OUTSTANDING ARTISTS SINCE 1969 Purchase An Artist’s Food for Joy -- all proceeds are
Over $40,000 has been raised from sales of this book. The total raised to date from sales of all three Edgewood cookbooks is over $265,000.
Over $40,000 has been raised from sales of this book. The total raised to date from sales of all three Edgewood cookbooks is over $265,000.
The full $25 purchase price of each cookbook is donated to non-profit groups benefiting children. to
Also available for purchase at these Door County businesses: Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Bliss at the Marketplace, Cornucopia, Grasse’s Grill, Kick Ash Products, and Main Street Market.
The full $25 purchase price of each cookbook is donated to non-profit groups benefiting children. to children’s charities.
Edgewood Orchard Galleries’ third benefit cookbook, An Artist’s Food for Joy, is our latest collection of artwork and favorite recipes from gallery artists, staff, family, and friends. We’ve always donated the full $25 price to non-profit groups benefiting children — the total raised to date from sales of all three Edgewood cookbooks is over $300,000.
charities. Join us for our 56th season Open 10-5 Daily | May 4 - October 27, 2024 Shop online anytime at EdgewoodOrchard.com
Edgewood Orchard Galleries’ third benefit cookbook, An Artist’s Food for Joy, is our latest collection of artwork and favorite recipes from gallery artists, staff, family, and friends. Available online at EdgewoodOrchard.com
Edgewood Orchard Galleries’ third benefit cookbook, An Artist’s Food for Joy, is our latest collection of artwork and favorite recipes from gallery artists, staff, family, and friends. Available online at EdgewoodOrchard.com
This year, we’re expanding its reach by offering copies of the cookbook to qualifying non-profits to sell for your own fundraiser. Contact J.R. Jarosh at Edgewood for details.
Copies are also available at these Door County businesses: Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Bliss at the Marketplace, Cornucopia, Main Street Market, Grasse’s Grill, and Kick Ash Products.
Copies are also available at these Door County businesses: Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Bliss at the Marketplace, Cornucopia, Main Street Market, Grasse’s Grill, and Kick Ash Products.
Join us for our 57th season
Open 10-5 Daily | April 26 - November 2, 2025
Join us for our 56th season Open 10-5 Daily | May 4 - October 27, 2024 Shop online anytime at EdgewoodOrchard.com
Shop online anytime at EdgewoodOrchard.com 4140 Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212 EdgewoodOrchard.com | info@EdgewoodOrchard.com | 920.868.3579
Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212 EdgewoodOrchard.com | 920.868.3579
4140 Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212 EdgewoodOrchard.com | 920.868.3579
It Matters Where You Bank
When you bank with Nicolet National Bank you contribute to the local economy and quality of life in Door County. Together, businesses are started, homes are built and families are guided through every stage of life. At Nicolet Bank, we believe we are only as good as the communities we serve. We give back to the community we love by supporting the arts, human services, economic development, education and more. Working together we can make our community the best it can be.
When you bank with Nicolet National Bank you contribute to the local economy and quality of life in Door County. Together, businesses are started, homes are built and families are guided through every stage of life. At Nicolet Bank, we believe we are only as good as the communities we serve. We give back to the community we love by supporting the arts, human services, economic development, education and more. Working together we can make our community the best it can be.
Proud to support Door County, because we work and live here too.
Proud to support Door County, because we work and live here too.
Door Community Auditorium’s ENCORE! Campaign supports the
“The
DCA 2024 Season Announcement Party.
Photo by Kayla Larsen
The Dayton Sisters with SistaStrings. Photo by Kayla Larsen
Main Street Market Sponsor Group with 123 Andrés. Photo by Priscilla Hill
Philanthropist of the Year 12
Hometown Vision
Fostering a Healthy BoardCEO Relationship 18
Memoriam 22
Dick Egan
Difference Makers
Joe Cornell 34
Vinni Hancock 35
Chuck and Laurie Baum, Sandy and Ed Miller 37
Marge Grutzmacher 39
Joni Wiltalison 41
The Big Hearts of Little Eddie 43
Lori DeJardin and Ron Wehringer 45
Lori Vandertie and Howard Phipps 47
Hugh and Cheryl Zettel 49
Dale and Dawn Doney 51 Youth Volunteers Give Back, Get Much in Return 54 Causes to Celebrate 60
CONTRIBUTORS 9
GIVING GUIDE 68
GUIDE TO CHARITABLE FUNDS 80
on the cover
A painting of the late Richard “Dick” Egan, by Katie Hohmann. Egan was a driving force for the Door County Community Foundation and philanthropist who died in November of 2024 at age 85.
Going Beyond
The people of Door County – the locals and the visitors – have made our community into something we can all be proud of. We work together to build hospitals, preserve buildings of historical significance and construct homes for one another. We raise money for medical expenses and food. We volunteer to repair hiking trails, usher at concerts and assist at clinics.
Door County is home to more than 300 charitable organizations, each with a different purpose, but all with the same goal: to make our community a better place to live. Resident and visitor alike, we all strive to participate and serve our community in the best ways that we can.
Helen Keller wrote, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
“We all have a gift; we all have a passion – it’s just about finding it and going into it. Being an asset to your family and community.”
– Angela Bassett
Every year, the Door County Living Philanthropy Issue highlights those who go above and beyond to improve the quality of life in our community. In this issue, we focus on the people who make a difference in all our lives. We tell the stories of those who have inspired our community to do better, reach higher and grow.
I hope their stories inspire you. There is still so much to be done.
Thanks for reading.
David Eliot Publisher
editor Myles Dannhausen Jr.
copy editor
Sam Watson
creative director
Katie Hohmann
design associate
Renee Puccini
sales managers
Jess Farley-Nielsen, Stephen Grutzmacher, Claudia Rudzinski
courier
The Paper Boy, LLC
distribution experts
Jeff Andersen, Todd Jahnke, Gavin Jahnke, Dan Farrell
office manager
Ben Pothast
public notiices and digital content coordinator Kait Shanks
chief technology officer
Nate Bell
contributors
Bret Bicoy, Eleanor Corbin, Herb Gould, Brett Kosmider, Kayla Larsen, John Mielke
publisher
David Eliot
owners
David Eliot and Myles Dannhausen Jr.
Door County Living, Inc. 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 920.839.2120 info@doorcountyliving.com doorcountypulse.com
Door County Living, celebrating the culture and lifestyle of the Door peninsula, is published five times annually by Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc., 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202.
To order a subscription, please mail a check for $25 to Door County Living, 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202. If you would like to advertise, please visit doorcountymarketing.com.
BRET BICOY, president and CEO of the Door County Community Foundation, writes a philanthropy column for the Peninsula Pulse.
ELEANOR CORBIN is a reporter at the Peninsula Pulse. She spends her time getting to know her new home, Sturgeon Bay, baking up a storm and jamming to riot grrrl tunes.
Writer and editor MYLES
DANNHAUSEN JR. has been searching out stories for Door County Living since 2005. He lives outside Sister Bay with his wife and three children.
Retired Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter HERB GOULD will soon publish his biography of Curly Lambeau, When Curly Met Destiny. He is a sports columnist for the Peninsula Pulse and lives in Sister Bay with his wife, Liz.
KATIE HOHMANN is the creative director of the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living, and when she isn’t sitting at her desk, she’s standing at it. Her time outside the office is spent painting, paddleboarding and laughing in good company.
BRETT KOSMIDER is a Door Countybased filmmaker and photographer. He specializes in producing documentaries that explore the intricate relationships between ecosystems, the challenges posed by climate change and human impact, and the enduring beauty of wild places.
Door County native KAYLA LARSEN spent 25 years in the service industry before picking up her camera and turning her lens on the community she calls home. She and her husband James live outside Sister Bay with their son Beau.
JOHN MIELKE worked in communications at Fortune 500 companies and at UW-Parkside. He and his wife, Patti, and their poodle, Riley, live on Rileys Bay. Together they enjoy exploring all Door County has to offer.
SAM WATSON is an editorial assistant for the Peninsula Pulse. The UWMadison grad lives in Baileys Harbor with her partner and three cats. When she’s not working, she likes to crochet and watch bad horror movies
Investing in women and girls is a smart choice for funding long-term solutions to issues that concern us all. We believe when we give women the tools they need to succeed, their families and community will prosper.
Promoting Economic Opportunity
Door Peninsula Astronomical Society
Funds from this grant allowed the Astronomical Society to engage intern Amanda Austin, electrical engineering and astrophysics major at Michigan Tech. Amanda presented at viewing nights and led planetarium shows for students. Through Amanda’s enthusiastic outreach efforts, she inspired learners of all ages and introduced girls to an authentic female STEAM role model.
Fostering Appreciation for the Arts
Door Community Auditorium - Makin’ Cake
By using the analogy of making a cake to discuss issues of race, class, and equity in America, this production provided students, teachers, and the community with a model for having difficult conversations by centering curiosity and care.
Encouraging Potential
Boys and Girls Club of Door County – STEAM for Girls of the Future Door
Proceeds from this grant will be used to expand the YMCA’s outdoor playground fencing, allowing more than double the current occupancy to play outside at the same time, and to purchase additional playground equipment.
“The support from the Women’s Fund has been instrumental in empowering our youth and expanding opportunities for local children,” said Kacie Mueller, Development Director of the Boys & Girls Club. “Their commitment helps us break barriers and inspire young people to explore what’s possible.”
County YMCA DONATE NOW THANK YOU!
It is because of the generosity of donors like you that we are able to continue to empower and lift the women and girls in our community to even higher heights.
Hometown Vision
Paulsens Stay True to their Roots
by MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR.
Eric Paulsen’s eyes have always been focused on his hometown. He grew up roaming the streets of Sturgeon Bay on his bike, enjoying the freedom and safety of life in a small town. It was a childhood that left an imprint on him, and he has spent much of his life making sure it’s around to leave an imprint on generations to
Eric and Dee Paulsen.
Photo by Jim Warner.
Someone to Count On
Dee calls her husband a consistent man.
“If you need something done, you call him,” she said, in her typical gentle but matter-of-fact manner. “He’s reliable, and right as rain.”
He first showed that side of himself to her shortly after they met at a party in Sturgeon Bay over Christmas break. He was attending Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and she was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. They hit it off.
“Oh my god, he’s such a nice guy and so interesting, and kind of cute,” Dee recalled thinking.
But she was heading off to England to study abroad and he was heading to optometry school.
“I thought it was too bad I met him at the wrong time,” Dee said.
But Eric wasn’t dismayed. Almost every day, when she was staying in a youth hostel in England, she would find a letter from Eric. Eighteen months after they met, they were married.
Eric initially aimed to follow in his father’s footsteps as a dentist, but got wait-listed for a program. That decided it – he’d be an eye doctor instead.
Soon after college, Dee went to work at Sturgeon Bay Schools and Eric came home to work for Dr. C.L. Pfarr at his optometrist’s office, located in the same building as his dad’s dental practice on 3rd Avenue.
“I worked for him for a year, then he offered to sell me his practice and I said yes, and the rest is history,” Eric said.
He applied to one college, one optometry school (Illinois College of Optometry) and spent his career working in just one place.
“I wanted to live somewhere that I thought would be safe for my family, and Sturgeon Bay just felt like the place I belonged,” Eric said. “I guess you could say I knew what I wanted and stuck with it.”
That decision has been trickling down to the community for decades. Eric has spent his life surrounded by giving people, beginning with his father, Gorgas, and instilling the same ethic in him.
Paulsen has taken several trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic to provide care to hundreds of people without access to eye doctors. Submitted.
“Your true person is who you are when no one’s looking,”
– Annika
Paulsen, Eric Paulen’s daughter
His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was young, and suffered a stroke that left her immobile. An “oopsie” baby who was 8 years younger than his next sibling, Eric helped take care of his mother for five years before she died when he was a senior in high school.
He was there at the founding of the Door County Community Foundation. He served on city committees, as a Sunday school teacher, and at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club. He’s been a committed Rotarian who has hosted, with Dee, multiple exchange students in their home.
Dee is just as giving, whether it be in her 21 years as a teacher at Sturgeon Bay Schools, as a founding board member of Write On, Door County, or as a support for students through outlets like the Clipper Collection, an annual compendium of student writing.
“One of the things about how they approach their philanthropy is they are so modest about it,” said Bret Bicoy, executive director of the Door County Community Foundation. “And yet they can convince so many people to follow their lead with such a modest voice. The way they go about doing this is so inspiring.”
The Paulsens have hosted events in their home to spread the word about worthy community causes, and Eric even used his birthday party as a fundraiser for the United Way. Amy Kohnle has worked with
Your favorite restaurant is only open three days a week instead of seven and you can’t get a reservation. Your eye doctor, dentist or hair stylist appointments are booked for months instead of days or weeks, the shops you liked to visit are closed.
Child Care affects all of us….visitors and residents. It’s a workforce issue, it’s a quality of life issue.
With your help the United Way Child Care Initiatives are making a difference - more providers, increased quality of care, and subsidies to make childcare more affordable for families.
We know that the quality of care that children receive in their earliest years influences the adults they later become. If you’re looking for an impactful opportunity, your gift to United Way’s Child Care Initiatives will make a difference today, and for years to come.
the Paulsens extensively in her 25 years at United Way of Door County.
“Eric is an amazing individual,” Kohnle said.
“He joined the United Way board maybe a year or two after I started. We were really in a different growth stage. He was always fighting for what we needed to make smart and sound business decisions.”
But his impact isn’t just local. Paulsen has taken several mission trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic to provide free eye care to hundreds of people without access to it.
“I’ve been on three of those trips with him,” said Eric’s daughter, Annika, who has taken over the family optometry business. “In the U.S., access to care is often about affordability and insurance coverage. Down there, they don’t even have people and facilities to go to. Things that are easily treatable go untreated. That was a very rewarding thing to be a part of.”
Home in Sturgeon Bay, the Paulsens’ passions lie in people, particularly kids.
“Your true person is who you are when no one’s looking,” Annika said. “He’s very driven by a desire to do the right thing for people. He feels he’s been so lucky in his life that he has time and talent to give to other people, making sure everybody has a safety net in the community.”
It’s a responsibility he takes seriously for a community he takes pride in being part of.
Eric Paulsen at the Write On, Door County annual gala, one of the many organizations the Paulsens support. Photo by Rachel Lukas.
Reinvesting tourism dollars to preserve Door County’s history and natural beauty, Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund recently invested in separate projects through two grant awards; one that assisted the Town of Gibraltar in purchasing 119 acres of land to expand a Fish Creek Park, and another to help construct a public trail on the same property that will connect it to downtown Fish Creek.
Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund has invested nearly $2.2 million dollars in 44 local projects since this innovative grant program began in 2023. Eligible applicants include local 501c3 non-profits, 501c6 organizations and local units of government. Learn more about the program at CommunityInvestmentFund.org
It Takes a Village!
Little Sister Barn, the future home of Sister Bay’s new History Center, is quickly entering Phase 3 of its fundraising program.
Sister Bay Historical Society’s Board President, John Lijewski, invites you to a home viewing of the new background video for this important project, plus a personal briefing on how you can be involved.
Sister Bay’s New History Center
A vibrant community hub to be located at Sister Bay Historical Society’s Corner of the Past Museum, a rural 6-acre property that celebrates the village's rich history while paving the way for its future:
Educational Programs
Community Events
Historical Exhibits
Digital Archives
Call today to schedule your family’s personal home viewing of “It Takes A Village”
John Lijewski (920) 421-4240
Fostering a Healthy Board-CEO Relationship
by BRET BICOY
President & CEO of the
Door County Community Foundation
One of the most common questions I get from nonprofit CEOs and executive directors is this: how do I manage issues with the volunteer board of directors?
These leaders may be dealing with a board member who’s entangled in the minutiae of daily operations, or a chair who is overstepping boundaries and giving direct instructions to the staff. Far too often, nonprofit CEOs find themselves consumed by the delicate dance of determining what information to share, how to share it and with whom.
Whenever I’m asked for counsel on such matters, I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to rarely give thought to these dynamics with the board of directors at the Door County Community Foundation. Now in my 18th year as president and CEO, I’m privileged to enjoy a relationship with our volunteer board that is rooted in openness, trust, mutual respect and a shared commitment to serving Door County.
A remarkable amount of freedom comes from not having to think about how to “manage” our board of directors. When confronted with a challenge, instead of being “strategic” about what information is conveyed, I am in the enviable position of simply sharing both what I and our team think – and what still befuddles
us – with the complete confidence that the talented volunteers that serve on our board and its committees will help us think through the problem.
This culture didn’t develop by accident. It’s the product of years of intentional effort by both the board and the CEO working together to cultivate a partnership that endures beyond any one individual.
The First Relationship
The cornerstone of a healthy board-CEO dynamic is the relationship between the chairperson and the CEO.
This partnership begins with a clear understanding of their distinct roles. The CEO leads the organization’s day-to-day operations, manages staff, implements programs and ensures the nonprofit’s mission is fulfilled. The chair, on the other hand, stewards the board’s governance work, ensuring strategic priorities are set, governance responsibilities are fulfilled and the CEO is supported and evaluated.
The key here is collaboration, not command. The CEO doesn’t work for the chair, but for the board as a whole. The chair’s role isn’t to manage the CEO, but to serve as a partner who ensures consistency between the board’s governance and the CEO’s operational leadership.
When the chair and CEO are aligned in their vision and priorities, they set a powerful example for the entire board and staff, providing a steady hand to guide the organization even through uncertain times.
Success is Built on Trust
Building trust begins with open and honest communication. For the CEO, trust means being transparent about the realities of the organization and the challenges it faces. The CEO must be able to share the good, the bad and even the ugly, with confidence that the board will respond with constructive feedback and continued support. For the board, it means creating a safe space where this level of transparency is not only welcomed, but commonplace.
Trust also requires follow-through. When the board and CEO make commitments to one another, whether about addressing a concern or pursuing a new initiative, those commitments must be honored.
