WAUPUN — Waupun Community Fund awarded four grants Tuesday morning in a small ceremony held at Forest Mound Cemetery.
These are the first four grants to be awarded by the Waupun Community Fund after opening grant applications in March of this year.
“Grants were awarded to programs that aim to make a distinct positive difference in the quality of life of a significant number of Waupun community citizens,” said Waupun Community Fund Board President Tyler Schulz. “We are happy to start giving back to the Waupun community with these grants.”
Grant award recipients were chosen based on the grant applications that were submitted to the Waupun Community Fund since opening applications.
$1,500 to Waupun City of Sculpture Program (pictured with the Waupun Fine Arts Check)
$1,500 to REACH Waupun
$1,000 to Church Health Services
$1,000 to St. Vincent de Paul
“We are very grateful for the Waupun Community Fund for funding our sculpture The Farmer,” said Jeni Maly, who is the director of Waupun IceFest and the local Sculpture Tour program. “The sculpture is located downtown to the left of the Envision office and was selected for the city of Waupun because of the ties of agriculture in our community. So we’re happy to receive this money to bring more sculptures to Waupun.”
The sculpture in question is the man in the “thinker” pose on Main Street, in front of the Envision Greater Fond du Lac/Waupun Business Alliance office located at 10 W. Main Street. The Farmer is one of five sculptures brought to Waupun this year in the local Sculpture Tour program.
As for REACH Waupun, their funds will go towards their upcoming move to the new intergenerational Community Center facility.
“I’d like to express my gratitude for these funds with the move that’s coming,” said Jayne Harmsen, director of REACH Waupun. “This is really going to help with some of the things that we’re going to need in the new space such as cabinets and desks and different furnishings. So, we’re really, really happy that we received this.”
Church Health Services and St. Vincent de Paul also received funds towards their respective programs.
But this isn’t all for the Waupun Community Fund; starting now they will be regularly issuing more grants to local organizations that meet the application criteria.
“The Waupun Community Fund has an advisory committee composed of local members who encourage the growth of the fund and oversee the grant distributions,” the Waupun Community Fund Board wrote to Waupun Pioneer News in a statement. “[The committee] is seeking funding for future grants to community projects and programs based on the changing needs of Waupun.”
The Waupun Community Fund was officially established two years ago when Mike Werner contributed $52,000 towards repairing the road between Forest Mound Cemetery and Shaler Memorial Park in July 2022. The group held an informational event in September 2023 to present their mission to local business leaders.
The Waupun Community Fund is affiliated with the Fond du Lac Area Foundation and is dedicated to improving life in the Waupun geographic area. Their mission statement is “The Waupun Community Fund will support vision and efforts to enhance the quality of life in the Waupun Area.”
If you are interested in contributing to the Waupun Community Fund, check out their official website for more information: https://fdlareafoundation.com/waupun-community-fund/.
