Building community, sharing hope, and standing for justice since 2004

Upcoming Events

Please join us for any of these upcoming ESTHER events!

  • To learn more about a particular event, click on its title
  • To see the complete ESTHER calendar, click on More at the bottom left of the listing
Monday, June 25, 2018 - 5:00pm Finance Committee First Congregational Church 724 E. South River Street, Appleton -- Upper Lounge
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 4:00pm Executive Committee Meeting ESTHER Office, Neenah
Monday, July 2, 2018 - 6:00pm ESTHER Prison Reform Task Force St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 140 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 4:00pm Oshkosh ESTHER B'nai Israel Congregation, 1121 Algoma Blvd. Oshkosh
Tuesday, July 10, 2018 - 4:15pm Immigration Task Force Fox Valley Unitarian Universalists Fellowship, 2600 Philip Lane, Appleton
more
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Our Vision: Ending Child Poverty in Wisconsin

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Thumbnail of End Child Poverty videoWe believe in ending child poverty in Wisconsin. Watch this 4-minute video to understand why. Then join us!

We believe that the people of Wisconsin, working together, can cut child poverty in half in the next ten years. We also believe that the current racial disparities in poverty levels should be cut in half. And we are committed to evidence-based evaluation of progress. Will you join us?

The persistence of poverty is a moral crisis that calls us to action. While poverty is not limited by race, ethnicity, or age, children are the poorest members of our communities. Moreover, growing up in poverty creates damage that lasts a lifetime. Further, economic disparities among racial groups in Wisconsin are greater than in the U.S. as a whole.

How can we let this continue? Add your name to the list of those who support this goal!

I Support This Goal

Voices of Hope Reader’s Theatre

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Date: 
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 - 6:30pm
Location: 
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2600 E Phillip Ln, Appleton

voices of hope in performanceSometimes a work of art presents a moral question so starkly that we cannot avoid confronting it, and ESTHER’s “Voices of Hope” is such a work. It throws the moral and legal issues associated with immigration into high relief, and it forces us to take a stand. This reader’s theater presentation, directed by Kris Clouthier, is based on interviews from Peter Geniesse’s book Illegal: NAFTA Refugees Forced to Flee.

Hear the stories of Latino immigrants in the Fox Valley in prose, poetry and song.

The program lasts approximately one hour.

A free-will offering will be taken.

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Voter Engagement Canvass

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Date: 
Thursday, May 24, 2018 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 740 E College Ave, Appleton

ESTHER is looking for volunteers to participate in our second voter engagement canvass in Appleton.

Integrated Voter Engagement LogoIntegrated Voter Engagement (IVE) is a nonpartisan, volunteer-driven, direct voter contact program. It reaches out to those who feel most overlooked in our society and to working families typically ignored by partisan politics to say, “Your lives matter. Your vote matters.” It is among the most effec­tive ways to increase voter turnout. IVE groups like ESTHER train community members to reach out to their peers in a continuous, ongoing effort that increases the number of voters and leads to policy changes. The most effective IVE organizations add new people to the voter registration rolls, educate voters about election issues, make sure new and unlikely voters actually cast their ballots, and ensure that misinformation and intimidation don’t inhibit people from voting. In addition, IVE has a long-term impact by developing local leaders and involving people in shaping the public policy decisions that affect their lives.

I Want to Help

Like a similar canvass in November, this one will be conducted in Appleton’s Aldermanic District 2 (Ward 3 and a small part of Ward 1) near Edison School. We will gather at Emmanuel United Methodist Church at 5:30 for orientation and training, then fan out into the neighborhood from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

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WISDOM Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

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Date: 
Monday, June 11, 2018 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
Country Springs Hotel, 2810 Golf Rd, Pewaukee, WI

WISDOM Logo

RACE TO JUSTICE

At this forum, WISDOM leaders from around the state will be asking gubernatorial candidates very specific questions about their intentions in the areas of criminal justice reform (including parole, crimeless revocations, treatment alternatives to incarceration, Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility, solitary confinement), public transportation, childhood poverty, health care, immigration, education, mining.

WISDOM affiliates on Wisconsin map

Confirmed candidates so far include:

  • Matt Flynn
  • Andy Gronik
  • Mike McCabe
  • Mahlon Mitchell
  • Kelda Roys
  • Kathleen Vinehout
  • Dana Wachs

Candidates unable to attend, expressing regrets: Tony Evers, Paul Soglin

Also invited, awaiting response: Scott Walker

Hosted by the WISDOM network.

Car-pooling from Northeast Wisconsin is being arranged, including reimbursement of cost of gasoline for those who drive. Contact ESTHER by phone (920-843-8083) or email (office@esther-foxvalley.org) to make arrangements.

For the most current information, see the event page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/170215040331902/

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ESTHER 2018 Banquet

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Date: 
Sunday, November 4, 2018 - 4:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: 
Liberty Hall, 800 Eisenhower Dr, Kimberly

ESTHER invites you to save the date.

ESTHER’s 15th Annual Banquet will be held on Sunday, November 4, from 4:30-7:30 pm, at Liberty Hall in Kimberly.

Keynote speaker: Leonard Pitts, Jr., journalist, commentator, lecturer, and best-selling author, awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

Co-sponsored by the William J. and Barbara A. Schmidt Family Foundation

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