If there’s one ingredient that’s absolutely essential to the board-CEO relationship, it’s trust. Trust is the foundation upon which all else is built. Without it, even the most competent leaders will find themselves mired in miscommunication and misalignment.
Ultimately, trust must flow both ways. Just as the CEO must be forthright with the board, the board must practice openness and transparency in its dealings with the CEO.
If both sides adopt this approach in their dealings with each other, over time, the relationship transitions from an affiliation to be managed into the bedrock upon which everyone relies during times of crisis.
Arbor Crowne Properties, located in the lobby of the historic Hillside Waterfront Hotel in Ephraim, is committed to Door County through ongoing community service and support.
arborcrowneproperties.com
hillsideofdoorcounty.com
Maintaining Culture through Transitions
One of the greatest risks to any nonprofit is overreliance on individual relationships. A strong chair-CEO partnership is invaluable, but what happens when the chair’s term ends or the CEO moves on? Sustaining a culture of trust and collaboration requires intentional effort to ensure continuity beyond the tenure of any individual.
At the Door County Community Foundation, we’ve implemented an informal but invaluable practice of a governance team. This team consists of the current chair, the presumptive next chair, the past chair and the CEO.
While not mandated by our bylaws, this group plays a critical role in sustaining our culture through leadership transitions. The current chair provides active leadership, keeping the board focused on its governance responsibilities. The presumptive next chair gains hands-on experience, observing and participating in key discussions to prepare for their future role. The past chair offers institutional knowledge and serves as a mentor to both the current and incoming leaders.
Together, this governance team ensures that the transition between chairs is seamless and the board’s leadership remains consistent. It also provides an important relief valve by offering a safe space for the CEO and board leadership to share any concerns we have about each other, thereby providing an opportunity to address them before the pressure becomes untenable.
At its most basic, the governance team provides a safe space to address our most immediate challenges. At the Community Foundation, when faced with pressing decisions, I often turn to the governance team for quick feedback. More importantly, in the process of dealing with a challenge, the board’s leadership transfers cultural norms from one generation to the next.
The relationship between a nonprofit Board and its CEO cannot be taken for granted. At its best, this partnership is a powerful force for advancing the mission, inspiring confidence among stakeholders and sustaining the organization’s impact over time. By prioritizing trust, fostering open communication and building mechanisms for cultural continuity, a charity ensures that this vital collaboration remains strong, allowing the organization to focus all its energy on fulfilling its mission.
Get to the Point! Remembering Dick Egan
by MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR.
Dick Egan wasn’t a sugar-coater, at least not by the time I met him.
He was in his 70s then, already feeling the pressure to get more done before his clock ticked to zero. So when you saw him at a function, he might throw a good-natured jab or two, but you could feel his impatience, his urge to talk about something more substantial. If you met him for lunch, it didn’t take long after the beer was ordered for him to get down to business.
Annie and Dick Egan. Door County Living file photo.
Dick Egan had an agenda.
“Here’s who I’m hearing is going to run for Gallagher’s seat.” “What’s with this development in Sister Bay?” “What are you hearing about paper prices?”
But mostly, there were problems that needed solutions, damnit, and he didn’t want to waste time loitering with small talk while he could be figuring out what those solutions were.
He was the voice that drove the Door County Community Foundation into a new direction, making a sizable contribution for the foundation to invest in its professional staff. That turned the organization into one that not only does so much good in our community, but steers so many others to do even greater good.
“He considered his charitable giving as an investment,” wrote Community Foundation Executive Director, Bret Bicoy for the Peninsula Pulse, after Dick died. “The ‘return’ he sought was a meaningful impact on the community.”
That’s exactly what Dick and his wife, Annie, made.
Behind the scenes, Dick started conversations among movers and shakers and matched problems with problem-solvers. In 2016, he and Annie were named the Door County Community Foundation’s Philanthropists of the Year. In 2018, Annie led the Celebrate Water initiative, a two-year effort to drive discussions about the
water around and beneath us and the threats to the health of that water.
Even now, four months after Dick died at 85 in November, 2024, his last email to me sits at the bottom of my inbox. I haven’t been able to archive it yet, and maybe I never will. Dick wrote as he talked –blunt. When I read that email, I hear his voice.
In fact, I hear it often. He loved newspapers and what the best of them aspire to be: a place of community. This magazine is the sister publication of the Peninsula Pulse, the weekly newspaper that Dick considered our last salvo in the fight to save local news. Dick considered a good newspaper a place to keep up on your local government, your high school sports, your school boards – but also a place of ideas and solutions.
Dick fretted over the future of newspapers. If a printing press closed or a major paper shut down, an email from Dick was sure to find me shortly. If someone wrote about new ideas for journalism, he’d send that too. And if his son, the award-winning journalist and author Dan Egan, was up to something, he never failed to let me know. Speaking of which, if you want to read the best obituary we’ve ever printed in the Peninsula Pulse, find Dan’s incredible tribute to his father at doorcountypulse.com.
In his final years, in what may have been the ultimate comment on his character, Dick was fired up more than anything by the
future of Scandia Village. The Sister Bay retirement center and nursing home was up for sale, and Dick feared the worst. He plugged into the rumor mill, shared what he was hearing, twisted arms of those who might be able to help.
“That place is vital,” he told me. “People retire here because they know they’re going to have a quality place to live when they need to.”
Dick knew that most of the people who give great sums to charity and community causes in Door County aren’t native to this place. They find it later, and fall in love. They move to spend their last decades or years here, and when they do, this is where they often decide to leave a legacy. Without Scand, Dick worried, some might choose someplace else.
Dick never lived at Scand and never intended to. His concern wasn’t for him, but for this community that he loved.
And now, each time the Pulse comes out, my mind conjures up the gravely voice of Dick Egan.
“What the hell kind of cover was that?”
“That was a great story Deb wrote about…”
“It was a good piece on child care, but what I want to know is…”
He was a part of the conscience of the paper, a sort of de facto ombudsmen keeping tabs on us, for the sake of the community –and a friend we miss dearly.
received the Group Award. Door-
A Community Fund
Investment fund enhancing experiences for residents and visitors
When the municipalities of Door County voted to increase the county-wide room tax in 2022, they weren’t aiming to generate more marketing dollars. Instead, the Door County Tourism Zone Commission sought to make tourism pay off more for local projects.
In 2023 Destination Door County and the Door County Community Foundation created the Community Investment Fund, which uses a portion of room tax revenues to create a fund to make grants to county organizations and municipalities to fund projects that enhance the resident and visitor experience.
In just two years the fund has awarded $2,160,082 in grants to support projects throughout the peninsula. Those funds have helped enhance our beaches, build trails for bicyclists and pedestrians, and enhance access for our most vulnerable residents and visitors.
By the Numbers
$714,737
Grants for bike and pedestrian trails and paths
$386,740
Grants for public restroom improvements
$342,609
Grants made to improve ADA access to facilities
$234,145
Grants made for water access and conservation purposes
$189,700
Total grants for public playgrounds
15
Different communities that have received awards
10
Grants for projects aimed at sharing local history
Live Here Why I
by SETH TAYLOR illustrator and bridgetender
Why Sturgeon Bay? If you could live absolutely anywhere in the world and you had that knowledge of those places, why would you pick here? Why would this be meaningful to you?
I think that’s something people don’t ask themselves. They wind up in places accidentally and that just becomes the thing.
But when I look at what’s happening in Sturgeon Bay and the community that’s grown up around our family, I can stand in this building with these people around me and I can say, “Yeah, I prefer this to all of these other things that are awaiting us in all of these other places. This place has meaning, this place is a good, valuable place to spend the days of incarnation that I have.”
And on the bridge, you might ask “Is that moving the world? What meaning is there for you?” I say, OK, watch a sunset up there. Just watch a sunset, and then tell me that doesn’t light you from within just as much as it’s lighting the Door County sky.
Another thing is the extremism that seems to be taking over the cultural mindset in so many other places hasn’t happened here. We have people of different political beliefs, but there’s still a willingness as a community to work towards things that are generally good, communal benefits, rather than how do I grab my particular thing. I think that’s rare and that makes it a community worth being a part of.
Seth Taylor moved to Door County in 2020 after 30 years of moves between China, Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea, where he primarily earned his living as an English teacher but practiced art on the side. Now he works in his studio above Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay and moonlights as a bridgetender on the Bay View Bridge. He lives in his studio building with his wife and young daughter.
above Seth Taylor gets a different perspective on Sturgeon Bay from his seat tending to the Bayview Bridge. Photo by Brett Kosmider.
by
ELEANOR CORBIN
TV
The Value of Volunteerism
ime is money; the average value of a single volunteer hour is $33.49 as of April 2024, according to the University of Maryland Do Good Institute. Using this metric, volunteering two hours a week for a year is comparable to donating nearly $3,500.
As home to over 350 nonprofit organizations, according to the Door County Community Foundation, the peninsula relies on a massive community of volunteers to regularly give a few hours of their time.
But nationally, participation in volunteer activities is on the decline. It has been for well over a decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated this trend, according to the Washington Post.
Some local nonprofits have already seen the effects of this decline. For example, Sunshine
Resources of Door County, which supports residents with disabilities, has struggled to maintain an adequate number of volunteers since the pandemic, according to Director of Development Jeremy Paszczak. Sunshine Resources now has about 20-25 core volunteers, Paszczak said, but the ideal number is closer to 40-50.
“We’re not quite where we’d like to be as far as our volunteer pool’s concerned,” Paszczak said.
Volunteers can take on tasks that allow paid staff members to focus on more involved duties, like assisting clients who need help
going to the bathroom or eating. But with a smaller volunteer pool, Paszczak said staff members are stretched further and must coordinate with each other to accommodate all their clients.
Other local organizations have enough volunteers, but aren’t sure how long that will be the case. That’s true for Neighbor to Neighbor, a nonprofit that provides free medical equipment loans and peer companionship for those feeling lonely in Door County.
Ann Bennett is Neighbor to Neighbor’s only paid employee; the other 50-or-so people involved with the organization in 2024 were volunteers.
While the size of this group is enough to meet the organization’s needs, Bennett said, most of the volunteers involved are over 65 and close to retiring from their duties.
“We had one individual who was in her 80s and still doing the medical equipment,” she said. “She retired
The boardwalks that are so emblematic of The Ridges Sanctuary were built almost entirely by volunteers. Door County Living file photo.
The share of total volunteer hours worked by the over 65 population grew from
18.5%
in 2002 to 28.6% in 2021.
U.S. Census Bureau population surveys
from doing that this year and so we had to look for a replacement for her.”
The volunteer situation is similar at the United Way of Door County, a nonprofit that works with various community partners to improve education, financial stability, and health. Like Neighbor to Neighbor, United Way has enough volunteers, but not many young ones.
The aging population of volunteers, United Way Director of Operations Kelly Hellmann said, is another national trend that has found its way to Door County. The share of total volunteer hours worked by the over 65 population grew from 18.5% in 2002 to 28.6% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau current population surveys.
Even the super volunteers are fewer and farther between, Hellmann said.
“Those volunteers are getting harder to find and they’re getting tired,” she said.
Where to Go From Here
Lack of free time is one major deterrent to volunteering. About half of Americans cite their packed schedules as the main reason why they do not volunteer, according to the Stanford Center for Longevity.
The study also showed that people often find volunteer schedules to be too complicated or inflexible. Hellman, who coordinates volunteer connections and reopened the volunteer program at United Way after the pandemic, said it’s important for nonprofits to emphasize different ways people can get involved in conjunction with their existing commitments.
Hellman said there are five types of volunteering:
• Scheduled volunteerism, a regular commitment where people typically dedicate the same number hours weekly or monthly
• Micro volunteerism, oneoff involvement usually for a single event with no long-term commitment required
• Self-driven volunteerism, involving remote work done on the volunteer’s own time, such as paperwork
• Occasional volunteerism, long-term involvement with no scheduled commitment, like when an organization intermittently calls upon someone for help using a particular skill
• Group volunteering, which involves people who already know each other volunteering together, as in a team building activity.
Volunteers build a new home for a local family for Habitat for Humanity. Door County Living file photo.
Volunteers clear invasives and plant native trees at Pebble Beach in Sister Bay. Door County Living file photo.
In Hellmann’s opinion, targeted recruitment – advertising volunteer opportunities differently based on the commitment level and type of activity – will be an important tool for organizations going forward.
“You need to figure out how to identify what you want in a volunteer for a specific job, and then you need to figure out how to find those people, what’s the best way to reach them,” Hellmann said.
An example of this technique in action can be found in the United Way’s AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program, through which volunteers provide free tax assistance to older and low-income individuals. Most years, Door County has a waitlist of people hoping to get their taxes done, but not enough volunteers to help them.
To address this problem, United Way of Door County organizers specifically reached out to people with banking and accounting backgrounds. Targeting individuals who are good with numbers resulted in a small increase in the volunteers for this program so far, Hellmann said.
Sunshine Resources is not seeing the same results from their recruitment efforts. Despite increasing volunteer marketing both digitally and through the mail, Paszczak said the organization has not attracted the number of new volunteers they had hoped for.
“We’d like to see more results from the efforts that we’re putting in,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop. We’ll probably even ramp them up even more.”
Bennett is working to prepare for future shifts in participation by researching what works for other organizations, both around the country and in Door County.
$3,500 THE VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING
TWO HOURS A WEEK FOR A YEAR
The Door County Non-Profit Group (DCNG), a cooperative of members of local nonprofit organizations who gather monthly, is one of the ways local organizations learn from one another.
Paszczak, who serves on four non-profit boards in addition to his job at Sunshine Resources, said this kind of mutual support will be necessary to navigate the changing landscape of volunteerism.
“I think if you ask every nonprofit organization is Door County. They all have their core volunteers,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a matter of those organizations coming together and sharing, not only the resources that they have, but also sharing with the volunteers they have.”
top Bell ringers collect donations for the Salvation Army each holiday season. Door County Living file photo.
middle Door County Rotary North volunteers staff a rest stop for the Peninsula Century Spring Classic, one of many events the group helps to support. Door County Living file photo.
bottom The Scand Auxiliary presents a check for $25,000 to Northern Door Children’s Center. Door County Living file photo.
Volunteers Keep the Door Running
by MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR.
The hundreds of nonprofits that provide the vital services, cultural enrichment and educational opportunities in Door County are all dependent on volunteers to meet their goals.
In the following pages we highlight just a few of the them who fill roles large and small for local
These are people who have found ways to make their skillset match a need for a nonprofit, even if they may not have thought they’d have a passion for the cause.
Amy Kohnle is director of the United Way of Door County, where they are often helping connect groups with volunteers.
“Maybe you have a literacy organization, where they’re teaching people to read and write or read
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Vinni Hancock (right) leads students on a hike during a Friends of Gibraltar forest days program. Photo by Kayla Larsen.
At the Y, we know we aren’t simply in the community, but a part of it, and when we strengthen others we strengthen ourselves. This is Y.
At the YMCA...
• Parents find a safe, nurturing environment for their children to stay active, be engaged, and learn positive values.
• Children and teens play and develop self-confidence while feeling accepted and supported.
• Adults connect with friends, pursue interests, and learn how to live healthier.
• All people are supported on their health and wellness journey.
• People from all backgrounds and walks of life come together to volunteer and help strengthen their community.
The Door County Y - a non-profit organization that strengthens the foundations of our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
you to
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Writing connects us all.
We invite you to create. To reflect. To inspire. To focus. To engage. To connect.
Welcome to Write On’s Writing Center — in the heart of Door County.
On Juddville Road, just off Highway 42, is a place for writers, readers, and word adventurers of all ages to gather and to explore, to teach and to learn. It’s a quiet retreat with a welcoming library and cozy chairs. It’s a hive of activity for book clubs and events. It’s our Writer’s Walk — winding paths through 59 acres of verdant woods lined with birches and wildflowers.
Discover everything Write On has to offer. Just drop in for some quiet time to write, become a member, or attend a workshop, conference, or other event.
It is all made possible by our generous donors whose support brings the joy and magic of creating and sharing writing to so many. We are so very grateful.
experience,
Gibraltar’s Glue Gal
Joni Witalison
naturally, as her mom was her Girl Scout leader and often volunteered her time.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Joni Witalison is famous for convincing friends and family alike to join in on her community involvement.
“She has a way of getting all her girlfriends and their husbands to volunteer right along,” said Lori Pothast, one of Witalison’s close friends. “Before you knew it, we were volunteering as well.”
A Gibraltar Historical Association board member and Door Community Auditorium usher, Witalison has dedicated her time to many different organizations and causes. For 15 years she served as the volunteer coordinator of the Door County Half Marathon, becoming an integral part of staging the county’s largest sporting event.
Born and raised in Door County, Witalison said she comes by her dedication to the community
Witalison has similarly served as her children’s scout leader, an experience that allowed her and her kids explore the community together, she said. She found it rewarding to watch the scouts come into their own over the years, especially since she led a Girl Scout group from kindergarten through senior year.
“It was just really neat to watch the girls find their little niche of what they like to do and watch them all grow,” she said. “Now they’re all in their mid to late 20s, off doing great things.”
Witalison’s dedication to her community continues with her own children. Her son, Travis Witalison, is a firefighter and EMT in Gibraltar, as well as the high school trap shooting coach. He grew up helping his mom set up for festivals and
half-marathons, and while he sometimes dragged his feet when he was younger, he now looks forward to the time he spends with his mom at these events.
“She ropes us into this sort of thing, and I’m not complaining by any means,” Travis Witalison said.
Joni Witalison emphasizes that the people around her make her community work possible. While her four kids were growing up, her mom provided free childcare, which allowed Witalison to make time to volunteer. She also credits her husband, Gary, with not only joining her in much of her volunteer work, but picking up the slack at home when she gets too busy.
“The supportive family and my husband is what makes it doable for me to do the things I’ve done in the community,” Witalison said.
