April 2014Vol 7, Issue 4
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Give Door County
Door County
Community Foundation
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Nearly 20 years ago, my wife and I sat down and wrote out what we still consider today the most important goals in our life together. These aspirations have nothing to do with the careers we wanted, the kind of house we'd live in, or the type of retirement we'd enjoy.

These are goals for our six children.

Now don't get the idea that we're some kind of ultra-driven parents. If you tried to play the battle hymn of the tiger mom in our house, one of my kids would just turn up the volume on Bruno Mars.

The goals we set for our children aren't academic in nature or about professional achievement. Rather, these goals articulated the kind of adults we wanted our future children to become.

It all started when I heard a speaker at a conference I was attending at the former Yale Bush Center for Child Development in New Haven, Conn. In essence, the speaker pointed out that if we as parents cannot clearly identify the core values we want our children to have as adults, how can we possibly work to nurture and development those characteristics within them as children.

This seems painfully obvious in retrospect. If you don't know what the destination is, how can you map out a road to get there? By nature and habit I am a planner. I have contingency plans for my contingency plans. Yet this very simple idea had never occurred to me. It truly was an epiphany.

Read the rest of this story in Door County Living. 

The sun is shining. The snow is melting. All is wonderful in Door County!
  Bret Bicoy   
Bret N. Bicoy, President & CEO
In This Issue
Final Youth Mini-Grants of 2013-2014 School Year
Preview Door County & Tales of Our Lives - Wonderful Events!
Personnel Changes at the Community Foundation
Endowments in Action: Sturgeon Bay Breakfast Rotary Club
Give Door County Publications Available for Download

Our Board of Directors

John Herlache, Chairman
David Eliot, Vice Chairman
Polly Alberts, Secretary
Mike Felhofer, Treasurer
Dick Egan, Past Chairman
Bill Boettcher
Michael Brecke
Jacinda Duffin
Richard Hauser
Mark Jinkins
Linda Laarman
Michael McCoy
Arvid Munson
Kaaren Northrop
Nancy Sargent 
Marcia Smith
Jane Stevenson

Donate Today!

Make an instant donation using a credit card to any of the Funds of the Door County Community Foundation. Give back online today!
 
Or contact us to talk about creating a Fund in your family's name - either today or in your estate plans.

Follow Us Online

For the latest news on charity in Door County, read our publications and previous issues of our Newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
Final Youth Mini-Grants Available for the School Year

The Door County Service Club Coalition is offering its last round of youth mini-grants for the 2013-2014 school year. This round of grants often supports activities that occur late in the school year or over the summer months. newsboy-cap.jpg

 

Youth as Resources Mini-Grants

The Youth as Resources program provides financial support to projects which use the skills, talents and abilities of young people to serve or educate others. These grants are often awarded to youth service projects. Youth as Resources Mini-Grants are awarded four times during the school year. The next application is due Thursday, May 1st.

 

Youth in Theatre Mini-Grants

The Youth in Theatre program provides financial assistance to Door County theatrical productions in which the community's youth play a significant role in its production and/or on-stage performance. This includes both school productions and independent community productions which involve young people. The next application deadline is also Thursday, May 1st.

 

More information is available at the Community Foundation's website. For an informal assessment of your idea before applying, please contact Christine Henkel, Donor Services Officer, at (920) 746-1786.

  
Preview Door County & Tales of Our Lives - Wonderful March Events!

The Community Foundation was pleased to host its annual Preview Door County in Bonita Springs, Florida on March 17th. About 70 people attended for an evening of fun, food and friends.

 

Guests heard highlights of the upcoming season on our beautiful peninsula - including the performances, art exhibits, conservation efforts and other activities that will make this season special. Special thanks to Dick and Annie Egan for hosting the event for the third year in a row.

 

The key message of the evening was a reminder that so much of what people look forward to every season in Door County is intimately tied to the charities of our community - which means none of it would happen without the continued generosity of good people like you.

 

Thanks to everyone who attended Preview Door County 2014.

