Oshkosh Nonprofits and Charities

I have watched the Winnebago Area Literacy Council (WALC) grow over the course of 25 years. For 2 years I served as a teacher for one of their English classes and for the past 9 years I have served on the Board. WALC was for a long time a tiny agency housed in the Oshkosh Public Library with one full time director and only a couple part time staff, serving people mostly through one to one tutoring. Now in 2025, they have 2 locations, 6 half to full time staff and several part time teachers. They still offer one to one tutoring, but also have several English classes, including on-site functional work English classes; a Road to Work program, and Learning Circles on topics relevant to our mission. WALC is accomplishing so much more today and continue to fill community needs in a unique way! The staff are amazing and have the biggest hearts. They care about the people they serve and help them achieve their personal goals. I am proud to be connected to the Winnebago Area Literacy Council.

Great rescue! Takes in loads from high kill shelters in KY to WI to be adopted. Dogs are well cared for and matched appropriately. Staff is knowledgeable and caring. Engages community in per drives etc and brings awareness to adopting.

I have been a members of The Naturist Society Foundation for 35 years., and have been going to the gatherings for almost as long. I am proud to be a member of this fine organization. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the human form. The magazine is one-of-a-kind. Filled with moving stories, travel articles, profiles on wonderful people, and much more. Check out the web site at naturistsociety.com<br>

I'm trying to find help for my sister in Christ Michelle she has a daughter who's name is Tosha who is in the last stages of cancer her grandfather died and was taking care of her and now she has no one to take care of her they are low on funds and need help please help me

The ladies are always on the look-out for school supplies that are needed in our district. Once they find them, they will contact you to let them know they are in. The Closet is always organized and easy to look through. One of the nicest things is you are limited to how much you take. They provide teachers fun, exciting, and basic resources to help stimulate learning.

While I haven't been personally involved with them as a volunteer, I know several people who've been involved, both as volunteers and as some of the boys and girls served. All of them give this organization great reviews. Talking to people who were the boys and girls this org. serves has convinced me that this is an organization that deserves my support and the support of my community. They credit the organization with helping them through difficult times, and inspiring them to strive for more than they thought they could achieve. (I hear really good things from volunteers, too, but it's the clients I think matter most.)

More below, but: I see that there's a Donor Advisory because OAHS did not list fundraising expenses. While I am not privy to the organization's financials, I do see how they fundraise and advertise in our community, and everything I see (and have been involved with) is done with donated time and materials, via volunteers, social media, and supporting organizations (for example, the local paper runs stories on the Pet of the Week; they've done a few videos courtesy of people who donated equipment and time that get a lot of play on Facebook; PetCo has adoption events; etc.). Especially since they made a commitment to being a lifesaving shelter, but also since they rescued a few high-profile animals (Google "Bernice the Cat" and you'll see what I mean), they've gotten a lot of free publicity. They rock. I know how much they try to make sure all of the animals in their care don't just get a chance to live, but to have a good quality of life. Everyone who works there, from shelter director to janitor, is interested in the animals' well-being - as I've seen when I've been there picking up and bringing in foster animals, sometimes unannounced and at odd hours. For example, I was fostering a cat for them who was very ill (and we had no idea what was wrong) and who was clearly fighting for life. Most places would have put the cat down, but not OAHS. While we discussed that as an option in case the cat was really suffering, we decided that we should take our cues from the animal, and as long as the cat seemed to want to fight for life, we were going to support it. We did, and the cat is now lively and happy in a forever home. (Yay!) They do their absolute best to provide each animal with a positive environment at the shelter or in foster care - the shelter has really nice community rooms and single condos for the cats, playtime and volunteer walkers for the dogs, and every office has animals in it, too, because if there's space, there's no reason there shouldn't be a pet in it. It is a shelter that you actually feel good being in, even when you can't take all the animals home with you. They are constantly trying to find forever homes for their animals, and they are thrilled when it succeeds. I give them money, time, and donations of goods, and am always encouraging friends and family to support them as well. They get a lot of community support, for good reason - but they can always use more, because these animals (and their shelter) always need more help.