The official newsletter of the Women’s Fund of the
Oshkosh Area Community Foundation
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Message from our Director | |
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As we eagerly await spring, the change of season, the longer days, and the warmth, now is a great time to reflect on all the great work that YOU have made possible.
Over the last couple of months, the Women’s Fund has been busy planting the seeds of a new initiative. We brought together mental health professionals who shared their voices and insights, and what they are seeing and hearing from their clients. As with past initiatives, we were impressed by everyone’s honesty, engagement, and desire to work together for the good of our community.
This was the first step in gaining a better understanding of the real issues women, girls, and families in our community are facing as it relates to mental wellness. We are excited to see where this will lead us. From a historical perspective, we have gone great places with focus groups that we’ve had in the past; the isolation campaign, RISE 2.0, our single mother work, and most recently our partnership with Go Oshkosh Kids, which stemmed from the parenting focus groups. Our hope is the work around mental health will prove to be the same.
It's also the special time of year where we celebrate Mother’s Day. We celebrate our mothers, some of us may celebrate being a mother, others may celebrate being a bonus mom. Whatever you may be celebrating this upcoming Mother’s Day, we celebrate and honor you for the time, the money, and the investment you have put into our work as we have become change makers in what we do.
Audrey Hepburn said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”. To invest is to believe that we are creating a better tomorrow.
With gratitude,
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We Rise By Lifting Others
We’re happy to share a recent update from Melissa, who began the Rise 2.0 program in 2019.
“Life is great, and I say that with a happy and genuine heart. My oldest daughter will soon be attending college in Florida, studying forensic science. She is the first in my family to attend college and I am so proud of that. My son received a football scholarship, which is such a blessing. My middle daughter graduates from high school this May and will also attend college in Florida. She made the honor roll her whole senior year and already has college credits from CAPP classes she was able to take during her junior and senior year. My youngest daughter is a freshman and recently got her temps. She is also doing well in school. As for myself, I have been working a lot to pay for all the things the kids need in life to succeed. I work two jobs but wake up every day with a smile on my face knowing I’m alive. I am blessed, and beyond grateful for everything.
The Rise 2.0 program allowed me to breathe and showed me how to be strong. When I reflect on my life, I cry tears of joy thinking about where I was compared to where I am. My life has never been this peaceful. I’ve been given a start to a new life thanks to the Women’s Fund and Christian Ann Center. They chose to help me, despite not knowing my story. And they provided safety for my family.”
The Women’s Fund is grateful for the partners who make Rise 2.0 possible. We look forward to continuing the work that’s been started and helping more mothers in need of support.
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The Impact of A Grant
A large part of the work we do is investing in programs that make a difference in the lives of women, girls, and families. The Women’s Fund was proud to award grants to the following organizations, who recently shared with our volunteers the impactful outcomes of these dollars.
Reflections of Grace Performing Arts School is a non-profit organization that offers faith-based, non-competitive, outreach focused, affordable, dance instruction. In an environment where children feel loved, encouraged, and safe, the school serves low-income families, single mothers, foster care families, refugees, and many more.
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It is the goal of the organization that all students can participate, no matter their financial situation or physical abilities. They achieve this through donations and grants. One of their participants is autistic and non-verbal. In the beginning, she was intimidated to go into class. Now, she runs into the room with a big smile; she feels a part of something special.
The Salvation Army shared the specific outcomes of the Pathway of Hope program, which launched in 2011. The program provides targeted services to families wanting to break the generational cycle of poverty and enable a path out of constant crisis. This initiative offers single mothers job training, health services, childcare, education, housing opportunities, and legal service. In the last year alone, nearly 30 mothers have received services and assistance through the program.
Reach Counseling is a sexual assault service provider for children and adults offering culturally responsive outreach, prevention education, victim advocacy, trauma counseling, and sex offender treatment. As an anti-violence agency, Reach strives to heal lives and transform communities. In 2019, the Women’s Fund provided a survey to local non-profit organizations, uncovering a need for support to spread awareness of their work. The Women’s Fund provided Reach with a grant to help raise awareness of their services, with a focus on those that serve single mothers. Through print and social advertising targeted to single mothers, Reach had over 19,000 engagements and interactions.
The Women’s Fund provides many grants, big and small, that create impact in our community. We can do this because of donors like you. Thank you for supporting these programs and organizations!
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Local Professionals Share Their Voice
No one is a stranger to mental health and wellness needs. Society is realizing more every day that mental health is as vital as physical health. It’s likely you are impacted daily by mental health needs, whether personally or by those close to you. Awareness and acceptance have improved tremendously, but solutions, access, and understanding have not been able to keep up with the demand.
Listening and researching is an important part of our Women’s Fund work. We knew mental health struggles were commonplace (particularly post-pandemic) and within the population we serve. But we wanted a deeper understanding. We turned to 22 local experts whose daily work in the mental health field gives them the best pulse on: what the struggles are, what the causes are, and what may help.
Read about what we learned from these experts surrounding the biggest issues and concerns they’re seeing in our community.
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Parenting is hard. Mothering is hard. You don’t need us to tell or remind you of this fact. We also know that for every frustrating, defeating, overwhelming moment in motherhood, there are cheerful, joyful, and beautiful moments to balance it out.
In the spirit of Mother’s Day, we want to acknowledge and appreciate all the moments of “motherhood”. The good, the bad, the ugly, the priceless…and everything in between.
Visit our Facebook page to share your "pit" and "cherry" mom moments and view others.
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Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Friday 8:00 am - Noon (afternoon by appointment)
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