Business Partnership
Announcing our Business Partnership Award for 2021!
This award recognizes a business and a nonprofit organization that promote volunteerism and collaboration between the organizations for the benefit of both. An award of $5,000 is presented to the recipients’ joint Fox Valley charity.
Congratulations, Rebuilding Together Fox Valley & Fox Communities Credit Union
Chip Wood, left, is the Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Fox Valley and Lynn Marie Hopfensperger is the Community Development Officer of Fox Communities Credit Union.
(By NBC26) It’s not just the people we’re shining a light on in our Celebrating Volunteers series, but a partnership. Together with the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, meet two groups who have come together to help families in our community live a better life.
“They’re called Rebuilding Together, not rebuilding, and we’re called Fox Communities,” said Lynn Hopfensperger, the community development officer for Fox Communities Credit Union. “You take a community and put that together with the rebuilding, we’re a match made in heaven.”
For nearly 20 years, Rebuilding Together and Fox Communities Credit Union have been helping make homes safe and healthy for people in our community at no cost to homeowners.
“We’re going to be putting in grab bars to make sure people can get in and out of the bathtub safely; we’re going to be putting in stair rails to make sure you’re navigating those stairs safely; we’re going to make sure every home is fire safe,” said Chip Wood, the executive director for Rebuilding Together.
While Fox Communities provides financial support, they also volunteer with Rebuilding Together. Last year, the nonprofit organization was able to help about 40 families in the Fox Valley; typically it’s around 100 but was limited due to the pandemic.
However, their efforts in our area over the last two decades earned them this year’s 2021 Business Partnership of the Year award sponsored by SECURA. You can watch their reactions in the video above, as well as find out why their friendship is more than just work.
With the award, they won $5,000 collectively which they’re putting back into Rebuilding Together. Chip said with funds, they’re able to stretch a $1 donation into $4 to help more people in our area. They service families and individuals in Outagamie, Calumet, Waupaca and Winnebago counties, and say they’re always looking for volunteers.
Thank you to our Celebrating Volunteers partners, NBC 26 and The Post-Crescent, who are featuring our winners this week. View the Post-Crescent’s story here.
Here is the moment when Rebuilding Together Fox Valley & Fox Communities Credit Union received the surprise news that they are this year’s winners of the Business Partnership Award:
Award sponsor since 1998:
Who Qualifies?
A business and a nonprofit that partner to meet the criteria above. The organizations must have a presence and the benefit must be felt within Outagamie, Calumet, Waupaca or northern Winnebago counties.
Criteria
- Nominations are evaluated based on the humanitarian value of the benefit, how many people are impacted, the degree of need in the community, how pure the effort is from commercial intentions, and the longevity of the partnership.
- Employees of a business and a nonprofit volunteer outside of their normal job duties and collaborate to benefit both organizations.
- Award can be earned for a single act of volunteerism or a number of volunteer efforts.
- Nominations that have not been awarded the Business Partnership in the past take priority over past recipients.
Past recipients:
2020: Capital Credit Union and Pillars
2019: Community First Credit Union Programs & Sexual Assault Crisis Center
2018: Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs and McMAHON.
2017: United Way Fox Cities and Kimberly-Clark Corp.
2016: Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Bergstrom Automotive
2015: St. Joseph Food Program/Aerotek
2014: Feeding America/Associated Bank
2013: Theda Care, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin/Roosevelt Elementary School, Neenah
2012: West Business Services/Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs
2011: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans/ Salvation Army-Fox Cities
2010: Big Brothers Big Sisters/Fox Communities Credit Union
2009: Boldt Corp./YMCA
2008: Outlook Group/American Red Cross-Neenah-Menasha
2007: Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 400/Volunteer Center
2006: Affinity, ThedaCare/Fox Cities Community Health Center
2005: Kimberly-Clark Corp./Volunteer Center of East Central WI
2004: ThedaCare/Fox Cities Kurgan Sister Cities
2003: Community First Credit Union/ Appleton Area School District
2002: The Post-Crescent/Goodwill Industries
2001: Coldwell Banker-The Real Estate Group
2000: Aid Association for Lutherans
1999: Akrosil (International Paper)
1998: Community First Credit Union