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Door County Community Foundation Crowdfunding

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The Community Foundation is pleased to share these crowdfunding opportunities which will better the future of Door County’s youth by providing items to local teachers that are not covered by the school districts.

 

Coding Software for 2nd Graders

Coding Python software for 2nd graders at Sawyer Elementary. “We feel the need to offer a coding…

$100 of $784 raised

Coding Software for 2nd Graders

$100 of $784 raised

Coding Python software for 2nd graders at Sawyer Elementary.

“We feel the need to offer a coding unit to the elementary students based on what the job market was telling us as well and college careers that were available,” said Jenny Smith, STEAM teacher at Sawyer Elementary School. If the fundraising goal is met, Ms. Smith will purchase Coding Python, an award-winning coding for beginners course that includes 40+ hours of interactive lessons. Each software package costs $49 with a need for 16 packages totaling $784.

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Donation Total: $100.00 One Time

{amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees.

STEAM Supplies for Elementary School

Misc. Supplies to Create a STEAM lab at Washington Island Elementary School "It’s an integrated approach to…

$20 of $165 raised

STEAM Supplies for Elementary School

$20 of $165 raised

Misc. Supplies to Create a STEAM lab at Washington Island Elementary School

“It’s an integrated approach to learning that encourages students to think more broadly about real-world problems,” Erinn Wilson, Washington Island Elementary School Principal said about STEAM. “It is important that Washington Island School District curriculum evolves with the rest of the county, state, and country.” Dr. Wilson will use the funds raised for a variety of supplies that can be used for experiments and art projects, as well as storage containers for the supplies.

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Donation Total: $100.00 One Time

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Middle School Mathletes Transportation

Van Rental for Middle School Math Team State Competition "We are extremely proud that our middle school…

$0 of $131 raised

Middle School Mathletes Transportation

$0 of $131 raised

Van Rental for Middle School Math Team State Competition

“We are extremely proud that our middle school team has qualified for state,” said John Jackson, Southern Door math team coach. “With 4 competing team members, 2 alternates, our assistant coach and myself, we are not able to fit into the school’s suburban.” The cost for a van rental from a local shop is $131.

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Donation Total: $100.00 One Time

{amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees.

5 Gallon Buckets for 4K Rhythm Lessons

100 five gallon buckets to be used as drums for the 4K music class at Gibraltar. "We…

$300 of $325 raised

5 Gallon Buckets for 4K Rhythm Lessons

$300 of $325 raised

100 five gallon buckets to be used as drums for the 4K music class at Gibraltar.

“We are fortunate enough to have ample drumsticks for the 4K classes, but are currently taking turns on the snare drums,” said Steve Johnson, 4K/Kindergarten music teacher at Gibraltar Elementary Schools. “Purchase of these buckets would allow us all to practice rhythm simultaneously and perform at our Spring concert.” If the fundraising goal is met, Mr. Johnson will purchase 100 five gallon buckets from a local hardware store. Mr. Johnson hopes to collaborate with the school’s art department so each child can decorate their drum. The buckets retail at $3.25. Purchasing 100 buckets will allow each child to be responsible for decorating for their own drum.

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Donation Total: $100.00 One Time

{amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees.

Preschool Outdoor Learning Environment

Outdoor Classroom for Preschool “Learning occurs both indoors and out. Outdoor learning environments offer preschoolers opportunities to…

$50 of $450 raised

Preschool Outdoor Learning Environment

$50 of $450 raised

Outdoor Classroom for Preschool

“Learning occurs both indoors and out. Outdoor learning environments offer preschoolers opportunities to explore and learn,” said Jessica Full, Executive Director of the Barker Child Development Center. “here are many benefits to children and youth playing outside. Outside, children and youth can release energy, use loud voices, play vigorously, and engage in messy projects.” If the fundraising goal is met, Mrs. Full will purchase the supplies to enhance the current outdoor play area with an outdoor classroom. The PTO group has volunteered their time and equipment to put the area together once the supplies are purchased.

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Donation Total: $100.00 One Time

{amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees.

