I noticed very shortly after joining the Community Foundation 11 years ago that, for as much of a mystery as it is for a lot of people, its impact is everywhere you turn.

When I drive around in the Fox Cities, I see a nonprofit helping the homeless, a basketball court, a bike rack on a city bus or a hiking trail and know the Foundation and its donors helped make it happen. The word is ubiquitous.

So it was when I went to get a photo of a tool shed being built at St. Therese Church in Appleton as part of Neighborhood Partners, a neighborhood sustainability effort funded by an Environmental Sustainability Fund Partnership Grant.

The shed will store equipment for the community garden at St. Therese, which was developed last fall with help from the grant. A crew from Miron Construction built the shed, as their contribution to the garden. After shooting the 2-by-4 skeleton of the shed from every possible angle, I wandered the neighborhood.

I came across a butterfly mosaic at Arbutus Park and saw a group of kids exploring the park. At Columbus Elementary School, workers were tearing up parts of the unforgiving asphalt and installing softer and more natural play areas. A yard near Richmond Street had several garden boxes nearly obscured by vegetable bounty.

All received assistance from the Community Foundation, specifically through Neighborhood Partners.

You probably don’t know all of the results of Foundation grants as you travel the community, but I have a different challenge for you. Look around and imagine something that isn’t yet but could be, with the support of a Foundation grant.
Then call us at (920) 830-1290 and we’ll help you make it happen.

Email David Horst at [email protected].