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ESTHER to receive prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award

Martin Luther Kind, Jr.The 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award will be presented to ESTHER during Wisconsin’s 32nd Annual Tribute and Ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the State Capital on Monday, January 16th.

ESTHER is being honored with the Heritage Award in recognition for its past and continued work for social justice, collaborative efforts with faith communities to create positive change, and community service.

The Wisconsin annual Martin Luther King Heritage Award recognizes and affirms those who have made significant contributions in the areas of race relations, justice, and human rights and exhibit an edifying passion and onus to lifelong community service.

We are humbled and deeply honored to receive this award, which reflects the legacy and character of Dr. King. Through his understanding, compassion, and courage, Martin Luther King, Jr., demonstrated how we each can take action to bring about a more just world, where all persons are treated with dignity because of their intrinsic worth. We hope that all are inspired by the legacy of this great man.

In the past year ESTHER has successfully developed and trained leaders to work for a more just state budget, engaged immigrant youth and strengthen relationships between immigrant and non-immigrant students, worked to keep families who are facing foreclosure in their homes, and brought together community leaders and elected officials to tackle critical public transit issues facing the Appleton and Green Bay regions.

The annual tribute will be held on Monday, January 16th, at Noon in the State Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin. Musical performances, guest speakers, elected officials and dignitaries, and the greater public will come together to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and honor individuals continuing the work of civil rights and social justice. The tribute and ceremony will be broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Pubic Television.

ESTHER and JOSHUA Work With Congressmen to Preserve Our Public Transportation Systems

ESTHER and JOSHUA are working with Congressmen Tom Petri and Reid Ribble to preserve public transportation in the Fox Valley.  Because of population growth in the Valley, we are in danger of losing the federal subsidies that support the bus systems in Green Bay and the Fox Cities. JOSHUA and ESTHER have collected 1000 petitions, which were delivered to the staff of the area’s congressmen today to support the congressmen as they work with fellow members of Congress to pass legislation to change the formula by which federal transportation funds are allocated in order to maintain funding for operation of the Green Bay Metro and Valley Transit systems.

At a public meeting held by our organizations the congressmen made a commitment to make transit a top priority in their offices. We support their efforts to help to maintain federal support for public transit in the Fox Valley and Green Bay. Without federal support, our transit systems will each stand to lose about $1.5 million annually, and that loss will result in cuts of more than half of the fixed routes and to other transit services. Leaders in JOSHUA and ESTHER are working with Reps. Petri and Ribble to solve this problem before services are cut to more than 25 municipalities in Northeastern Wisconsin.

Preserve Your Right to Vote! Learn About the New Voter ID Law!

Don’t Lose Your Right To Vote!

The League of Women Voters and UW-Fox Valley are sponsoring an informational forum on the New Voter ID Law on November 30 at 6:30.

The new law will require each voter to present a photo ID when he or she goes to the polls, and in order to avoid losing your right to vote, you should understand what types of ID will be accepted. A valid Wisconsin driver’s license will of course be accepted, but what should you do if you don’t have one?

The forum will answer questions like these:

  • What if I don’t have a Wisconsin driver’s license?
  • What if my license has expired?
  • How do I get a valid Voter ID if I don't have a Wisconsin driver's license?
  • What if my Is a student ID an acceptable form of identification?
  • How can I get a copy of my birth certificate?

So, if you have questions about how you can preserve your vote under the new Voter ID Law, please attend this Informational Forum where Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board will present information and answer your questions.

    Place: UW-Fox Valley Union, 1478 Midway Road, Menasha 54952

    Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2011

    Time: 6:30 to 8:00 PM

We look forward to seeing you there!

Exciting Banquet Stimulates Commitment for the Coming Year

View of ESTHER 2012 Annual BanquetESTHER’s annual banquet was a smashing success. Attendance was the best ever, and we could all feel the excitement and dedication in the room.  The awards that were given helped to broaden everyone’s view of the wonderful things that are being done in our community by people who care about social justice.

The ESTHER Community Leadership award went to Thedacare’s Community Health Action Team (CHAT). The team’s members conduct an annual “plunge” in which they learn about health care problems in our community. This year CHAT’s plunge helped the team to learn about the health problems facing individuals because of our nation’s broken immigration system, and over the past year, the team has continued to work on issues that were identified during the plunge.  ESTHER Individual Leadership Awards went to Kathy Groat for her outstanding work with ESTHER’s Housing Task Force and Carrie Korb for her work that has inspired LUNA’s young leaders in the group’s mural project.  Way to go Kathy and Carrie!

