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Conner Christensen is the 2023 recipient of the $4,000 Leon H. & Clymene M. Bond Scholarship. He is the son of Ross and Courtney Christensen and plans to attend St. Norbert College to study Pre-Physical Therapy.

Madilyn Steele is the 2023 recipient of the $2,000 Earl J. DeCloux Memorial Scholarship. She is the daughter of Steven and Dawn Steele and plans to attend Fox Valley Technical College to pursue a degree in Agriculture/Veterinary Technician.

The Leon H. & Clymene M. Bond Scholarship and the Earl J. DeCloux Memorial Scholarship are awarded to graduating seniors from Oconto High School who demonstrate leadership ability, a high academic record, and service as evidence by school and community. They must plan to enroll in a course of study in a public or private college. Preference may be given to a student majoring in the health or recreation field.

The Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation awarded a $9,900 grant to Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. for the theater’s Can You Hear Me Now? project – a new sound system. The sound system will enhance the theater experience of the cast, crew, and audience, including older adults and individuals with hearing impairments. ASPI is a community theater organization that presents 3-4 shows a year at the Nancy Byng Community Theater, 5852 Maple Street, Abrams.
According to Bond Foundation executive director Jennifer Hanna, the project was selected for funding because of the theater’s significance in the community.
“The foundation’s board of directors recognized Abrams Spotlight Productions as a great creative outlet for the local community as well as an entertainment venue for people of all ages,” she said. “The board was also impressed with the dedication and hard work of the many volunteers who are responsible for the success of Abrams Spotlight Productions. The board felt that the sound system will also allow Abrams Spotlight Productions to better serve the community.”
With grants from the Bond Foundation and Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, ASPI has the necessary funds to purchase a state-of-the-art theater sound system: sound board, amplifier, speakers and microphones. Additionally, ASPI will install a hearing assisted sound loop system that works wirelessly with people’s hearing aids.
Bill Koehne, president of Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc., said the community theater was grateful to be selected for the grant, because the current sound system is past its useful life.
“When the sound board failed during ‘White Christmas’ rehearsals in 2022, we scrambled to find a solution. Luckily, we could borrow a sound board from another theater. But that wasn’t a long-term solution,” he said. “When a speaker failed this year during rehearsals for ‘Gypsy,’ it was just another indication that our theater needed a new sound system.”
The ASPI summer show, “Lustful Youth,” is next on the theater’s agenda. The comedy tells the out-of-control story of a television statistician contractually obligated to write an evening soap opera. Written and directed by Mike Eserkaln, the artistic director of Comedy City in De Pere, “Lustful Youth” will be performed June 8-11 and 15-18.
Volunteers will provide the labor to install the sound system, saving the theater an estimated $3,000. Carpenters, electricians, and ASPI volunteers will pull wire, groove the hardwood floor for the sound loop, and install and connect the system.
“A new sound system will really make a big difference,” Koehne said. “When performers’ voices are too quiet or overpowered by music, it’s hard for the audience to follow the storyline. The new sound system and hearing loop enables everyone to fully enjoy a show.”

Recently, two members of the Bond Foundation, Mary McMonagle, and Jenni Hanna, stopped by Oconto Middle School to visit the new Technology Education area. This project was made possible by a $50,000 grant from the LEON H. AND CLYMENE M. BOND FOUNDATION. Mary and Jenni were very impressed with the new Tech Ed area. They were able to see first-hand the impact of their generous donation, and they expressed their delight with what the new tech ed area offered to the students. They were also able to appreciate the hard work of Ms. Hermsen in making good use of the funds for the benefit of the students. Mary and Jenni were pleased to note that the equipment in the Tech Ed area was up-to-date and of high quality, ensuring that students have access to the best possible equipment for their learning.

The grant assisted in tooling up a woodshop and technology lab to help students learn and explore in a project-based, hands-on, collaborative environment. Over their four-year experience at OMS, all students will learn about woodworking, hydroponics, 3-D design, engineering, virtual welding, and coding while creating individual and group projects. The mission of the program is to provide students with a pathway for developing their potential in a space that focuses on technology, innovation, career awareness, and life skills.

Oconto Unified School District thanks the Bond Foundation for its continued support.

St. Anthony School has been blessed to receive a grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation, Inc. in the amount of $25,192.86. This grant will provide the funds to furnish classrooms to make room for future growth.

St. Anthony’s School makes an effort to embrace each child. It is founded on the Catholic tradition and strives to educate each student in spirit, mind and body. Due to this grant, the St. Anthony School community is excited to have the opportunity to offer more options for its amazing students and families.

Thank you to the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation for their investment in the St. Anthony mission. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Anyone interested in attending St. Anthony School, please contact school@holy3.org or call the office at 920-846-2276.

The Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation, Inc. (Oconto, Wisconsin) has awarded the Peshtigo School District a $12,000 grant to assist in the installation of an ADA compliant kayak launch on Trout Creek. Kayakers and canoers will have immediate access to the Peshtigo River and the great views it provides. Kayaking and canoeing are already part of the Peshtigo School District’s curriculum and the launch will improve the access and safety for students and community members.

Superintendent Rau stated, “The impact of the ADA kayak launch is enormous as it will provide access to ALL students and community.”

The Bond Foundation grant along with the fundraising efforts of the Peshtigo Chamber of Commerce and Wild Goose Kayak Club will provide funding for the ADA compliant launch, parking, lighting, kayaks, storage racks, and safety equipment.

Rau added, “The district is beyond grateful for the support of the Bond Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Wild Goose Kayak Club.”

The Oconto Police Department is pleased to announce that we have started a K-9 program. This program was kick-started in April of 2021 when the department was awarded a $50,000.00 grant from the Leon H and Clymene M. Bond Foundation. The Oconto Police Department will use these funds to secure “K-9 Falco,” as well as purchase various equipment the program will need to be successful. The funding will provide the program with various pieces of training equipment such as a bite suit, narcotics detection kit, and a patrol vehicle outfitted for the K-9.
K-9 Falco is a Belgian Malinois, who is currently going through extensive training at Working K-9 headquarters in Canada. Falco is a dual-purpose K-9, trained in Narcotics Detection, Patrol Apprehension, and Search & Rescue. K-9 Falco will descend upon the citizens of Oconto, and begin his life as a Police K-9 in late fall of 2021. The Oconto Police Department would like to thank the Bond Foundation for its continued support of our department, as well as the City of Oconto.

Oconto, WI, November 18, 2020. After a summer of pandemic delays, the first portion of the Evergreen Cemetery Potter’s Field Memorial Project has been completed. The Memorial, which is designed to honor the memory of more than 300 people buried in “common ground” unmarked graves throughout the cemetery, was made possible by a $20,525 grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation to the Oconto County Historical Society.

The first stage of the project was completed Monday, Nov. 16th, when a bronze plaque honoring the memory of the people buried in the cemetery was permanently attached to a two-ton granite boulder base located in the middle of the South Potter’s Field. The boulder, which is native to our area, came from the Mountain Stonework’s Quarry in Mountain, Wisconsin and was transported to Oconto earlier this summer by Brian Vandenlangenberg. Brian is the owner of the Oconto City Monument Company and has been assisting Pete Gabrielson who is overseeing the project. Several other local citizens have also volunteered their service to make the memorial a reality including Jeremy Wusterbarth and the city of Oconto, and Scott and Brandon Tousey of Scott’s Concrete. Jeremy, Brian, and Scott’s expertise in the positioning of the two-ton boulder and the pouring of the concrete base was critical to the successful completion of this part of the project.

The monument itself is located to the left as you drive into the cemetery on the southernmost road about 200 feet from that entrance. With the exception of the first block, the first 400 feet or so along the left side of that road is a “potter’s field” where as many as 200 or more people are buried in unmarked graves. There are also a couple other “potter’s field” sections in the cemetery, including an area on the same side of that road toward the west end of the cemetery and an area along the north side of the entrance road on the north side of the cemetery. In the future we hope to have memorial markers in these areas as well.

Stage Two of the project will be started this winter and will be completed next spring. It includes the construction of a 16 x 8-foot memorial plaza comprised of granite paver stones each engraved with the names and interment dates of the individuals that are buried there. The granite is slated to arrive sometime within the next two weeks and our goal is to have the project completed by Memorial Day, 2021. A dedication ceremony will be held at that time. A final mention must be made of the contribution that has been made by the Oconto County Genealogical Society, especially Kitty Werner and Vern Mortier whose earlier research in the Oconto cemeteries and expertise in genealogy has saved us an incredible amount of time.

When you get a chance to visit our monument, please do; and as you pause and reflect, please take some time to think about the words on the plaque that, “This monument is dedicated to ensure that the final resting place of these departed souls will remain forever consecrated and their names be forever remembered”. This monument is for them.

Oconto County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce it has received a $8,000 grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation, Inc. These funds will support, Winter Wonderland, the popular holiday light display in the City of Oconto.
The grant will allow Winter Wonderland to expand the holiday light display this season. Nothing captures the spirit of the holidays quite like going to see arrays of sparkling lights and ornaments. This expansion wouldn’t be possible without the assistance from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation. This year especially, we could all use a little more holiday spirit.
“It’s spectacular to see families enjoying the lights, time together and the community coming together each year. ” stated Samantha Boucher, Oconto County Tourism Manager, “Even the most bitter of Scrooges can’t resist”.
Don’t miss the opening night of Winter Wonderland scheduled for Friday, November 27, 2020 at 5:00pm at Holtwood Campground, 400 Holtwood Way, in Oconto. See first-hand all the new additions that were made possible by the Leon H. and Clymene M Bond Foundation grant.
Feel the magic this holiday season and stay safe doing it.