The Loop

Seven generations ago, Elisha D. Smith bought a wooden bucket factory that grew into the international packaging company Menasha Corp. Now a handful of his descendants are working to hand down a legacy of philanthropy and are finding it’s also good for business. Starting with $50,000, the group dreams of having a major impact on charities in the […]

During this National Community Foundation Week, I’m happy to say that philanthropy is thriving in the Fox Valley area. That’s certainly the message in our annual Report to the Community for fiscal year 2014-15. Our donors set a record for the second consecutive year by awarding $16.3 million in grants to 986 nonprofits for the year […]

While sitting in the audience of about 340 people, including several Community Foundation staff, board members and donors, during Fox Cities Housing Coalition’s release of data from its Project RUSH (Research to Understand and Solve Homelessness) yesterday, a few things made an impression. The FCHC’s research partner, the Amherst Wilder Foundation in Minneapolis, doubted that […]

With the spring-like temperatures we’re seeing this fall, year-end giving is going to seem to be on us even quicker than usual. Along with cleaning out the garden and putting up the holiday decorations, we need to turn our attention to that last flurry of charitable giving at the end of the tax year. Not only […]

The following reprinted article from The Post-Crescent describes the success Neighborhood Partners is having working with Columbus School. The program, initiated by Sustainable Fox Valley and supported by three Environmental Sustainability grants totaling $95,000 over four years, is now a program of Goodwill Industries. APPLETON — Students at Columbus Elementary School and Appleton Bilingual School may not […]

The journey to a new trail loop connecting Neenah and Menasha got a little shorter today when the Community Foundation announced a $150,000 grant from the Frank C. Shattuck Community Fund. The $3.2 million project built off of the Friendship Trail trestle also received a $200,000 matching gift from Community First Credit Union and a $100,000 tourism grant […]

September 23, 2015 I can’t thank all the volunteers enough for the hard work that they did for me during Rock the Block. My property was the second-biggest project in the program. As I watched all the weeds disappear and the new paint appear on my fence, the rust become a beautiful white railing. My […]

September 19, 2015, was the big, and final “project day” at many homes during Habitat’s Rock the Block blitz, including Marsha Jenks’ house. The volunteers, including our President/CEO, Curt Detjen, had a great time working side-by-side with Marsha. Here are photos from the day. Watch for Marsha’s final journal entry tomorrow!   Homeowner Marsha Jenks shared […]

September 18, 2015 Today I met more new people who came to Rock my Block. What a bunch of wonderful folks. They are making a lot of progress today on the garage and fence. The pressure washing has been completed and two sides of the garage are finished. We’re all hoping that it doesn’t rain anymore […]

September 17, 2015 Yesterday, the volunteer crew arrived bright and early, ready to rock my block! Volunteers removed an old decrepit chimney that was falling apart on my roof. Another couple of guys went to work on my landscaping. I had so many weeds and monster plants that I couldn’t see my neighbor’s driveway or […]