Winnebago County women needed for Women’s Fund grant project

OSHKOSH, WI – Women who are facing or who have overcome financial hurdles will get the chance to do something extraordinary this spring. They will give away $10,000 to a local nonprofit to benefit other women just like themselves.

The Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation is calling on women from the Oshkosh area to participate in its Women Seeking Financial Freedom Power of 10 focus group. The Power of 10 is the Women’s Fund’s 10th anniversary initiative designed to identify the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community.

The group will meet to discuss, debate and decide how to allocate $10,000 to help other women in the community. Participants will not only meet women just like themselves, but also have the opportunity to express their needs, discuss the challenges they face and finally, feel empowered as aphilanthropist in their selection of the grant recipient.

Women of all ages and from all facets of the community are encouraged to join this Power of 10 focus group.

The group will begin meeting in March. Each meeting will last about 90 minutes.

To participate, please contact Karlene Grabner at 920-426-3993 or
Karlene@OshkoshAreaCF.org. Please respond by Feb. 28.

Since 1998, the Women’s Fund has provided more than $400,000 in grants to make resources available for causes of interest to women; foster among women a sense of empowerment and philanthropy; and increase awareness of women’s issues. For more information, please call 920-426-3993 or go to http://Women.OshkoshAreaCF.org.

Group grants $10,000 to regional study

A study of the status of women in Wisconsin is in the works thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Power of 10 Women of the New North group.
The collaborative project including support from Women’s Funds in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Appleton and Green Bay will look at basic demographics as well as statistics on child and maternal health, domestic violence, incarceration and even business and political participation.
“I am thrilled with the direction the Power of 10 Women of the New North and the decision the group made to fund a regional study on the status of women,” said Karlene Grabner, director of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation.
“When we have facts, we can make better decisions on how to serve the women of Winnebago County and the region in a more targeted way.”
The Power of 10 is the 10th anniversary initiative of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Ten focus groups have been charged with identifying the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community. The participants then discuss, debate and decide where their $10,000 would be best put to use.
The Women of the New North group is the ninth of 10 groups to donate $10,000 toward an initiative that will create social change for girls and women in Winnebago County.
The group began meeting in August. The decision to fund the study came quickly, as did the decision to work with the Women’s Council of Wisconsin to do the research.
“The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region is really excited to participate in this study with the Power of 10 group,” said Executive Director Becky Boulanger.
“Most people don’t know that Wisconsin is unique in the women’s funding movement in that we have a lot of women’s funds in Wisconsin. Most states have one statewide group. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to work together to learn more about issues impacting women and girls throughout Northeast Wisconsin.”
A late spring release date is being targeted. The study will be available online and in print through Women’s Funds in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Women’s Fund Power of 10 Single Moms group to award $10,000 grant

The Women’s Fund Single Moms focus group has selected Strong Moms of the Oshkosh Community YMCA to receive a $10,000 grant to support programming and outreach.

After identifying issues that single moms face on a daily basis, the group reviewed nonprofit organizations that could best support the needs of single moms.

Those main issues included:

• Financial literacy
• Child care support
• Connecting with other single moms
• Information on nonprofit organizations within the community

The group discovered the YMCA’s Strong Moms program addresses many of the needs they identified, in addition to other important educational opportunities like self-defense and computer safety.

The group also is requesting some of the funds be dedicated to the Love and Logic program through Strong Moms. The program teaches parents techniques to raise responsible kids and have fun doing it.

The Power of 10 has been an enlightening experience for everyone who has participated. A special thank you to our Single Moms group participants for their help in this process, what they brought to each other through their own personal experiences and ideas that will help improve the lives of women and girls in the community.

Submitted by Kelly Laux, Women’s Fund communications committee volunteer

Single Moms Power of 10 groups discusses issues facing them today

The Power of 10 group: Single Moms met to discuss issues facing single women parents on a daily basis. Some of the issues most pressing are isolation within the community, transportation needs for the family, financial needs, babysitting, time to themselves and finding balance in their lives. Several face these situations, but complicating that is the fact that many women are the only parent to their chidren. And yet with all of their worries and concerns, a room full of women wanted to help others. They went down the list, identified the top issues they were facing as single mothers and participated in brainstorming how to help single moms. Next meeting: Mid-January 2011.

Submitted by Kelly Laux

Women’s Fund group donates $10,000 to Christine Ann dental program

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Strong emotions filled the hearts of those presenting and receiving funds to aid the health needs of women who’ve been abused.

Several members of the Health Care Power of 10 focus group on Wednesday presented a $10,000 check to staff at Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Inc. in Oshkosh to support its community dentistry program.

