Thanks to all our wonderful donors, we successfully raised enough to meet the $25,000 Matching Grant through the Jack J. and Ethel D. Keller Fund of the Community Foundation!

The HVAC improvements and infrastructure updates are essential to provide a stable, healthy and comfortable living and working environment here at COTS.

We appreciate all your heartfelt donations. It’s because of your support that we can all make a positive difference in our residents’ lives and our community!

Watch for a story about another one of our community partners – Bassett Mechanical – and how they recently helped their fellow community members!

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Like a driver learns to deal with the roadblocks and roundabouts he or she will encounter each day, each of our residents must learn to work through the barriers and challenges in life. Our program participants face multi-faceted barriers to independence, and often must change lifelong habits in order to become self-sufficient, while dealing with a lack of access to the resources they need.

Yet, our clients have developed resiliency and have come to COTS to transform their lives. And when they navigate all the physical and emotional roundabouts of their lives, and successfully complete COTS programming, it a wonderful thing to behold.
Such is the case with Jay, a gentleman in our Veteran’s Program. Jay served his country well, yet struggled when he returned from his tour of duty. He fell on hard times, and found himself homeless. He did the hard work for his country, now he needed someone to help him do the hard work of turning his life around.

Jay took a few unexpected twists and turns on his road to a better life. But eventually, working with staff at COTS and other support agencies, he was able to finish COTS basic programming. Soon he will move into a new apartment in a area closer to his family. With the same tenacity it took to fight for his country, Jay fought for a life of stability and independence.

The travels in his life will continue to ask him to make challenging decisions. Yet, with the “life skill driving lessons” he developed at COTS, along with the 3-year Aftercare Program COTS provides, Jay is better equipped to handle the road ahead.

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Back to School shopping is already in full swing!

We’re still enjoying warm summer days and nights, but back to school sales are everywhere you turn! Will you be taking advantage of back to school sales? If yes, this is a great time to help with COTS Wish List. Back to School sales are great for stretching dollars while helping our community!

When residents leave COTS to move on to their next stage in life, they take their bedding with them. We always need to replenish our supplies of new pillows and new twin sheet sets. When doing your back to school shopping, consider purchasing pillows or twin sheet sets for COTS residents!

Donating Wish List Items Makes a Difference!

Want to see other items you can donate? Download the entire Wish List from our website.

Donating these items helps us in two very important ways:

1. We are able to spend more time providing residents with direct services
2. We are able to use our dollars in other areas affecting residents’ progress.

Donations can be dropped off at our main office:
819 S. West Avenue, Appleton, WI, 54915.

Please call ahead if you need our help to transport items.

Drop Off Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Call 920-734-3609 (ext. 404) to make other arrangements.

Thank You for Supporting our Mission!