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Appleton, WI- Local students have created a unique garden at Fox River Mall creating works of art from mailboxes. Fifteen mailboxes designed by local elementary, middle, and high school art students are displayed in gardens near the Easter Bunny from March 12th to April 5th.

The community is invited to visit this one-of-a-kind garden, choose their favorites then support them by either donating on-line through their mailbox of choice or purchasing it on e-bay. On-line donations can be made at www.foxcitieshabitat.org/mailboxgarden.html. Bidding for the eBay auction will begin Saturday 3/27, and can also be made at www.foxcitieshabitat.org/mailboxgarden.html. All proceeds will directly benefit Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity with the top schools receiving gift cards provided by Fox River Mall.

"This program gave local students an innovative community service project, benefits a great cause and gives our shoppers a wonderful garden to stroll through and enjoy." Said John Burgland, Fox River Mall's Senior General Manager. Tractor Supply Co., Appleton and Vande Hey Landscaping, Appleton have donated products and services to help make this program possible.

Habitat for Humanity is a home ownership program for hardworking families in need of a simple, decent and affordable home. An affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity has built 120 affordable homes in the Fox Valley. Worldwide, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 houses. For more information about Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity please visit www.FoxCitiesHabitat.org and for more information on Habitat for Humanity International, visit www.Habitat.org.

The Vande Hey Company, Inc., a local Appleton design/build landscape contractor, recently received the coveted Gold Award of Excellence from the WLCA – Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association.

Click here to learn more about the project.

The Little Chute Learning Garden has come together on the corner of Grand and McKinley Avenues. The garden was initially made possible by a generous donation of the land by, Chris Hartwig, a community member. From there Superintendent Dave Botz and Little Chute’s curriculum resource person, Jennifer McDermot, worked with Chuck Stangel of the Vande Hey Company and Janet Verstagen of the Little Chute Garden Club to pull the project together. Chuck did the design and Janet provided the gardening experience.

Chuck Stangel provided the design for the project as he had a personal interest and connection to it. “This process started before I got involved,” he said “I’ve known Jennifer for a long time and she knows that my kids all went through the school system, my wife is an employee of the school system, and so for me, it’s the opportunity to practice my craft and do something for the village.”

For more information on the Little Chute Learning Garden please see the original article in the September, 13 2008 edition of the Times-Villager.

The Learning Garden partners are:

Chuck Stangel of The Vande Hey Company

Jim Marks of Security Fence and Supply

Steve and Matt Bastian of Bromanite of Wisconsin

Bruce Bennett of Wood and Dale Nursery

Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival Board

Janet Verstagen of the Little Chute Garden Club

Dave Botz, Jennifer McDermot and Jim Fochs of the Little Chute Area School District

Kaukauna, WI -- Kaukauna Utilities has recently announced its Tree Power Program for 2008. The Tree Power Program is an incentive to plant shade trees to help conserve energy. Any residential customer of Kaukauna Utilities is eligible to receive a rebate for up to 50% of the purchase price of a tree up to $50.00. Each customer will be limited to three tree rebates per year. The Vande Hey Company is proud to partner with Kaukauna Utilities in this program and encourage power conservation and greener living. The rebate incentive applications will be available at the Vande Hey Company for all qualifying customers.

Click here to learn more about how planting trees can reduce energy costs. [kaukaunautilities.com]

Appleton, WI -- With annual snowfall approaching record levels, a local company is finding new ways to keep safety a priority. The Vande Hey Company, a local landscape contractor, is finding innovative solutions for their clients. To combat the shortage of ice-melting salt, Vande Hey has found a new product – a unique combination of beet juice and salt to keep their snow removal clients on their feet.

Appleton, WI -- Spring is right around the corner and you know what that means. Things start popping up all over! This year invest your tax refund into a landscape project and make those hard-earned dollars work for you. Investing in landscape not only adds to the value of your house, but the enjoyment of your outdoor entertaining through the warm months. Not only can the Vande Hey Company be your partner in a wise investment but they can also help you stretch those dollars further with attractive financing. Make an appointment with one of our landscape consultants to get started!