“If you can imagine being abused and losing teeth as a result, and then applying for jobs and having to go out on interviews and smile — it means a lot to have the money for this,” said a misty-eyed Julie Denton, who is a Christine Ann staff member. “I can’t tell you how mind blowing it is that you’re doing this. It’s so awesome!”

Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services provides a variety of programs and services to meet the needs of victims, their children and communities in Winnebago and Green Lake counties.

“We are very gratified. One of the things we are working on is how to leverage this money by working with dentists in the community who are willing to help us out with reduced costs,” said Annette Beattie, client services manager for Christine Ann.

“(Being able to get their teeth fixed) are life-changing procedures for some of the people. It really is a start of a whole new life for them.”

The Power of 10 is the 10th anniversary initiative of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Ten focus groups are charged with identifying the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community. The participants then discuss, debate and decide where their $10,000 would be best put to use.

The health care focus group met three times during summer and narrowed the focus of their grant toward dental care for women and children.

“I found it to be very impressive to be able to learn from the people in the group, people who are from all different aspects of the community,” said Tiffany Krings, a health care focus group participant. “I didn’t know about Christine Ann’s dental program and now I can take that back to the nurses (at her job) and share that with them. … It was a great way to raise awareness.”

The organizations represented by the participants on the forum included Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System, Aurora Health Care, Women’s Care of Wisconsin and Healthy Living Community Clinic.

The health care focus group is the sixth of 10 groups made to donate $10,000 toward an initiative that will create social change for Oshkosh girls and women.

To learn more about the ‘Power of 10’, visit http://countmein.oshkoshareacf.org.

Since 1998, the Women’s Fund has provided more than $400,000 in grants to make resources available for causes of interest to women; foster among women a sense of empowerment and philanthropy; and increase awareness of women’s issues. For more information, please call 920-426-3993 or visit http://Women.OshkoshAreaCF.org.

Single moms needed for Women’s Fund grant project

OSHKOSH, WI – Single moms will get the chance to do something extraordinary in December. They will give away $10,000 to a local nonprofit to benefit other women just like themselves.

The Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation is calling on single moms from the Oshkosh area to participate in its Power of 10 focus group. The Power of 10 is the Women’s Fund’s 10^th anniversary initiative designed to identify the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community.

The group will meet to discuss, debate and decide how to allocate $10,000 to help single moms in the community. Participants will not only meet other women just like them, but also have the opportunity to express their needs, discuss the challenges they face and finally, feel empowered as a philanthropist in their selection of the grant recipient.

Women from all facets of the community are encouraged to join this Power of 10 focus group.

The group will meet at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, at the 20^th Ave YMCA, 3303 W. 20^th Ave., Oshkosh. Each meeting lasts about 90 minutes. Drop-in child care and dinner will be provided at no cost.

To participate, please contact Karlene Grabner at 920-426-3993 or Karlene@OshkoshAreaCF.org. Please respond by Nov. 19.

To learn more about the ‘Power of 10’, visit http://countmein.oshkoshareacf.org.

Health care group focuses on dental health

The health care-focused Power of 10 group met for their second meeting on June 22. After much conversation about the health care needs of women and girls in Winnebago County, the health care representatives – from Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System, Aurora Medical Center, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist – selected dental care as their topic of focus.

The health care representatives agreed that proper dental care is important to overall health, as well as mental health. Furthermore, dental care options are needed for those who live in Oshkosh who do not have the means to travel outside of our community for free or reduced care, the group discussed. The group also discussed the possibility of providing care beyond acute care to help those with more complex dental issues.

The group will take time in the coming weeks to research dental options and possibilities that promote social change for girls and women in the Oshkosh community and will then generate a more solidified idea as it relates to dental health care at the final meeting. The next meeting will be held July 13.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Power of 10 kicks off health care group

Late last week, the first health care-focused Power of 10 group meeting was held. Health care officials from throughout the city gathered to discuss the health care needs within the Oshkosh community. The organizations represented by the participants on the forum were: Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System,Aurora, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist.

The group discussed the needs of women and girls at all age groups andthroughout many stages of life. After much discussion of the healthcare needs in our community, the group narrowed down the needs to afew key areas, which they will further discuss during the next two meetings. Key areas they will focus their next conversation are on transportation, diabetes management, dental care and the isolated elderly. From there, the group will decide how to spend $10,000 tomake the lives of girls and women better in our community.

