​REACH Waupun Vision and Mission

REACH strives to bring about positive, lasting change in the lives of Waupun area youth.
 
REACH commits to improving the physical, social, emotional, and economic health and well-being of Waupun area youth through building relationships and providing opportunities.

REACH Waupun Core Values:

Building Community that gives everyone connection to community and encourages growth and improvement.
Fostering Supportive Relationships that model empathy, compassion and acceptance.​
Offering Opportunity through education, mentoring and access to resources.
Reducing Obstacles to increase resources and improve outcomes.
Promoting Collaboration that builds strong partnerships among resources, organizations, businesses, schools, churches and government.
Providing Awareness of the needs in our community.
Encouraging Inclusiveness for all generations and socio-economic sectors.

​What's Happening at REACH?

August 25, 2020

We're Moving!!
As of October 1st, you can now find us at 520 E Main Street. This new facility will house our work offices, as long as a space for the REACH One mentoring program!

We are looking for donors to help us turn this into a fun, welcoming, and functional space for the mentors and mentees. To learn more about this space and how you can help, click the link here. 

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July 21, 2020
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​​Per board decision, the 2020 REACH Rally & Run 5K will be cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus situation and factors outside the control of our organization. We are disappointed, but are looking forward to next years event on June 26th, 2021! We hope to see you there!

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June 22, 2020

Thank you to Horicon Bank for the wonderful donation to the Mission Backpack program! We appreciate your continued support of our mission and programs. 

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June 8, 2020

Thank you to all our wonderful donors! This month we have had the privilege of accepting donations from Waupun Utilities' Recharge Program (left), who wanted to help give back in the wake of Covid-19. We also received a donation from the MVP and RRIS's Step it Up Fundraiser (right) that wrapped up in March! 

Thank you to both groups for choosing to support REACH, and give back to the community!

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May 1, 2020
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REACH Waupun is excited to (finally!) announce the appointment of Darian Schmitz as Executive Director of REACH Waupun!

"Some people are inspired by the famous, rich, or outrageously smart, but I have always been inspired by the youth. My life experiences have given me the opportunity to work with a multitude of youth that come from a variety of backgrounds. The incredible amount of grit and resilience such a young human can possess is staggering.

My passion for working with the youth led me to accepting a dual position at the Waupun Area School District as Family Advocate and School Counselor. I was able to work alongside families and students to ensure they had the resources they needed to be successful. This position taught me how much generosity and compassion the Waupun community has.

Although it is difficult to resign from such an impactful position with the school district, I am eager to take what I have learned and lead REACH Waupun as Executive Director beginning in July 2020. Prior to this Executive Director role, I have been the Vice President on the REACH board so I have had the opportunity to see this organization adapt and meet the needs of the youth in the Waupun community. I am confident that we will only continue to grow and positively impact more lives in the future. I am truly honored to be part of REACH Waupun and can’t wait to get to work!"

Darian grew up in Rosendale where she attended Laconia High School. She has her undergraduate degree at the University of Oshkosh and her master's degree from Lakeland University. She currently lives in Waupun with her husband, daughter, and two puppies. She begins her role as Executive Director in July.

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​Thank you to everyone who participated in our Quarantine Games challenges! We hope you had fun playing along with us, and helping us support the small businesses that support us! 

Winners
Week 1, Guth's Candy GC - Logan B & Danika B
Week 2, the clothing pallet GC - Lily W & Becca K
Week 3, Wind & Unwined GC - Melanie K & Zoey A
Week 4, Tony's Pizza GC - Grace B & Ellie W

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January 1, 2020

​​It is bittersweet to say that 2020 comes with some important staff changes - as of January 1st, Laura Hoekstra is stepping down in her role as Executive Director, in order to pursue an exciting opportunity she was offered. Laura's
role with the nonprofit, Beautiful Response, was expanded and she has decided to focus in on that role in the new year! We are so thrilled for this well-deserved promotion for Laura, and wish her nothing but the best! We are thankful that her passion for REACH has meant that she will continue to serve the organization by rejoining us as a member of the Board of Directors. 
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In the meantime, REACH will be running through the combined efforts of our board and current staff, until our wonderful new Executive Director is ready to join the team officially in July of 2020. We cannot wait to share the news of the intelligent, passionate,  and hardworking individual who has been hired to fill this role! Stay tuned ;) 

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December 4, 2019

REACH Waupun is so thankful for the support of Waupun Memorial Hospital and Saputo Waupun for their sponsorship of our Giving Tuesday campaign. Both organizations agreed to match donations up to $5,000 each!

Thank you so much to all those who donated on Giving Tuesday 2019. We are still tallying up our total donation amount and can't wait to share it with you!

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September 24th, 2019

REACH Waupun had the privilege of accepting the Pat O’Hearn Award from the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This award honors organizations and individuals who reach out to those in need with faith and compassion. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul for this honor, and for the work that your organization does to serve those in your community!