Volunteer of the Year award, sponsored by The Post-Crescent. Our Celebrating Volunteers community partner NBC 26 is profiling several […]

Volunteer Fox Cities has combined volunteering and mystery into one large mobile movement and they call it the Give Back Bus. The Give Back Bus is a fun, new program created by Volunteer Fox Cities that has generated lots of excitement in the community. The bus puts a spin on traditional volunteering by adding the […]

A free tax preparation service for low- and moderate-income tax filers in Waupaca County is running well ahead of last year’s totals for people served and is putting substantial refund dollars in the hands of its clients. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offered by CAP Services and supported by a $5,000 grant from the […]

Voting for Change: A $5,000 grant from the Bright Idea Fund and a $2,000 grant from the William and Helen Burger Memorial Fund, both within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, are helping to bring the history of the 19th Amendment to life at the Neenah Historical Society for thousands of Neenah students and […]

While we’re all coping with the frigid cold, I thought I’d share a few stories about caring people in our community that will warm your heart. Music to their ears Twice late last year, groups of local musicians took it upon themselves to organize fundraising concerts to help where they knew help was needed.  One […]

With achievements beyond expectations, the Community Clothes Closet wrapped up its Pajama Hero project in early December with remarkable results. A total of 704 brand-new pajamas were donated, and $24,915 was raised to provide over 3,000 sets of pajamas to individuals and families in need this winter. These donations, which surpassed the initial goal of […]

The Waupaca Area Community Foundation awarded $44,800 in grants to local nonprofit organizations at its annual Celebration of Giving Tuesday, Oct. 4. The grant money, awarded through the Waupaca Area Community Fund, comes from the WACF’s annual gala and other contributions. These grants were awarded: CAP Services – General operating support to Ministry Dental Center for dental care and […]

Our Waupaca Area Community Foundation partner awarded grants totaling $102,300 to 17 area nonprofit organizations from its Waupaca Area Community Foundation Fund to help enhance the quality of life in the greater Waupaca area.  “After 21 years of giving back to the community, the generosity of our donors never ceases to amaze me. These grants […]