Shoes for High School Dance Team

50% Shoe stipend for Dance Team at Sevastopol High School "We are pleased to offer multiple styles…

$210 of $210 raised

Shoes for High School Dance Team

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Council of Former Directors

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The knowledge and wisdom of our former Directors help us identify areas of need, potential opportunities, and future projects for the Community Foundation. The Council also provides feedback surrounding the Community Foundation’s current strategic direction.  Members of the Council have no formal corporate role but serve as an invaluable counsel to the Community Foundation.

The Council of Former Directors is convened twice a year.  Every spring we convene the Council for a conversation about the current activities of the Community Foundation. This gives us the opportunity to gather feedback about our current strategic direction. Then in the fall, we reconvene for a discussion about Door County. This is our chance to have a discussion about what the Council sees and hears around the peninsula.

Door Community Auditorium

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Door Community Auditorium Fund

920.868.2728
www.dcauditorium.org

Door Community Auditorium serves as a center to enrich, entertain, and challenge through a balanced combination of performing, visual, and literary arts; and to provide opportunities for social, educational, and cultural growth. Home of unforgettable experiences, Door Community Auditorium (DCA) is Door County’s year-round venue for performing arts, entertainment, cultural and educational activities. DCA is recognized as a 501(c)3 organization and supported by Door County visitors and residents through ticket sales, sponsorship, membership, and volunteer labor.

Bunching Charitable Gifts

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Consider the hypothetical example of John and Jane Smith. The Smiths have done well in life and typically donate $10,000 each year to the charities they love, including John’s alma mater in Illinois, their church in Florida, and several small charities Jane loves here in Door County.

On their 2017 tax return, the Smiths claimed itemized deductions of $23,000. They deducted $6,000 in mortgage interest, $7,000 in state and property taxes, and $10,000 in charitable gifts. Unfortunately in 2018, under the new tax law, the higher standard deduction of $24,000 means the Smiths will no longer be able to itemize their deductions. Hence, they are not entitled to any tax deduction for the $10,000 they contribute to charity every year.

For a couple like the Smiths, bunching several years of charitable gifts into a single year through the Door County Community Foundation is the perfect tax planning tool. They can combine multiple years of charitable donations into this tax year to exceed the standard deduction.

So the Smiths visit the Door County Community Foundation and create the John and Jane Smith Donor Advised Fund. After conferring with their advisors, the Smiths decide to bunch five years of future charitable gifts into this tax year and thus contribute $50,000 into their Donor Advised Fund today. As a result, the Smiths claim $63,000 in itemized deductions on their 2018 tax return. It’s the same $6,000 in mortgage interest and $7,000 in state and property taxes, but it now includes a single $50,000 gift to their Donor Advised Fund.

Then the Smiths use their Donor Advised Fund to pay out $10,000 in contributions every year over the next five years, including to John’s alma mater in Illinois, their church in Florida, and several small charities Jane loves here in Door County. If the Smiths prefer, the money in their Donor Advised Fund can even be invested during those five years so they’ll have even more money to give away to charity. Regardless, neither the distributions from their Donor Advised Fund, nor any earning on it, have any tax implications for the Smiths. They claimed their $63,000 in itemized deductions in 2018.

In the following four tax years of 2019 to 2022, the Smiths then claim the standard deduction on their tax return. Finally, in 2023, the Smiths might decide to do it all over again and replenish their Donor Advised Fund by bunching the next five years of contributions into 2023, thereby repeating the cycle. This simple tax strategy gives the Smiths an additional $78,000 in tax deductions over 10 years.

The savings can be magnified if their gift is made with highly appreciated stock. In that case, they’d also avoid the capital gains taxes.

A Powerful Tax Strategy

Bunching charitable gifts through a Donor Advised Fund at the Door County Community Foundation is an incredibly powerful tax planning tool for generous families.

Donor Advised Funds are convenient, flexible tools for those who want to be personally involved in suggesting grant awards made possible by their gifts. If you have a range of community interests, you may find that it’s an ideal vehicle for fulfilling your charitable wishes. Donor Advised Funds are typically less costly and easier to administer than other forms of philanthropic giving (such as family or corporate foundations).

Your gift can be combined with others to increase its impact, and you can add to the Fund you establish at any time, receiving tax benefits with each new gift. You can establish a Fund today and make grant recommendations now or in the future. And if you endow your gift, it becomes a permanent community funding resource.

