Taking a look back at the fun we had with the communities that make up the Fox Communities Credit Union

TOWN OF CENTER FIRE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL PICNIC – August 7

This is the second year Fox has sponsored the picnic, and the kids sure enjoy it! We met with some of the fire department after the event, and they were so thankful for our help.

BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS FOX VALLEY/OSHKOSH AGENCY PICNIC – August 10

Fox has been the sponsor of the BB/BS agency picnic at the Timber Rattler baseball stadium for many years. There are over 250 of the BB/BS kids/families, and Fox has about 50 volunteers that play the games with the kids before the baseball game.  Our amazing volunteers sign up and many of them bring their families to enjoy the camaraderie with the families. All the families and volunteers then enjoy the Fox Communities Cash Giveaway baseball game at the stadium.

SEYMOUR BALLOON RALLY – August 13 & 14

The event took place at Rock Ledge Park in Seymour as eager people staked out a spot, ready to see 17 hot air balloons blown up and take flight!  Our FCCU hot air balloon pilot made it on a few on-air media spots too!

DARBOY FLIGHT NIGHT – August 18

This annual event is held right down the road from our corporate Fox location at the Darboy Community Park. Six balloons lit up the park. Fun activities such as tractor rides, a drawing wall, and food were provided from the Darboy Kiwanis Group.

GIVE BACK BASH – VOLUNTEER CENTER OF THE FOX CITIES – August 19

An inaugural event for the Volunteer Center and Fox was the proud presenting sponsor! Mystery Mission busses sent over 100 volunteers out that afternoon to volunteer around the area.  Once they were finished, they ended up at Fox Cities Stadium for a THANK YOU bash with live music from Annex, an abundance of food truck options, beer from Bare Bones Brewery, and a variety of non-profit groups with carnival games to play.  This will be an annual event for the organization!

APPLETON NORTH STADIUM…OPENING DAY! – August 20

Fox partnered with the Appleton Area School District and the Appleton North Booster Club to make this happen. There were some safety upgrades to the football and baseball field, which was built 25 years ago. With Fox’s help by naming the stadium, those things are being taken care of. We had some of our volunteers pass out bags at the entrance for the open house of the stadium.

RAWHIDE FISH FRY & BAND – August 20

This year we sponsored the Green Bay Packers Tailgaters Band at the last fish fry of the year. Some of our New London staff joined us for the event. The fish was delicious, and from the moment you entered the lodge for the fish fry, the boys that reside at Rawhide were there to help you.  It was so refreshing to see that – and fun! Rawhide put this on their FB event, “A huge THANK YOU to Fox Communities Credit Union for sponsoring the Green Bay Packers Tailgaters Band at our August Fish Fry!”

SOAR THE SHORE – August 21

Food, music, and kite-flying performances – sounds fun, doesn’t it? In a nutshell, that is what you get with the Soar the Shore event held in Algoma! This was the 7^th year of this family-friendly, Fox-sponsored event.

METRO JAM & LAKESHORE BALLOON GLOW – DOUBLE THE FUN! – August 20 & 21

On Friday, the two events offered a city bus wrapped like a trolley to transport people from one event to the other. The Balloon Glow went along the riverfront from 5-10 p.m. on Friday, and included hot air balloons, food trucks, family activities, entertainment, and fireworks. There was also a Kid Zone with face painting, balloon animals, and activities like bag toss and ring toss! Lakeshore First Robotics was also on site with robots and STEM activities. New to the lineup this year…a waterski show and an outdoor movie! Metro Jam took place on Friday and Saturday with an awesome lineup of free music in the bandshell. The Friday night show featured music from The Incorruptibles and The Tritonics. Saturday’s headliner, Sun Volt, took the stage at 8:30.

AUGUST IGNIGHT MARKET – August 21

This traveling night market series features local artisans and makers, interactive art demonstrations, original live music performances, life-size games, food, and drinks. Underutilized streets will be transformed into a contemporary, open-air marketplace as we invite the nightfall into the Broadway District.  This month’s event was held at Leicht Memorial Park. Guests enjoyed the balloon glow with 11 hot air balloons! Due to higher-than-expected winds, the balloons didn’t stay inflated long, but with so many other things to see, people didn’t seem too disappointed!

DRIVE TO END ALZHEIMER’S – August 22

Fox is sponsoring the Drive to End Alzheimer’s Car Cruise with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association locally. This cruise had an East Side route and a West Side route that drove by Memory Care and Assisted Living Facilities for seniors to enjoy throughout the Green Bay area. It ended at the Automobile Gallery with an event celebration.

