Local Members. Local Charities. Local Impact.

Charity Directory

Do you want your charity listed on this page? Click below to submit your information (charity name, a 250 word description and your website). This page is limited to active 501(c)3 organizations that operate in the Fox Cities.

Appleton A Better Chance

The Appleton A Better Chance (ABC) program's mission is to provide academically talented students of color with opportunity, education, guidance and personal development to help them achieve their goals and become leaders within their communities. Established in 1968, over the past 50 years, we have made a lasting difference in the lives of 170+ young people who left their at-risk neighborhoods and spent their formative years in Appleton. Our program in Appleton is the only one in Wisconsin and the second oldest of the 25 programs across the country. Students and families apply to the program when the student is in the eighth grade. After a very detailed application process, the selected scholars move to Appleton a few days before starting ninth grade and will attend Appleton North, East, or West. Through a partnership with Lawrence University, housing and tutoring are made available to the scholars. Our scholars live at the residence house during the academic year, along with our Residence Director. School scholarships to attend our local high schools are provided by a partnership with the Appleton Area School District. Although we’re affiliated with the national program, we do not receive any funding from the national office, nor federal, state or local governments. We are supported 100% through voluntary, charitable contributions. Over 99% of our graduates of have gone on to college with overwhelming success. Our current scholars are from the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta areas. 

Appleton Community Music, Inc.

Appleton Community Music is a 501(c)3 formed in 2021 to help ensure the future sustainability of Mile of Music and other original music events. With an artist-focused and community-forward approach, ACM treats musicians with respect. We go beyond paying them fairly, by providing free lodging, meals, and Artist Care services during the Festival. That is why artists consider this Festival, and the Fox Valley, exceptional. Shared community investment is necessary to sustain these efforts long term. Find out how we can come together to promote the arts and music, foster emerging singer-songwriters, enhance artists’ quality of life, and make the Fox Valley a sought-after place to live, work, and visit.

AvaStrong Charity

I’m so happy to be sharing our story with you. I’m a faith filled momma to three wonderful children. As a parent to a special needs child, life can be challenging at times, so why not add more to my plate and help others! Avastrong Charity not only focuses on supporting and providing support to families suffering the effects of CHD, but is also there for people to look for guidance in their journeys. We plan to do this through care packages for all families staying in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. I’m so passionate about charities because they have personally touched my heart. Ava was born with a congenital heart defect that required open-heart surgery soon after birth. In her 2 years of life she has spent over 300 days in the hospital and has had over 23 surgeries for various things. To this day she is still dependent on extra oxygen and a feeding tube. This is unfortunately a very real thing in many CHD families. Through Avastrong Charity we are not only fighting for Ava, we are fighting for all children born with a CHD or special need.

B.A.B.E.S., Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program

B.A.B.E.S., Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program is a family strengthening program; providing a proactive approach to the prevention of child abuse. This innovative program was designed to alleviate stress for young parents (up to age 27), while protecting the child from possibly becoming a victim and a statistic of abuse. The foundation and purpose for our much needed and well supported program: abuse of children as a result of limited support, financial strain, addiction, low self-esteem, etc. B.A.B.E.S. provides an age appropriate environment for children, while also providing non-judgmental support for the parents at no cost. The program is designed to accommodate family schedules and offer children the opportunity to grow in a positive setting that is conducive to the development of essential skills and values. B.A.B.E.S. exists to function as one of the many components necessary to turn the alarming child abuse trend around. Many young parents feel trapped, frustrated, and consequently transfer these emotions to the child. The children will be protected from experiences which perpetuate abusive behavior, through the provision of support, understanding to young parents, and a fun and safe place for children.

Ben's Wish

At 11 years old, Ben Delain was a normal young man full of promise and hope. He was doing well in school, had friends, and was mature beyond his years. Maybe it was this aspect or his tender heart that made Ben hate to see any kind of “hurt” in the world. On August 16 of 2007 while going to a family vacation, Ben was riding with his cousin through Wausau, WI. A homeless person was asking for food at a highway interchange. Ben asked to stop while he frantically searched the snack bag sent along for the trip. After pulling out an apple, he rolled open the window and with a gentle toss, they were on their way again. We find that we are all in need at times in our life. Ben’s Wish brings together organizations, the community, food pantries and schools to work toward meeting the needs of hungry children around us. There are over 30,000 students locally in NE Wisconsin living with Food Security issues. To date, Ben’s Wish has provided over 110,000 food packs to support these school children. In an accident on Aug 18, 2007, Ben left us with the need to fulfill this wish in his place. Together we can carry forward the promise of Ben’s Wish. We can reach out to each other, to show that none of us hurts or is hungry.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

For over 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) has empowered mentoring opportunities to thousands of children in Outagamie, Winnebago, Waupaca and Calumet counties. Together, with community partners, adult volunteer mentors (Bigs) and families, BBBS has continued to provide life-changing friendships to children (Littles) exposed daily to adverse childhood experiences like poverty, mental illness, physical illness, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, and bullying. Our mission is URGENT! More than 8.5 million kids are in need of someone who will stand in their corner, with over 150 children waiting in the communities we serve. BBBS helps children realize their potential and build their futures. We nurture children and strengthen communities. We make meaningful, monitored matches, and develop positive one-to-one relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. When it comes to the future of our children and the well-being of our communities, we’re all in this together. It all starts with the right role models and Big Brothers Big Sisters is the place to start! 

Breath of Life Foundation

Breath of Life Foundation was founded with the intent to assist families in Wisconsin in fighting their battler with Cystic Fibrosis. Inspired by the life of Lauren Arkens. Her direct involvement from the very beginning of our Foundation in 2016, we began to thrive in and around the Cystic Fibrosis communities in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay. Lauren’s personal experience with CF provided insight into what patients and families needed to really begin to live a life while living with CF. The Foundation continues to make an impact by filling in the gaps patients and families need, in an effort to promote a higher quality of life. We continue to support financial assistance for medications, additional treatments, nutritional supplements, medical equipment, utilities, travel, lodging, and other common ancillary costs that make daily life even harder to live.