– Eleanor Corbin
Photo by Brett Kosmider.
In Door County, 25% of our neighbors are ALICE, and an additional 9% are living at or below the federal poverty level.
ALICE is going to work everyday but struggling to make ends meet. Alice families are often faced with tough decisions, like paying the rent or taking the kids to the doctor.
United Way introduces
Thriving in Door County
Thriving in Door County offers participants the opportunity to choose personalized, self-paced training that creates a pathway toward a more stable and financially secure future. Participants will invest in their personal growth by applying valuable tools and utilizing resources within a supportive and safe environment. Thriving in Door County’s aim is to put
above Peninsula Golf Course general manager Jason Daubner with the founding core of the Little Eddie Big Cup, Ivan Bridenhagen, Rachel Willems, Lauren Aurelius, Kayla Larsen and James Larsen. Submitted.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Photo by Morris Rye
Driving the Extra Mile
Lori Vandertie and Howard Phipps
For many residents on the peninsula, simple trips for errands that most of us take for granted are difficult endeavors.
Door-Tran seeks to make it easier, relying on a team of volunteers to make it happen.
Door-Tran is a community network dedicated to connecting people to affordable transportation services.
Lori Vandertie, of Sturgeon Bay, was curious about the need for drivers and found out that Door-Tran could give more rides if the organization had more volunteers.
“I thought about this need and what a great program this was, and decided to offer to help out,” Vandertie said. Eleven years later she is still helping out, getting people to vital appointments, but also to family visits and shopping.
“If you choose to become a volunteer, you will be making a great difference in someone’s life,” Vandertie said.
Howard Phipps credits Kim Gilson, the DoorTran volunteer coordinator, with getting him involved
“I had experience with mobility issues years ago,” Phipps said. “I also enjoy driving and
meeting new people, so Door-Tran appeared to be a neat fit for me.”
Phipps has been volunteering with Door-Tran for more than seven years. He finds it rewarding to provide a needed service, especially given the limited local options for public transportation.
“Some of my riders could not otherwise afford to get to their appointments,” Phipps said. “DoorTran gives people mobility.”
Founded in 1962 by the Peninsula Arts Association in honor of Francis Howe Hardy, The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts, Inc., also affectionately known as The Hardy Gallery, is a not-for-profit arts organization enriching the vibrancy of the Door County community by promoting and fostering local art. The organization supports initiatives that address the needs of the local artist community, the creative enrichment of local youth, the education of the public, and the promotion of the visual arts and artists of the Door County Peninsula. The gallery welcomes more than 20,000 visitors every year and offers exhibition opportunities to over 600 artists, thanks to the support of our dedicated team of 40+ volunteers. You make it possible for The Hardy to enrich our community and touch lives in such a special way.
920.854.2210 | info@thehardy.org | www.thehardy.org The Hardy Gallery is a non-profit 501 c3 Public Charity
Cultivating a
The landscape, culture, and creative energy of Door County have attracted artists and art lovers for nearly a century From painters, sculptors, and musicians to actors, poets, and writers, the Door Peninsula has been home to countless creative types, including visionary and museum founder Gerhard CF Miller, and they’ve left more than their mark They’ve created a vibrant and robust art scene that continues to expand with each passing year The Miller Art Museum has, since its inception in 1975, served as a pillar of the artistic community, providing artists and worldwide audiences an accessible platform for the exploration, appreciation, and advancement of the visual arts We are grateful to our community our sustaining members, donors, volunteers, visual artists, patrons, community partners, and corporate and private exhibition sponsors who make our work possible We have much to celebrate and look forward to in the years ahead as we are a stronger organization because of you thank you!
To learn more about the museum, how you can support its future, or to inform us of your intent to include the Miller Art Museum in your estate plans, please contact Elizabeth MeissnerGigstead, executive director, at 920 746 0707 or egigstead@millerartmuseum org The museum is located at 107 S 4th Ave inside the Door County Library in the heart of historic downtown Sturgeon Bay
2025 SEASON
GENERAL ADMISSION HOURS 11am-4pm
RAPTOR CHATS all day and up close with resident birds!
Open Saturdays June 21 – August 30
PLUS ... Sunday Aug 31
Adults $10 • Ages 5-12 $7 • Under 5 FREE Private Tours By Appointment
• Behind The Scenes
• Personalized Experience
• Available Year ‘Round
Pace Setters
Dale and Dawn Doney
Since making Door County their yearround home in 2019, Dale and Dawn Doney have become dedicated volunteers for the Peninsula Pacers, an organization responsible for several large community events, including the Door County Half Marathon and Peninsula Century rides.
The Doneys first volunteered at the Door County Pond Hockey Tournament, where Dale Doney served as scorekeeper. Since then, the two have become some of the organization’s most dependable volunteers, said Pacers’ registration Adirector Jordan Burress.
“They are the type of people that reach out to me first to see if I need help with any events” Burress said.
In addition to their work with the Pacers, the Doneys also volunteer for The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor and the Door Community Auditorium in Fish Creek.
“Whether it’s the Pacers organization or the community auditorium, we’re just developing more of a long-term relationship with that organization,” Dale Doney said.
- Eleanor Corbin Submitted
Youth Volunteers Give Back, Get Much In Return
by JOHN MIELKE
The word “volunteer” often creates a mental image of a person who is – well, let’s just say they’ve been on the planet for a while. But that’s not always the case.
Younger people are volunteering throughout Door County at churches, healthcare facilities, the YMCA and other organizations.
Jaden Diller, Helen McCormack and Abi Tooley are just three examples. Diller and Tooley are graduates of Southern Door High School, while McCormack graduated from Gibraltar School. Each began volunteering as students in middle or high school.
Diller’s first opportunity was with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
“I got involved because Mrs. Patty O’Rourke came into my 8thgrade class and talked about the program,” Diller said. “It sounded
appealing to me, so I decided to volunteer the next school year as a freshman.”
Diller balanced volunteering with a busy schedule of academics and sports. He said the experience was well worth the effort and that he enjoyed the time spent with his partner student.
“We became really close friends,” Diller said. “We both looked forward to seeing each other each week, and we were excited to talk about whatever we felt like.”
McCormack, who now attends Yale University, remembers helping out with the Door County Half Marathon while she was in high school.
“Growing up, I had watched my mom and her friends run the race, so I was familiar with the fun setting and great volunteer atmosphere,” she said.
Another opportunity came in 2020. McCormack and her bandmates in the Gibraltar High School band volunteered at a Memorial Day observance held that year at the Skyway Drive-In Theatre due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was nervous,” she said. “More distinctly, however, I remember feeling struck with the somber atmosphere. It was a moving moment to honor the people of our community who have given everything for those they love.”
Tooley, who now attends St. Norbert College, was in 7th grade when she was asked to be part of Chop ‘N’ Shop With a Cop. Founded in 2003 by Door County Sheriff Tammy Sternard, the program pairs students from all Door County schools with law-enforcement officers for some holiday fun.
“The students get to cut down a tree, take a picture with Santa, shop for their families, and end the day by wrapping presents at the
Abi Tooley started volunteering with the Chop ‘N’ Shop With a Cop program in seventh grade. Photo by Remy Carmichael.
“I’ve learned so many new skills and experienced different perspectives on how to get things accomplished. In the end, volunteering has given me the opportunity for personal growth to help build my self-esteem [and] confidence, and build a stronger sense of community.”
– Abi Tooley
Sheriff’s Department,” Tooley said. “I mainly got involved because it was a family tradition.”
But six years later, Tooley still helps out as one of Santa’s elves.
“Each year, my heart is so full to see these students’ excitement in having a day just for them during the holiday season,” she said.
The Benefits Go Both Ways
Diller, McCormack and Tooley, who each received a Door County Golden Heart Award nomination, agree that volunteering creates many benefits.
As a child, McCormack often visited the Ridges Sanctuary near Baileys Harbor.
“It didn’t occur to me to volunteer there until my junior year of high school,” she said. “The robust volunteer community is truly a testament to the extraordinary
quality of the organization. Every time I’m there, I learn something new.”
Diller says his volunteer experiences help him today as he manages his own landscaping company.
“I learned about hard work and dedication, which will benefit me forever,” he said.
For Tooley, volunteering helped her think about life from different perspectives.
“Volunteering helped give me a reality check,” she said. “Sometimes I think people forget how fortunate they are. I realized from a young age that helping people was a passion of mine, so going into college I knew I wanted to help people one day in my career.”
McCormack noted another benefit that comes with volunteering: A clearer, happier mind. “It’s well-documented that there are a number of positive psychological
effects that accompany volunteering,” she said. “Honestly, I think one’s overall outlook on life is inevitably uplifted.”
Give Volunteering a Chance
For younger – and older – Door County residents who may be considering a new volunteer position, Diller, McCormack and Tooley have some advice.
“Get into something that you have time for,” Diller said. “Don’t force yourself to volunteer with something you are not going to give all your effort to. If you find something you enjoy doing, you can realize the impact you make and cherish your time doing it.”
McCormack encourages people to get started as soon as they can and try a variety of activities.
“I think it’s important to find the volunteer activity that fits best with one’s personality,” she said.
(From left) Jaden Diller has remained a mentor for Aiden Schley even after Diller graduated from high school last year. “We love Jaden,” said Schley’s mother, Krista Schley. Photo courtesy of Jaden Diller.
“Whenever I hear of people in need, I have the desire to be a part of the solution. I’m often involved in causes relating to the environment because they inevitably have global consequences. But I also find it just as rewarding to be involved with local causes, where I can see change happening before my own eyes.”
– Helen McCormack
“I also highly recommend doing the first few experiences with others to make the situation less intimidating. I just encourage people to be excited when they show up to volunteer.”
Tooley advises potential volunteers to take advantage of the opportunities to learn about different organizations that best fit their interests.
“Volunteer as much as possible in a wide variety of charitable organizations,” Tooley said. “I understand how, at times, it may be uncomfortable or seem like a lot of work. However, just a couple of hours can change someone’s life.”
Color photos by xoME Studio
Helen McCormack. Photo by Jason Mann.
MAY
2025 RUN CAUSE for a
3,
The Door County Half Marathon’s Run for a Cause program has helped runners raise more than $247,000 for area charities since 2010. To join the effort, email jordan@peninsulapacers.com. Runners receive a free entry to the Door County Half Marathon or Nicolet Bay 5K when they raise at least $250 for an area charity of their choice. Find more information at doorcountyhalfmarathon.com.
SUPPORT DOOR COUNTY’S CHARITIES IN 2025!
PREVIOUS CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
Alzheimer's Association
SE WI Chapter
Alzheimer's Association
American Cancer Society
American Folklore Theatre/ Northern Sky Theater
American Heart Association
Badger Honor Flight
Bay Area Humane Society
Big Brother Big Sisters
Big Brother Big Sister of Dane County
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Common Threads
Cranio Care Bears
Diabetes Research Institute
Door Cancer
Door Community Auditorium
Door County Boys and Girls Club
Door County Cancer Center
Door County Community
Foundation
Door County Green Fund
Door County Habitat for Humanity
Door County Humane Society
Door County Kinetic Arts
Door County Land Trust
Door County Medical
Center Brighter Day Fund for Mental Health
Door County Ministry Fund
Door County Silent
Sports Alliance
Door County Medical Center
Skilled Nursing Facility
Center Dental Clinic
Door County YMCA
Door County YMCA
Strong Kids Campaign
Door Shakespeare, Inc.
Door Tran
Ed Strege Family Memorial Fund
Ellie Helm Foundation
Family Centers of Door County
Family Services of Northeastern Wisconsin
Feed My People
Feith Family Livestrong Program
Fermilab Friends for Science Education
Friends of Peninsula State Park
Friends of Plum & Pilot Island
Gibraltar Fire & Rescue
Gibraltar Girls Track Team
Goodwill Industries of SE Wisconsin
Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation
Hardy Gallery HELP of Door County
International Justice Mission
Isadoora Theatre Company
Katie's Fund
Kenan Bunda Cancer Fund
Lakeshore Natural
Resource Partnership
Leukemia Research Foundation
Liberty Grove Fire Department
Macc Fund
Make A Wish
Mikayla Onken's
Leukemia Benefit
Milwaukee RiverKeepers
Ministry Door County
Medical Center Foundation
Cancer Center
Mission22 My Team Triumph - WI Chapter
NAMI/Jak's Place
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Door County Inc.
NEW Curative's Adult
Day Program
Northern Door Children's Center
Oneida Humane Society
Ounce of Prevention
Pancreatic Cancer
Action Network
SPONSORED BY
Peninsula Preschool
Peninsula School of Art
Prevent Suicide Door County
Nathan Wilson Coalition
Progeria Foundation
Ridges Sanctuary
Riding on Insulin
Ronald MacDonald House
Runners Against Childhood Cancer
Scandia Village Good Samaritan
Sheboygan Public
Education Foundation
Spread the Love Fund
Stray Animal Fund Endeavor
Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church
Sue Baldwin Fund
Sunshine House
Super Heroes Fighting Cancer
The Clearing
The Community's Garden
The Progeria Foundation
United Way of Door County
VETS Roll
We Are Hope
Wellness Center of Door County
WEP, Inc
Wilson Disease Association
Women's Fund of Door County
Write On Door County
celebrate
On June 23, Kari Baumann (left) and Ryan Weisgerber (right) look on as children cut the ribbon to officially open the new playground at the park named for Baumann and Weisgerber’s late sister, Kendall Weisgerber, who died as a child in 1991. Photo by Larry Mohr.
The Gibraltar School community gathered at the football team’s Sept. 6 game to support Braden Sitte, a 2024 Gibraltar who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma earlier in the summer. Photo by Remy Carmichael.
celebrate
Northern Door Children’s Center held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 26 for the second phase of its building project, which will change every part of the building’s interior. Photo by Steve Grutzmacher.
Write On, Door County dedicated the new Olson Family Memorial Council Ring on May 11. A gift from Ted and Lady Olson, the communal outdoor meeting space is dedicated to Yvonne Bevry Olson and Jane Anne Perkey, two mothers who inspired a lifelong love of reading and writing in their families. Photo by Remy Carmichael.
Oct. 18. The project was more than five years in the making. Submitted.
Leathem Smith Lodge hosted the 14th Wounded Hero Fishing Event in August, bringing 86 veterans together for two days and three nights of fishing, relaxation and companionship. The lodge covered the cost of lodging and meals for the veterans. Photo by Elenor Corbin.
in 2024, making appearances at events around the peninsula after volunteers raised funds to restore and reinvent it.
the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation Sept. 21.
by Eleanor Corbin.
Photo
Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr.
Support Fund Oct. 6 at Peninsula State Park Golf Course. Photo by Kayla Larson.
gathered dozens of friends to support
and
who has previously made bone marrow donations to two strangers and was a living liver donor to a three-year-old boy, suffered a confusing and debilitating medical emergency. Struck with chronic fatigue and headaches, Anderson ultimately underwent extensive neurological testing and brain shunt surgery. The run raised more than $5,000 to help with Anderson’s medical expenses.
Longtime Ephraim resident Betty Chomeau was honored as the Fyr Bal Chieftain June 22 for her many contributions to the village. Photo by Tad Dukehart.
The sixth Barney Fun Run
Sister Bay native
now Minneapolis resident Ben Anderson. Anderson,
Photo by xoMe Studio.
This year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, held Sept. 14 at Martin Park, drew more than 300 walkers. The event raised over $55,000, surpassing its original goal of $35,000. Photo by Remy Carmichael.
GIVING GUIDE
TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS IN DOOR COUNTY
Door County is a special place. There is a spirit that keeps us here — or draws us back each year. It’s no surprise then that this special place is home to so many dedicated individuals working tirelessly to sustain our unparalleled quality of life. This comprehensive list of over 350 local charities, associations, and citizen groups was carefully compiled to connect passionate people with the local causes that truly matter.
The list was compiled through a good-faith search of tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service and a review of other publicly available documents. Of course, given the difficulty of maintaining such a comprehensive database, it is inevitable that there will be the occasional oversight. If you discover one, please accept our sincerest apologies and send additions and corrections to webmaster@givedoorcounty.org.
TAX-EXEMPT CLASSIFICATION
Although there are many Door County organizations that are “tax-exempt” under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, not all of them are considered charitable by the IRS Generally speaking, a contribution to an organization classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity earns the maximum tax deduction allowed by law. The tax deductibility to other types of 501(c) organizations varies depending on a number of factors. Please contact the organizations directly to confirm their tax status and the deductibility of any gift you may choose to make. Visit the IRS website at irs.gov to see a complete explanation of the different types of exempt organizations.
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Art and Nature Center 1799 Main Road Washington Island, WI 54246
wianc.org
Birch Creek Music Center, Inc.
PO Box 230 Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 868-3763
birchcreek.org
Colin & Friends Concerts Inc. PO Box 248 Ephraim, WI 54211 colinandfriendsconcerts. org
Door Community Auditorium
3926 Hwy 42 PO Box 397 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2728
dcauditorium.org
Door County Folk Alliance Ltd. PO Box 276 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
dcfolk.com
Door County Jazz Foundation, Inc.
DoorCountyJazzFestival. com
Door Shakespeare, Inc.