TRIBAL ELDER FRESH FOOD PACKING – August 25 & September 8

Some of Fox staff used their volunteer hours to help pack fresh food for some of the tribes in Wisconsin that needed fresh vegetables and fruit.  Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin ran this volunteer opportunity every other Wednesday throughout the summer in a Waupaca warehouse. It was a lot of work as each volunteer group is responsible for packing 900 boxes of fresh food, which didn’t seem like a lot but took us over three hours! It felt rewarding to make a difference, and our cold fingers reminded us of that!

MURAL & BUSKER FESTIVAL – August 26-29

On Broadway, Inc was happy to announce the first Mural & Busker Festival, presented by Fox Communities Credit Union. The event featured street performers, also known as buskers, and muralists creating live artwork on walls throughout the Broadway District. There were also chalk artists beautifying the sidewalks! On Thursday and Friday, the muralists began their creations and folks were invited to come and watch the artwork take shape. Musicians, jugglers, dancers, and other live art performers engaged guests from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday as the muralists continued to work on their artwork. Some of the buskers that were out that weekend were Fox Valley Fire, GB Aerial, Landmermaid, Pantaloon Productions, and Monica Giles. This event was created to showcase the incredible muralists and performers in our community while creating a safe and fun event for people to spread out throughout the district while watching the artists in their element.

KITES NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN – September 4-5

This is a popular event that will have you looking up at the sky in amazement! Normally the event is held at Neshotah Beach, but the last two years it has been held at the Two Rivers High School due to lack of beach to host the event.  FCCU is a co-presenting sponsor along with our friends at Shoreline Credit Union.

MOVIE IN THE PARK – September 11

Fox sponsored the Movie in the Park in partnership with the Bellevue Park and Rec. Department.

PETAL TO PITTSFIELD – PULASKI – September 11

Biking, donuts and balloon animals…sounds like a good time to us! One of our newer branches, the Pulaski branch, helped host the Petal to Pittsfield event on September 11. Bikers rode their bikes from our branch on the Mountain Bay bike trail to the new Pittsfield Community Park. Donuts, coffee and some balloon animal twisters added to the fun of the event at our branch.

APPLETON WEST/CARTER WOODS – Ongoing

This year Fox sponsored a field at Carters Woods Park in the Town of Grand Chute that many of the baseball teams in the area use for games. The signage is up, but the batting cages are sitting on a boat somewhere. So, it was decided to wait on the open house until spring when it was completed. They’re looking to have a 13-and-under tournament to celebrate. With Fox’s support, the fields and concessions are in great shape and can finally host a tournament which will bring revenue into the area.

MEMBER EDUCATION:

• 60-Minute Radio Show

On Monday, September 13, we hosted our seventh radio show: Bringing It to You Straight – Straight Answers to your Financial Questions! This month, Dave Thone, SVP of Member Solutions, talked about the various financial literacy tools we have available to our members. Bob Hein, our Member Solutions Manager, discussed budgeting and gave some great tips to the listeners on how to fine-tune their budgets. Heidi Kiecker, our BSA/Fraud Officer, once again rounded out the show with some terrific tips – this time on avoiding fraud on your mobile device. We will be posting a recording of the show right here in our blog.

• Just the Facts

Our Manitowoc branch has been hard at work guest-starring on their own radio segments. On August 11, Julia Klemme did a terrific segment on WOMT’s Just the Facts where she talked about the importance of credit – how to use it wisely, ways to repair it, and which things can affect your score the most. They will be doing six episodes per year – tune into future episodes to hear their great content!

• Live Webinar!

Our very first live webinar, called Lunch Money, took place on September 15 featuring the fantastic Heidi Kiecker, delivering fresh facts on fraud prevention straight to the public on their lunch hour!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Coats for Kids Collection – September 27-October 28 – Drop off new and gently used coats at any of our Fox locations
• Stock the Shelves collection – Oct.1-Oct. 31 – There is a generous match from local credit unions
• Green Bay Gamblers Teddy Bear Toss – October 2
• Appleton Downtown Ladies Night Out – October 7 – After-hours shopping with in-store specials & activities, a wine walk, and wine samples at each location
• Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin – October 8 from 5:30-8 – volunteers welcome
• October igNight Market – October 16 – Mason Street/Broadway
• International Credit Union Week – October 18-22
• Dream Big Gala (BB/BS of the Fox Valley/Oshkosh area) – October 21, seats available
• My Brother’s Keeper – October 21
• Green Bay Habitat for Humanity Repurpose for a Reason – November 4
• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) Engine Event – November 11
• Small Business Saturday – November 27 – Events held in Appleton, Green Bay and the Heart of the Valley areas!
• Clintonville Christmas Week – Nov. 29-Dec. 5
• Celebration of Lights – December 3, Community Night, Free to the Public, includes Toys for Tots drop off location

For more on everything we do here at Fox Communities Credit Union, please check out our events calendar or contact our friendly Fox staff.