CAP Services, Inc. – Skills Enhancement Program

The Skills Enhancement Program addresses poverty in the Fox Cities area by helping low-income individuals increase their income potential through education. Participants need to be working at least 20 hours per week, yet have a household income below the 200% level of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and be motivated to complete a short-term training program (Associate degree, Technical Diploma or Certificate) to build the skills needed to compete for higher-paying jobs. The program provides financial assistance towards the cost of tuition, books, tools, uniforms or exam fees, as well as training related child care and transportation costs. Supportive case management helps participants successfully work towards their goals and overcome any barriers they may experience. Program graduates have built a permanent capacity to earn more income, access career type jobs with stable hours and access to benefits, and have increased the economic and emotional stability of their family. The Skills Program has been serving the Fox Cities for 27 years and has had more than 900 graduates! During 2017, 148 individuals were served and 26 individuals completed their training program and graduated. The average increase in hourly wage for graduates was $6.81, and the average increase in annual income was $19,478!

CASA of the Fox Cities

Our mission is to advocate for abused and neglected children in our local courts with community volunteers to achieve placement in safe and permanent homes. CASA volunteers do this by meeting with the child weekly and objectively EXAMINING their situation, environment, and relationships. CASAs IDENTIFY the needs of the child and recommend critical services to the court. CASAs MONITOR whether the orders of the court are being followed and ADVOCATE for the child’s best interests in a monthly court report. We do this because when a child is removed from their family they are thrust into an overburdened child welfare system. CASA volunteers provide immediate support across the entire spectrum of a child’s needs: safety, health, emotional and physical development, education, family, faith, recreation and cultural continuity so that the child may thrive. As a result, a child with a CASA will spend less time in foster care, is less likely to reenter foster care, and is less likely to be bounced from home to home. A child with a CASA gets more help while in the system and does better in school. They are more likely to pass all classes, and they are less likely to have behavioral issues. 

Center for Suicide Awareness

The Center for Suicide Awareness, headquartered in Kaukauna, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing support, education, and resources to individuals, families, veterans, schools, businesses, community agencies, and more. All efforts support the Center’s mission of suicide prevention for anyone, or any organization, touched by the tragedy of suicide. The Center provides barrier free, no-cost services including drop-in support groups for veterans, military members and their families, youth and adult Survivors of Suicide, educational and informational presentations on suicide prevention, mental health stigma reduction, QPR training, and more. All efforts play a vital role in preventing the tragedy of suicide in our communities. After recognizing the high number of youth communicating distress over text messaging prior to a suicide attempt, The Center immediately put together a plan to bring a text based emotional support line serving all of Wisconsin. HOPELINE-741741 is the state’s only no-cost, barrier-free emotional support text-based service providing immediate emotional support, resources, and crisis trained responders 24/7, via the most popular form of communication: texting. HOPELINE receives thousands of texts from residents across the state who are seeking support and resources when they need it most. HOPELINE also expanded its service by offering the Spanish version called APOYO.

Community Benefit Tree

Community Benefit Tree’s (CBT) mission is empower individuals and families to effectively navigate a medical crisis, encompassing finances, health resources, and spiritual well-being. We started as a labor of love after hosting a golf outing in memory of Lawrence Wolfinger who passed away from a heart attack. The committee of the first golf outing gave the proceeds to a family whose daughter was a diabetic and needed a glass eye. After 12 years of donating the proceeds to families in need, Heidi (daughter of Larry Wolfinger) and Karla (wife of Larry Wolfinger) felt the need to help more families struggling with a medical crisis and started the nonprofit. In that time CBT has celebrated the lives of and provided support to over 600 families regardless of age or diagnosis. We create a volunteer team to support the family, train the support team to put on a successful fundraiser, provide counseling and help establish a medical crisis budget, help pay immediate bills, and provide resources and support. We aim to improve their quality of life, cover treatment expenses, and relieve patients from the financial burden that forces them to choose between life-saving treatment and life’s necessities.

Day By Day Warming Shelter

The Day by Day Warming Shelter has been serving Oshkosh and Winnebago County for over 10 years. The shelter is dedicated to serving the most vulnerable population in our community, successfully providing them shelter, basic needs, programs, and services with the goal of self-sustainability. We have been a critical provider of services, keeping our homeless off the streets, and moving them towards a better life. Each year over 200 people use our shelter and resources. In the early years, the shelter’s primary focus was simply providing shelter and a hot meal in the coldest months of the year. Today, in partnership with many local organizations, we provide programs for our guests primarily focused on life skills, to help them achieve an independent lifestyle, with the ability to care for themselves. Day by Day serves an adult population (18 and over). We turn away no one (other than due to capacity) offering services and support to those who are veterans, have been incarcerated, battling addiction, have been abused, or suffering mental illness. Over the next year, our goal is to raise over 4.5 million dollars in order to secure a new location. With your contribution to our capital campaign, Day by Day will be empowered to help more people out of homelessness.

Dignity Revolution

Dignity Revolution is a K-12 comprehensive, educational program that fosters positive cultural change in schools and entire communities. This program addresses critical emotional and social competencies necessary for academic success such as understanding emotions, self-management, responsible decision-making, and interpersonal relationship skills. Our program contains 3 main components. Dignity Revolution Assemblies, Training, and Challenge. 1. Bob Lenz speaks to about 100 schools each year with the Dignity Revolution Assemblies. 2. The Dignity Revolution Challenge is our own curriculum that became evidence based in 2019. These curriculums hold over 70 hands on lessons to help start conversations around the mental health and wellness of students, while giving skills necessary to make a change in their lives. 3. We have been in 31 states with the Dignity Revolution Training. This training has equipped over 2000 teachers with the knowledge and skills to be safe contacts for kids who are struggling. Our mission is to educate and empower students to stand up for the value of every person. With the culture shifting we have moved to more webinar online trainings along with virtual events. Although we hope to be in person, we understand the changes that we need to make in order to reach youth. Our tactics may have changed, but our mission remains to bring hope to those who feel hopeless. 

Diverse & Resilient Appleton

Diverse & Resilient Appleton serves as an LGBTQ Center and home of the Room to Be Safe Anti-Violence Program at 408 ½ West Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton. We serve LGBTQ people in the Fox Cities looking for connection and healing. We host a weekly Room to Be You(th) support group.

Exceptional Equestrians

Exceptional Equestrians is a therapy clinic that uses horses to help children and adults with disabilities and disorders. Occupational therapy and physical therapy clinicians help people ages 2 through adulthood with conditions such as cerebral palsy, paralysis, Down syndrome, brain injury, autism, and neuromuscular disorders. Exceptional Equestrians is one of the most comprehensive programs in the Midwest, serving the community for 25 years. Our mission is to better the lives of people of all abilities through the healing power of horses. We provide hippotherapy to help people ages 2 and older improve cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being. Our goal is for each individual to achieve their highest potential in functional skills, life skills, comfort, and independence. In our commitment to serving all individuals regardless of ability to pay, we offer sliding-scale fees to families in need. Your support helps children and adults with disabilities receive life-changing horseback therapy.

