In this issue
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Causes to Celebrate: Pebble Beach Opens to the Public
(From left) Sister Bay Village Administrator Beau Bernhoft and board members Chad Kodanko, Denise Bhirdo, Nate Bell and Dave Lienau officially opened Pebble Beach to the public in October. The Village of Sister Bay worked with the Door County Land Trust to purchase the property to save it from development. Photo by Len Villano.
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Empowerment through Storytelling: Tales of Our Lives
In 2013, a quartet of Door County women who were inspired by the connections that storytelling can make came together to create what has since become one of the peninsula’s most highly anticipated storytelling events of the year: the Women’s Fund of Door County’s Tales of Our Lives. Inspired by the open-mic storytelling competitions of […]
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Stepping Up: Door County Teens Join HELP’s Fight Against Domestic Violence
When a church friend mentioned to Ava Carmody in 2018 that she might enjoy volunteering at HELP of Door County, she jumped in with both feet. It didn’t take long for Carmody, now a senior at Sturgeon Bay High School, to help establish a new program called FYRE — Forging Youth Relationships and Education — […]
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“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” — Coretta Scott King 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 […]
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Giving under the Radar: Mike and Marge McCoy
There’s something so authentic and humble about Mike and Marge McCoy’s giving that it sometimes causes people to hesitate when referring to them as leaders, said Bret Bicoy, president and CEO of the Door County Community Foundation (DCCF). “Unquestionably, unhesitatingly, everyone considers them leaders in our community,” Bicoy said, “but the word ‘leader’ seems to […]
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An Educational Sisterhood: Philanthropic Educational Organization Invests in Local Women
A young woman at Gibraltar High School named Jen Moore had aspirations to pursue a career in nursing. When it came time to apply to colleges and for scholarships before graduation, her father wouldn’t sign her applications. He was in the Air Force and wanted her to join the service and earn her education there. […]
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The Milk Bank: Breast-milk Depot Gives New Mothers a Lifeline
Jessica Skinner wants new mothers to know that they have a very special gift to give: Their breast milk can benefit newborns in Door County and provide a powerful choice for other new parents in our community. Skinner, a registered nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Door County Medical Center (DCMC) and an […]
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Growing up in Green Bay, Anne Egan remembers being mesmerized by the beauty and variety of the waters of the Fox River and Green Bay. Throughout her life, she has swum, sailed, skied, skated and admired the water that has surrounded her, but it wasn’t until she read The Death and Life of the Great […]
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Leading by Example: Megan Lundahl
When Megan Lundahl’s mother, Terry Lundahl, introduced the idea for the local story slam called Tales of Our Lives, Megan was already involved with the Women’s Fund of Door County but had been wanting to spearhead a new project — one focused not on fundraising but on storytelling. At its heart, Tales of Our Lives […]
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Leading by Example: Kendra Clarizio-Bilodeau
“I knew I wanted to stand and help others who were feeling what I felt, to tell them it’s OK,” said Kendra Clarizio-Bilodeau, sitting near the front window of a place she wasn’t sure she would ever have — a home of her own. “I want others to look at me and know that if […]
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Leading by Example: Diana Wallace and Mariah Goode
There may not be a more active philanthropic effort than the recent push for affordable housing in Door County. At the same time, there are plenty of passersby who are loudly offering their anecdotal opinions about how to solve this expensive and complicated countywide issue. Meanwhile, Diana Wallace and Mariah Goode are quietly working on […]
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A Celebration of Women in Philanthropy
When you’re cranking out a half dozen stories a week, it’s easy to fall back on reporting crutches for the sake of efficiency. You come to rely on the people you’re most comfortable talking to: official sources from local government offices and boards, the heads of corporations or just the people you know will pick […]
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In fourth grade, Gibraltar student Grady Baumann struggled to write his name. Diagnosed with ADHD, slow-processing disorder, dyslexia and dysgraphia, he had no self-confidence, said his mother, Kari Baumann. But Grady’s school offered few solutions. When Baumann and her husband, Chris, recognized Grady’s struggles in first grade, they were told to give it time. Most […]
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Leading by Example: Kaaren Northrop
Kaaren Northrop does not shy away from a challenge. The woman behind one of Door County’s most iconic and successful businesses — Egg Harbor’s Main Street Market — is blunt when asked why she spends the few hours she gets away from her business leading some of Door County’s most important philanthropic organizations. “I don’t […]