Volunteer Helps People Struggling with Food Insecurity

Penny Svetlik volunteers every Monday morning at The Salvation Army-Fox Cities by assisting between 30 to 40 clients get their monthly allotment of groceries in the food pantry. She remembers one instance the first year she volunteered that brings tears to her eyes. “One older woman was just so painfully grateful and so timid about […]

Volunteers Key to the Success of Filling Red Kettles

The familiar “ding, ding, ding” of volunteer bell ringers will begin Nov. 15 for The Salvation Army-Fox Cities Red Kettle Campaign, and this year the organization is rolling out bell-ringing incentives for volunteers. Alli Oravec, volunteer coordinator, said there will be something special every day. “Monday is Music Monday, so if you are playing your […]

Volunteer Becomes One of the Family through ElderMatch

Jerry Roberts began visiting Elmer Feifarek at his home in Grand Chute as a volunteer for ElderMatch Fox Cities, but through the years, he has become part of the family. Jeanette Feifarek, Elmer’s daughter, moved from her home in Madison last year to be his primary caregiver. She explains that despite her father’s progressive vascular […]

VFC Partners with St. Paul Elder Services to Help Reduce Isolation of Older Adults

Living in isolation can be deadly. Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and even death, according to the National Institute on Aging. To reduce isolation […]

Andersons Team Up in United for Reading Success

Paul Anderson is a big-picture guy, while his wife, Carol, is detail-oriented, but both are passionate about education and have spent nearly the last two decades supporting Horizons Elementary School in Appleton. After teaching at Johnston Elementary School for 30 years, Paul retired in 2000 and began tutoring first-graders at Horizons in United for Reading […]

Volunteers Key to Success of Tutoring Programs in Appleton Schools

Appleton Area School District has been refining and improving its reading and math tutoring programs for more than two decades, but there is one thing that hasn’t changed – volunteers remain the heart and soul of the programs. Volunteer tutors who work with first-graders in the United for Reading Success (UFRS) program support their efforts […]

Take Charge of Your Life – it’s Never Too Late to Start Exercising!

Most folks agree that exercise is healthy. According to the National Institute for Aging, exercise is good for people of any age and can ease symptoms of many chronic conditions. The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Calumet, Outagamie and Waupaca counties reports that only 20 percent of your health is determined by what happens […]

Women Team Up to Lead StrongBodies Training Program

Cheryl Reissmann has been involved with the StrongWomen program since 2009, when she attended a class at the former Thompson Community Center. “The side-leg raise just killed me,” she said. “And I asked myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’” Because her leg muscles were so weak, she got leg cramps from doing the exercise. But […]

Meal Site Volunteer Connects to People – and their Stories

Bev School retired twice. The former medical transcriptionist left the field about four years ago and then in 2018. But she did not retire from being active in the community. When she became aware that the Outagamie County Nutrition Program needed help with its meal service program at Oneida Heights Apartments, she answered the call. […]

Outagamie County Nutrition Program Offers Plenty of Nutrition & Smiles

The Outagamie County Nutrition Program provides approximately 40,000 to 50,000 nutritious meals a year, along with socialization opportunities, for persons 60 years and older or for people with disabilities, at congregate meal sites throughout Outagamie County. The congregate meal sites are in Hortonville, Seymour, Kaukauna, and two meal sites in Appleton.  In addition to meal […]