Feed the Body, Feed the Soul

Feed the Body Feed the Soul supports Northeast Wisconsin food pantries with staple food products. Feed the Body, Feed the Soul brings together over 1,000 community volunteers to package staple food products into 2-to-3-pound bags that are distributed to pantries for free in Northeast Wisconsin! The staple food products are purchased by local sponsors through Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin who supports us in this event. In 2023, our volunteers completed 210,000 pounds of staple food products that was distributed to pantries who provided that staple product to clients who face food insecurities. This event feeds the souls of our volunteers and educates them on the food insecurities that exists in our community. The clients are fed with these staple products that provide for 1 in 3 who face hunger in our communities.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

Since 1982, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has been helping our neighbors in need. From our humble beginnings of the first donation of 600 pounds of apples to distributing more than 53 million pounds of food in a year during the pandemic, we are helping those who face hunger move forward. Today, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is the leading local hunger-relief organization in the state. The organization operates food banks in Milwaukee and Appleton and receives food from retailers, wholesalers, farmers, and donors. The food is transported, sorted, and stored at each campus before it is distributed to hundreds of pantries and meal programs across 35 eastern Wisconsin counties. During the pandemic, protecting people’s livelihoods became more crucial than ever. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin continues to remove barriers between people and food. For example, our outreach specialists connect food-insecure folks with FoodShare and other vital resources they need to keep their families fed and healthy while supporting the local economy. We are all one diagnosis, job layoff, or car accident away from needing a little extra help. Through our network of retailers, donors, volunteers, and food pantries, food has been getting into the hands of people who need it for nearly 40 years. That is why Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin believes that together, we can solve hunger. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is an independent and local nonprofit organization. We fund local programs only, meaning every dollar donated stays right here in our local community.

Financial Information & Services Center, Inc. (FISC)

FISC offers personal counseling and coaching on a variety of financial matters - credit cards, bankruptcy, budgeting, housing, student loans, and more. Our team of counselors help clients get a clearer picture of their financial situation and the options available to lead them toward financial self-sufficiency. FISC also provides resources to assist clients with student loan debt repayment plan options. Regularly scheduled workshops are offered on site or are taken to community workplaces. Presentations and workshops offer practical tips, hands-on forms, and positive steps to take that lead to a more effective money management system. One client stated "My sincere gratitude to everyone at FISC for helping me through the most difficult time in my life. I had always had a great credit score and paid my bills on time. Then I had a turn of events in my life -illness, medical bills and reduced income. I started to use credit cards and fell deeper in debt. But, never did one of your counselors treat me with anything but the utmost respect. Thank you everyone. You are such an asset to our community."

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

Celebrating more than 20 years, the Center’s future shines bright as we continue to present world-class live performing arts experiences, empower lifelong learning through community engagement and education programs, and impact our local economy through critical connections between local businesses and tourism. You can play a vital role in ensuring the Center continues serving all ages and abilities through the arts. The mission of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is to serve as a multicultural gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities and enhance understanding and enjoyment of life through the creation and presentation of the arts. We will do this by providing a premier venue for performing arts attractions and a dynamic environment for our arts organizations.

Fox Valley Literacy

Fox Valley Literacy’s mission is to share the power of learning to transform lives and enrich the community. Over 12,000 adults in Outagamie County alone are believed to have low literacy skills. That’s the number of people in a sold-out Timber Rattler stadium, times two! Illiteracy is a multi-generational issue. Children of low-literate parents face a higher risk of challenges in school. Helping an adult learn to read improves the situation of the entire family. We train volunteers to provide adult literacy education to people throughout Outagamie, Waupaca, northern Calumet, and northern Winnebago Counties. Fox Valley Literacy provides free and confidential, one-to-one tutoring and classroom-style instruction. Learners set their own goals and instruction is tailored to their specific educational or occupational needs. Common goals include obtaining a GED, HSED and improving job and digital literacy skills so they can better support themselves and/or their families. We match volunteer tutors with people who desire to improve their basic education or English language skills. Our tutors make an initial commitment of one year and receive extensive training prior to being matched with a student. By providing one-on-one tutoring to adult basic education students and English language learners, we empower community members to achieve their educational and occupational goals. In 2018, we served 500 adult learners. The dedication of tutors and other volunteers resulted in nearly 19,000 volunteer hours. This empowered our learners to receive citizenship, obtain driver’s licenses, assist their children with their homework and find gainful employment.

Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra has been a part of this community for 51 years, bringing music and education to our students and families. As our gift back to the community, we have a free, family-friendly concert and fireworks celebration, Brats, Beer & Beethoven, at Fox Cities Stadium. In the past three years, attendance grew to over 5,000. The popular music, fireworks, and free admission give this event mass appeal. The audience is primarily family groups and seniors, happy to enjoy the free admission and abundant accessibility for those with mobility issues. Reaching many people who have never been exposed to live symphonic music, the event appeals to all demographics and income levels. In partnership with Miracle League of the Fox Cities, we also invite families with special needs to enjoy BBB during the rehearsal, allowing them the opportunity to participate and help to ease some of the logistical challenges –parking, crowds, accessible seating, sensory-friendly. Many people ask why we don’t charge an admission fee or seek donations at the gates. Our response is always the same: this is a GIFT to everyone in the community, regardless of their resources.

Friendship Place

Friendship Place (FP) was originally a program of NAMI Neenah-Menasha, which began around 1988. NAMI started the drop-in center for people with mental illness, which originally used church facilities, and then moved to the present location in 1991. In 1999 the United Way of the Fox Cities requested that NAMI review the organizational structure of FP to consider adding a full-time staff position to direct the operation. A separate 501 (c) 3 corporation was formed soon after, and a full-time executive director was sought to oversee the operation. Since then, Friendship Place (FP) has been encouraging adults with mental illness to live well by fostering an environment that provides members with peer support, advocacy, and education. FP is a social, educational, and recreational outreach drop-in center for adults with severe and persistent mental illness that is designed to encourage participation in social and educational opportunities both at the drop-in center and in the community. We are a place to reach out and make a difference to people with mental illness and encourage them to be more active, contributing members of our community. A place where people can safely gather in a clean, non-judgmental, comfortable setting where they can lead a more normal life, develop interpersonal relationship skills, and build self-esteem.