10038 Hwy 57 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 839-1500 doorshakespeare.com
Francis Hardy Gallery, Inc. of Door County PO Box 394 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-2210 thehardy.org
Gunderson Denardo Foundation W2996 Gibraltar Road Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 839-2925
Isadoora Theatre Company (920) 495-5940 isadooratheatrecompany. com
Island Players, Inc. PO Box 160 Washington Island, WI 54246
islandplayers.org
Midsummer’s Music Ltd. 10568 Country Walk Lane, Unit 43 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-7088 midsummersmusic.com
Midwest Institute for Theater Arts of Oshkosh 11158 N. Sand Bay Lane Sister Bay, WI 54234
Miller Art Center Foundation, Inc. 107 S. 4th Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-8450
MUSE Sturgeon Bay 330 Jefferson Street Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 920-333-2859 musesturgeonbay.org
Northern Sky Theater 9058 County Road A Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 854-6117
northernskytheater.com
Peninsula Arts Association PO Box 21 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 peninsulaartsassociation.com
Peninsula School of Art 3900 Cty F PO Box 304 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3455 peninsulaschoolofart.org
Peninsula Belgian and American Club, Inc. c/o Kim Potier Davis 1255 N. 12th Place Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 belgianamerican.org
The Peninsula Singers PO Box 611 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 thepeninsulasingers.org
Peninsula Music Festival, Inc. PO Box 340 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-4060 musicfestival.com
Peninsula Players Theatre Foundation, Inc. W4351 Peninsula Players Road Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3287 peninsulaplayers.com
Peninsula Symphonic Band, Inc. PO Box 84 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 peninsulasymphonicband.org
Rogue Theater PO Box 782
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 818-0816 roguetheater.org
Third Avenue
PlayWorks, Inc. PO Box 843
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-1760 thirdavenueplayworks.com
Thor Johnson Endowment Trust PO Box 340 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-4060
Too Much Fun Productions
DBA: Fishstock 2996 Maple Grove Road E. Fish Creek, WI 54212 (414) 659-1521 fishstockmusic.com
Washington Island Art Association, Inc. PO Box 16
Washington Island, WI 54246
washingtonislandarts.com
Washington Island Music Festival PO Box 235
Washington Island, WI 54246 (406) 239-6802 washingtonislandmusic festival.com
Wilson and Carol Trueblood Performing Arts Center PO Box 136 Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2528 truebloodpac.com
BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS
Baileys Harbor Community Association 8061 Hwy 57 PO Box 31
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-2366 doorcounty.com/ baileys-harbor
Clark Lake Advancement Association, Inc. c/o Robert Kufrin, 5558 Quiet Cove Lane, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 clarklakewi.com
Destination Door County 1015 Green Bay Road PO Box 406 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4456
doorcounty.com
Door County Bar Association, Inc. c/o Richard Hauser PO Box 89 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6505
Door County Deputy Sheriffs Association 1201 S. Duluth Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Farm Bureau Cooperative 3030 Park Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9206
Door County Home Builders, Inc. PO Box 112 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 493-3242 dchba.org
Door County North PO Box 10 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 854-4450 doorcountynorth.org
Door County Realtors Association PO Box 684 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9651 dcbr.org
Door County Service Club Coalition of Sturgeon Bay c/o Door County Community Foundation 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1786
Egg Harbor Business Association
PO Box 33
Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 868-3717
eggharbordoorcounty.org
Ephraim Business Council PO Box 203 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-4989 ephraim-doorcounty.com
Fish Creek Civic Association 4097 Hwy 42 PO Box 74 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2316 visitfishcreek.com
Glidden Drive Association, Inc.
PO Box 261 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Jacksonport Advancement Corporation
6706 Memorial Dr.
Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 823-2800
Jacksonport Area Business Association
c/o Bob Geitner 6275 Hwy 57 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
jacksonport.net
Joint Professional Law Enforcement Association of Door County, Inc.
c/o Tammy Sternard
1201 S. Duluth Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Little Sturgeon Area Property Owners Association, Inc. PO Box 421 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 824-5007
Little Sturgeon Business Owners Association
c/o Becky Hirthe 3605 Cty CC Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Sister Bay Advancement Association, Inc.
PO Box 351 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-3230 cometosisterbay.com
Southeast Jacksonport Neighborhood Association, Inc.
c/o Eric Wickstrom 6706 Memorial Dr. Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Sturgeon Bay Area Advancement Corp
c/o Peter Krauss
PO Box 212 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Destination Sturgeon Bay 36 S. 3rd Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6246 sturgeonbay.net
Washington Island Chamber of Commerce
2206 W. Harbor Road
Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2179 washingtonisland-wi.com
Washington Island Electric Co-op, Inc. 1157 Main Road
Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2541
Washington Island Town Mutual Insurance Company 1246 Main Road Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2041
Wisconsin Harbor Towns Association c/o Stephen A Kase 324 N. 12th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 wisconsinharbortowns.net
CHURCHES
Bahais of Gibraltar Town 9633 Cty A Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-9698
Bay View Lutheran Church 340 W. Maple Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4705
Bethany Lutheran Parsonage
3051 Cedar St. Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-4065
Bethel Baptist Church 852 Europe Bay Road Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 854-4490
Calvary United Methodist Church 4650 Cty E Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 868-3112 calvaryzionumc.org
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church 9986 Hwy 57 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 743-5155
Christian Science Society
212 S. 7th Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-8582
Christ the King
Episcopal Church 512 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-3286
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 660 N. 18th Avenue Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4797
Church of the Atonement 9390 Cottage Row Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2700
Church of the Precious Blood 9696 Cty C Brussels, WI 54204 (920) 824-5061
Community Church of Fish Creek P.O. Box 70 9420 Cottage Row Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3811 P www.ccfishcreek.org
501 c(3) Public Charity
Corpus Christi
Catholic Church
25 N. Elgin Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4716
Door Bible Baptist Church
1607 S. Stevenson Pier Road Sturgeon Bay WI 54235
Door County Family Fellowship-TNT Ministries, Inc.
3821 Gibraltar Road Fish Creek, WI 54212
Door of Life Christian Church 2731 Hwy 42 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 421-1525
dooroflife.org
Emanuel Lutheran Church 8612 Cty Road D Forestville, WI 54213
Emanuel Lutheran Church of Kolberg 8612 Cty Road D Forestville, WI 54213 (920) 743-6683
Ephraim Moravian Church 9970 Moravia Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-2804
Episcopal Church of Christ the KIng and Holy Nativity PO Box 828 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-3286
Family Educational Broadcasting Corporation of Door County Wisconsin 1715 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6065
Family Worship Center Assembly of God 1715 Michigan Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6065
First Baptist Church 2622 S. Bay Shore Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-2544
First Baptist Church of Sturgeon Bay 610 N. 5th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5058
Friends Community Church 204 W. Maple St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-2714
Full Gospel Churches
International 4285 Cherry Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Hainesville Lutheran Church PO Box 259 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9806 hainesvillelc.com
Holy Name of Mary Rectory 7491 County Road H Sturgeon Bay WI 54235 920-856-6440
Holy Nativity
Episcopal Church 3434 Cty V Jacksonport, WI 54235 (920) 743-3286
Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Mission Sister Bay, WI 54234 (900) 622-8000
Hope United Church of Christ 141 S. 12th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-2701
hopechurchdc.org
House of Praise Ministries c/o Rev Rodney Johnson PO Box 56 Brussels, WI 54204
Immanuel Lutheran Church 7973 Hwy 57 PO Box 115 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-2224
Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends 204 W. Maple St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 iaym.org
Jacksonport United Methodist Church 6154 Cave Point Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 868-3112 jacksonportmethodist.org
Lighthouse Gospel Fellowship Ltd. 11339 Homestead Dr. Ellison Bay, WI 54210
Living Word Full Gospel Fellowship, Inc. 83 W. Maple St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Prince of Peace 1756 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-7750
Saints Peter & Paul Church 4767 E. Dunn Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4842
Salem Lutheran Church 3339 Cty MM Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6683
Seventh Day Adventist Church 9402 Hill St. Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3925
Seventh Day Adventist Church 6121 Gordon Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9511
Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church PO Box 27 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 shepherdofthebay.org
Sister Bay Moravian Church 10924 Old Stage Road Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-4080
St. Francis & St. Mary’s Catholic Parish 9716 Cemetery Road Brussels, WI 54204 (920) 825-7555
St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church 4911 Brauer Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5343
St. Joseph Catholic Church 526 Louisiana Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-2062
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 2336 Canterbury Lane PO Box 559 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-9600
St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church 8013 Hwy 57 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-2041
St. Paul Lutheran Church W4167 Juddville Road Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2826
St. Peters Lutheran Church PO Box 85 Forestville, WI 54213
Stella Maris Catholic Parish
Egg Harbor Location: 7710 Hwy 42
Baileys Harbor Location: 8013 Hwy 57
Fish Creek Location: 4019 Hwy 42
Jacksonport Location: 6236 Hwy 57
Sister Bay Location: 2410 S. Bay Shore Road (920) 868-3241
stellamarisparish.com
Stewards of Grace Ministries 10821 Stage Road Brussels, WI 54204
Sturgeon Bay Community Church PO Box 703 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-9587
The Orchard 7630 Logerquist Road Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 333-3544 theorchardefca.org Transformation of our Lord Chapel 10762 N. Bay Shore Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-4215
Trinity Lutheran Church 1765 Town Line Road Washington Island, WI 54246
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County 10341 Hwy 42, Ephraim PO Box 859 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-7559 uufdc.org
United Methodist Church of Sturgeon Bay 836 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-3241
sturgeonbay methodist.org
White Star Church 2481 Cty C Brussels, WI 54204 (920) 388-2622
Zion Lutheran Church 6710 Cty T Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 743-5153
Zion United Methodist 8781 Cty F Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3112
CIVIC GROUPS AND SERVICE CLUBS
Altrusa International of Door County, Inc. PO Box 523 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 altrusaofdoor county.org
American Association of University Women c/o Peggy Odegaard 337 N. 16th Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Local 1658 c/o Cheryl Burmeister 151 Leeward St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-2240
American Legion Archie Lackshire Post 72 692 Tacoma Beach Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 823-2109
American Legion 0402 PO Box 143 Washington Island, WI 54246
American Legion 0527
Billy Weiss Post 956 N. Spring Road Sister Bay, WI 54234 legion.org
American Legion Auxiliary 2206 W. Harbor Road Washington Island, WI 54246
American Legion Auxiliary PO Box 305 Forestville, WI 54213 legion-aux.org
American Veterans (AM VETS) of World War II
Korea and Vietnam PO Box 183 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Brussels Union Gardener Fire Department Inc. 9952 Cty N Brussels, WI 54204 (920) 493-7110
Catholic Daughters of America 1058 Ct Pere Marquette 1714 Memorial Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Catholic Order of Foresters 1963 Cty C Brussels, WI 54204 catholicforester.org
Catholic Order of Foresters 9462 Cty D Forestville, WI 54213 catholicforester.org
Catholic Order of Foresters 25 N. Elgin Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 catholicforester.org
Door County Dairy Promotion Committee 421 Nebraska St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Economic Development Corporation 185 E. Walnut St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-3113 doorcounty business.com
Ellison Bay Service Club, Inc. PO Box 181 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 421-1754
Ephraim Men’s Club PO Box 204 Ephraim, WI 54211 Free & Accepted
Mason of Wisconsin 31 S. 3rd Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 493-3727 wisc-freemasonry.org
Friends of EphraimGibraltar Airport
c/o Timothy Halbrook PO Box 61 Fish Creek, WI 54212 friendsofephraim gibraltarairport.com Friends of Washington Island
PO Box 222 Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2030
Independent Order of Odd Fellows
214 N. Fulton Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 ioof.org
International Association of Fire Fighters
c/o Mike E. Smith 605 Kentucky Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 iaff.org
International Association of Lions Clubs PO Box 81 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-7968
lionsclubs.org
International Association of Lions Clubs
Jim Noll
1579 Ledge Road Brussels, WI 54204
lionsclubs.org
International Association of Lions Clubs
c/o Robert Erickson 788 Egg Harbor Road Egg Harbor, WI 54209 lionsclubs.org
International Association of Lions Clubs
c/o Ann Schmitz PO Box 126 Forestville WI 54213 Lionsclubs.org
International Association of Lions Clubs 137 N. 10th Place Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 lionsclubs.org
International Association of Lions Clubs PO Box 164 Washington Island, WI 54246
Jacksonport Women’s Club 3365 Cty V Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Kiwanis Club of Sturgeon Bay c/o Mike Wagner 4543 E. Shorewood Point Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 559-0055 kiwanis.org
Knights of Columbus 692 Tacoma Beach Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-1010 kofc.org
Knights of Columbus 2478 Msgr Broens PO Box 533 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-1375
kofc.org
Knights of Columbus 4896
Our Lady of the Bays 8357 Cty F Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 kofc.org
Knights of Columbus 6444 Our Lady of Good Help Council 1003 Pleasant Ridge Road Brussels, WI 54204 kofc.org
Leadership Door County, Inc. PO Box 874
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
leadershipdoorcounty.com
League of Women Voters of Door County PO Box 306 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 lwvdoorcounty.org
Lions International Egg Harbor PO Box 143 Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 854-2142 lionsclubs.org
Memorial to Door County Fallen Veterans, Inc. PO Box 9 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorcountyveterans.com
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association c/o Marilyn Grose 214 Fulton Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 narfe.org
National Association of Letter Carriers c/o Imogene R. Peters 1245 Rhode Island St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 nalc.org
National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
4840 Country View Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (202) 879-3343 dar.org
Northern Door First Responders PO Box 287
Sister Bay, WI 54234
Optimist International c/o William Baudhuin 55 S. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 optimist.org
Order of the Eastern Star of the State of Wisconsin 729 Memorial Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 easternstar.org
Pioneer Fire Company, Inc. 421 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Rotary Club of Door County North PO Box 61 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 doorcountyrotary@ gmail.com
Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay Breakfast, Inc. PO Box 81 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay, Inc. PO Box 81 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 854-2142 sturgeonbayrotary.org
Sister Bay and Liberty Grove Firefighters Association, Inc. PO Box 287
Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-4021 sblgfd.com
Sons of Norway PO Box 231 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 sofn.com
Southern Door Fire Dept, Inc. PO Box 158 Forestville, WI 54213 (920) 856-6264
Sturgeon Bay Breakfast
Rotary Charitable Trust PO Box 81 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5272
Sturgeon Bay Optimist Door County Foundation PO Box 9 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Sturgeon Bay Rotary Club Charitable Trust PO Box 9 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5551
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans 6572 Memorial Dr. Egg Harbor, WI 54209 thrivent.com
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
160 S. Madison Avenue Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
United States Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association 4520 Weber Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 uscgcpoa.org
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8337 United States Dept of Wis PO Box 201 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 746-0357 vfw.org
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3088
United States Dept of Wis c/o Raymond Hogan 902 Alabama Place Apt 3 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-8709 vfw.org
Veterans of Foreign Wars
United States Dept of Wis 112 Woodcrest Road Sister Bay, WI 54234 vfwwi.org
Washington Island Fire and Rescue, Inc. PO Box 250 Washington Island, WI 54246
or visit us at 8142 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor.
Wisconsin Jaycees, Inc. PO Box 284 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 sturgeonbayjaycees.com
COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS
Door County Community Foundation, Inc. 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1786 givedoorcounty.org
Southern Door Community Foundation 1610 Orchard View Ln, Brussels, WI 54204 sdcommunity.wix. com/sdcf-try-2
Washington Island Community Foundation PO Box 68 Washington Island, WI 54246
EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Björklunden vid Sjön
Lawrence University of Wisconsin PO Box 10 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-2216 lawrence.edu/dept/bjork/ Bordui Foundation PO Box 9 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Catholic Schools of Door County, Inc. PO Box 541 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Clearing Endowment Trust PO Box 65 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 854-4088 theclearing.org
Clearing Folk School PO Box 65 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 854-4088 theclearing.org
Door County Library Foundation, Inc. 107 S. 4th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6578
Door Peninsula Astronomical Society 2041 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorastronomy.org
Education Association of Gibraltar Area 3924 Hwy 42 PO Box 670 Fish Creek, WI 54212
Friends of Door County Libraries Association 107 S. 4th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Gibraltar Area Educational Endowment Fund c/o DCCF 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1786
Literacy Door County, Inc. PO Box 473
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
NWTC Education Foundation
2740 W. Mason St. PO Box 19042 Green Bay, WI 54303 (920) 498-5444
Philanthropic Educational Organization
P.E.O. Executive Office/ Treasurer’s Dept.
Helen Schreiber Allen Scholarship #8347 3700 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312
Sevastopol Alumni Benefit c/o Gary Welch 4553 Hwy 57 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Sevastopol Education Association c/o Mary Guy 4550 Hwy 57 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
St. John Bosco Catholic School, Inc.
730 W Maple St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4144
Sturgeon Bay Education Foundation c/o Wendy Kase PO Box 191 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5242
Thomas J. Webb Scholarship Trust 3931 Bay Shore Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6926
Washington Island
Education Association
888 Main Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
Write On, Door County 4177 Juddville Road
PO Box 457 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-1457
writeondoorcounty.org
ENVIRONMENT & ANIMAL GROUPS
Climate Change Coalition PO Box 334
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (715) 330-4660 climatechange doorcounty.com
Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc. PO Box 608 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-5895 crossroadsatbigcreek.org
Door County Environmental Council, Inc.
10579 Country Walk Drive
Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 743-6003 dcec-wi.org
Door County Land Trust 217 N. 4th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1359
Door County Quality Market Animal Sale 1419 Rhode Island Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Therapy Dog Teams, Inc.
2292 Hilly Ridge Road Brussels, WI 54204 920-495-2434 doorcounty therapydogteams.com
Friends of Peninsula State Park, Inc. PO Box 502 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-6256 peninsulafriends.org
Friends of Potawatomi State Park, Inc. 3740 Park Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-2890 runwild.org
Friends of Rock Island State Park 1924 Indian Point Rd Washington Island, WI 54246 fori.squarespace.com
Friends of the Door County Park System, Inc.
c/o Park Directors Office PO Box 228 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 co.door.wi.gov
Friends of Toft Point, Inc. c/o Charlotte Lukes 3962 Hillside Road Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Friends of Whitefish Dunes 3275 Clark Lake Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 823-2400 thefriendsofwhitefish dunes.org
Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership
c/o Jim Kettler PO Box 62 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 304-1919 lnrp.org
The Nature Conservancy 342 Louisiana St. Sturgeon Bay WI 54235 nature.org/wisconsin
Newport Wilderness Society, Inc. PO Box 187 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 854-2500 newportwilderness society.org
Open Door Bird Sanctuary 4114 Cty I Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 opendoorbirdsanctuary.org
Ridges Sanctuary PO Box 152 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 839-2802 ridgessanctuary.org
Sustain Door, Inc.