The dedication of these award winners have helped us all to renew our commitment to work for social justice in our community.  The inspiring keynote speech by John Nichols reminded us of the many things that still remain to be done.  The banquet was an inspiring kick-off for a new year.  Let us all pray that the excitement it generated will support us all as we work for social justice in the Fox Valley.

ESTHER 7th Annual Banquet - Sunday, November 13th 5:00 PM - Get your tickets now!

ESTHER's 7th Annual Banquet on Sunday, November 13th

5:00 PM at Liberty Hall in Kimberly

To buy tickets for the banquet

  • Request tickets and pay online here using our secure online payment system; or
  • Call Sara at 920-731-0663

Click here to download a printable copy of the flyer.

Day By Day Warming Shelter Opens in Oshkosh

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Thanks to the efforts of congregations and individuals affiliated with ESTHER in Oshkosh, those with no place to go in that community will have a place in which to stay warm and dry overnight when the weather turns bad. The Day By Day Warming Shelter, located at the St. Peters site (449 High Avenue) of the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish, is hosting the shelter from the second week of October through the second week of April, and will provide dinner, breakfast, and a warm, safe place to stay overnight for 15 to 20 people. The shelter held an open house on October 24 during its first week of operation.

Like ESTHER on Facebook and stay up to date on important justice initiatives in the Fox Valley

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ESTHER is now on facebook.  Give us a like and keep updated and engaged with justice issues in the news, upcoming trainings, important events, and successes in our work!

Visit us at facebook.com/esther.foxvalley

Give us a like! 

Transit Forum Sponsored by Appleton League of Women Voters

Date: 
Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 6:00pm
Location: 
Appleton Public Library, 225 N. Oneida St.

Image of a busPublic Transportation At Risk in the Fox Cities

Learn about the options to support funding for the buses in the Fox Cities. Attend the public forum to learn more about how to support funding for our buses in our community.

The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters and will have a panel of area leaders including Tim Hanna, Appleton Mayor; Al Runde, WI Legislative Fiscal Bureau; Thom Ciske, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce; George Dearbor, Community Development; Rep. Penny Bernard Shaber; Jo A. Egelhoff, Founder, FoxPolitics.net.

ESTHER'S 7th ANNUAL BANQUET: Fellowship - Silent Auction - Dinner - Music - Awards - Celebration

ESTHER'S annual banquet on Sunday, November 13th promises to be a great evening you won't want to miss. You will have an opportunity to socialize and share ideas with friends from all of the faith communities that make up our organization, and you will also be able to put in a bids for some of the fine items that will be sold in our silent auction. 

Our keynote speaker will be John Nichols. He is a well known author and journalist. Other highlights of the evening will include the ESTHER's annual awards and unveiling of the the traveling mural that LUNA, ESTHER's hispanic youth group, has been working on.

Don't miss ESTHER's annual banquet!

       Where: Liberty Hall in Kimberley

       When: 5:00 PM on November 13, 2011

To buy tickets for the banquet

  • Call Sara at 920-731-0663; or
  • Request tickets and pay online here using our secure online payment system

Congressman Petri, Congressman Ribble Say YES to Transit! Click here for video.

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Congressman Petri and Congressman Ribble along with over 250 people have committed to Say YES to Transit!!

 

At the Say YES! to Transit event on Aug. 11, both Rep. Thomas Petri and Rep. Reid Ribble committed to support and work toward a solution to offer flexibility in federal transit assistance, where decisions on how funding is used is made at the local level. Petri has been a long-serving member of the House’s transportation and infrastructure committee and Ribble just recently joined this committee. 
 
They agreed to work with fellow members of congress to pass legislation that will allow for flexibility in operational funding that will maintain funds for the Valley Transit and Green Bay Metro systems.  Let's help them keep that commitment. 
 
 
The ESTHER transit task force meets on the Third Tuesday of each month, from 6:30-8:00 PM at First English Lutheran Church (326 East North Street) in Appleton. Contact us for more information.

 

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