 

The Women's Fund of Door County hosted its first story slam, "Tales of Our Lives," at the Door County Fire Company on March 27th. It was a full-house that night, with about 110 advance reservations and more than 25 other folks just showing up at the door.

 

Storytellers included (clockwise from top left) Megan Lundahl, Jenna Kasten, Samantha Spohn, Carrie Counihan, Bret Bicoy, Holly Feldman, Mary Hall and (not pictured) Nikki Hedeen. 

 

The stories ranged the gamut of emotions - from making the crowd roar with laughter to literally bringing tears to everyone's eyes. It was an inspiring night that spoke the strength of the human spirit.

 

Congratulations to the Women's Fund of Door County for starting a new tradition. We're already looking forward to Story Slam 2015!

 

Personnel Changes at the Community Foundation

The Door County Community Foundation is pleased to announce several changes among its professional staff.

 

Christine Henkel has been promoted to the new position of Donor Services Officer. Chris has worked for the Community Foundation for nearly 4 years. In her new role, Chris will be responsible for serving the needs of donors who established a Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation. She will also administer our granting programs. You can contact Chris at (920) 746-1786 or by email.

 
The Community Foundation is also happy to announce that Kacie Wilson (pictured at right) has joined the Community Foundation as our Administrative Assistant. Kacie was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay. She moved to Milwaukee shortly after graduating cosmetology school to work as a Stylist at a high end salon.
 
After a year behind the chair, Kacie happily assumed the position of Operation Manager where she oversaw the boutique and salon for six years. After the birth of her son, William, Kacie decided that there was no place better to raise a family than Door County. She returned to the peninsula last fall and joined the Community Foundation in March. You can reach Kacie at (920) 746-1786 or by email.
 
Please join us in congratulating both Christine and Kacie!
 
Endowments in Action:  Sturgeon Bay Breakfast Rotary Club
The Community Foundation is honored to administer the Sturgeon Bay Breakfast Rotary Club Charitable Fund.   

Rotary clubs exist to improve communities through a range of humanitarian, intercultural and educational activities. Rotary advances international understanding by partnering with clubs in other countries. Rotary also encourages high ethical standards in all vocations. 

Rotary addresses critical issues at home and abroad by providing health care and medical supplies, clean water, food, job training, youth development, and education to millions of people in need.

Please consider incorporating gift to this endowment in your estate plans. Speak with your attorney, accountant or other estate planning professional. Or contact the Community Foundation and we'd be glad to help facilitate your generosity.

Many charities entrust the administration of their endowment funds to the Community Foundation. It's a safe and responsible way to manage endowed gifts, long-term assets or operational reserves. 

The non-profit community also counts on the Community Foundation's planned giving expertise to facilitate gifts into their endowments. 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. 

For more information, contact Bret Bicoy at (920) 746-1786. 

 

Give Door County Publications Available for Download
The Community Foundation produces several publications and information sheets to help you craft a strategy to give back in the most effective - and tax efficient - way possible. Those documents are now available for anyone to download from the Community Foundation's website. Give Door County

You'll find publications like our our Guide to Endowments which highlights different charities so families have options to consider when giving back - either today or through their estate plans.

You can download an Introductory Brochure that explains the most popular charitable Funds at the Community Foundation - along with information sheets for Donor Advised Funds, Discretionary Funds, Scholarship Funds and more.

If you'd like a hard copy of any of these documents, just contact us and and we'd be glad to send them to you. And if you're an attorney, accountant, investment adviser, or trust officer, we'll send a supply of Guides, Introductory Brochures, or other materials (and display holders) for use in your office. Just contact us at the Community Foundation.

This is just another way the Community Foundation is encouraging people to give back to sustain the community we love!

 
The Door County Community Foundation, Inc. is a collection of separate charitable funds set up by individuals, families, non-profit organizations, private foundations and businesses that are managed, invested and disbursed for the current and future good of Door County.

Inspiring People to Give Back to Sustain and Advance the Community We Love.