Voices from the Valley

In this episode, 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 immediately available as a co-first responder to mental health crisis […]

The challenge and complexity of mental health issues in our community is growing and – since the onset of the COVID pandemic – has now reached a critical stage. How do we as a community respond to and provide help to people in the middle of a crisis?  The Appleton Police Department and Outagamie County […]

How do we make our local nonprofit organizations in the Fox Valley strong and equip their leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to serve our community? We take our leaders to school! The idea is to build better leaders so that together we can build a better community. Leadership Institute is an innovative programs […]

One of the oldest nonprofits in our area, Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle, is turning 150 years old. Imagine what it was like living in the Fox Valley in 1872! This community gem has a unique way of bringing our history and its bygone eras back to life. We can learn about our rich […]

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, everything changed. Our communities were in a crisis. Many vital services which so many people rely upon were suspended. The Community Foundation and United Way Fox Cities immediately put together the Covid 19 Community Response Fund. This fund has granted $1,776,497 to 118 local nonprofits, thanks to […]

One of the largest shifts in the Census data is in the Hispanic population. In fact Hispanics make up the largest minority group in northeast Wisconsin.  Hispanic and Latino residents of communities along the Interstate 41 corridor between Oshkosh and Green Bay increased by 46% between 2010 and 2020.   The growing number of Hispanic and […]

The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows us what we all can see: Racial and ethnic diversity in northeast Wisconsin is increasing. The number of Black, Asian, Native American, multiracial and Hispanic people increased 57% over the past decade. And it is wonderful to see! But much more important than the numbers […]

There’s a shortage of more than 119,000 rental housing units in Wisconsin, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. It says that a typical Wisconsin household needs to make a combined annual income of almost $36 thousand dollars to afford a two-bedroom rental home. The AppletonHousing Authority’s programs are making a positive impact in […]

Domestic abuse and domestic violence cases have exploded in the Fox Valley. It’s happening to people in all races, ages, religions, economic status, and it’s happening to people you and I might know – to people in our neighborhoods, in our schools and churches,  in our workplaces, perhaps even in your home. This episode may be difficult to […]

On any given day there are an average of 350 people who are struggling with homelessness in the Fox Cities. We at the Community Foundation have been working with numerous nonprofit organizations in communities throughout the Fox Valley who are “boots on the ground” to help people who are experiencing homelessness, and they do this with the power of many […]