Stories &
Perspectives
Stories & Perspectives
Connected Fox Valley is more than a set of findings or recommendations. It is a living story about how people in Northeast Wisconsin experience connection, belonging, and isolation in their everyday lives. Throughout early 2026, this page will host a narrative series that brings the work to life through weekly storytelling. Each piece will blend lived experience, community voices, and public health insight, grounding the research in what is real and felt across our region.
Rather than releasing a single, dense report all at once, these stories will unfold slowly over time. Each week, a new narrative will be published that explores different dimensions of social connectedness, from neighborhoods and transportation to identity, aging, youth belonging, mutual aid, workplaces, and the spaces where people gather. Together, these stories form a collective portrait of our community, showing what strengthens connection, where barriers exist, what has been tried, what has fallen short, and what we are learning along the way.
We invite you to check back often, or follow Connected Fox Valley on Facebook to receive updates as new stories are released. This work is meant to spark reflection, conversation, and shared understanding. If you have thoughts, concerns, or a story idea you would like to share, we welcome your voice. Please reach out directly to Wendy Harris at wendy@newmentalhealthconnection.org
Mutual Aid: ‘Learning How to Need One Another Again’
Mar 2, 2026
By Wendy Harris Project Coordinator @ The Connection What is mutual aid? A dozen community members gathered Feb. 23 in the Community Living Room at Ebb and Flow Connections Cooperative to explore that question. The conversation grew out of Connected Fox Valley’s broader work, where a consistent theme has surfaced: a deep desire to help one another in ways that feel more direct,...
Naming What Was Missing: How Social Connection Became a Health Priority in the Tri-Counties
Feb 18, 2026
By Wendy Harris Project Coordinator @ The Connection Nearly a decade ago, Winnebago County Public Health began hearing something unexpected from residents. It didn’t come through a checkbox or a predefined survey category. It surfaced when the county added a simple, open-ended question to its 2016 community health assessment: What else is affecting your health? The answers kept repeating. People...
Connected Fox Valley: Building a Community Roadmap to Belonging
Jan 20, 2026
By Wendy Harris Project Coordinator @ The Connection Connection is something most of us don’t think much about when it’s working. It shows up in small, ordinary ways. A familiar face at the coffee shop. A neighbor who checks in after a snowstorm. A place where you feel welcome, seen, and safe enough to be yourself. These everyday connections shape our sense of belonging, our health, and our...