308 S. 12th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-9792 sustaindoor.org
The Green Fund
222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1786
Whitetails Unlimited, Inc. PO Box 720 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6777
whitetailsunlimited.com
Wild Ones of Door County Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 824-5193 wildones.org
Wisconsin Humane Society Door County Campus 3475 Park Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1111 doorcountyhumane society.org
GRANTING FOUNDATIONS
100+ Women Who Care Door County c/o DCCF
222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 100WWCDoorCounty.org
Cliff and Clara Herlache Foundation c/o DCCF 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1786 doorcountycommunity foundation.org
Door County Charities, Inc.
c/o Richard Heardon Jr. 5335 Horseshoe
Bay Road
Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (800) 761-7070
doorcountycharities.com
Ellsworth and Carla Peterson Charitable Foundation
3797 Bayshore Drive
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-4501
Goldammer Family Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 10 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2226
Hedeen Foundation, Inc.
218 N. 14th Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-7225
PJ Hedeen & Children Foundation, Inc.
4716 Martin Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6500
Raibrook Foundation, Inc.
30 N. 18th Ave. Suite 4 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-2995
raibrookfoundation.com
Robert A. and Lynn I. Doneff Foundation, Inc. 7833 Dock Road
Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 684-6940
Rosemann Family Foundation, Inc. 11473 Beach Road Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-5934
Tatman Foundation c/o Julia Chomeau PO Box 497 Ephraim, WI 54211
United Way of Door County, Inc.
57 N. 3rd Ave. Lower Level PO Box 223 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-9645
unitedwaydc.org
Women’s Fund of Door County c/o DCCF 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 womensfundof doorcounty.org
HEALTH-CARE ORGANIZATIONS
Coventry Care 10547 Koessl Lane Sister Bay, WI 54234
Door County Bridges 2622 S. Bay Shore Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-2544
dcbridges.org
Door County Medical Center 323 S. 18th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5566
dcmedical.org
Door County Medical Center Foundation, Inc. PO Box 230 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-1071
dcmedical.org/Giving
Island Memorial Medical Fund, Inc. 581 Silver Birch Lane Washington Island, WI 54246
Prevent Suicide Door County Nathan Wilson Coalition PO Box 491 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 495-2383 preventsuicidedc.org
Sue Baldwin Fund PO Box 383 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 839-1114
suebaldwinfund.com
Unity Hospice 30 N. 18th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-6440 unityhospice.org
Washington Island Community Health Program PO Box 277 Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2108
HISTORIC PRESERVATIONISTS
Citizens for Our Bridge, Inc. PO Box 653 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 steelbridgesongfest.org
Door County Historical Society PO Box 71 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc. 120 N. Madison Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5958
dcmm.org
Egg Harbor Historical Society, Inc. PO Box 264
Egg Harbor, WI 54209 (920) 868-3297
Ephraim Foundation Heritage Fund, Inc. PO Box 165 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-9688
ephraim.org
Ephraim Historical Foundation, Inc. PO Box 165 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-9688
Friends of Plum & Pilot Islands PO Box 61 Washington Island, WI 54246 (715) 823-6873
Gibraltar Historical Association PO Box 323 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-2091 historicnoble.org
Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. c/o DCCF 222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 horseshoebayfarms.org
Jacksonport Historical Society, Inc. 4768 Hwy 57 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6415
jacksonporthistorical society.org
Liberty Grove Historical Society PO Box 94 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 839-5022
libertygrovehistorical.org
Namur Belgian Heritage Foundation, Inc. c/o Stephen A. Kase 30 N. 18th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-8381
Northeastern Wisconsin
Antique Power Association Incorporated 5005 Country View Road Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Sister Bay Historical Society, Inc. PO Box 34 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-7680
sisterbayhistory.org
Sturgeon Bay Historical Society, Inc. PO Box 827 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 493-0572
Washington Island Farm Museum, Inc. PO Box 127
Washington Island, WI 54246 (920) 847-2156
Washington Island Heritage Conservancy Corp.
1391 Main Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
HUMAN AND SOCIALSERVICE CHARITIES
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin
1345 W. Mason St. Green Bay, WI 54303 (920) 498-2227
bbbsnew.org
Boys & Girls Club of Door County PO Box 579 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 818-1046
Christ Child Society of Door County PO Box 572 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 823-2200
Community Resource Program of Door County, Inc.
dba Feed My People/ Clothe My People 204 N. 14th Ave. PO Box 741 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9053
Door CANcer, Inc. PO Box 423 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorcancer.com
Door County Habitat for Humanity
410 N. 14th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-2869
Door-Tran
1009 Egg Harbor Road PO Box 181 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9999
Family Services of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc.
Healthy Families (920) 746-9040
Sexual Assault Center of Door County (920) 746-8996
57 N. 12th Ave. Suite 110 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
familyservicesnew.org Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc.
1112 N. Adams St. Suite 101 Green Bay, WI 54301 (888) 747-6945
gsnwgl.org
GO BO Foundation c/o DCCF
222 N. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
HELP of Door County, Inc.
219 Green Bay Road
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-8785
helpofdoorcounty.org
Hispanic Resource Center of Door and Kewaunee Counties, Inc. 1618 Texas Place
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 559-1878
Jak’s Place 1623 Rhode Island St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 818-0525
lakeshorecap.com
Lac Baie Girl Scout Council Inc. Camping Trust PO Box 9 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-5486
Lakeshore CAP
131 S. Third Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-0192
lakeshorecap.org
Legal Aid Society of Door County, Inc.
131 S. 3rd Ave. PO Box 846
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-3934
Literacy Door County, Inc. PO Box 473 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-8185
literacydoorcounty.org
Money Management Counselors
57 N. 12th Ave. Suite 104 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-1862
moneymanagement counselors.com
Neighbor to Neighbor: Volunteer Care Givers of Door County, Inc. PO Box 626 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-7800
Thank you for 90 years of unwavering support! Your countless volunteer hours, ticket purchases and financial contributions help sustain and enhance the Peninsula Players Theatre experience and nourish critical community and educational programming, such as student matinees.
“Among the many things I am grateful for in this past year is the opportunity to take the Gibraltar High School senior class to Peninsula Players Theatre’s performance of ‘The Stranger’ by Agatha Christie. This type of experience is incredibly valuable for students and is also a wonderful way to reinforce community connections. I truly thank you for providing this rich and memorable experience for my students.”
Linda Fey Gibraltar High School English Teacher
Northern Door Children’s Center
10520 Judith Blazer Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-4244
northerndoorchildrens center.org
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. PO Box 213 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 421-8814 pflagdoorcounty.org
Peninsula Preschool, Inc. PO Box 171 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-2112 peninsulapreschool. weebly.com
Senior Citizens Agency of Northern Door, Inc. 290 Smith Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-9669
Sunshine Resources, Inc.
55 W. Yew St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-7943
We Are HOPE, Inc. 1300 Egg Harbor Road Suite 124, Cherry Point Mall Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-7273 wearehopeinc.org
RECREATIONAL GROUPS
Cycling Without Age Door County PO Box 282 Ellison Bay, WI 54210 (920) 421-2204 cwadoorcounty.com
Door County Master Gardeners Association, Inc. PO Box 485 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
dcmga.org
Door County Rod & Gun Club, Inc. PO Box 463 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorcountyrodand gunclub.com
Door County Scottie Rally, Inc. PO Box 337 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202 (920) 493-5878
Door County Skate, Inc. 1026 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Snowmobile Trails Association, Inc. c/o Steve Sohns
2833 Maple Grove East Fish Creek, WI 54212
Door County Soccer Association
415 N. 12th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 jtevers@hotmail.com
Northern Sky Theater’s One Act of Kindness Society
Northern Sky’s One Act of Kindness Society celebrates those who have chosen to create a lasting legacy by including Northern Sky in their will, trust, or estate plan. The phrase “one act of kindness” comes from the title of a song in Boxcar, by Laurie Flanigan Hegge and James Valcq. The song insists that one act of kindness often ripples out into many others, opening “doors that were shut” by reminding us “there is good in the world.”
Jim Caldwell created one such ripple when he named Northern Sky in his estate plans. When Jim passed away in 2018, we asked his wife, Susan, how Jim would like to be recognized for his generous gift. Susan said, “Well, Jim’s the kind of guy who would love to have his name on all the practical stuff.” And so now we have the Jim Caldwell Production Building as part of our creative campus where we keep all the “practical stuff” that allows us to make theater magic. Susan Caldwell, now a member of Northern Sky’s Board of Directors, would like to encourage others to join Jim in our One Act of Kindness Society.
To notify us of your plans, or to learn more about what including Northern Sky in your estate plans might look like, please contact Holly Feldman at holly@northernskytheater.com or 920-633-3228.
Door County Trails PO Box 523 Egg Harbor, WI 54209-9564
DoorCountyTrails.org
Door County Toy Library 107 S. 4th Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6578
Door County YMCA, Inc. 1900 Michigan St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorcountyymca.org (920) 743-4949
Door Devils Motorcycle Club, Inc.
c/o Tim Gauphier PO Box 804 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 495-4003 doordevilsmc.com
Ephraim Yacht Club PO Box 331 Ephraim, WI 54211 (920) 854-7107
eyc.org
Kewaunee Door County
Salmon Tournament, Inc. PO Box 555
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 883-9792 kdsalmon.com
Northern Door Volleyball Association Incorporated PO Box 454 Fish Creek, WI 54212
Open Door Pride PO Box 792 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 opendoorpride.org
Peninsula Flyers Inc. Chapter 630 PO Box 524
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Peninsula Golf Association, Inc. PO Box 275 Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 854-5791 peninsulagolf.org
Need Help? Call (920) 743-8818
Mission Statement: The mission of HELP of Door County is to eliminate domestic abuse through prevention and intervention services, and to advocate for social change. Vision Statement: We desire a world free of violence, that recognizes the uniqueness and capabilities of all persons; where all people have access to resources; where all people respect each other and appreciate differences.
HELP’s Services
• Advocacy, Crisis Intervention and Emotional Support
• Check us out online on Facebook, Instagram, and our website: https://helpofdoorcounty.org
Do Good Door County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the aging experience by fostering community connections, supporting independent living, and promoting programs that help residents thrive at every stage of life.
Aging in Place:
Signature Programs:
• MatchUp Door County: Connecting experienced individuals with local businesses for purposeful part-time employment opportunities.
• SAIL (Senior Advocacy for Independent Living): Providing services and support to help older adults maintain independence.
• Vitality in Aging: Promoting social, physical, and nutritional health through engaging activities and a unique rewards system.
We focus on developing programs that help residents stay connected and age comfortably in the community they love.
Stronger Together: We unite businesses, government, and organizations to tackle shared challenges and enhance quality of life for all ages.
Join us in building a dynamic, collaborative community that respects and enriches the aging experience. Contact us at 920-659-5159 or email dogooddoorcounty@gmail.com
Peninsula Gun Club, Inc.
3702 Juddville Road
Fish Creek, WI 54212 (920) 868-3509
peninsulagunclub.com
Soccer Association for Youth 1711 Utah St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
doorsoccer.com
Southern Door Snow Travelers, Inc.
c/o Stanley Laviolette RR4
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Stock Horse of Wisconsin, Inc.
c/o Brandon Schopf PO Box 866
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 495-2280
stockhorseofwisconsin.com
Sturgeon Bay Girls Front Court Club
c/o John R. Asher
180 E. Redwood St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament, Inc. PO Box 242 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 sbobt.org
Sturgeon Bay Sevastopol Wrestling Club, Inc.
c/o Gary Shefchik
1105 S. 19th Place
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club
600 Nautical Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6934
sturgeonbayyachtclub.com
Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club Sail Training Foundation, Inc.
600 Nautical Dr. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 sturgeonbayyachtclub. com
Trillium Quilt Guild
c/o Laurie Moegenburg 11110 Ironwood Road Sister Bay, WI 54234
United States Bowling Congress, Inc.
c/o David Homan 6727 Hwy 42 Egg Harbor, WI 54209 bowl.com
United States Power Squadrons 1609 Texas Place Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 usps.org
Washington Island Sportsman and Conservation Club, Inc.
PO Box 100 Washington Island, WI 54246
DOOR COUNTY ESTATE-PLANNING ATTORNEYS
Blazkovec, Blazkovec & Downey
James A. Downey 409 Steele Street PO Box 98 Algoma, WI 54201 (920) 487-5571
Dahl Law Firm, Ltd.
Collin J. Dahl 10589 Highland Road Suite 4 Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-7100
Hoyerman Law Office
Richard Hoyerman 10568 Country Walk Lane Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-6070
Pinkert Law Firm, LLP
Richard Hauser
Amy Sullivan
454 Kentucky St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-6505 and 350 Sunset Dr. Sister Bay, WI 54234 (920) 854-2616
Pribyl Law Office S.C.
Matthew J. Pribyl
30 N. 18th Ave.
Building 10A Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-8485 doorcountylaw.com
Nina Martel Law Office SC
Nina H. Martel 508 Jefferson St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 746-4475
Ross Estate Planning
Robert Ross 55 S. 3rd Ave. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-9117
Stephen P. Johnson Law Offices
Stephen Johnson 54 E. Oak St. Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 (920) 743-2129
ARE YOU FINANCIALLY CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO BE PHILANTHROPIC?
- Do I have excess capacity to give?
ARE YOU FINANCIALLY CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO BE PHILANTHROPIC?
John Woerfel, CFP® Wealth Management Advisor
john.woerfel@nm.com 920-393-9585
johnwoerfel.nm.com
John Woerfel, CFP® Wealth Management Advisor john.woerfel@nm.com 920-393-9585
johnwoerfel.nm.com
- Do I have excess capacity to give?
- What risks can I mitigate in my current plan?
- What tax benefits am I missing?
- What risks can I mitigate in my current plan?
- What tax benefits am I missing?
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional John can bring clarity to these questions.
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional John can bring clarity to these questions.
The mission of the Door County Community Foundation is to inspire people to give back to sustain and advance the community we love. We do that by serving as a conduit for giving. We’re a charity whose purpose is to make giving simpler, easier, and more tax efficient so you can be as generous as possible to the charities and causes you care about.
We’ve published this Guide to Charitable Funds as a resource to help you with your giving. For a more complete listing of the nearly 400 non-profit and civic groups in Door County, visit us online at www.GiveDoorCounty.org – or just give us a call at (920) 746-1786.
Help us inspire people to give back to sustain and advance the community we love.
Board of Directors
Jim Vander Heiden, Chair of Egg Harbor
Retired Vice President/Principal, HGA Architects and Engineers
Stephen O’Hearn, Vice Chair of Sister Bay Retired, Partner and Global Insurance Leader, PwC
Vicki Wilson, Secretary of Sturgeon Bay President-Founder, Door County Coffee Co.
John McGinnis, Treasurer of Sturgeon Bay Retired Executive, Energy Industry
Jeff Ottum, Past Chair of Sturgeon Bay
Retired Senior Vice President Human Resources, Schreiber Foods, Inc.
Fred Anderson of Sister Bay Owner, Ashbrooke Hotel, Egg Harbor
Inge Alverson Bacon of Sevastopol Certified Public Accountant
Professional Staff
Bret Bicoy President & CEO
Jessica Holland VP of Philanthropic Services
Amanda Brooker Philanthropic Services Officer
Adam Peronto Philanthropic Services Officer
John Bykowski of Ephraim
Retired President and CEO, SECURA Insurance Companies
Natalie Gorchynsky of Egg Harbor Community Philanthropist
John Hauser of Sturgeon Bay Chaplain, Door County Medical Center
John Herlache of Sturgeon Bay Retired Surgeon
Kristen Jeanquart of Sturgeon Bay Owner, Door County Digital Communications
Keith Mutchler of Sevastopol
Retired, Paper and Packaging Manufacturing
Donna Scattergood, RN, PhD of Sister Bay Serial Entrepreneur/Holistic Nursing and Functional Medicine, Healthcare Organizational Behavior Consultant, Educator
Julie Haen Senior Business Officer
Jean Gothberg Business Officer
Heidi Copiskey Administrative Assistant
Dan Westbrook of Washington Island Retired, Consumer Paper Products Research, Manufacturing and Marketing
Dick Egan * Emeritus Director *Deceased
Budgeted Operating Costs as a Percentage of Assets:
COMMUNITY PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
The Door County Community Foundation’s Board of Directors has launched and/or endorsed several community efforts that operate as a project or initiative of the Community Foundation. Please consider supporting these important initiatives. Visit them online to learn more.
Baileys Harbor Open Space Preservation Fund www.BaileysHarborOpenSpace.org
Door County Civility Project www.DoorCountyCivilityProject.org
The Ellie Helm Foundation www.EllieHelmFoundation.org
Mental Health Support Fund www.LittleEddieBigCup.org
Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation www.WilliesCornerstone.org
115 Club Ltd.
350.Org
Abington Friends School
ACLU Foundation
Active Senior Options
Adelante Mujer, Inc.
Aging & Disability Resource Center of Door County
Altrusa Club of Door County Foundation, Inc.
Alzheimer’s Association
Greater Wisconsin
Alzheimer’s Research Foundation
American Association of University Women
American Cancer Society
American Chemical Society
American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation Inc.
