Poverty isn’t normally something associated with the bustling Fox Cities, but it is present in our community. An estimated 12,000 residents are among the “working poor”-those who work, but have an income of less than $20,000 for a family of four. This group accounts for 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 to create Project Promise, a four-month initiative to raise awareness and inspire action about poverty.

During this initiative, Project Promise featured a community book entitled, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich. Libraries throughout the Fox Cities led by the Appleton Public Library, and including Neenah, Menasha, Kimberly-Little Chute, and Kaukauna participated in the community book read, and offered discussion groups so area residents could talk about the book, and the issues that it raised.

In addition to the book, poverty simulations were given to deepen one’s understanding about what living in poverty is like, and financial programs such as the Thrivent Financial Fitness Club and the Financial Information and Service Center were offered to help give people an understanding of how to better manage their finances.

An Action Forum at the end of April brought together the participants of Project Promise and several plans were laid out to further continuing education and raise awareness about poverty in the Fox Cities and develop programs to lessen its toll. From Project Promise, several new initiatives were launched including a Family Mentoring Program and the Fox Cities Project Promise Poverty Coalition.

The Community Health Action Team (C.H.A.T.) led by ThedaCare, the Appleton Library Foundation and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans sponsored Project Promise. Other groups providing in-kind donations included CAP Services, the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, the Financial Information & Service Center (FISC), the Appleton Public Library, the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, the Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley, the Neenah Public Library, the Menasha Public Library, Kimberly-Little Chute Public Library, Kaukauna Public Library, Fox Valley Technical College, Conkey’s Book Store, Willems Marketing, The Post-Crescent, Woodward Communications, Inc. and Fastsigns International.