Tim and Sue began their connection with Door County in 1980.  They were originally drawn by our community's natural beauty and did not anticipate falling in love with the unique culture of Door County.  Their passion for our community, and all it has to offer, soon translated into a mutually nourishing relationship.

 

Tim has served as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Clearing since 1986 and has been on the Board of the American Folklore Theatre since it became a community-based Board.  Sue serves on the Board of Directors of the Peninsula Music Festival and both care deeply for the Door County Land Trust and Ridges Sanctuary.

 

"We can't just expect these treasures to continue if we all don't do something about them," says Tim. 

 

Philanthropists like Tim and Sue help us sustain the community we love and the Community Foundation is honored to present them with the 2008 Philanthropist Award.

 

The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation also presented a special award to Jane Stevenson at the Celebration of Giving.  Jane was recognized for her years of service as the former Executive Director of the Door County Community Foundation.  During Jane's tenure, the Community Foundation experienced record growth and dramatically increased its ability to impact the quality of life in Door County.  The Board expresses its deepest thanks and gratitude to Jane Stevenson.

 

The Door County Community Foundation's mission is quite simple: Inspiring people to give back to sustain the community we love.  Sustaining our community requires a commitment to nurturing all its facets, from human service needs to the environment - from education to the arts. 

 

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its new Commnity Impact Funds granting initiative.  Each of these new Funds focuses on a different aspect of Door County that is essential to the future health of our region.  The new Community Impact Funds are:

ARTS FUND
ENVIRONMENTAL FUND
CHILDREN & YOUTH FUND
HEALTH & HUMAN NEEDS FUND
LIFELONG EDUCATION FUND

Each Fund has been endowed through the generosity of both seasonal and year-round residents of Door County.  Read more about the new Community Impact Funds online.

The Community Foundation also invites you to learn more about how you can establish your own philanthropic legacy by creating in your estate plans a Community Impact Fund named in your family's honor.  Contact Bret Bicoy at (920) 746-1786 to discuss your estate plans - or to make a gift to any of the Funds today.  Through your generosity, the new Community Imact Funds will forever support that aspect of life in Door County which is most important to you.

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 Community Foundation's Environmental Fund welcomes grant applications from traditional environmental organizations that are working to sustain and preserve our environment.  We also encourage non-environmental charities to bring forth ideas on how they might incorporate an environmentally conscious perspective into their work.

 

Download the Environmental Fund Application in MS WORD Format or PDF Format.  Completed applications and all supporting materials must be received in the Community Foundation's offices by Friday, September 12th at 4 p.m.  For more information, or for an informal assessment of your idea, contact Bret Bicoy at (920) 746-1786.

In October of 2000, Third Avenue Playhouse opened its doors under the direction of two well-known names in Door County theater: Amy McKenzie and James Kaplan. With the enthusiastic support of many respected members of the arts community, McKenzie and Kaplan put in place an organization to serve the Door County as a year round playhouse and a permanent home for the performing arts. 
 
"As we celebrate our eighth season, the spirit of our founders still drives the efforts and ideals of the staff, board and volunteers," says Judy Drew, Executive Director of Third Avenue Playhouse.  Located in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay, Third Avenue Playhouse now offers over 100 performances, programs and activities annually for the enjoyment of thousands of residents and visitors.  "Our unique mission embraces community theater, music, children's programming and arts education. Underlying that mission is our commitment to teach, entertain, inspire and enrich through the performing arts."
 
"Although our organization is still young, we have established an endowment fund as part of our overall plan for responsible growth and development," says Drew.  "Over time, we hope our fund will augment our operating income and help stabilize us during economic ups and downs, thereby securing our future in the community we serve."
 
The Third Avenue Playhouse Endowment Fund is administered through the Door County Community Foundation. The Community Foundation aggregates the endowed assets of many Door County charities and family foundations, collectively investing them as a larger, more diversified pool.  The Community Foundation also facilitates complex gifts and estate gifts to charities that serve our region. 

 

To learn more about how you can incorporate the Third Avenue Playhouse Endowment Fund as a beneficiary in your estate plans, contact Third Avenue Playhouse at (920) 743-1760, or Bret Bicoy at the Community Foundation at (920) 746-1786.