During the first four months of 2007, leaders from throughout the Fox Cities came together to raise awareness of local poverty through an effort called Project Promise.

Project Promise was centered on the reading of the book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” by New York Times best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich. In the book, she details her story of what it was like to sustain herself as a low-paid worker for a month at a time. The journalist shares her story of working several low-paying jobs in 1999 and 2000. By telling her story, Ehrenreich grabs readers’ attention by showing what daily life is often like for the millions of American residents working low-paying jobs. In April 2007, Ehrenreich came to the Fox Cities and spoke to a standing room-only crowd at the Appleton Public Library about her experiences and the life of America’s “working poor.”

As part of Project Promise, 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 “Nickel and Dimed” and the issues it raises.

In addition to the community book read, Project Promise featured diversity circles and poverty simulations to engage community members what it’s like to live in poverty and education programs from Thrivent Financial Fitness Clubs and the Financial & Information Service Center on how people can 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 continue raising 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.