ORBIS® Corporation held its annual Community Giving Reception on August 22 to celebrate and honor the services that nonprofit organizations provide to area communities. The event brought together 80 attendees representing charitable organizations from across southeast Wisconsin to receive their charitable donations.
Menasha Corporation, ORBIS’ parent company, was founded by Elisha D. Smith in 1849. He was a tremendous philanthropist in the Menasha, Wis. area. Today, the Menasha Corporation Foundation proudly carries on the tradition of Elisha Smith’s giving. Funding is made available by Menasha Corporation Foundation, the charitable entity of ORBIS’ parent company.
ORBIS has community teams across the enterprise to serve the local, geographic communities in which its employees live. These teams identify and support local groups, agencies and causes in need of financial support, time or volunteers.
The Community Action Team at ORBIS’ headquarters, located in Oconomowoc, has built partnerships with many nonprofits in southeast Wisconsin and celebrates these partnerships at the Community Giving Reception.
“The Giving Reception shines a light on the positive impact nonprofit organizations make in the communities where our employees live and work,” said Jo Anne Behling, leader of the ORBIS Community Action Team. “In addition to the donations we make, we collaborate with our nonprofit partners to provide volunteers to help support their great work to make the world a better place for citizens and animals in need and advance the health and wellbeing of the community. This is a special year for us, as Menasha Corporation celebrates its 175th anniversary.”
Strength and Service through Local Partnerships
ORBIS demonstrates a strong commitment to the communities where their employees reside, regularly partnering with local entities and businesses to enhance community growth. In addition to community giving efforts, one other example of this partnership is how ORBIS achieved a significant fundraising milestone of $1 million for Children’s Wisconsin during their fourth annual Good Day for Kids golf outing. The event was held in June at the Grand Geneva golf course in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This year’s outing collected over $370,000 for pediatric critical care, supporting the Pediatric Simulation and Resuscitation Program. The partnership aims to improve care for children facing life-threatening conditions. To date, the event has raised $1 million for the program, offering realistic simulation-based training for healthcare professionals nationwide.
“We are incredibly proud of our employees’ dedication to volunteerism and community service,” said ORBIS President Norm Kukuk. “Neighborhood involvement and improvement is a crucial part of our mission, and I’m thrilled to celebrate their collective efforts in partnering with organizations to support and uplift the communities we serve. It’s all part of honoring the spirit of service that has set us apart for the last 175 years.”
2024 Menasha Foundation fund recipients:
- Alzheimer’s Association of Wisconsin
- Angelman Syndrome Foundation
- Big Bob & Bob Van Wie Tournament – UW Carbone
- Blessings in a Backpack (Waukesha Chapter)
- Brewers Community Foundation
- Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation
- CCLS – Creative Community Living Services
- Downs Syndrome Association of WI
- Educational Foundation of Watertown
- HAWS (Humane Animal Welfare Society in Waukesha)
- Hebron House
- Heroes for Heroes
- Hope Center
- Humane Society of Jefferson County
- Imagine a Day Foundation
- Johnson Creek Helping Hands Food Pantry
- Johnson Creek Police Department
- Journey21
- Kisses From Keegan & Friends
- Lake Area Free Clinic
- Lake Country DockHounds
- Lake Country Shop with Cops
- Lake Mills Food Pantry
- Lake Mills Police Department
- LifeStriders
- Madison Starlings
- Make-A-Wish Foundation
- Milwaukee Bucks Foundation
- National Alliance on Mental Illness – Southeastern WI
- Oconomowoc Festival of the Arts
- Oconomowoc Police Department
- Oconomowoc Regional Cancer Center
- Oconomowoc Scholarship Foundation
- PAVE
- Personal Essentials Pantry
- Pets Helping People
- Prohealthcare Foundation (Angelsgrace Hospice)
- Rainbow Hospice Care
- Shorehaven
- ST. Katharine Drexel Shelter
- Summit Police Department
- The Cure Starts Now – WI Chapter – Brayleighville
- Watertown Food Pantry
- Watertown Humane Society
- Watertown Police Department
- Waukesha Country Green Team
- Western Lakes Fire Department
- Women & Girls Fund of Waukesha County