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes

Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes (GSNWGL) was established on May 1, 2008 after the merger of six Wisconsin Councils. Our programs offer the world’s best leadership experience designed specifically for girls’ needs, differentiated by grade level from kindergarten through high school, with flexible pathways for participation. Girls may join Girl Scouts by enrolling in a troop, attending local or regional events, participating is a series, traveling, going to camp, or partaking in virtual online programs. These opportunities allow for girls to discover their strengths, connect with others, and act to improve their communities. To bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to life, activities are led by girls themselves, feature cooperative learning, and highlight learning by doing. Girls come up with their own ideas, build teams, and experience the joy of making a positive impact. In partnership with over 6,000 dedicated adult volunteers, we serve 18,000 girls aged 5-17 in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Specifically, in the Appleton area, we serve over 4,000 girl members a year. Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, through key programs that focus on life skills, entrepreneurship, and making the world a better place.

Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin

Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin is an education and empowerment program for girls in grades 3-8. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. Girls on the Run is a 10-week program where girls, their team, and their volunteer coaches meet twice a week for an hour and a half for practice. Each practice consists of an important lesson to build their social and emotional skills. We envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Habitat for Humanity (Greater Fox Cities Area)

We believe that every single one of us deserves the opportunity for a better future. No matter who we are or where we come from, we all deserve to have a decent life. We deserve to feel strength and stability day after day. We deserve to know we have the power to take care of ourselves and build our own future. At Habitat for Humanity, this is what unites us. Our vision is bold- A world where everyone has a decent place to live. Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity has been making homeownership accessible to families in Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, and Waupaca counties since 1993. We are now one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the Fox Cities, expanding our programs beyond building new homes to home repair, home rehabilitation, housing counseling, financial education, homeowner readiness, neighborhood revitalization, and providing low-cost building materials and home goods materials through our retail outlet- the ReStore. We seek to empower families and inspire community-wide action to break the cycle of poverty. Affordable homeownership frees families and fosters the skills and confidence they need to invest in themselves and their communities. The outcomes can be long-lasting and life-changing. Through shelter, we empower.   

Harbor House

Established in 1984, Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs began as a county-administered program offering safe shelter and basic crisis services to domestic abuse victims. From these humble beginnings, we expanded to a 55-bed shelter facility with 24-hour emergency services and a wide range of programming for families affected by domestic violence. We partner with a number of likeminded community organizations, allowing us to expand our operational capacity beyond what can do on our own. Through collaborations and special projects that draw on each other’s strengths, we’ve worked to better address the needs and increase the self-sufficiency of domestic abuse victims and survivors in our area. Harbor House receives funding from a variety of sources. It is our goal to use this funding to create the greatest value for survivors of domestic abuse. Our annual reports provide information on where funding comes from and how we turn that support into programming – and ultimately outcomes – for individuals and families affected by domestic abuse.

Hear in the Fox Cities

Our mission is to assist children under the age of 21 in the Fox Cities purchase hearing aids. We realize that access to hearing health care can be prohibitively expensive. We help families pay for hearing aids for their child(ren) when other funding sources are not available such as Medicaid or DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) and family income is limited. In addition, we recognize that hearing aids sometimes are covered by insurance but the deductibles, co-pays are too high.

Hortonville Community Food Pantry, Inc.

Beyond our weekly food distribution to our clients, the pantry has special projects to help uplift the quality of life for our clients. These special programs are: Back to School, Family Coat Drive, Children's Christmas Wish, and partnering with community business and organizations in food drives. Below you will find the results of these projects. First, our Back-to-School project provided 125 backpacks filled with school supplies to the children of our clients in grades 1 to 12. Each backpack is customized by grade for the needed supplies. We have had this program on going for many years, our biggest challenge is the cost and securing the backpacks. We are planning for an increase in the number provided for 2023. Second, our Coat Drive is conducted with the help of numerous churches in the area. The new or used coats, in all youth and adult sizes are inspected, sorted, and cleaned if necessary. On a fall Wednesday, with the help of the town of Dale allowing us to use the town hall, the coats are hung on racks by size. This past year we collected 481 coats with and dispersed 301 at no cost to our clients. Next is our Children Christmas Wish project. With help of sponsors and devoted volunteers each year the children of our clients are signed up to receive Christmas gifts from Santa.  Over the last few years, we have averaged 60 families and 179 children. The clients are interviewed at sign up and are asked to provide the specific gifts of each child's wishes. Finally, our partnering up with businesses and organizations for special events to prevent hunger is critical.  We have the Hortonville Police department, Boy Scouts, USPS, Wolf River Community Bank, AFS, Whistlers Knoll and many others to thank for our continuing operations.

Jake's Network of Hope

Jake’s Network of Hope is an organization that believes in a world where every human feels worthy. This empowers individuals to live their best lives, creating full and active communities. Our programs provide resources that fulfill various human needs: basic, social, emotional and educational. Jake’s Network of Hope, formerly known as Jake's Diapers, was established in 2011 after two local and passionate women went on a mission trip and witnessed an orphanage reusing disposable diapers as they had to choose between diapers and food. Upon return to the United States, they gathered their well-loved cloth diapers from their then young children and donated them to that very orphanage - helping 15 children in need. From there, Jake’s grew and now provides disposable diapers, period products, adult incontinence products and cloth diapers to families in need. As needs have increased from our partners, Jake's established the My Neighbor Wisconsin program, which operates the Hope Hub within Jake's facility providing other basic living items such as office/school supplies, home goods, toys, new baby/mom items and small appliances to partner agencies, who then pass the quality goods to individuals and families in need. All of Jake’s programs are partnerships with qualified nonprofit partners, which include schools, 501(c)3 nonprofits and faith-based organizations located throughout 11 counties in Wisconsin. We distribute quality goods to these partners, and they redistribute to people in need, students who are underserved, families in crisis all with the goal of eliminating poverty in our neighborhoods.

Website: www.jakesnoh.org

JuBriCoSa

JuBriCoSa is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1989 with the goal of teaching young people ages 7-18 self-confidence, responsibility and life skills through the performing arts. Through a structured curriculum and passionate staff, students learn theatre basics and some advanced theatrical techniques and how to apply each of them into their everyday life. The first part of each class is spent in a classroom setting where students learn through hands on theatre games, workshops and quiz’s. The second part, the students take what they have learned in class and apply that to their rehearsal for a large-scale Broadway type musical theatre production. Every aspect of the production is done by the students. From the directing to the choreography, acting to the technical needs, students take responsibility to produce a full-length production.  After 32 years, it is still absolutely AMAZING what young people can do when they are given the opportunity. Every person has something important to offer and it is such a special feeling to be there when they realize that. In theatre we say that “There are no small parts!” Well, it is also true that in life “There are no small parts!” EVERYONE is special and holds an important place in this life. We feel that it is of the utmost importance to let young people know just how special they are. In an honest and believable way, we help them discover what special, unique and important part they play on stage AND in life.