The group of health care professionals will meet again Tuesday, June 22 to narrow down their ideas and begin discussion on how to spend themoney to make resources to help the health and well-being of girls andwomen in our community more available or accessible. The final healthcare discussion will take place June 29.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Dads Unlimited Ideas

On Wednesday, January 20th the Power of 10 group Fathers of Daughters met with Wendy Schwalbe from Parent – Connection Family Services to discuss the needs in the community, current programs and future opportunities.

Parent Connection – Family Services currently offers free programs for dads in the Oshkosh area called “Dads Unlimited.” The program offers baby basics classes, a dads & kids play group, home visitations, family wellness workshops, and a teen parent program.

Wendy shared future ideas of hosting “daddy & daughter dates” and launching an awareness campaign before Father’s Day that included an essay contest focused on how children see their fathers as heroes.

The fathers were very pleased to learn more about the programs offered and see a lot of potential to grow this into something BIG. Keith, a Fathers of Daughters group participant, stated “I am so proud to be part of this initiative.”

The next step is to fine tune their ideas for the programs in order to create social change in the lives of fathers of daughters.

To see the program's already available through "Dads Unlimited" visit the Family Services website at www.familyservicesnew.org.

*Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee*

Dads with a Plan

At the 2nd Father's of Daughters Power of 10 group meeting the group re-united with a lot of enthusiasm to discuss their action plan. They narrowed down their concerns to focus on the top four ideas that address the issues among fathers of daughters.

The first discussion was the website which would serve as a toolbox for dads offering easy access, support and anonimity. One father shared that his daughter experienced a break-up a few days before the meeting and it would have been nice to have a website to refer to for suggestions on consoling her at the time. It was determined that the challenges of creating a website would be reaching the fathers who need it most, manpower and expense. The other ideas discussed were a mentor program, an awareness campaign and father/daughter events.

One of the fathers identified an existing program in the community offered through the Parent Connection's Family Services called "Dads Unlimited." This program offers groups, events, and workshops tailoring to the needs that they could develop and build on. It was decided that the next step would be to meet with the program director to receive more information at the next meeting.

Happy Holidays!

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Determined Dads

The fifth Power of 10 Group is Father’s of Daughters who held their first meeting on Tuesday, December 1^st. The group consists of eight dedicated fathers who find their role challenging; it is difficult to balance being the bread winner and a quality father. They would like to be more involved with the lives of their daughters but are limited by time and options.

The goals determined by the group are to motivate un-involved fathers, plan father/daughter events and construct a toolbox for dads. Ideas for the toolbox included developing a website, social media outlets and networking functions.

These fathers are passionate about raising awareness in the community to recognize the importance that fathers matter. These dads are striving to be everyday heroes.

The next meeting of the Power of 10 group "Fathers of Daughters" will be held this Thursday, December 10. Stay tuned to hear more about the next steps for these Determined Dads.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Making the Call

The young women 19-21 years old have made the call to grant their $10,000 to the Winnebago County 2-1-1 service. The 2-1-1 service is a 3-digit dialing code that connects people in need to human services. 2-1-1 refers callers to information about local resources provided by the government and non-profit organizations.

The grant will be used to market the program to increase awareness and usage. The target audience is young women 19-21 in Winnebago County struggling with issues such as financial literacy or health & wellness. The image and information will be presented using testimonials and real life scenarios through a variety of mediums. Social media, on-campus communication channels, retail stores, and direct mail were only a few of the creative recommendations provided to the 2-1-1 marketing staff. The marketing efforts will be tracked through reporting systems to determine the success of the program.

The 2-1-1 is a great outlet for the community and young women to connect to local services and programs in the area. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. To learn more visit: http://www.211wisconsin.org/

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Celebratory Meeting

The date has been confirmed the celebratory meeting will take place on Friday, July 17th.


Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Making the Call

Today was the third meeting for the young ladies 19-21 years old Power of 10 Group. There was a tentative decision made on the $10,000 allocation. This week the group is going to be researching, testing and making contact with an agency.

Stay tuned for the announcement and celebratory meeting date.


Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

The Challenge

The second meeting was held on Monday, June 22nd with 7 young ladies 19-21 years old present. This meeting started off with a review from the previous meeting. There was no communication within the group between the meetings. The topics reviewed included health & wellness, financial literacy and college life.

Then there was a brain storming session to decide on programs and ideas of how to best spend the $10,000. There was a lot of discussion on creating an information website and educational programs.

The group is taking a couple weeks to think more about the $10,000 give away and return with marketing ideas. The young ladies asked the Women's Fund to provide them thought provoking questions to help them define issues and struggles that women 19-21 years old face.

What questions would you ask young women 19-21?

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee