The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region was named Pillars, Inc.’s Community Partner of the Year. The award was presented at Pillars’ Report to the Community Event on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in which several Community Foundation staff and board members were on hand to accept the honor on behalf of the organization. “We […]
Did you know the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region was created in 1986 with $5,000 Walter L. Rugland received as part of the first “Community Service Award” presented by Aid Association for Lutherans now known as Thrivent? With this award, Walter wanted to pursue his dream of a “catalyst for change” working across […]
From homelessness to coming home, Pillars provides shelter, support, and solutions to address the housing needs in our community. That is more than 150 homes per year and more than 45,000 nights of shelter each year! Recently, to support these efforts, Lisa Strandberg, Executive Director of Pillars, accepted a grant of $797,245 from the U.S. […]
Unsheltered homelessness has increased by 70%, notably affecting families and the elderly, mainly due to rising rents. The number of homeless students in Appleton Area School District has exceeded 500 this school year, surpassing last year. To help address this increased need, Pillars, which provides shelter and affordable housing and other basic needs in the […]
January is National Mentoring Month, and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region is celebrating the positive effect mentors have on community members and our community overall. Many mentors, including Julie Keller, executive director of the Women’s Fund, said they get back just as much as they put into a relationship with their mentee. […]
Think for a moment about the last time you encountered someone experiencing homelessness. What did you feel? Did you ask yourself what the person experiencing homelessness might feel? During National Hunger and Homelessness Week, I hope we’ll take the answer to heart. Together, we can become a compassionate, creative Fox Cities that collectively solves homelessness. […]
On any given day there are an average of 350 people who are struggling with homelessness in the Fox Cities. In this episode we hear from Joe Mauthe, executive director of Pillars, and we experience what homelessness feels like through the eyes of one young mom who never expected to be without a home. LISTEN TO THIS […]
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 […]
Teams of volunteers create new living spaces for Pillars’ nationally recognized Single Room Occupancy (SRO) program, thanks to generous donors in the Fox Cities. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago awarded one of its “Community First Awards” to Pillars of Appleton, one of three nonprofits receiving the annual award. By Lisa Strandberg, Community Engagement […]
Twenty-three nonprofits throughout northeastern Wisconsin got a boost at a time it was most needed from an extra $1 million in grants awarded from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The additional grants, recommended at a special virtual meeting of the fund’s Advisory […]
