The Loop

Casseroles. That’s one of the solutions for dealing with mental illness, according to Liza Long, a mental health advocate and mother of a child with a bi-polar disorder. The speaker at Thursday’s 16th annual Women’s Fund luncheon said we need to respond to someone having a family member hospitalized for a mental illness in the same […]

The Fox Cities offer clean air, good water and plenty of places to enjoy the outdoors — if we choose to take advantage of them. The 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study reports that from 2012-14 our air quality rated as good 72% of the time, moderate 27% and unhealthy just 1%. […]

“This information will have immediate application – as early as a few days from now! … I feel more literate … and more confident that I will be able to stay on track with my finances.”” That resounding endorsement from a Fox Cities nonprofit executive director speaks to the quality of training already being provided […]

By any measure, the Fox Cities region is a safe place to live. Statistics for 2014 show that the rate of violent crime here was half the national average and below the state average, according to the 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study. The LIFE Study has been conducted every five years […]

A nationally recognized program in its second year in Appleton appears to have found the right formula to help at-risk teenagers feel more empowered to make a difference in school and in their lives. The month-long Summer of Service Program, which is coordinated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley and Appleton […]

Three years ago, I was “the new kid in the cube” at the Community Foundation. Today marks my last day and with that a time for thoughtful reflection as I would ask of any grantee. When I first was asked about the executive director position at the J. J. Keller Foundation, I was cautious, simply […]

Most Fox Cities residents can say truthfully that their children are above average. Graduation rates are higher here than the averages statewide, and are improving. Wisconsin ranks third nationally in graduations. Competencies in math, reading and science, also exceed state averages in the Fox Valley, all according to the 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for […]

We are proud to have partners like the good people working with the U.S. Venture Fund for Basic Needs within the Community Foundation and the J. J. Keller Foundation. They have made it their mission to move the needle on poverty in northeast Wisconsin, and their strongest weapon in this battle against the root causes of […]

We’re getting bigger. Not just in population, but in sheer mass. The 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study reports 70% of Calumet and Outagamie County residents are overweight or obese, about 5 percentage points higher than in 2011. Winnebago County is a little better at 58%. Included in the fallout of that […]

Several statistics in the 2016 Fox Cities Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study suggest the number of working poor in our region is on the rise. The review of available statistics shows a steady increase in Wisconsin Works and food stamp recipients in Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties. Beyond that, monthly rent is rising faster […]