Just Jess Foundation

Just Jess Foundation was formed in 2022 by Steve Haag. Amidst the second year of navigating his wife's critical cancer diagnosis, 2019 was the best year of Steve's life. How could that be? Because that critical cancer diagnosis pushed his family into seizing every moment and chasing memories all over the United States. First, they were blessed to go on a vacation with family members to Florida. They got to take the kids to Disney World and they spent time at their favorite place—the ocean. Over the Fourth of July, they went on a spontaneous trip to St. Louis. Jess woke up one morning and told Steve, “We need an adventure.” So, they hopped in the car for a 48 hour door to door trip, packed with a kid’s museum, fireworks and fun. Later that summer, they spent time at a cottage on a lake with Jess's family hanging out together. Finally, with support from family and friends, they got to go on their most memorable RV trip to Durango, CO with memory making at the Mile High Stadium and Mt. Rushmore, among many other places. Yes, they dealt with cancer on the daily, but their family vacations were cancer free. Sure, their kids were very little and let’s be honest, they may not remember the details, but Steve does—AND, he has those cancer free details to give his kids. The pictures. The videos. The stories. Their mom in her best form.​ While Steve have known since August 13, 2020 that he wanted to do something in Jess’s memory, it has taken him two years to figure it out—a foundation that funds family vacations for parents experiencing a critical cancer diagnoses. He wants other families going through this to have the same memory making, life-changing opportunities his family did.

LEAVEN

LEAVEN (Limited Emergency Assistance Valley Ecumenical Network) is a volunteer, community-based nonprofit organization that has pursued its mission of care and service since 1987. Individuals and families needs support and assistance when they are in a financial crisis to prevent them from slipping into greater poverty, homelessness, and ill health. LEAVEN helps stabilize and empower these vulnerable households by providing financial assistance, referrals, and case management to address their near-term and long-term basic needs. Assistance is provided for housing, utilities, transportation, health insurance, diapers, and other basic necessities. LEAVEN’s help is typically immediate, short-term, and emergency based. We help bridge the gap between hardship and hope. The LEAVEN Community Resource Center, scheduled to open in September 2018, will remove barriers and create opportunities for our clients to connect with fourteen partner organizations. By integrating services under one roof, we will continue to meet our clients’ immediate needs AND work to promote long-term stability.

Lincoln's Foster Closet

We are a 501c3 that provides basic necessities and various enrichment programs to children in foster care in Outagamie, Calumet and Waupaca county. We also have a program created to help other foster care closets throughout Wisconsin, which helps share over abundance items. With every director on our board having either been in foster care and or is a foster parent, we are coming up with new ways to help children in care every day.

Make-a-Wish Wisconsin

Make-A-Wish Wisconsin creates life-changing wishes for local children battling critical illnesses. A wish come true replaces fear with hope, anxiety with strength and sadness with joy. For many, their wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illness! Kids who are fighting critical illnesses experience extreme mental & emotional challenges every day. Hospital stays, harsh treatments & scary surgeries are not only exhausting – they are traumatic. The instant a child's hope is realized through their special wish, they experience a powerful, life-changing joy that nurtures their emotional well-being. Within the Make-A-Wish organization, we are a local chapter based in Appleton that specifically works to raise funds to grant local wishes within our area. All of our fundraising efforts are based in the area while keeping the funds local to help all local children battling critical illnesses receive their greatest wish come true. With more than 500 life-affirming wishes currently pending, and hundreds of kids excitedly counting the days until their greatest wish is granted, your support will go a long way in ensuring that we can grant a life-changing wish for every local child who is facing a heartbreaking critical illness!

Miracle League of the Fox Valley

The Miracle League of the Fox Valley gives every child the chance to play baseball. Since 2010, the Miracle League of the Fox Valley, a program of Goodwill NCW, has given children ages 4-19 with cognitive and/or physical disabilities the opportunity to play organized baseball in a noncompetitive league on a safe, fully accessible field located at Memorial Park in Appleton. The league has continued to grow since its first season in 2010. 2023 was the league’s 13th season and consisted of 227 players, 16 teams and over 330 community volunteers. The league not only gives children with disabilities a place to grow, learn, and be celebrated, it also allows our community volunteers (ages 12+) the opportunity to build relationships and become advocates for individuals with disabilities.

Mission Myeloma, Inc.

Mission Myeloma, Inc. is dedicated to showing support to myeloma patients and their families and to fund research for a cure. Mission Myeloma was established in response to the lack of resources for this type of blood cancer in Wisconsin. Mission Myeloma provides support in three ways: 1.) Financial Grants. Financial assistance is intended to help offset the cost of medical and household expenses. Myeloma patients complete and submit the grant application found online at www.missionmyeloma.org for consideration. The application process includes verification by the patient’s medical team. 2.) Care Packages. Care packages are provided to myeloma patients through partnerships with local healthcare medical teams treating myeloma patients. This gift is intended to provide patients with hope and assurance they are not alone. Mission Myeloma care packages are currently being distributed by ThedaCare Cancer Center, Green Bay Oncology, and Marshfield Clinic. 3.) Network of Resources. Through collaboration with various local healthcare professionals, Mission Myeloma is establishing a network of resources for myeloma patients, their loved ones, as well as their caregivers. Resources include relevant programs, educational materials, and support groups to offset various obstacles that accompany a myeloma diagnosis, including emotional and financial strain, as well as access to accurate and easy-to-understand education about myeloma.

Old Glory Honor Flight

Old Glory Honor Flight was founded in 2009 by a small group of dedicated volunteers based in Appleton, WI. Our mission is to fly our local heroes of World War ll, Korean and Vietnam wars to our Nation’s Capital to see the war memorials built in their honor as a meaningful way to say ‘Thank You’ for their service and sacrifice. Every detail has the vets’ best interest in mind to ensure they have a safe and memorable trip. On each flight, we travel with trained volunteers, a medical team, professional photographers and a host of others like the DC Park Police who provides a motorcade escort in Washington, DC. The best part is the Honor Flight mission is completely free of charge for our veterans! Over the years, we’ve grown and expanded our mission to also include special projects like: Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight, Return to Nam, Return to Pearl, Operation at Ease and others to highlight the men and women who served our country admirably and to provide meaningful recognition, healing and camaraderie.

