COTS

🏡💙 Celebrating a New Beginning! 💙🏡

This past week, we had the joy of celebrating a COTS resident as he moved into his very own apartment! 🎉

He has worked incredibly hard to overcome the barriers that brought him to experience homelessness. During his time at COTS, he completed all required programming, connected with the VA and other community services, and showed an incredible commitment to building a stable future.

He also proved to a local employer what a dedicated and hardworking employee he can be, and he is continuing to work toward earning his driver’s license. Along the way, he has been someone our staff and other residents could count on. He was always willing to lend a helping hand around the shelter, and he will be greatly missed!

We are so proud of the progress he has made and excited to watch him continue to grow as he begins this next chapter. This is what COTS is all about: helping people move from homelessness to stability and into a place they can proudly call home. 💙

Congratulations on your new home! We are cheering you on every step of the way! 🎉🏡

💙 A Gift of Warmth and Love 💙

A huge THANK YOU to Lynn and Joan for delivering 12 beautiful quilts to COTS from Bethany Lutheran Church - Kaukauna, Wisconsin! 🧵💙

These quilts are extra special because they were lovingly made by hand and blessed before being donated to COTS. Lynn and Joan were so excited to deliver them and share the warmth and care of their church community with our residents as we head into the cold winter months. ❄️🧣

Every stitch represents kindness, generosity, and a reminder to our residents that their community cares about them. We are so grateful for this beautiful gift!

Thank you, Bethany Lutheran Church, Lynn, and Joan, for helping keep our residents warm this winter! 🏡💙🧵

💙 Partnership That Makes a Difference 💙

We were so grateful to welcome representatives from the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region to the COTS Women’s Shelter this week!

Their visit gave them an opportunity to see firsthand how their generous grant support is making a difference for women at COTS and to experience a glimpse of what a day in the life of our residents looks like. They asked thoughtful questions and took the time to better understand the challenges and needs facing our community.

We are incredibly thankful for the Women’s Fund and their investment in the women we serve. Support like this allows COTS to provide not only safe housing, but the resources, stability, and support residents need as they work toward independent living.

Thank you for believing in our residents and partnering with COTS to help make a lasting difference! 💙🏡

💙 Thank You, Community Church Oshkosh! 💙

We are so grateful to the amazing group from Community Church Oshkosh who spent Sunday, September 27th, at Oshkosh COTS as part of the 6th Annual Serve the City event!

The group spent the day giving our outdoor spaces some much-needed TLC. They cleaned up our rock beds, removed weeds and debris, and even took down and removed a shrub. They did an incredible job, and the difference is amazing! 🌿✨

We are incredibly grateful that Community Church Oshkosh chose COTS as one of the organizations to serve this year. Your willingness to roll up your sleeves and give your time is a wonderful gift to our residents and our COTS community.

Thank you for serving, caring, and helping make COTS feel like home! 💙🏡

💙 Celebrating a 180° Turn! 💙

Today was a special day at COTS as two of our residents received the 180° Award from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Community Corrections. 🎉

The 180° Award recognizes individuals on community supervision who have made a significant change in their lives and demonstrated dedication to recovery, sobriety, employment, and successfully rebuilding their lives in the community.

We are incredibly proud of these two residents and the hard work they have put into creating a different future for themselves. Their journey is a powerful reminder that people can change, overcome obstacles, and build a new path forward.

At COTS, we have the privilege of walking alongside residents as they work toward stability, independence, and a brighter future. Today, we celebrate these two individuals and the tremendous progress they have made.

Congratulations on your 180° turn! We are so proud of you! 💙👏

💙 Thankful Thursday! 💙

Today, we are incredibly thankful for our amazing COTS Meal Ministers! 🍽️

These generous volunteers give their time to prepare and deliver delicious meals for our residents. More than just a meal, their kindness is a reminder to our residents that their community cares about them. We truly believe a meal is a hug from the community! 🤗

The photo shows just a few of the wonderful Meal Ministers who serve COTS. There are so many more who faithfully give their time throughout the year, and we are so grateful for every one of you!

Want to become a COTS Meal Minister? Visit our website to see the available dates and choose a day that works for you. Your meal could make someone's day a little brighter! 💙

Learn more and sign up to be a Meal Minister: https://appletoncots.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Thank you, Meal Ministers, for filling our shelters with good food, kindness, and community! 🏡💙

💚 Thank You, Powerhouse Properties 920! 💚

COTS is incredibly grateful to Powerhouse Properties 920 for their generous donation of towel sets, hand soap, and floor cleaner! 🧼🧺

These may seem like simple everyday items, but they are essential to keeping our shelters running smoothly and making sure our residents have the basic necessities they need to feel comfortable and at home.

Every donation helps COTS provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive place for individuals working toward stability and independent living. We are so thankful for community partners like Powerhouse Properties 920 who see a need and step up to help!

Thank you for supporting COTS and the people we serve. Together, we can end homelessness in the Fox Valley! 💚

💙 Giving Back to the Community That Gives So Much to Us! 💙

This weekend, COTS residents volunteered their time helping with setup and takedown for the Community First Fox Cities Marathon! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Our residents are incredibly grateful for the support, encouragement, and kindness our community shows COTS every day. Volunteering is one way they can give back and be part of the community that has supported them on their journey toward stability and independence.

We are so proud of our residents for stepping up, lending a helping hand, and showing that giving back feels good! 💙

And a huge congratulations to all of the runners and walkers who crossed the finish line this weekend! 🎉 Whether you ran the full marathon, completed a relay, or participated in another event, your hard work and dedication are something to celebrate!

Thank you to the Community First Fox Cities Marathon for the opportunity to serve alongside you, and thank you to everyone in our community who continues to support COTS.

Together, we CAN end homelessness. 🏡💙

🥐☕ Nothing like wonderful neighbors and a warm breakfast! 💚

A huge THANK YOU to our wonderful neighbors at PRN Healthcare for thinking of our residents at the COTS Men’s Building!

Our residents were treated to some amazing and yummy cinnamon rolls and egg strata for breakfast. What a special way to start the day! ❤️

We are so appreciative of thoughtful and supportive neighbors like PRN who continue to show our residents that they are part of a caring community. These simple acts of kindness mean so much and remind us that community truly matters.

Thank you, PRN, for helping make COTS feel a little more like home! 💚

Together, we can end homelessness.

💚 COTS Is More Than a Shelter: A Safe Place to Heal 💚

When someone has experienced homelessness, finding a place to sleep is only the beginning. At COTS, we provide a safe, secure, and stable place to call home while residents take the time they need to rebuild their lives.

Residents can be part of the COTS program for up to two years, giving them the opportunity to focus on the barriers that brought them to homelessness without the constant uncertainty of where they will sleep next. Residents have their own room and are provided with basic needs such as food, hygiene products, towels, linens, and home goods.

With a safe place to live and their basic needs supported, residents can begin to focus on what comes next—building financial stability, finding or maintaining employment, pursuing education, developing healthy relationships, and caring for their well-being.

COTS is more than a roof over someone's head. It is a place where people can pause, heal, grow, and prepare for a future of safe, stable, independent living.

Because sometimes, a safe place to heal is exactly where a new beginning starts. 💚

COTS is working toward Ending Homelessness in the Fox Valley, one person at a time.