In this episode we are talking about hunger. Not in some far off place, but right here in our communities - especially the rural small towns here in the Valley. More than 427,000 Wisconsinites have a hard time getting enough food to meet their basic needs, a situation commonly known as food insecurity. That's nearly half a million Wisconsinites who face hunger, including 171,460 children.

Rural Wisconsin depends on local food banks to help cover food struggles,  and sometimes those pantries need to get creative. Today we are taking you to one very unique food distribution program called Neighbor-to Neighbor. It was born out of desperate need in Manawa, a rural town of roughly 1,500, in Waupaca County. 

Show notes here:  https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/neighbor-to-neighbor/  

Many young people lack basic financial literacy skills, such as budgeting, saving, investing, and the importance of making informed financial decisions. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin teaches these life skills and so much more: The 100-year-old organization prepares students for the workforce by teaching them essential employability skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking, along with entrepreneurship to help address the challenge of economic stagnation in our Fox Valley communities and beyond.

Today we visit "JA BizTown," a town square model with storefronts and well-known businesses in our community. Many volunteers and supporters built the Community First Career Exploration and Financial Literacy Center on the Fox Valley Tech campus in Appleton, and it's a magical place where young people can imagine themselves in a career that they not only love, but can be equipped with the skills they need to flourish!  

Resources and links at: 

Did you know that drug and alcohol-related deaths in Wisconsin have tripled over the last 15 years? In this episode, we are talking about addiction and recovery. How big of a problem is addiction in our area, what’s being done already, and what are some of the barriers to finding the help people need? 

We are well familiar with Wisconsin’s reputation for being the drunkest state in the nation, where we have 1.3 times higher alcohol consumption rates than the national average. That’s according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Wisconsin ranks 24th in the number of drug deaths in the U.S. And just in Winnebago County alone, deaths from drug overdoses have more than doubled over the past two years, with many other Wisconsin counties reporting similar significant increases.

With this reality in mind, we want to share some hope and some resources in these show notes for anyone struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, or anyone interested in supporting the nonprofits who are working hard to make recovery possible, many of which have received generous support from Community Foundation donors. Scroll down to explore the many nonprofit resources available to help.

bios

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

More at https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/hope-for-addiction-recovery/  

How does one preserve the stories and history of a rural town like Chilton? Today we're visiting the Chilton Public Library, where staff members are unveiling the untold tales that shape the community's identity, through modern technology. A $4,947 grant from the Chilton Area Community Foundation, our regional affiliate partner, allowed the library to purchase podcasting equipment to record and produce the oral stories of local residents, artists, historians, business owners and more. The fledgeling podcast is called Sharing Our Stories, 

"Each episode of Sharing Our Stories is a journey into the personal, heartfelt, and extraordinary stories that define our town. From cherished memories to pivotal moments, we explore the threads that bind us and make our community a home," says Rebbecca Barry, the library's assistant director. 

What happens when we uncover lost stories and tell them in new ways? And how might shared experiences, between people who are different from one another, bring us closer together? In February 2023 during Black History Month, over 1,000 people in the Fox Valley area had the chance to view the film and participate in conversations with the  filmmaker Joanne as part a Northeast WI premiere tour. In this very special episode we’re going to take you back to a story that happened over 50 years ago. It's the story of an exchange of Black and White high school students in Wisconsin in 1966, right in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. 

Black students from Rufus King High School in Milwaukee switched places with White students from Kaukauna High School during a time of heightened racial tensions in our country, and on the wave of big changes. The young people lived in each others' homes, attended classes in each others' schools and took what they learned to the stage, performing Martin Duberman’s groundbreaking play called “In White America” in both cities.  

Today a new generation of high school students are re-living that era in a project called, “The Exchange In White America: Kaukauna & King 50 Years Later.” It's all thanks to journalist and filmmaker Joanne Williams, who had been a student at Rufus King when the exchange took place. She wondered about what happened to the students in the exchange and what their lives were like now and was inspired to embark on a 6-year journey to create a documentary film, which involved a revival of the play 50 years later by high school students in Milwaukee and Kaukauna.  

Here is the link to watch it anywhere there is a PBS station. In Milwaukee, it will premier at 10 p.m. on Feb. 14 on Channel 10 WMVT.  It will also be shown on the WORLD Channel on PBS at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Feb. 7. It will be shown on PBS Wisconsin on Feb. 19.

Who doesn't need help funding their dreams? For students pursuing post-high school education, the Community Foundation will award more than $1.7 million in scholarships in 2024 to students from more than 70 high schools. We offer scholarships to high school seniors, college and nontraditional students, and K-12 art and music camps and lessons.

It's all possible through the generosity of our donors, who set up scholarships for many different reasons, like remembering a loved one or paying tribute to their alma mater.  We have more than 200 of these funds, making us one of the largest scholarship providers in our region. In this episode, we explore how students can get started making their dreams come true!

All our notes and links are here:  https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/scholarships-making-futures-bright/  

Today we’re tackling the big topic of transportation in the Valley. The needs, the gaps and the dreams we have for improving public transit, roads, and our vast network of trails. 

What do we mean when we say "Transportation," and which entities are paving the way for our future

Resources and links in our show notes at: https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/pathways-of-progress-fox-valleys-transportation-terrain/  ‎

Your host:

What podcasts do you like to listen to? You have so many choices these days, and we are grateful that you've chosen to add Voices from the Valley to your playlist! We’ve had a lot of fun and we’ve learned so much from the people in our community who’ve helped us create more than 50 episodes. 

When it comes to our podcast, which has only been around since fall of 2021, some favorites are emerging. We looked at our listenership analytics to see what you are downloading. As a special treat today, we thought we’d share just a little appetizer from our top 8 episodes so far. 

Listen to the full episodes at  https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/big-voices-your-favorite-episodes/ 

In an age of rapid technological advancement and ever-changing demographics, libraries are evolving to become more than just repositories of books – and audio – and video. These days libraries offer a treasure trove of cool things that and vibrant spaces where you can explore, learn, and DO so many interesting things. 

Imagine having access to cutting-edge technology for everyone. Right now in the Fox Valley you can find libraries with everything from 3D printers to virtual reality equipment, from flight simulators to video recording studios. In this episode, we visit several libraries in the Fox Valley to find things that might surprise you. And then later, plans are in the works for new library spaces and expansions that will offer even more interesting things for you to try! 

Today we're excited to highlight an episode from Appleton Engaged, a compelling podcast from the City of Appleton. Much like Voices from the Valley, which is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices within our communities, the Appleton Engaged podcast lifts up the individuals, organizations, and resources that contribute to making our community an extraordinary place to reside, work, and play. And this month, hosts Andy Anaam and Timber Smith get the lowdown on everything about us, from our own Tammy Geenen, Vice President of Community Engagement. Enjoy!

Show notes here:  https://www.cffoxvalley.org/podcast/engaging-perspectives-helping-the-fox-valley-flourish/