Peaceful Purpose, Inc.

Peaceful Purpose, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides no charge or low-cost wigs, hats, head coverings, head shavings and haircuts to anyone who may need help with medical hair loss. Peaceful Purpose also offers beauty and skin care clinics and recommendations. The team provides these services, along with overall confidence building and emotional support for the individuals who allow Peaceful Purpose to join them on their journey. We build lasting relationships with our clients by spending extra time to understand the unique support each client needs. If a client wants to talk, cry, or laugh, the Peaceful Purpose team will be there by their side. If they’d like help styling the wig after a few weeks of wearing it, Peaceful Purpose will be there to answer questions and assist. The scope of support provided by Peaceful Purpose extends past the traditional audience of people battling cancer. Additionally, Peaceful Purpose will assist people afflicted by Cancer, Alopecia, Tricotillomania, Hormonal and Autoimmune-related disorders, as well as surgical or trauma-related hair loss. Peaceful Purpose strives to provide low to no cost beauty solutions to all people in need without relying on a sliding scale payment plan. By keeping administrative costs minimal, building a strong, volunteer-based Board of Directors, and leveraging a ‘pay it forward’ model with clients who desire to donate to expand the charitable footprint, Peaceful Purpose intends to balance supporting the community in an intimate one-on-one basis while expanding the reach to others in need.

Photo Opp

Photo Opp is a new and unique organization to the Fox Cities. From an old school film darkroom to a full white sweep studio, programming to assist local schools and events like photo walks to build a diverse community around photography and videography. Our primary goals are: building community, education of photography and videography, creating a pipeline for artistic jobs here in the Fox Valley, and advancing the arts specific to photo and video. Photo Opp’s mission is to develop a welcoming community and inspire lifelong learning through the lens of a camera. Our programs and offers work toward our vision to elevate the appreciation of visual expression and nurture passion for life beyond the camera. Collaboration is at the core of Photo Opp, which will partner with school districts, other non-profits, local businesses, and others in the community to offer educational services in the art of photography and videography, while also helping to support the content needs of our community. Through collaboration, we hope to strengthen our local economy by investing in the stories of our community. We plan to prepare youth and young adults for career opportunities in the crafts of photography, videography, and other visual arts, while giving them a positive outlet for their innate and learned creativity. We will also offer opportunities for adult learners, especially those who may have had barriers to other employment. Additionally, Photo Opp looks to work alongside other nonprofits and businesses to help amplify their stories using our program’s content capabilities.

Positive Every Day Cancer Foundation, Inc.

Positive Every Day Cancer Foundation creates time for families in Wisconsin with a child fighting cancer to stay connected, despite the difficult diagnosis and treatment ahead. Cancer impacts an entire family: studies show that siblings of patients receiving therapy for cancer report worse family relationships than their sick brother or sister. While a child is in the hospital, the family has medical support to help care for that sick child. At home, they are on their own. That’s where we come in. Mealtime is an important opportunity for family connection. Through providing pre-cooked meals, funding for groceries or cleaning services we can alleviate some of the stress from everyday life. We also enhance family relationships through donating a night together at home or elsewhere. Our story starts on Oct. 3, 2014, when Raiden — a son, brother, nephew, grandson and 3-year-old boy — was diagnosed with Stage 4 Nueroblastoma. Our entire family faced a challenge that would leave each and every one of us feeling unraveled, lost, sad and challenged. In summer 2015, we decided to do something about the devastating impacts of childhood cancer. That’s when Positive Every Day came to life. To date, we've walked alongside 17 families with a child battling cancer. We love to connect with others in our community, and offer three annual events: every fall for a chili cook off; in January for a family-fun bowling event; or each July for our PEDal ‘N a Pint bike ride + head shave campaign. 

Reach Counseling

Every year since 1976, Reach works with over 500 abuse victims (and their families) to heal lives and hold perpetrators accountable through innovative programs in education and outreach, victim advocacy, outpatient therapy, counseling and sex offender treatment. Dee is a 13 year old girl who was referred to Reach Counseling this past year when she was hospitalized for suicidal ideation after her mother discovered she was being sexually assaulted by a 26 year old man. He was clearly aware of her age, and that having sex with her was illegal, but manipulated her into a relationship with him. After reporting the sexual assaults (which led to his arrest) Dee and her mother experienced significant harassment from this man’s family and friends over a period of several months. She was struggling with many symptoms: feeling afraid, nervous, and lonely, stressed by day-to-day responsibilities, blaming herself for things, being concerned about family troubles, having nightmares/flashbacks, difficulty concentrating, intrusive memories, and feeling like something bad is going to happen. Dee spent about 9 months in counseling and is very different now. She returned to school, has many friends (she had few before), and is involved in extracurricular activities. She now feels safer and is able to begin moving on. This is only one example of what Reach does for abuse survivors.

Rise Together

RISE TOGETHER was founded in 2013 by nationally recognized storytellers, Anthony Alvarado, Douglas Darby, and Nadine Machkovech. Together, they had a goal: to help save at least one life. RISE TOGETHER exists to ignite a youth-led movement that is helping to SAVE LIVES by encouraging students to stand up and speak out on the issues they care most about: breaking the silence around suicide, bullying, mental illness, drugs, and alcohol. RISE TOGETHER aims to EDUCATE, ENGAGE, and EMPOWER youth primarily through storytelling. Its solution is to provide communities with HIGH-QUALITY educational content, programs, workshops, and training that help build strong advocates and leaders. RISE TOGETHER focuses on community-level change by implementing unique strategies based on local needs determined by community assessments, surveys, feedback, and evaluating efforts. Since 2014, RISE TOGETHER has surveyed more than 7,000 students across 53+ counties. RISE TOGETHER has collected more than 3,000 testimonies from youth and people who care about them that demonstrate the lifesaving impact of its programs. RISE TOGETHER’s youth research was featured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; with recommendations by U.S. senators, legislators, teachers, and thousands of students. 

Riverview Gardens

Riverview Gardens is a collaborative transformation of a 72-acre golf course and country club into a non-profit organization with a mission to build dignity through job training and employment. We are addressing root causes of unemployment, poverty and homelessness through hard work, creativity and human dignity. We approach our mission with the core concept that all people have value and can contribute to the community in which they live. We engage individuals in need throughout the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin in a 90-hour no-fail, no-cost, job-training program, ServiceWorks®. This program helps people obtain stable, permanent employment and empowers them to become self-sufficient community members. To provide job-training opportunities for ServiceWorks participants, we repurposed existing resources to create five social enterprises: Certified-organic urban farm; Hydroponic greenhouse; Community center and park space; Downtown Appleton building; Maintenance contracts. ServiceWorks serves individuals experiencing homelessness or living in poverty, veterans, at-risk youth, women fleeing domestic violence, single parents, previously incarcerated and others. Upon completion of the program, graduates are connected to employment and supportive services through a three-year placement success program. Our programs are about creating resilience, a support network and a sustainable future for the people we serve and therefore, the entire community.

Safe Families for Children

Safe Families for Children seeks to keep children safe and families together. Safe Families for Children is rooted in faith, fueled by radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion, to build a network of caring and compassionate volunteers to support families facing social isolation. Our goals are to prevent child abuse and neglect, reduce the number of children entering the child welfare system, and support and stabilize families.

Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley, Inc.

Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley has been innovating to meet mental health needs for 48years. In 2018 we will serve 550 kids and 850 adults with life-changing counseling that connects mind and spirit. More than 500 of them come to us in financial need. We also work to prevent teen suicide and school violence by giving more than 13,000 K-12 students access to a free mental health check-up right at school each year. The Wellness Screen program meets kids where they are every day, gives them a safe place to be heard, then connects more than 400 students per year with vital -- even life-saving -- mental health care and support. Together with our eleven partner school systems, we care for the Kids in Crisis covered by USATODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin for the past three years. Samaritan Counseling Center equips faith leaders as"first responders" in mental health. The Mental Health Ministry Initiative gives professional and volunteer faith leaders tools to identify mental health concerns, refer those in pain for care, and give them ongoing support in their faith community. The access to mental health care and education that we provide is not possible without philanthropic investment.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace - Appleton

Sleep In Heavenly Peace is a nationwide non-profit organization that is designed around building beds for children in OUR community that sleep on the floor or don’t have a bed. Our motto is "No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.” Appleton is now proud to be part of this very important mission and we are on our way to have 100 beds delivered soon. Children sleeping on dog beds or blankets on the floor is a real problem in our area! We provide an opportunity for the community to come together and embrace these children in need. The beds are built by many wonderful volunteers that are willing to share their precious time. These hand built beds are then delivered to the local children who are between the ages of 3-17 that don’t have a bed of their own. Any parent, foster parent, guardian or a representative that knows of a bedless child can go to the website SHPbeds.org/apply and fill out the form. Our teams of volunteers go directly to the location and put the beds together for the kids. Along with the twin size bed, they receive a mattress, mattress pad, sheets, comforter and pillow and it is all free of charge. It’s extremely exciting to see the faces of the young individuals after they see their very own bed! Most kids can’t wait for bedtime! Bedlessness is not their fault.

Special Spaces

Special Spaces is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that creates dream bedroom makeovers for children with life threatening illnesses; focusing on those children with cancer. Our local Fox Valley Chapter, led by Director Holly DeLong, serves children in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties. Holly has plans to complete six dream bedroom makeovers this year and looks forward to growing the Chapter. With the child as the main designer, the goal of Special Spaces is to create a dream bedroom that only the child can imagine…a place to sleep, play and spend time away from the challenges of their illness. Providing new furniture, bedding, custom murals, medical storage and closets, no two “special spaces” are alike! From princesses, superheros, unicorns, fairies, and sports themes, we make dreams come true! All of this “magic” is done in just two short days. Utilizing volunteers for 95% of our workforce, our room build experience is “hands on”. We involve the community directly in the needs of the child and family. Our team approach allows for many individuals to be touched by the child. Funding and volunteer support is equally important in the implementation of a Special Spaces bedroom makeover. Since our founding in 2004, Special Spaces has continued to grow our volunteer teams, community support, corporate sponsorship and most importantly, families served each year. With your support, we look forward to helping more children in the Fox Valley area. Thank you for helping us...Change Children’s Lives One Bedroom at a Time! For more information about Special Spaces visit www.SpecialSpaces.org. 

Spierings Cancer Foundation

Founded in 2009 by Jim & Sue Spierings, after Jim survived Stage IV Tongue/Throat Cancer. Inspired by the support they received from the community while Jim was sick. The foundation holds an annual fund raiser called Rock Cancer. Rock Cancer is an all day concert held at Doyle Park in Little Chute to raise money to fund our mission. 100% of the money raised is turned back into the local community to provide grants to families struggling financially due to Cancer; provide grants to the local hospital/Cancer centers with a goal of enhancing cancer treatment in the Fox Cities; and support Cancer research in the State of Wisconsin. Since its inception the Foundation and Rock Cancer has raised almost $1,000,000 and has provided grants totaling over $380,000 to more than 350 families. We have provided grants to local Cancer centers totaling over $225,000. And we have provided research grants to the universities, hospitals and clinics in the state of Wisconsin of over $120,000. We also support programs like the YMCA’s LiveStrong and StayStrong program for cancer survivors trying to gain back the strength lost during treatment. Our motto is Make A Difference, Help a Family, ROCK CANCER.

The Music Mission

The Music Mission is a non-profit organization started when Leah Witthuhn was 15 years old, and she is now 20. Leah has been blessed with gifts and wonderful people, and wanted to give that gift back to children in need. What we do at The Music Mission is receive donated instruments, fix them up, and give them to kids in need. There is never any money exchanged. For the first year we check in with the student and teacher each quarter to make sure they are taking care of the instrument and still enjoying it, and at the end of their first year with the instrument it becomes permanently theirs for free. We have donated tons of instruments to local kids here in the Fox Cities, and have also done some international work, giving to children in countries such as Haiti, Guatemala, and Cambodia. Another aspect of the Music Mission is providing free musical lessons. We have volunteers that teach a number of students for free, and if we don't have a volunteer that specializes in the instrument a child wants we connect them with another local organization, Community Music and Arts Collaborative (CMAC), to ensure they get the lessons they need free of cost. Overall, our goal here at the Music Mission is to provide children with the gift of music without the financial barrier. Music is a light in the darkness, and we want to help make that light shine a little brighter.

