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Leadership Fond du Lac County Community Projects Give Back to Fond du Lac County

Annually, participants in Leadership Fond du Lac County, a program of Envision Greater Fond du Lac, complete a community project to benefit Fond du Lac County and its communities. In the 2023-2024 cohort, 29 participants were placed into six teams: Team Lift Them Up, Team Quick Response (QR), Team History, Team Beautification, Team K-9; 220, and Team Warm Welcomes. Each team worked with different partners and organizations within Fond du Lac County to address a specific community need.

Team Lift Them Up included Arden Anderson (Mercury Marine), Megan Blaine (Michels Corporation), Luke Dietzler (Moraine Park Technical College), and Stephanie Jo Schulz (Habitat for Humanity of Fond du Lac County). Lift Them Up worked with The Arc Fond du Lac to purchase and install art display cases. Team members participated in a creative activity with residents of The Arc to begin filling the display cases with art.

Team Quick Response (QR) comprised Lila Buytendorp (Moraine Park Technical College), Steve Diehl (Bank First), Connie Gens (The Arc Fond du Lac), Bob Magrady (Summit Credit Union), Rebecca Sperger (Society Insurance), and LeAnn Gramza (Wells Vehicle Electronics). Team QR worked with Destination Lake Winnebago Region to promote their community events calendar (available at fdl.com). The team developed a QR code and met with various businesses and organizations to teach representatives how to use the calendar. 

Team History brought Erin Murphy (SSM Health), Meaghan DeJager (UWO-Fond du Lac and Charming Reads), Carl Greiner (Mercury Marine), Cameron Fails (City of Fond du Lac), and Emily Groneng (C.D. Smith Construction) together to assist the Fond du Lac County Historical Society in revamping the organization’s storage and cataloguing system.

Team Beautification included Casey Koehler (Go-Dutch Solutions), Andrea Pierce (EP Direct), Julianna Dahlinger (J.F. Ahern Co.), Andrew Hayes (Summit Credit Union), and Sadie Madigan (Fox Valley Savings Bank). The team commissioned a mural on the side of Stone + Suede in Waupun to beautify the area and serve as a beacon for visitors and locals alike.

Team K-9; 220 was made up of Jolene Heuchert (TDS Telecommunications), Maggie Ford (Marian University), Chris Stolper (SSM Health), Katie McCormick (Fond du Lac Family YMCA), and Sarah Ramminger (Holiday Automotive, Inc.). Team K-9; 220 partnered with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office to educate the public on the mission and work of their new certified therapy K-9, Josie, Badge #220. The team also fundraised for installation of a new transport system for the handler’s vehicle.

Team Warm Welcomes included Daniel Degner (Wisconsin Family Council), Whitney Twet (Agromatic, Inc.), Christine Bader (Aurora Health Center), and Nicole Majerus (Grande). Team Warm Welcomes renovated the exterior of the Holy Family Warming Shelter, to make the space warmer and more welcoming.

In all, projects completed through Leadership Fond du Lac gave back more than $23,000 to Fond du Lac County communities, including cash and in-kind donations. To date, the program has provided more than $700,000 to area communities.

Leadership Fond du Lac County, a program of Envision Greater Fond du Lac, is currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 class, a nine-month program that provides information and experiences to individuals who are willing to commit to serving their community. Accepted applicants learn about local institutions and issues and put their skills and knowledge to use through the required small-group community project. Through the program, individuals develop leadership, interpersonal and communications skills, and develop a strong network throughout the community. For more information, contact Envision Greater Fond du Lac at 920.921.9500.

For additional information, application, and tuition, please visit https://www.envisiongreaterfdl.com/leadership-fond-du-lac/