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
Door County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Foundation www.SafeDoorCounty.org
Northern Door Children’s Center Essential Campaign www.EssentialDoorCounty.org
Door County Food Pantry Coalition www.FeedDoorCounty.org
DDC State Parks Challenge Funds www.DoorCountyStateParks.org
Muse Overture Initiative Campaign Fund musecampaign.org
Community Opportunity Investment Network www.InvestDoorCounty.org
GO BO! Foundation www.GoBoFoundation.org
Door County Scholarship Network www.DoorCountyScholarships.org
Door County Granary Fund www.SturgeonBayHistoricalSociety.org/ Granary
Tufts University, The Friedman School of Nutrition Science
Tunnels to Towers Foundation
Ukraine Partnership Foundation
Unbound
Underwater Society of America-USOA
Unicef
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County
Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota
United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO)
United States Association for UNHCR
United Way of Door County
United Way of the Low Country
Unity Hospice
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation
University of Wisconsin Eau
Claire Foundation
University of Wisconsin Foundation
University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point Foundation
University of Wisconsin
Superior Foundation
University of WisconsinGreen Bay Foundation
Urbanite Theatre Inc.
Village of Egg Harbor
Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation Inc.
Warrior Homes of Collier County
Wartburg College
Washington Island Community Health Program
Washington Island Fire and Rescue
Washington Island Foundation
Washington University
We Are Hope, Inc.
WI Humane Society
Wild Ones Door Peninsula Chapter
Wilson and Carol Trueblood Performing Arts Center Inc.
Wisconsin Eastern Star Foundation
Wisconsin Foundation for School Music
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters
Wisconsin Parkinson’s Association
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Special Olympics
Wisconsin’s Green Fire Inc.
Workforce Housing Lending Corporation
World Central Kitchen, Inc.
World Food Program USA
World Vision
World Wildlife Fund
Write On Door County, Inc.
Yes Prep Public Schools Inc.
Zion Lutheran Church
CHARITABLE FUNDS SUPPORTING CAUSES IN DOOR COUNTY
Discretionary Endowment Funds offer you the best of both worlds – the opportunity to choose a broad area that interests you (such as children, the arts, or the environment) while relying on the Door County Community Foundation’s volunteer boards and committees to identify the organizations that will make the greatest impact on that issue. Your gift is endowed and will provide a permanent source of income to be granted to those organizations that are truly making a difference in Door County. We can even create a new Fund named in your honor or in memory of a loved one. Please consider donating today, or in your estate plans, to a Discretionary Endowment Fund.
Women’s Fund of Door County
www.WomensFundDoorCounty.org
For Good Forever Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org
We simply cannot know what issues or opportunities the future will bring, but we can be confident that the Community Foundation will be there to address it because of the For Good Forever Fund – the general unrestricted endowment for Door County. We’re here For Good. And we’re here Forever. This permanent pool of money is a flexible resource to fund our sustainability and advancement grants, invest in community projects, and support future programs of the Community Foundation.
Community Investment Fund
www.CommunityInvestmentFund.org
The Community Investment Fund, created in partnership with Destination Door County, uses a portion of the room tax dollars paid by visitors to offer grants to projects that meaningfully improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Door County. The unique granting program illustrates how tourism can build a better life for the residents of Door County.
The Women’s Fund of Door County builds, enriches, and nurtures the lives of women and girls through collective wisdom and philanthropy. The Women’s Fund invests in educational opportunities for women and girls and supports arts programs which enrich their souls. It makes grants to promote healthy activities for young girls and to provide support for seniors. It supports efforts to improve women’s health and invests in initiatives that promote equality. Because when she thrives, we all prosper.
Door County Green Fund
www.GreenFund.com
Door County is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. From our lakeshore to the wetlands, our orchards to the meadows, the open spaces and our rural roads – there is something about the beauty of this place that keeps us here or calls us back each year. The Green Fund supports land acquisition projects in our community and also invests in environmental education, funds land preservation, eradicates invasive species, and supports other types of “green” projects.
Healthy Water Door County
www.HealthyWaterDoorCounty.org
Door County’s unique geography makes our water vulnerable. As a peninsula situated on the Niagara Escarpment, our thin soil layer, combined with the vertical and horizontal fracturing common in our bedrock, makes protecting our water a priority. The mission of Healthy Water Door County is to protect our community’s human, environmental, and economic health by guarding against threats to our water.
Door County Arts Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org/arts
The “arts” describe a broad range of creative activities that can stimulate thought and inspire the soul. Therein lies the purpose of the Community Foundation’s Arts Fund. The Community Foundation supports creative charitable activities in Door County that use the arts to enrich the community and touch the lives of the people of Door County.
Door County Children & Youth Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org/children
If the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams, then there is no greater gift to a child than to nurture their ability to believe in their own potential and promise. The Community Foundation supports charities that are working to ensure a brighter future for the community’s children – whether it be alleviating their burdens today or helping them realize the opportunities of tomorrow.
Door County Education Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org/education
Education must go beyond traditional schooling and formal education. It should include informal modes of learning and extend beyond traditional settings. It must be integrated into the home and throughout the community – and education is not limited to children. The Community Foundation believes that learning is a lifelong pursuit – and nurtures its incorporation into the many aspects of life in Door County.
Door County Growing Older
As our population ages, many of our residents face unique challenges that impact their health, independence, and overall well-being. The Door County Growing Older Fund invests in initiatives that work to address the diverse issues and opportunities associated with aging, foster intergenerational connections, and help build a supportive community where we can all enjoy growing older together.
Door County Health and Human Needs Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org/health
It’s difficult to appreciate the incredible beauty and quality of life here in Door County if the very basic needs of your life are not being met. The Community Foundation supports charities that are working to aid those who live in the shadows of society – those whose health or human service needs are not being adequately addressed.
Door County Historic Preservation Fund
www.GiveDoorCounty.org/history
People have been coming to Door County for generations, each bringing their unique culture and traditions to our community. Working in partnership with the Clifford and Clara Herlache Heritage Foundation, the Community Foundation’s Historic Preservation Fund supports the appreciation, enhancement, and preservation of historical landmarks and the cultural heritage of Door County, Wisconsin.
CHARITABLE FUNDS SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL CHARITIES
Many charities entrust the administration of their endowments and other funds to the Door County Community Foundation. It’s a safe and responsible way to manage endowed gifts, long-term assets, and operational reserves. The non-profit community also counts on the Community Foundation’s planned giving expertise to facilitate gifts into their funds. By aggregating these assets under the umbrella of the Community Foundation, economies of scale allow for a far more diversified investment portfolio and lower investment fees than any of the charities could achieve on their own.
As a donor, the Community Foundation makes it easy for you to leave a gift in your estate plans (or make a gift today) to as many of these charitable funds as you’d like. Simply name the Door County Community Foundation, Inc. as a beneficiary in your estate plans and designate the specific charitable fund (or multiple funds if you’d like) that should benefit from your generosity. If a charity you care about doesn’t have a fund at the Community Foundation, you can create one for them with your gift, or we can simply pass along your generosity to the charity directly. Our goal is to make it easy for you to give back to sustain and advance the community we love.
All contributions will be used consistent with the terms and conditions of the fund to which it was directed (if applicable). For more information, please contact us.
Bayside Cemetery Association
Bayside Cemetery Charitable Fund www.dcbaysidecemetery.com
Belgian Heritage Center Fund www.belgianheritagecenter.org (920) -825-7319
Building for Tomorrow Fund
Lifetime for Education Fund
Now & Forever Fund
Scholarships Forever Fund
www.birchcreek.org (920) 868-3763
Boys & Girls Club of Door County Fund
www.bgcblr.org/door-county (920) 818-1046
Since 1876, Bayside Cemetery has been a spiritual place, possessing a quiet dignity that honors and celebrates the lives of our loved ones. The Cemetery’s tranquil grounds offer not only finely sculpted monuments, but also an abundance of Mother Nature’s artistic handiwork. The natural beauty of these 27 acres imparts a serene feeling in all those who walk in this peaceful park-like setting.
Bayside Cemetery provides families with comprehensive cemetery services of the highest quality. Just north of the Sturgeon Bay city limits, beautiful grave sites and professionally maintained grounds distinguish Bayside as one of the finest cemeteries in Door County.
The Bayside Cemetery Charitable Fund provides an opportunity for the community to support the maintenance of the chapel, grounds, and other facilities of this historic cemetery.
Starting in the 1850s, groups of Belgians left the economic hardship of their homeland and ventured to northeast Wisconsin for better opportunity. Here, they faced the hardships of creating a new home in a harsh woodland. The Belgian Heritage Center aims to share the legacy of those more than 15,000 immigrants and their descendants who greatly influenced the culture of rural Door, Kewaunee and Brown Counties with a farming landscape and customs which included the Walloon language, unique architecture, ethnic Belgian foods and more.
Located in the heart of a rural district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Belgian Heritage Center offers programs, festivals, events, tours, traditional and interactive exhibits, as well as resources for genealogical and historical research. Oral history videos preserve stories in English and Walloon from Belgian descendants who have kept the language alive in Northeastern Wisconsin for more than 150 years.
Birch Creek Music Performance Center is a residential summer music academy. Founded in 1976, Birch Creek provides dedicated student musicians advanced training, mentorship, and the opportunity to perform publicly alongside top music professionals from the United States and abroad.
Four two-week academic sessions are offered in Percussion, Steel Pan & World Music; Symphony and Big Band Jazz. The Birch Creek “difference” is its student-to-faculty ratio of 2:1, ensuring personalized attention. To fulfill its mission, Birch Creek produces more than 70 summer concerts tied to its academic programs. World-class faculty artists and students showcase their talents before appreciative public audiences who have come to expect only the best from Birch Creek. Since its inception with an inaugural class of 12 students, 7,000 students have studied and performed at Birch Creek.
At the Boys & Girls Club of Door County, we are many things to the kids we serve because kids today need many things! Club provides caring mentors who meet each child where they are and guide them toward their goals. We offer safe spaces - after school and during summer - where kids can connect and flourish. Club delivers award-winning, high-quality programs that empower youth to excel at school and lead healthy, productive lives. With our experienced staff, safe environment, innovative programs, and distinctive experiences, the Boys & Girls Club of Door County furthers our mission of Inspiring Young People to Explore What’s Possible.
Crossroads at Big Creek Endowment Fund www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org (920) 746-5895
Door County 4-H Leaders Foundation (920)746-2260
Door CANcer, Inc. Fund www.doorcancer.com (920) 743-8492
Door Community Auditorium Fund
www.dcauditorium.org (920) 868-2728
Door County Folk Alliance
Door County Folk Alliance Endowment Fund www.dcfolk.com
Door County Habitat for Humanity Assurance Fund www.doorhabitat.org 920-743-2869
Once marketed as “an ideal place for a gas station,” Crossroads at Big Creek is a 200-acre nature preserve and learning center located within the city limits of Sturgeon Bay.
Crossroads’ mission is to inspire environmental stewardship through education, research, land restoration and outdoor recreation.
Support from the community helps us improve habitat for wildlife and people and allows our hiking and skiing trails to be open every day, all day at no charge for families, school groups and individuals.
4-H is the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization. The 4-H movement is committed to providing youth development opportunities and promoting positive change for youth people. 4-H programming aims to engage youth in activities to increase their leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills. In Door County, the 4-H program is dedicated to providing Door County youth with opportunities to develop these skills and be involved with their community.
DOOR CANcer Inc. is a community based volunteer organization dedicated to help Door County families with cancer in times of financial need. They hope to alleviate some of the suffering through a financial aid program that is aimed to help families who are finding it a serious drain, not only in the areas of medical care but in other areas of their lives. DOOR CANcer assists with utility bills, food, gas, insurance, phone, and any other household expenses but does not cover any medical or doctor bills.
DOOR CANcer has given over a million dollars in assistance and it is because of the generosity of many people.
Door Community Auditorium (DCA) is Door County’s year-round, indoor venue for the performing arts, exhibits and community events presented by a diverse mix of professionals, regional performers and student artists. Recently, our stage has been graced by Lyle Lovett, Keb’ Mo’, Melissa Etheridge, Ira Glass, Ziggy Marley, Charlie Daniels and Joan Baez.
DCA is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization and is supported by Door County visitors and residents alike through ticket sales, sponsorship, advertising, membership and volunteer labor. Annually, over 220 performances, events, rehearsals and school assemblies take place within DCA’s walls.
DCA is home to the Peninsula Music Festival which draws professional musicians from all over the country to perform nine symphonic concerts each August. The musicians, hailing from some of the country’s top orchestras, are conducted by Maestro Victor Yamplosky.
In 1995 a group of folk musicians and dance enthusiasts, led by Cy Rosenthal of Sturgeon Bay, came together to play music and hold barn dances, bringing together multiple generations for fun and fellowship. Cy saw local folk bands as a way for musicians to play together, support each other, and improve their skills. Cy died in 2010, but the all-volunteer organization he founded continues his goal of building community through music and dance.
The central activity of the alliance is a series of monthly barn dances – all open to the public – with live music provided by the Alliance band, Sugar on the Floor. The Alliance coordinates regular music “sessions” to provide local folk musicians with opportunities to learn new music and hone their skills, as well as supplying music and dance for community and special events. Donations to the Door County Folk Alliance are used to pay for dance callers, rental of the dance hall, the organization’s insurance, equipment, outreach and educational materials.
Since 1994, the mission of Door County Habitat for Humanity has been to provide a hand up to help others acquire and own decent and affordable housing. We work with future homeowners to build new simple, safe, and decent homes to increase the inventory of affordable homes in Door County. We also work with existing homeowners to complete repairs they would otherwise be unable to afford or complete on their own. Our projects are done in partnership with the homeowners as they are required to both contribute time during the project and pay for material costs with a mortgage for home builds and a payment plan for home repairs. Door County Habitat for Humanity provides a hand-up, not a hand-out to current and future homeowners.
Door County Historical Society Endowment Fund www.doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org (920) 421-2332
Door County Housing Partnership
Door County Housing Partnership Charitable Fund
www.DoorCountyHousingTrust.org (920) 421-5090
Door County Land Trust Conservation Action Fund www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org (920) 746-1359
Door County Library Foundation, Inc. Fund
www.doorcountylibrary.org (920) 743-6578
Door-Tran Operating Fund
www.door-tran.org (920) 743-9999
Founded in 1926, the Door County Historical Society (DCHS) keeps history alive for future generations. The Society operates two interpretive sites: Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park and the Heritage Village at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay, and hosts several historical programs throughout the year.
Since 1960, the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse consisted of the keeper’s house and tower, oil house, privy, summer kitchen, and barn. The Society will begin another restoration effort to replace the barn and summer kitchen.
Heritage Village at Big Creek demonstrates the story of Door County settlers, their lives and sense of community. The Village includes buildings from the era post-Civil War to pre-World War I including a school, church, granary, blacksmith shop, general store, fish house, privy, period homes, a Norwegian Homestead, and a tool museum.
The Door County Housing Partnership is an independent, nonprofit organization focused on providing permanently affordable home ownership opportunities for working households living year-round in Door County. We use a shared equity home ownership model, and work with the community to provide the subsidy that bridges the gap between what working families can afford and what it costs to purchase a decent home. Our homes are priced to be affordable to the working families that stable communities need, representing teachers, nurses, social workers, and municipal workers, to name a few. The DCHP’s unique approach allows us to create housing solutions that will stay affordable for generations.
Founded in 1986, the Door County Land Trust is dedicated to protecting Door County’s exceptional lands and waters...forever. The Land Trust’s work ensures that life thrives on the Door Peninsula, its islands, and surrounding waters. The Land Trust protects about 10,000 acres which are home to rare and threatened plant and animal species. Through a county-wide network of nature preserves and nearly 30 miles of public hiking trails, these protected lands are a resource for people to experience, research, and connect with the most scenic and ecologically important landscapes that grace Door County. But there is more work to be done!
The Door County Land Trust Conservation Action Fund is the operational backbone of the Door County Land Trust, a nationally accredited and highly respected, not-for-profit, member-supported, local land conservation organization. Your contribution to the Door County Land Trust Conservation Action Fund, enables the Land Trust to apply your donation to the highest and greatest needs in land protection and stewardship throughout Door County.
The Door County Library is an integral, physical, and virtual gateway to access information, ideas, knowledge, and enrichment. Its eight locations provide a welcoming atmosphere and skillfully connect people with the resources they seek.
The libraries provide materials in a variety of media: books, newspapers, magazines, online databases, music, and films. Year-round informational programs for adults and youth foster learning and reading. Public access computers and free wireless connections are available at all eight locations.
The Door County Library Foundation supports the Door County libraries in a variety of ways, making its vision possible with funding for important community learning projects. For example, it has recently approved grants for cooking classes at the Baileys Harbor branch and music history lectures at the Sister Bay and Sturgeon Bay branches, along with funding for electronic resource Hoopla and community programs presented as part of Door County Reads..
Door-Tran is a non-profit organization located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin that is dedicated to connecting people to transportation services that are affordable, available and accessible. As an aging community it is important that there are options to keep people in their homes as long as possible. They provide volunteer transportation, half-price travel and fuel vouchers, no-interest vehicle purchase and repair loans, vehicle repair grants, referrals, and other services. Staff also offers transportation information and planning services in-person, by phone, online and in print through the Transportation Resource Guide.
Door-Tran partners with many transportation providers to ensure resources are shared and more trips are provided efficiently. They lead a 60-member Transportation Resource Improvement Partner (TRIP) committee and partner with over 40 volunteers to transport people to where they need to go. Funding from the Door County Community Foundation and others helps Door-Tran to continue its much-needed mission.
East Shore Industries Endowment Fund www.esiempowers.com (920) 487-3541
Egg Harbor Historical Society Endowment Fund www.eggharborwi.com
Ellie’s Fund Endowment www.elliesfund.org (920) 497-8463
Ephraim Yacht Club
Charitable Fund • Endowment Fund
Aaron R. Moore Sailing Scholarship Fund www.EYC.org (920) 854-7107
For over 50 years, ESI has served individuals with disabilities to obtain their personal independence and employment goals. ESI offers unique programs and services designed to meet the specific needs of each client. From employment opportunities to day services, the programs and services at ESI focus on developing life skills and fostering independence, allowing each individual the opportunity to contribute to his or her own well-being and the community in which they live.
