Rally for the Valley: Turning a Moment of Crisis Into a Day of Community

On October 3, the Fox Cities will come together in Downtown Menasha for a free day of music, comedy, storytelling and giving — all in support of a community still recovering from the July 27 tornado.

When a tornado tore through the Fox Cities on July 27, the damage was visible almost immediately. Homes and businesses were damaged. Families were displaced. Neighborhoods that had felt familiar just hours earlier suddenly looked different.

What followed was just as immediate: people started asking how they could help.

Rally for the Valley grew from that instinct.

On Saturday, October 3, from 2–10 p.m., Downtown Menasha will become a gathering place for people from across the Fox Cities and beyond to spend a day together — enjoying live music and comedy, supporting local businesses and artists, sharing stories and turning that energy into meaningful support for recovery.

One idea, a lot of people ready to help

For filmmaker and Neenah native Phil Johnston, the news of the tornado hit close to home.

“Even though I haven’t lived in the Fox Valley for 30 years, it’s still the place I think of as home. As soon as my mom, who still lives in Neenah, told me about the tornado, I wondered how I could help. My first thought was to reach out to a couple of talented friends and see if they wanted to pitch in. They did — immediately — and we were off to the races.”

That first conversation was the beginning of something much bigger.

As word spread, more people raised their hands. Artists wanted to perform. Businesses wanted to contribute. Nonprofits, community partners and volunteers offered their time, resources and expertise.

What started as a simple idea — get some friends together and do something for a community that was hurting — became Rally for the Valley.

And even as the event has grown, that original spirit remains at its center: people showing up for one another in whatever way they can.

Recovery doesn’t look the same for everyone

The tornado happened in a matter of minutes. Recovery takes much longer.

And what recovery looks like can be different for every household.

For one family, it might mean getting help with an unexpected expense. For another, it could mean repairing a damaged home. For someone already struggling to find stable housing, a disaster can make an existing challenge even harder.

That’s why Rally for the Valley is connecting supporters directly with three Fox Cities nonprofits working on different parts of recovery:

LEAVEN helps people facing financial hardship meet immediate needs and navigate unexpected expenses.

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity works to create and preserve safe, affordable housing and is helping address tornado-related home repair needs.

Pillars provides shelter, support and housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability throughout the Fox Cities.

Together, their work is a reminder that rebuilding a community means more than repairing what was physically damaged. It means helping people regain safety, stability and a path forward.

Your support. Your choice.

We wanted giving through Rally for the Valley to be simple and transparent.

Rather than collecting individual charitable donations into one central Rally fund and deciding later where they should go, you choose the organization — or organizations — you want to support.

Learn about LEAVEN, Habitat and Pillars, find the work that speaks to you and give directly to them.

Every path supports the same larger goal: helping the Fox Cities recover.

There’s more than one way to show up

Rally for the Valley is a fundraiser, but this day is about more than dollars raised.

It’s about participation.

Come downtown and spend the day with us. Volunteer. Buy something from a local maker. Grab food from a participating vendor. Learn about organizations doing good work in our community. Share what you experienced during the tornado. Listen to someone else’s story. Make a donation if you can.

There are plenty of ways to be part of Rally before the day even begins: volunteer to help make the event happen; apply as a vendor if you’re an artist, maker, nonprofit, small business or food vendor; share your story if you were affected by the tornado; or give directly to one or more of our three beneficiary organizations.

Priority for vendor participation will be given to businesses and individuals directly impacted by the July 27 tornado, and people sharing their tornado experiences can choose to participate privately or anonymously.

Come rally with us

Rally for the Valley
Saturday, October 3, 2026
2:00–10:00 p.m.
Downtown Menasha
Free admission

Come for the music. Come for the comedy. Come to support a local business or nonprofit. Come because this place is home — or because it used to be. Come because someone you care about lives here.

Whatever brings you, come be part of what happens next.

Recover. Rebuild. Rock On.