LEAVEN’S PROUD HISTORY
May 1985
Stakeholders met to discuss strategies for emergency requests. A year later, those conversations gave birth to the concept of LEAVEN.
January 1987
LEAVEN opened its doors in St. Joseph Middle School in 1987. This brick-and-mortar beginning doesn’t tell the whole story. On March 1, 1987, LEAVEN received tax exempt status from the state of WI and 501(c) 3 status from the IRS.
July 1987
LEAVEN opens doors at
St. Joe’s church.
August 1987
Paulette Laffin assumed the role of Executive Director of LEAVEN until her retirement in February of 2002.
July 1990
LEAVEN relocated to the basement of St. Joseph Middle School.
October 1991
LEAVEN established its first endowment fund.
December 1994
Margaret Walsh donated the former Tel-Sec office at 516 6th Street in Appleton.
May 1995
LEAVEN moved to its offices to 6th Street office.
January 2002
Jennifer Wanke took on the role of Executive Director, following the retirement of Paulette Laffin. Jennifer completed the Capital Campaign initiated by Paulette.
October 2002
LEAVEN moved again—this time to its current location in Menasha.
June 2008
LEAVEN introduced its High-Risk Prevention Program, a collaborative effort with Homeless Connections.
June 2013
Mary Parsons became LEAVEN’s Executive Director, after 10 years as LEAVEN’s client services director.
June 2013
LEAVEN introduced the Next Step Program as a response to trends identified during several years of evaluating the High-Risk Prevention Program.
January 2016
LEAVEN introduced the Pay-It-Forward Loan Program, partnering with FISC to offer assistance to clients who wouldn’t qualify for help through LEAVEN’s traditional charity model.
April 2016
LEAVEN board and staff undertook a strategic planning process which resulted in a new mission, vision, and strategy.
November 2017
LEAVEN broke ground on the new LEAVEN Community Resource Center.
September 2018
LEAVEN Community Resource Center opened doors welcoming 14 community partner agencies under one roof to provide services and support to clients.
2020
LEAVEN implemented a remote intake process during the COVID-19 pandemic office closure.
2021
LEAVEN hired a Bilingual Resource Advocate.
2023
Nikki Gerhard became LEAVEN’s Executive Director.