Support from the community goes directly back into the programs and services offered to the individuals served. Together we are making a difference and changing live
The mission of the Egg Harbor Historical Society is “to make Egg Harbor history come alive for future generations through the collection, preservation, and sharing of the heritage of Egg Harbor.” Individuals and families have generously donated materials and oral histories for archiving and sharing. The Society’s immediate goals are two-fold: the digitization of these materials for storage and retrieval, and the restoration of Door County’s original bookmobile as a “history-mobile.” The history-mobile restoration is a long-term and expensive effort, but, as part of the mission of sharing Egg Harbor’s heritage, will facilitate bringing history to wherever people gather, in addition to the on-site displays and programs at the Kress Community Center in Egg Harbor.
Although she was just shy of two years old, Ellie was an incredible source of happiness for all who knew her. She was such a blessing to her family that they felt an obligation to carry on her legacy by spreading joy into the lives of others. That was the impetus for the creation of Ellie’s Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. The Fund provides grants to worthy projects to benefit the people of Northeast Wisconsin.
First, it provides assistance and opportunities to young people in Ellie’s memory. Whether it be providing enrichment activities or meeting human needs, Ellie’s Fund hopes to help. Second, celebrating Ellie’s love for the outdoors, Ellie’s Fund provides assistance to initiatives which celebrate and preserve the remarkable natural beauty of Northeast Wisconsin.
The Ephraim Yacht Club’s mission is to provide outreach programs, equipment, facilities, and funding for sailing education, training, and competition to help students learn the life skills and values important in being productive and active members of the community.
The Ephraim Yacht Club (EYC) was founded in 1906 and operates one of the oldest and largest sailing schools in the Midwest. EYC’s U.S. Sailing certified staff provides instruction to students from youngsters all the way up through senior citizens. Lessons are held mornings and afternoons, and races are held evenings and weekends so students can test and demonstrate their skills. Students learn teamwork and independence by sailing small and large boats. Instructors emphasize proper behavior, sportsmanship, racing etiquette and a Corinthian spirit during all activities. Since 1906, thousands of students have learned the sport of sailing at EYC as well as skills and behavior that will benefit them and their communities the rest of their lives.
The Friends of the Pavilion raises funds to strengthen and support the Kress Pavilion and Egg Harbor Community Center located in the heart of Door County. This year-round facility hosts free and low-cost programming for all ages.
Since it opened in 2018, the facility has hosted over 500 free and open-to-the-public programs and nearly 200 non-profit fundraisers. It is also home to the Egg Harbor Seed Library, Egg Harbor Branch of the Door County Library and Egg Harbor Historical Society. Funds raised by the Friends of the Pavilion help to support the building’s programs and continue to offer a space for the Egg Harbor library and Egg Harbor Historical Society.
Although tax dollars and private event rentals are the main source of revenue, the extra funding from the Door County Community Foundation account will support the level of services we offer to all of Door County in perpetuity.
Friends of the Pavilion Charitable Fund kresspavilion.org/donate (414) 640-1240
For Now and for the Future Fund
Peninsula State Park Research Grant Fund
www.peninsulafriends.org
(920) 868-6256
www.RunWild.org (920) 746-2890
Gathering Ground Charitable Fund www. gatheringgroundwi.org
The Friends of Peninsula State Park support the interpretive, historical, educational, and visitor service programs of Peninsula State Park. Over 1.2 million people visit the 3,776-acre park each year. All funds raised go directly to providing park enhancements. The Friends are in the process of raising $700,000 for phase I of new mountain bike trails at the park, and $125,000 for expanded parking at the Nature Center. Past projects supported by the Friends include raising $750,000 towards the rebuilding of Eagle Tower, $360,000 for an addition to the Nature Center, $75,000 for the Nature Center amphitheater with accessible walkways, and $120,000 for an all-inclusive playground at Nicolet Beach. Proceeds from merchandise sales are used to fund a summer naturalist position and to defray the cost of removing invasive plants.
Friends of Potawatomi State Park, Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed to assist with maintaining and improving Sturgeon Bay’s largest park. Projects that the Friends Group have recently accomplished include: Raising over $170,000 for a new all accessible fishing pier, new windows and doors for park shelter, new roof & lighting for bathroom near shore, new fire rings, park & trail clean up (on Earth Day), invasive species monitoring and control, planting of flowers in the campground and office flowerbeds, resurfacing the playground areas with wood fiber, funding of a new playground equipment, assisting Park staff in maintaining the ski trails, fully funding the Park Naturalist, and much more!
The Friends are now fundraising for an open air shelter to compliment the new accessible fishing pier and to be used for our annual Run Wild race.
The Friends of Whitefish Dunes, Inc. established the Carl Scholz Fund for Nature and Learning in memory of founding member and Sevastopol educator Carl Scholz. His love of Door County was evident in all that he did. His advocacy was paramount in establishing Whitefish Dunes State Park. Education and environmental issues were his passion and he guided the Friends group in the supporting themes of preserving the Park’s unique dunes habitat and the need to engage residents and visitors in learning about these habitats. This fund will be used for efforts to preserve and protect the Park’s unique environment and to aid visitors in learning about it through various Friends projects, including the support of an on-site naturalist and related programming.
Gathering Ground blends agriculture and conservation on its 40-acre working and teaching farm. With a vision for thriving communities connected to the environment and their food through work and play, we focus on sustainable farming practices with our diverse fruit and nut orchards, vineyards, and grazing sheep. We promote biodiversity, community composting, and support our local farms through our farmers market.
Gathering Ground offers an educational internship, Ground School, for young people interested in agriculture, conservation, and environmentalism, as well as programs for all ages, including our annual Dinner in the Vineyard, a celebration of local food and drink among our vines. The Grounds are open for walking tours and picnics. Join us in Planting for the Future!
The purpose of the Gibraltar Area Educational Endowment Fund is to provide a source of funding for Gibraltar Area School District. The intent of establishing this Fund was to provide an avenue for donors to make a tax deductible contribution to the district. Funds can then be used to support playground upgrades, technology upgrades, and grants that support the innovative, creative, entrepreneurial ideas of teachers. Funding can also be used to assist children and families in the district that are experiencing difficulty purchasing things like coats, hats, mittens, eyeglasses and school lunches. This list is not all inclusive, and consideration is given to where the funds are needed most.
As budgets get tighter and costs continue to increase, the need for a Fund such as this becomes extremely important. There is a need for this type of Fund to fill the gaps not provided by traditional funding.
The Friends of Potawatomi State Park Endowment Fund
Gibraltar Area School District
Gibraltar Area Educational Endowment Fund
(920) 868-3284 x231
Friends of Whitefish Dunes Carl Scholz Fund for Nature and Learning
Gibraltar Historical Association Endowment Fund
Gibraltar Historical Association Flagship Fund
Gibraltar Historical Association Operating Fund www.historicnoble.org (920) 868-2091
Francis Hardy Center for the Arts Fund www.thehardy.org (920) 854-2210
Harry Purinton Youth Sailing Fund www.sturgeonbayyachtclub.com/learntosail stf@sailtrainingfoundation.org (920)743-6934
Domestic Abuse Transitional Living Fund
Eliminating Domestic Abuse Endowment Endowment Fund Established by Connie & Bob Erickson
Thelma Windhauser Endowment Fund
Katie McConkey Memorial Fund www.helpofdoorcounty.org (920) 743-8785
Hope United Church of Christ Fund Hope Memorial Gardens Foundation www.hopechurchdc.org (920) 743-2701
The Gibraltar Historical Association was established in 1984 to collect, research and preserve objects and archival materials which directly reflect or illustrate Gibraltar Township history; to pass on from person to person, to advance history, and to educate residents and visitors about this history; and continue to work towards preservation of historical buildings and green space in the community of Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
The GHA maintains the Alexander Noble house built in 1875, the oldest frame residence in Fish Creek and completely restored and maintained as a functioning museum and an audio tour of 23 historic buildings in our town to share with visitors and residents alike
Preserving the past by operating a museum, providing historic walks, scheduling seasonal events and presenting a Gibraltar Talks series helps keep our mission alive. GHA is a 501(c)(3) and relies on memberships, donations, grants and fundraising to continue its work.
Established in 1962 in honor of Francis Howe Hardy, Ephraim’s historic Hardy Gallery is solely dedicated to supporting Door County’s extensive and vibrant visual art community.
Hardy envisioned the existence of a gallery that would support the development of a growing Door County art community, fostering its growth, and furthering the understanding and appreciation of the visual arts and most importantly, the artists of the Door Peninsula. Upon his passing in 1960, Hardy’s vision became a reality thanks to his wife Helen’s energy and financial contributions.
Today, the Hardy Gallery, as it is still affectionately known, has programs and initiatives that address the needs of the local artist community, creative enrichment of local youth, and is focused more than ever on Hardy’s original vision of educating the public and promoting the visual arts and artists of the Door County Peninsula.
Founded in 2023 in honor of Harry Purinton, a dedicated sailing instructor since 1953, the Harry Purinton Youth Sailing Fund aims to make sailing accessible to all children of Door County. Hosted by the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club Sail Training Foundation, the fund ensures that no child is left ashore due to financial constraints. Sailing is more than a sport; it teaches self-reliance, boosts confidence, sharpens decision-making skills, and cultivates leadership and character. By donating to the Harry Purinton Youth Sailing Fund, you help young sailors navigate the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan and the challenges of life with equal prowess.
Since 1979, HELP of Door County has provided programs serving victims of domestic abuse – working to improve the well-being and dignity of individuals, families and intimate relationships. HELP works to reduce the incidence of violence and conflict within relationships by providing free and confidential victim services including: Crisis Intervention, Safe Homes, Legal Advocacy, Women’s Support Groups, Community Outreach (including workshops, training and speaking engagements), Prison Outreach, Older Adult Victim Services, Transitional Living Program, Violence Intervention Services, Visitation and Exchange, and Youth Advocacy.
Beyond Hope Church and its current vision, the Hope UCC Endowment Fund is today, tomorrow, and forever.
The Hope UCC Endowment Fund grants support to our community, both locally and worldwide. It has been used to support the “All Hands In” Destination Imagination team as it raised awareness of the GO BO! Foundation Family Assistance Program. The Endowment has provided care packages to local soldiers serving abroad and helped support conversational English language classes in Door County. It has supported food assistance programs, installed a hearing loop in its sanctuary, and refurbished the Hope Library.
Five percent of the total is granted annually while the balance is invested. Community needs today do not end when we move on. In your will, as a beneficiary of your retirement plans, life insurance, other accounts, or trusts – give back for today, tomorrow, and forever.
Horseshoe Bay Farms Preservation Fund www.PreserveHorseshoeBay.org
www.isadoora.com (920) 495-2777
Legal Aid Society of Door County Endowment Fund
www.legalaiddoorcounty.org (920) 743-3934
Miller Art Center Foundation, Inc. Fund www.millerartmuseum.org 920.746.7124
Midsummer’s Music Ltd. Endowment Trust Fund
www.midsummersmusic.com (920) 854-7088
In 2018, a group of community minded citizens came together to preserve Horseshoe Bay Farms. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization was established with a mission to act as responsible stewards. Horseshoe Bay Farms’ goal is to preserve, rehabilitate, and activate this historic gem in Door County, ensuring its future for generations to come. With a dedicated board, a comprehensive master plan, and a group of passionate volunteers, Horseshoe Bay Farms is positioned for success well into the future. Horseshoe Bay Farms is open to the public, offering historic tours. The Farm provides engaging experiences for visitors of all ages and continues to rehabilitate its historic buildings. The Farm showcases stunning gardens that bloom throughout the year, along with Stickwork, a whimsical sculpture that adds a touch of joy to the community.
Isadoora was founded in 2002 as a company where anyone from the community could gain experience producing, directing, and acting in theatrical productions not typically accessible to amateurs. Our alumni have gone on to professional roles with Northern Sky Theater, Door Shakespeare, Peninsula Players, and Stage Door Theatre Co.
From humble beginnings as friends gathering to read scripts, to fully staged, high-quality production of deeply emotional shows such as Wit and Painting Churches. Funny and heartwarming offerings like She Loves Me and Striking 12. Provocative perspectives in Side Man, Waiting for Lefty, and The Laramie Project Examinations of the darker side of human nature with Assassins,Why Torture Is Wrong and The People Who Love Them. To large-scale productions like Chicago, Isadoora has gone to theatrical places over the course of twelve years that few small, non-professional companies dare to go.
Legal Aid Society of Door County was founded in 1989 by a group of local attorneys and human service providers who recognized that there was a growing number of unrepresented, low-income clients who could not afford family law services.
The mission of LASDC is to coordinate and improve access to civil legal services for low-income individuals in Door County. Most of these services are provided by volunteer attorneys. LAS operates as a screening and referral organization for potential clients who face legal issues that involve family law, landlord-tenant disputes, benefit entitlements, and other civil matters. The organization contracts with a local attorney who provides intake, screening and referral of eligible applicants at the Sturgeon Bay office. Legal Aid Society is an unusual nonprofit organization, in that the majority of administrative cost and much of the client service are provided by volunteer efforts.
Nestled in the heart of Sturgeon Bay, the Miller Art Museum stands as a beacon of cultural enrichment and artistic exploration. Established in 1975, this dynamic institution has been a cornerstone of the local community, fostering creativity and appreciation for the visual arts. With a diverse collection of more than 1,500 works spanning historical to contemporary along with regularly changing exhibitions, visitors are treated to a compelling and diverse array of art. From powerful exhibitions highlighting regional and national talent to thought-provoking exhibits that explore the depths, joys, and complexities of our world, the museum offers something for art enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. Beyond its exhibits, the Museum presents an array of educational programs, tours, performances, and events, engaging visitors in experiences that deepen their understanding and appreciation for art. With a commitment to excellence and accessibility, the Miller Art Museum continues to foster connections between artists and community through the creation of opportunities to explore, appreciate, and advance the visual arts.
For over thirty years, Midsummer’s Music has brought world-class musicians to Door County, creating unforgettable chamber music experiences for audiences of all ages. Our concerts celebrate chamber music’s intimacy, vitality, and variety, performed in galleries, churches, schools, museums, memory cafés, and private homes.
The Griffon String Quartet, an essential part of Midsummer’s Music, educates with youth instruction, enriches with health and wellness programs, and excites with dynamic community outreach. From beloved classics to world premieres of commissioned works, every performance is a unique experience.
As Northeastern Wisconsin’s only full-time, year-round professional musical organization, we rely on tax-deductible donations to sustain our mission. Join us in sharing the transformative power of music!
The Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society was incorporated in 1954 and is one of more than 500 local chapters of the National Audubon Society. We have over 800 national and local member families that live in the seven counties and 55 communities we serve throughout northeast Wisconsin. The Board of Directors, members and volunteers work to support bird conservation, research, education, and habitat protection across this region of the state. This includes projects such as the Oneida Bird Monitoring Program, Project SOAR (Snowy Owl Airport Rescue), and research in understanding the movement of red-shouldered hawks in our area through radio telemetry.
Isadoora Theatre Endowment Fund
Open Door Bird Sanctuary Future Development Fund www.opendoorbirdsanctuary.org (920) 493-2473
The Open Door Bird Sanctuary raises avian awareness and inspires co-existence with the rich natural world of Door County, of Wisconsin and wherever people call home. Founded in 2010, the Sanctuary, situated on 34 acres, is the only facility of its kind in the area. It offers a unique combination of environmental and wildlife education featuring live birds of prey and interactive programming on site and off. Birds that are unable to be released back to the wild find safe haven at the sanctuary.
The facilities currently consist of a Nature Center and the Bird Care Center, used by staff, volunteers and birds. There are multiple program areas, outdoor aviaries, several trails and a picnic area. Contributions will help with the continued development of ODBS’s Master Plan which includes a new sister building to the Bird Care Center in 2025. Long range additions could include a pavilion, a walk-through aviary, an advanced show area and visitor center.
Peninsula Players Theatre Charitable Fund www.PeninsulaPlayers.com (920) 868-3287
Peninsula School of Art & Gallery
Peninsula School of Art Youth and Community Outreach Fund www.peninsulaschoolofart.org (920) 868-3455
The Richard Mauthe Center for Faith, Spirituality & Social Justice Endowment Fund www.mcenter.org (920) 465-5133
Peninsula Players Theatre, founded in 1935, is America’s oldest professional resident summer theater located in a unique setting along the cedar-lined shores of Green Bay. The theater’s mission is to support, without reservation, the most exciting theater company possible; to preserve the Theatre in a Garden’s natural beauty; to provide artists the freedom, tools, and facilities they require to entertain, uplift, and inform our audiences; to foster future generations of theater professionals through the internship program; and to maintain fiscal policies that ensure the future security of the theater.
A contribution to the Peninsula Players Endowment Fund helps protect the theater’s past, while securing its future. Your gift will support a tradition of theatrical excellence and fundamental programming such as the internship program, educational workshops, free public seminars and staged readings. Help ensure the future of Peninsula Players Theatre for generations to come.
Peninsula School of Art (PenArt) is Door County’s inclusive destination for art makers, admirers, students, and advocates – cultivating personal and community wellbeing through classes, programs, and discourse. Since 1965, PenArt has been a leading innovator of creative experiences and arts education for participants of all ages and abilities. Each year, PenArt offers over 2,000 hours of arts instruction to some 700 adult students, and more than 500 hours of instruction to over 300 youth. At the annual Door County Plein Air Festival, thousands of participants engage with world class artists as they paint the Peninsula’s most iconic outdoor scenes. Dynamic events, workshops, exhibitions, and artist residencies celebrate and support people at all stages of creative life while fostering a culture of belonging.
The Richard Mauthe Center for Faith, Spirituality and Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus, but independent from the university system. Its mission is to provide opportunities for the UWGB community to explore faith, nurture their spiritual lives, and serve others.
