Door County Community Foundation
February 2015
Inspiring People to
Give Back to
Sustain and Advance the
Community We Love
DCCF Logo
Fifteen years ago I was at a conference of community foundations and had the opportunity to participate in a discussion session with Dr. Robert Putnam, a political scientist at Harvard University. Putnam was there to talk with us about the loss of social capital in the United States.

Think of social capital as the relationships, shared values and common understanding which builds trust and enables a group of people to work together. Social capital is the glue that binds individuals together into a community. Putnam argued that over the last century, social capital had been diminishing.

As a field, community foundations consider the building of social capital as central to our reason for being. At the Door County Community Foundation, we strive to strengthen community because the only way to solve society's most intractable problems is by working together. Putnam's arguments were alarming and as a result, community foundations from across the nation partnered with Putnam and underwrote more detailed research in their respective communities.

Putnam's expanded research only reinforced his thesis. Community groups like the Moose Lodge and Elks Lodge were disbanding. Church attendance was down. Membership in service clubs like the Kiwanis and Optimists were shrinking. Fewer people were joining parent-teacher organizations. Even simple things such as hosting a dinner party for friends was on the dramatic decline. Across the board, both the formal and informal ties that join us together were unraveling.

Putnam eventually summarized his research in his landmark book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. The book's title comes from the fact that while Americans are bowling as much as ever, far fewer of us now join bowling leagues. Instead, we go bowling alone.

Read the rest of "Facebook: Telephone or Television?" in the Peninsula Pulse. 

If you're not here, you're missing a wonderful winter in Door County!
  Bret Bicoy   
Bret N. Bicoy, President & CEO
In This Issue
Join Us in Florida for Preview Door County 2015
Tales of Our Lives 2015: A Women's Fund Story Slam
Endowments in Action: Door County Folk Alliance
Give Door County Publications Available for Download

Board of Directors

Dave Eliot, Chair
Polly Alberts, Vice Chair
Dick Egan, Secretary
Richard Hauser, Treasurer
John Herlache, Past Chair
Bill Boettcher
Jacinda Duffin
Mike Felhofer 
Mark Jinkins
Linda Laarman
Frank Maxwell
Michael McCoy
Kaaren Northrop
Sally O'Brien
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.
Join Us in Florida for Preview Door County 2015

You are cordially invited to join us in Florida for


 

 

  Preview Door County 2015

Tuesday, March 17th

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Colony Bay Club

5200 Pelican Colony Blvd., Bonita Springs, Florida

 

Join us for fun, food and friends from Door County.

 

We'll share highlights of the upcoming season on our beautiful peninsula.  

Hear about the performances, art exhibits, conservation efforts and other activities 

that will make this season in Door County special.  

 

Hosted by 

Glenn & Barbara Timmerman 

 

There is no cost to attend this event.  

The Colony Bay Club is in a gated community so please 

be sure to register and we'll leave your name at the gatehouse.  

Call (920) 746-1786 or email Kacie Mueller

  
Tales of Our Lives 2015:  Empowerment Through Performance

Please join the Women's Fund on Thursday, March 5th for an evening of "Tales of Our Lives" - A Story Slam: Empowerment Through Performance.

 

A Story Slam is more than just a storytelling event. It's an invitation for people to share a few minutes of themselves in a room full of people who appreciate a well-told tale. These aren't stories for children, but rather an honest description of real life events and how they made us into the people we are. The stories can range from the funny to the sad. From heartwarming to heart wrenching. But they are all authentic gifts from the story tellers as they share a bit about themselves with all of us.

We'll hear stories from 8 inspiring individuals with musical breaks featuring Dorothy Scott and Jess Holland. Follow us on Facebook for the latest information.

 

Tales of Our Lives is on Thursday, March 5th at the Door County Fire Company in downtown Sturgeon Bay. Social hour starts at 6:30 p.m. and the stories will be told from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Both men and women are encouraged to attend. 

Tickets go on sale on the Women's Fund website on February 10th. Advance tickets are $15. Tickets at the door will be $20 - as space is available. Based on last year's attendance, we expect to be sold out so get your tickets early.

The Women's Fund of Door County - when she thrives, we all prosper! 

 
Endowments in Action:  Door County Folk Alliance
The Community Foundation is honored to administer the Door County Folk Alliance Endowment Fund.

The Door County Folk Alliance promotes and builds a stronger community though music and dance. Historically, early settlers gathered with their neighbors to celebrate with music. Today, people of all ages gather together to dance to traditional folk tunes performed by local musicians.   DC Folk Alliance

Our dances are held at various locations throughout Door County about once a month. All dances are taught by the caller so everyone can participate, regardless of their previous experience. The dances are easy to learn and dancers are not required to bring a partner. The dance forms include Contra dances (long ways lines), circle dances, mixers, quadrilles (squares), and a few waltzes and polkas. Occasionally family dances are held for those with young children.

Barn dancing is fun, easy and invigorating! The heart and soul of the barn dance is the sense of community that comes from dancing with friends and neighbors. A cheerful atmosphere of goodwill is shared by the dancers and musicians.  

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.

 

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 GiveDoorCounty.org. 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 is a catalyst, building and strengthening community by convening groups of people and organizations that want to make a difference in our world. We make it possible for a wide range of donors to meet present and future needs by creating charitable funds without incurring the costs of starting and administering a private foundation. The Door County Community Foundation was founded in 1999 and is governed by a local volunteer Board of Directors.


Inspiring People to Give Back to Sustain and Advance the Community We Love.
www.GiveDoorCounty.org    (920) 746-1786