The Connection

The Connection We are connecting stakeholders and resources to improve the mental health of our community!

The NEW Mental Health Connection was born out of the findings from the LIFE Study, a ThedaCare Plunge, and a Mental Health Summit in 2011. The community was further motivated by a cluster of teen suicides that shook the Fox Valley. We have been working collaboratively since then to ‘move the needle’ on large-scale, systemic and complex issues of mental health. As a backbone agency, the Connection’

s mission is to lead the collaboration of community stakeholders to create and continuously improve an exceptional mental health system of care for Outagamie, Winnebago and Calumet Counties. The Connection’s core functions are to: Guide vision and strategy by building a common understanding of the problem, support aligned activities by facilitating communication and collaboration, build public will to create as sense of urgency and articulate the call to action, establish shared measurement practices, advance and advocate for an aligned policy agenda, and mobilize funding to support our goals. The Connection is a membership organization, and has expanded to over 50 members across the tri-county region, with new members joining every month. Member agencies include, not only the large health systems, ThedaCare, Affinity and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, but community-based agencies like NAMI Fox Valley, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center, and Homeless Connections. Other members include school districts, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, clergy/faith communities, individual community members and mental health providers (large and small).

We want to thank everyone who participated in our Wellness Through Connection Bingo Challenge for May Mental Health Mont...
06/01/2026

We want to thank everyone who participated in our Wellness Through Connection Bingo Challenge for May Mental Health Month! Throughout the month, we focused on one simple but powerful message: connection matters.

Together, we explored small ways to build connection into everyday life through acts of kindness, mutual aid, self-care, reaching out to others, attending events, spending time outside, and creating moments of support in our homes and community. We heard from so many of you about how fun the bingo challenge was and how it helped you reconnect, try new things, and be more intentional about your mental wellness.

Whether you completed a few squares, got a bingo, or filled the whole card, every act of connection mattered.

If you got bingo and haven’t let us know yet, be sure to submit your bingo card! If you used a hard copy bingo card, you can notify us that you got bingo by using our Google Form: https://forms.gle/Edcp6Wwii3uF12j97

If you used an online card, just make sure you’ve marked your squares and we’ll be able to see your bingo automatically in our database.

Everyone who submits a bingo will be entered into our raffle prize drawing. If you win, we’ll contact you by email or phone.

We hope these simple ways of connecting continue long after May. Send the text. Make the call. Ask for help. Offer support. Reach out. Because connection is one of the most powerful ways we care for ourselves and one another.

This campaign was brought to you through a community partnership between N.E.W. Mental Health Connection, NAMI Fox Valley, NEW Hmong, People of Progression, Multicultural Coalition, Inc., and Hmong American Partnership.

Thank you for helping us create a month full of compassion, community, and connection. 💚






Being present is one of the simplest ways to connect.Even brief phone distractions can reduce the quality of conversatio...
05/30/2026

Being present is one of the simplest ways to connect.
Even brief phone distractions can reduce the quality of conversations and connection.
Today, try:
📵 Putting your phone away during conversations
👀 Making eye contact
💬 Being fully present
The message you send: “You matter right now.”
✔️ Practiced presence? Mark your bingo card!
Haven’t started your bingo card yet? Head to www.newmentalhealthconnection.org/mham-2026-bingo to start connecting!





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P. O. Box 374
Appleton, WI
54912

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