Fox Cities Project Promise Poverty Coalition
The mission is to engage our community in the elimination of poverty. Project Promise will work to eliminate poverty by building awareness of the causes and conditions of poverty in the Fox Cities, by educating the community about the impact and complexity of poverty, and by facilitating collaborative action. Project Promise will be a cooperative effort of providers, supporters of social services, businesses, community members and all others who seek to advocate for the needs of people living in poverty in the Fox Cities. It is not itself a provider or funder of direct services to the poor. Project Promise will work to accomplish its goal by using the following three strategies: Awareness, Education, and Action.

Operating Guidelines

Poverty isn’t something normally associated with the bustling Fox Cities, but it is present in our community. But an estimated 12,000 Fox Valley residents are among the so-called “working poor” – people who work, but still live below the poverty line and have an income of less than $20,000 for a family of four. This group of people amounts to 6 percent of the Fox Cities’ population and has grown significantly since 2001. With that in mind, community members – led by the Community Health Action Team (C.H.A.T.) – came together in January 2007 for Project Promise, a four-month initiative to raise awareness and inspire action about poverty. Project Promise featured a community book read on “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich, diversity circles that brought people together to discuss poverty, poverty simulations to deepen understanding about what it’s like to live in poverty and financial programs from Thrivent Financial Fitness Clubs and the Financial Information and Service Center. But once the four months were over, many people asked “what’s next?” The Fox Cities Project Promise Poverty Coalition is the answer to that question. This new coalition of non-profit organizations as well as service providers have come together to provide a resource for those experiencing poverty as well as those who want to do what they can to fight it in the Fox Cities. Some members of this new Coalition include the Fox Cities Community Health Center, CAP Services, LEAVEN, the Fox Cities Housing Coalition and The Connector, collaboration between the United Way Fox Cities and Valley Transit. But you don’t need to be a part of these organizations or any other groups to join the Coalition – anyone can join. The only qualification is a passion to fight poverty in the Fox Cities. Please join the Fox Cities Project Promise Poverty Coalition today.