Valley Packaging Industries

We are Valley Packaging Industries (VPI), a non-profit, community rehabilitation center serving the Fox Cities since 1956. VPI provides education, human services, and vocational skills training programs designed to remove employment and social barriers for Fox Valley residents with disabilities or disadvantages. VPI bridges the gaps related to disabilities, lack of education, post-incarcerated circumstances, poverty, and other obstacles. We address individual interests, abilities, and development goals for those in need to attain, retain, and thrive in competitive employment and social connectedness. Our mission is “To promote the dignity and worth of individuals who have disabilities or are disadvantaged and to assist them in developing their optimum level of social, vocational and economic independence in the community.” VPI assists >2,700 individuals and families annually with: vocational services and employability skills training for employment preparation and placement, birth – 3 early intervention services for children with developmental delays, emergency relief services / C2000 Program – food, clothing, and support, mental health support services, and meaningful day services. VPI’s two production facilities provide custom packaging and fulfillment services for local manufacturers to: help fund rehabilitation services, and serve as an employment platform for skills training participants. VPI is led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors and managed by educated professionals with human services, manufacturing, business, for-profit, and not-for-profit backgrounds - unified and driven by VPI’s mission. VPI’s uniquely blended workforce integrates hundreds of individuals with disabilities with technically trained production workers, while also providing stand-alone programs for those in extreme need.

Veterans’ Mentor Group, Inc.

Veterans’ Mentor Group, Inc is a group of Veteran Mentors, Veterans and partners from within our communities who share and understand the unique experience of military service, military life and the distinctive needs that may arise from that experience. We are brought together with the purpose to support the Participants of the Outagamie Veteran’s Treatment Court, the Veterans Treatment Court program and to fill the gap in resources to make certain that our Veterans gain the assistance they need and have earned. Each of us has experienced personally or have encountered a Veteran in need who was unable to be assisted due to their own unique circumstances or was denied services due to provisions of the organization or program. Our intent is to ensure the Veteran is aware of and has applied for resources that may be of assistance. If they are denied, we will work to assist as best we can within reason to alleviate the specific issues. We hope to introduce our Veterans to resources they may not know were in existence, provide them a means to become self-sustaining, and to develop a lasting set of skills that be of use to them for their lifetime.

Vets & Friends

In October 2016, founder of Vets & Friends of Wisconsin, Inc, Jack Voight realized that the Fox Valley did not have a place that veterans could meet in a social setting. Jack knew that simple comradeship has a therapeutic effect on veterans and it was his vision to provide a social center for area veterans. The social center would include a no charge coffeehouse and emergency Food Pantry to service Fox Valley veterans, family and friends. Vets & Friends of Wisconsin, Inc. was granted nonprofit federal status on February 24, 2017. The Board of Directors serves veterans and their families, while being accountable to the people we serve. On March 1, 2023, we moved to 100 W. Capitol Drive in Appleton. We needed to expand to a much larger space to accommodate our growing needs, and to safely serve veterans in a welcoming, open, fun manner. Vets & Friends has developed a strong partnership with St. Joe’s Food Pantry that provides over half of the food served at its weekly meals and food pantry. Vets & Friends now serves a full buffet style lunch each Wednesday; and breakfast each Friday.

WisconSibs, Inc

For the past 16 years, we’ve been serving Wisconsin brothers and sisters as the Fox Valley Sibling Support Network. We’ve sponsored regular Sibshops® and camps for boys and girls (based in northeastern Wisconsin, but open to all) and we’ve delivered future-planning training and social events for adults and families. We believe the family is the most important support system and can best help children, in particular children growing up with siblings who have developmental disabilities or long-term illnesses, if provided with information, services, and encouragement. Now, because of our mission and the encouragement of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, we’ve broadened our identity. As WisconSibs and WisconSibs/Fox Valley: We continue to provide Sibshops®, camps, future planning and events for families that are open to all, but centered in northeastern Wisconsin. We are expanding online content, consulting, coaching, future planning, and conference presentations for siblings, agencies, educators, social workers, and other professionals throughout the state. We are strengthening our role as the Wisconsin chapter of the national Sibling Leadership Network, and will continue to connect siblings throughout Wisconsin.

Walt Hamburger Foundation

Founded in 2017, the Walt Hamburger Foundation 501c3 is a nonprofit dedicated to raising money for animal rescue efforts and artists. Our motto is to "Protect the Paws and Project the Arts." Mainly raising money by passing around an oversized mascot cat head at Walt Hamburger's performance, we are a small charity, and depend on events like Mile of Music and our annual Walt Hambrewger beer release partnering with Stone Arch every year. We are dedicated to help save animals in any way we can, from assisting rescues with money or supplies, to our Willow Fund which provides funding for surgeries and procedures a pet owner may not be able to afford otherwise. We have also donated to the Renaissance School of the Arts in Appleton, Pillars, and Kurt Stein School of Music. Although our main focus is to help locally, we have sent money to hurricane and wildfire relief, in the US and Australia, as rescues are often hit hard during natural disasters, and can oftentimes be forgotten. We are a small group of volunteers and we try to use every cent of donations to directly assist in our mission. Thank you for considering us for your generous program.

YMCA of the Fox Cities

The Y is about people – all ages, races, religions and income levels. We focus on three core areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We strive to nurture the potential of every youth and teen, improve our communities’ health and wellbeing and provide opportunities to give back and support our neighbors. We spark curiosity, we ignite a love of learning, we connect people and we transform lives through health and wellness. Our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Caring are woven into everything we do. The Y continues to expand our role as a safe and positive place for families to spend time, a place for empty nesters to experience an active lifestyle, and a place where retirees gather to maintain their health and independence. The Y is an organization where cause meets community, we open doors of opportunity to those who need it most. We mobilize volunteers to help us carry out our mission “to put Christian principles into practice by promoting youth, adult and family activities that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” In 2017, we provided $2.3M locally in financial assistance and program subsidy. We are community, we are the Y!

YouthGo

Youth Go is a voluntary, youth directed, supportive community which offers youth opportunities to learn, grow and feel comfortable with themselves and others.” Youth Go is a no-cost, drop-in center located on the border of Neenah and Menasha. Through programming at the center, in the schools, and in the community, Youth Go strives to provide underserved and at-risk youth in grades 5-12 with opportunities to learn about themselves, develop positive relationships with peers and adults, grow through their experiences, express their creativity, and cultivate their skills and potential in a safe and supportive environment. Youth Go provides the youth of this community with a place where they can belong. We offer those youth who might “fall through the cracks” with a second home. Youth Go strives to provide youth with the support, encouragement, and guidance that they may not be receiving from other aspects of their lives. Whether it is helping a teen with their homework, expanding a child’s horizons, or offering a listening ear to a youth struggling with a personal problem, the staff members at Youth Go do all they can to make a difference each and every day.

Do you want your charity listed on this page? Click below to submit your information (charity name, a 250 word description and your website). This page is limited to active 501(c)3 organizations that operate in the Fox Cities.