Every year the Mauthe Center touches the lives of students by putting together events that inspire respect and peace, and promote justice. The purpose of its Endowment Fund is to ensure that the legacy of Rev. Richard Mauthe continues to flourish. Today, it is invigorated to work with the next generation of authentic leaders to write a new chapter – defined by an effort to find innovative ways to continue to transform the lives of students and community members we serve.
Rogue Theater Endowment Fund www.roguetheater.org (920) 818-0816
Rogue Theater is Door County’s community theater, dedicated to bringing high-quality productions and local talent to the stage. Since its founding in 2013, the company has performed at various locations across Door County. In addition to its productions, Rogue offers educational programs and theater camps for youth and young adults.
Their vision is to create a vibrant space where entertainment and art intersect, encompassing professional theater, music, dance, and visual arts while actively engaging the community. Located at the DC Arts Center in Sturgeon Bay, Rogue Theater is committed to developing a dynamic art center that serves as a hub for diverse community events.
As part of their ongoing efforts, Rogue Theater’s capital campaign aims to secure the DC Arts Center as a permanent home for the venue, with plans to include a dedicated set-building area, fly space, and enhanced lighting to elevate their productions.
Sevastopol Education Foundation, Inc.
Sevastopol Education Foundation www.facebook.com/SevastopolEdFoundation sevastopoledfoundation@gmail.com
History Center Building Fund
Endowment Fund • Operating Reserve Fund www.sisterbayhistory.org/museum/ (920) 421-0285
Athletes & Athletic Facilities Fund
Auditorium & Performing Arts Fund
Bleacher Reserve Fund • Booster Fund • Eagle Fund Education Committee Reserve
Endowment Fund • Library & Technology Fund Science & Agriculture Fund • Softball Fund Football Fund • Volleyball Fund www.southerndoorcommunityfoundation.org (920) 825-7373
Sunshine House, Inc. Fund www.sunshinehouseinc.org (920) 743-7943
The purpose of the Rushes Wilderness Foundation is to maintain, improve and provide access to the Rushes Wilderness Area while preserving its natural beauty. The Rushes Wilderness area is the 100-acre nature preserve adjacent to the Rushes on Kangaroo Lake.
Over the years the many volunteers and supporters of the Rushes Wilderness Foundation have accomplished this by; Maintaining and improving nearly five miles of trails in the preserve, planting and maintaining the Butterfly prairie, building the gazebo, planting and caring for memorial trees, maintaining the boardwalks, providing benches throughout the preserve, building and maintaining the observation deck, improved the area by removing invasive species.
This fund was started thanks to the generosity of long time Rushes owners Ruth and William Merkey.
The mission of the Sevastopol Education Foundation is to enrich the experiences of children for a stronger community! To provide support to the students, teachers, staff and programs of Sevastopol School.
Sevastopol Education Foundation, separate from the school, is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible. By supporting Sevastopol Education Foundation Inc. (SEF) you are providing a foundation for many to thrive. Schools need reliable revenues separate from restricted public funding in order to keep pace with advances in technology and to provide an innovative high quality educational learning environment. SEF is only able to carry out its mission of enhancing the Sevastopol Schools through the generous support of individuals, businesses and organizations. Teachers, Parents, Coaches or others may request money for projects, equipment or donations from SEF by writing Grants within Focus Areas.
The Sister Bay Historical Society is building for the future with current fundraising for its new History Center, next door to its Corner of the Past and Old Anderson House Museum. Located at intersection of Hwy 57 and Fieldcrest Rd. The 1875 Anderson family farmhouse is completely renovated, featuring late 1800s furnishings and artifacts. The authentic, historically-restored farm buildings are all from Sister Bay-area residents. Features a barn, granary, machine shop, log cabins, migrant’s cabin, summer kitchen, sawmill, blacksmith’s barn, and early tourist cottages. Machine Shop photo gallery has enlarged images dating back to early settlers, the fire of 1912, berthed steamships, early logging, ice cutting. Knowledgeable, docent-led tours (with Discovery Pen audio for independent exploring) are enlightening and fun. Admission: $10 Adults, Children FREE. Opening Day: Memorial Day weekend, then open Tues–Sat, 10 am–4 pm, June-July-Aug-Sept. Closed in winter. Reserve your family’s tickets online: doorcountytickets. com.
The goal of the Southern Door Community Foundation is to build its community and surrounding communities by providing financial support to the Southern Door School District to provide students with the opportunities to be productive members of their community. The foundation can also assist other supporting organizations of the school by providing a safe and responsible way to manage funds and activities.
Each Endowment Fund allows a donor to target their gift to the issues most important to them. The Endowment Funds of the Southern Door Community Foundation include: the Eagle Fund; the Auditorium and Performing Arts Fund; the Athletes and Athletic Facilities Fund; the Science, Agriculture and Industrial Arts Fund; the Library and Technology Fund; the Southern Door Athletic Boosters Fund; and a number of Southern Door specific scholarship Funds.
Sunshine Resources of Door County has been empowering individuals with physical and developmental disabilities since 1971. Its mission is to support meaningful lives and foster independence through day services, employment programs, life skills training, and social activities that promote inclusion.
The organization also offers Senior Adult Day Services to support families with loved ones managing Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or dementia, while Sunflower Cottage provides seniors with opportunities for socialization and companionship.
To ensure accessibility, Sunshine Resources offers transportation for all participants, eliminating transportation barriers. A production facility and resale store provide hands-on job training, while the Employment Services program supports workforce readiness with resume building, interview coaching, job matching, and placement to maximize success.
Ruth and William Merkey Fund
TAP Endowment Fund www.thirdavenueplayworks.com (920) 743-1760
United Way of Door County, Inc. Fund www.unitedwaydc.com (920) 746-9645
Molly’s Fund
Door County Humane Society Charitable Fund www.wihumane.org (920) 746-1111
Door County Connection Fund www.wpr.org (888) 909-4163
Write On, Door County Next Chapter Fund www.writeondoorcounty.org (920) 868-1457
Third Avenue PlayWorks is Door County’s premiere year-round, professional theatre, located in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay. Having just completed a $2.5 million renovation of our building, our mission is to explore, share, and celebrate our humanity through the power of wide-ranging and intimate theatre. We see a future where TAP is a center for cultural production and community connection, where everyone, no matter their background (cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, gender expression, etc.), is welcomed and affirmed in cutting edge theatre art. We hold fast to the Wisconsin Idea, and will not rest until we have a meaningful impact on everyone in our state. We hold fast to the Wisconsin Idea and strive to be among the leading arts organizations in the Upper Midwest.
United Way of Door County forges strong partnerships, focuses resources on what matters, and creates measurable results. Its vision is of a community where: family and community wellness are promoted; childcare and early education are available to working families; basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation, and clothing are met; the lives of special segments of the population including elderly, disabled, and mentally ill are enhanced; healthcare is available to all; and youth are provided with opportunities for positive development.
Its aim is to use its expertise to add value by assessing community needs; collaborating with and ensuring accountability of partner organizations; and identifying and raising funds. It is a leader in Door County by facilitating, promoting, and ensuring the availability of services that meet the needs of the community as an effective and efficient conduit for philanthropic resources.
The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community where people value animals and treat them with respect and kindness.
Founded in 1879, the Wisconsin Humane Society has been saving the lives of animals in need for more than 140 years. WHS is a 501(c)(3) organization and operates animal shelters in Door, Brown, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Racine Counties. WHS annually serves 40,000 animals, receives no general government funding, and is not part of any national umbrella organization.
The WHS Door County Campus provides safe haven for lost and homeless pets while working to reunite them with their owners or place them with a new loving family. All animals in their adoption program have as long as it takes to find a new home. WHS relies entirely on the generous donations of individual donors.
Since 1917, Wisconsin Public Radio has been a pioneer in radio broadcasting, providing strong, independent and meaningful public radio in Wisconsin. Educating, informing and entertaining have been at the core of WPR’s mission since its inception. Today WPR’s 34 radio stations, seven regional bureaus, three networks, website, online streams, and user-friendly apps serve local, regional, and statewide audiences.
WPR’s commitment to community engagement inspires programming that reflects the people and issues that impact Wisconsin. From thought-provoking discussions, to local and statewide news, to classical, folk and world music, WPR presents the highest quality programming available. Major gifts for specific projects as well as endowment gifts for long-term support also play an important role in funding one of Wisconsin’s most valuable assets.
The mission of Write On, Door County is to inspire and engage writers and readers of all ages, at all stages. Everyone has a story to tell. Write On serves year-round and seasonal residents as well as visitors. Free peer critique groups support writers just starting out. Monthly book discussions connect readers. Classes with published authors help writers advance to the next level of their career. Author events bring together readers and writers in a relaxed setting. These programs take place in a variety of locations, including the Writing Center in Juddville. The Writing Center is a gathering space and resource center for all readers and writers. Write On also offers an author residency program, bringing a diverse slate of authors to Door County to write, teach, and offer public readings. Visitors may enjoy the Writer’s Walk, 59 acres of groomed trails forming Write On’s campus.
At the Door County Community Foundation, we help build and strengthen community. We bring people and organizations together that want to make a difference in our world.
The Community Foundation makes philanthropy easy. We help individuals and families establish a customized charitable Fund without being burdened by the regulatory requirements, tax liabilities and administrative and fiduciary hassles associated with setting up a private foundation. Our donors can self-direct their contributions to specific charities, invest in broader areas of interest, or provide unrestricted gifts to a Discretionary Fund to address emerging community needs.
As a 501(c)(3) public charity, our donors qualify for the maximum tax deduction as allowed by law.
Since our founding in 1999, the charities of Door County have benefitted from more than $35 million that has been disbursed from the family of charitable Funds at the Door County Community Foundation. Our assets have grown to $54 million today, with more than $5 million in contributions and pledges last year alone.
Give today or through your estate plan. Give however it’s right for you.
Just remember to Give Door County.
Giving to Your Future Through a Discretionary Fund
She was a trailblazer, never shying away from a challenge, yet always exuding kindness,” reflects Sara Cassidy, daughter of the late Betty Jo “BJ” Cassidy. “For my mom, it was crucial to serve and give back—she fiercely believed in providing a hand up. That was her mission. She adored Door County, especially the initiatives of the Women’s Fund and the Community Foundation.
– Sara Cassidy, daughter of the late Betty Jo “BJ” Cassidy
Betty Jo Cassidy, affectionately known as “BJ,” began her journey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, she married her high school sweetheart, Tom. Together, they cultivated a life rooted in education, community service, and family.
BJ’s connection to Door County began through Tom’s family cabin on Clark Lake. While teaching in Milwaukee and later serving as the Director of Education for Wisconsin Public Service in Green Bay, she often returned to the area that captured her heart. In 1995, BJ and Tom built their own home on Clark Lake, becoming full-time residents after their retirement in 2002. They traveled extensively but always embraced the vibrant Door County community where BJ quickly became a beloved friend and a pioneering leader.
“For my mom, love was a verb; it was an action,” Sara recalls. BJ’s love was evident in her many roles—founding member of the Women’s Fund of Door County, Rotarian, PEO sister—always focused on uplifting others.
As she immersed herself in local organizations and initiatives, BJ forged deep, lasting friendships that thrived in both joyful moments and times of sorrow. Following the profound loss of her husband, Tom, in 2009, BJ channeled her grief into purpose, working alongside fellow founders of the Women’s Fund to create meaningful change.
“She always told me, ‘No matter what you do, make sure you can take care of yourself,’” Sara recalls. “Her mission was to empower women to be independent and self-reliant, ensuring they had the tools they needed.” This guiding principle inspired BJ and her fellow trailblazers to establish the Women’s Fund of Door County.
BJ passed away in 2022, leaving behind a vast network of beloved family and friends. She believed everyone was either a friend or someone she had yet to befriend. Her legacy of kindness enabled her to achieve so much for her community.
The Door County Community Foundation is honored to continue BJ’s legacy through the Thomas B. and Betty Jo “BJ” Cassidy Memorial Fund and the Cassidy Family Fund. These Discretionary
Funds allow BJ and Tom to perpetually support essential community initiatives aligned with their values.
Discretionary Funds enable families or individuals to contribute to the community in perpetuity. While donors select the causes, the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors decides which specific charities will receive grants each year.
Discretionary Funds serve as a crucial resource for addressing future community needs that we may not yet envision. A gift to a Discretionary Fund is an investment in the future. Though we cannot predict tomorrow’s challenges, we can be confident that the Community Foundation will be ready to meet them through the generosity of individuals and families like BJ and Tom Cassidy.
For more information on establishing your own Fund at the Door County Community Foundation, please visit www. GiveDoorCounty.org or call 920.746.1786.
Simplify your Giving with a Donor Advised Fund
Founded in 1989 by Door County resident Rick Jeanquart, Just In Time Corporation has evolved from a modest garage operation into a cornerstone of the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park. The company specializes in sourcing, warehousing, and distributing electrical wiring cable and custommanufactured components for equipment manufacturers. However, at its core, Just In Time embodies a deeper mission rooted in community and family values.
Rick Jeanquart has always emphasized the importance of giving back. His commitment to community engagement was instilled in his children, who not only learned the significance of exceptional customer service but also actively participated in supporting local nonprofits and community initiatives.
“Being part of the community and giving back has always been a priority for my dad,” explains Collin Jeanquart, current Just In Time Corp President & CEO and Rick’s son. From a young
We chose to partner with the Door County Community Foundation for Just In Time Cares because it simplifies the process. We can make a single contribution to the Foundation and then our employees can recommend donations throughout the year. Plus, the Foundation is a local organization that serves as a great resource.
– Collin Jeanquart, President & CEO of Just In Time Corporation
age, Collin recognized the value of contributing to local causes, whether through donations to their church, youth sports, or other worthy endeavors.
As Collin transitioned from sweeping floors to leading the company, his vision for community involvement expanded. One of his notable initiatives is Just In Time Cares, a monthly program that empowers employees to direct charitable donations to nonprofits of their choice.
“The people at Just In Time are integral to our success, just as much as the Jeanquart family,” Collin shares. “Just In Time Cares allows our employees to support the organizations that matter to them through meaningful donations made on their behalf.” Each month, a Just In Time Corporation employee directs a donation through the Just in Time Charitable Fund at the Door County Community Foundation which operates as a Donor Advised Fund.
Donor Advised Funds are valuable tools for individuals, families, and businesses
looking to engage in philanthropy. They offer convenience, flexibility, and lower administrative costs compared to family or corporate foundations. This structure allows donors to maximize their charitable impact while minimizing the complexities often associated with giving.
Additionally, bunching charitable contributions through a Donor Advised Fund at the Door County Community Foundation can serve as a powerful tax strategy for families and businesses. By consolidating multiple years of donations into a single tax year, donors can surpass the standard deduction, receive immediate tax benefits, and distribute funds to their chosen causes over time. Donor Advised Funds function similarly to private foundations, but without the associated operational burdens and regulatory requirements.
For more information on establishing your own Fund at the Door County Community Foundation, please visit www.GiveDoorCounty.org or call 920.746.1786.
Create a Philanthropic Legacy in Your Estate Plans
I learned about Community Foundations while transitioning into retirement. My accountants presented this easy avenue for philanthropy. It helped with my taxes, and we were able to support what we loved, like the theater. When we retired full-time to Door County, we knew we wanted to work with the Door County Community Foundation as the local philanthropic experts.
– Werner Krause
Werner Krause grew up in a lively, multi-generational household in downtown Milwaukee. From an early age, he displayed a natural talent for numbers, which eventually led him to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago and a successful career as an executive. During his undergraduate years, Werner met Sue, his cherished partner, and together they built a family, raising three children in southern Wisconsin.
The Krause family embraced the beauty of Wisconsin and especially Door County. Summers were spent boating and camping in Peninsula State Park, while winters brought the joy of cross-country skiing. Back home, they found a shared passion for community theater, a creative outlet where each family member honed skills, built confidence, and discovered their unique voices.
During one particularly stormy visit to Door County, Werner and Sue decided to purchase a condo as their family’s dedicated home base in the area they cherished so deeply. Over the years, it became a retreat for weekends and holidays, and later, Door County became their full-time residence in retirement. In Northern Door, the Krauses found peace and purpose, immersing themselves in civic engagement, church activities, and philanthropic efforts.
In the early 2010s, Werner and Sue launched the Susan M. Krause Scholarship, designed to support women who are the primary earners for their families and pursuing additional skills to enhance their earning capability and improve their self-esteem. This cause was especially meaningful to Sue, who understood its importance firsthand. Though she paused her own education while starting a family, Sue earned a mass communications and journalism degree after raising her children, leading to a successful career in consulting.
Building on their passion for supporting others, the Krauses also established a scholarship for high school graduates pursuing the performing arts. In honor of their grandson Will, a three-time cancer survivor, Werner and Sue, together with their children and grandchildren, created the Pediatric Oncology Angel Fund. This fund and its sustaining endowment at the Marshfield Clinic and Foundation provide financial assistance to families facing hardships due to pediatric cancer and its treatment. In more recent years, motivated by past experiences within and outside of his family, Werner has generously contributed to mental health initiatives, including support for the Door County Medical Center Behavioral Health Program and the Door County Mental Health Support Fund.
To ensure their legacy of giving endures, the Krause family has included the Door County Community Foundation in their estate plans. This thoughtful step guarantees continued support for mental health, women advancing their economic opportunities, and aspiring performing artists for generations to come.
Including the Door County Community Foundation in your estate plans is a simple yet powerful way to create a lasting impact. Whether you aim to support specific causes, establish a fund in your family’s name like the Krauses, or give back to your favorite charities, your gift will create an ongoing legacy. Contributions made through your estate plan can ensure that all future earnings become a permanent source of community support, benefiting others forever. With a fund at the Community Foundation, your charitable legacy is not just a gift – it’s an enduring act of generosity that shapes the future.
For more information about estate planning through the Door County Community Foundation, please visit www.GiveDoorCounty.org or call 920.746.1786.