Talk with your professional wealth or tax advisor to determine whether bunching charitable gifts through a Donor Advised Fund might be a good tax planning tool for your unique situation.

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Donate to Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc.

Give Using a Credit Card
The Community Foundation welcomes gifts to any of our funds via credit or debit card. Please click here to begin a credit card transaction.

Give Through a Multi-Year Pledge
Make the gift of a multi-year pledge so that this iconic part of our heritage will be enjoyed in Door County for generations to come. Click here to download and fill out the pledge form.

Give by Sending a Check
Contribute to Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. via check. Please mail checks to:
Horseshoe Bay Farms Preservation Fund
c/o Door County Community Foundation
222 N 3rd Ave
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Give Stocks, Real Estate, or Other Assets
The Community Foundation is pleased to accept direct gifts of highly appreciated assets – generally saving you from capital gains taxes and offering you a charitable deduction as well. Contact the Community Foundation if you’re interested in making such a gift to any of our Funds.

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The Role of the Community Foundation

At every step of this project, Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. has partnered with organizations to minimize our administrative and operating costs.  Our goal is to maximize the money we can dedicate directly to our preservation and educational activities.

The Board of Directors of the Door County Community Foundation, Inc. unanimously agreed to embrace our project and place it under its corporate umbrella.  The Community Foundation has generously offered to administer the campaign to raise the funds.  In practical terms, this means that Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. does not have to hire any staff of its own until our campus is closer to opening its doors.

Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. will be a fully independent 501(c)(3) public charity, but during the campaign and development stages, we will operate as a component fund of the Door County Community Foundation, Inc.

Thus, contributions should be directed to:

Horseshoe Bay Farms Preservation Fund
c/o Door County Community Foundation, Inc.
222 N. 3rd Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI  54235

All contributions will be held by the Community Foundation and restricted solely for use by Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc.  For more information, or to discuss a gift of stock or other appreciated assets, contact the Community Foundation at (920) 746-1786.

The Horseshoe Bay Farms Preservation Fund is a component fund of the Door County Community Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity.  Hence, all contributions are deductible to the fullest extent as allowed by law.

 

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Ten Fascinating Facts About the Farms

  1. Horseshoe Bay Settlement. Horseshoe Bay was supposedly named by Increase Claflin, an early Door County settler, who was required to re-shoe a horse near the Murphy Park shoreline.  Just south of Murphy Park, a thriving lumber town called Horseshoe Bay Settlement sprang up in 1870.  When Egg Harbor was merely a fishing hamlet, Horseshoe Bay Settlement had a school, general store, post office and close to 40 inhabitants.  Selling cord wood and wooden barrels in-season, and cutting and storing ice in the winter, the business and community existed until 1890.
  2. Murphy Family: Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists. Simon Murphy, the family patriarch was a nationally recognized lumberman with vast timber holdings and sawmills in Wisconsin, Michigan and California. Simon and his 5 sons were successful entrepreneurs, investing not only in their lumber operations, but also banks, insurance companies, the Ford Motor Company and  a host of other business ventures.  They were also great community minded philanthropists building hospitals, creating parks and serving in governmental positions around the country.
  3. UFGC: Tourist Industry Pioneers. One of Simon’s sons, Frank Murphy, was sent by his father to run the lumber business in Green Bay.  While in Green Bay he started and ran several additional successful businesses and sat on the city council for 3 terms.  In partnership with several other businessman,  he was instrumental in forming a real estate development company United Fruit Growers Company (UFGC), buying 850 acres of prime land encompassing 8,300 shore feet on Green Bay just south of Egg Harbor.  Their vision was to create a summer home development and private country club. UFGC built a new clubhouse, designed the golf course and began selling lots in 1914.  Unfortunately, insufficient lots and memberships were sold to realize the development vision, and the property was sold by the partnership to Frank Murphy in 1916.
  4. Murphy Farms: Early Dairy Farm Industrialization. Sitting on a large amount of unproductive land, Frank Murphy proceeded to build a state of the art dairy farm in 2 years (1916-17) that included 8 barns, 5 support structures and 5 farm houses.  The farm was laid out with precision and focused on  labor efficiencies.  All buildings had hot and cold running water; all had electricity; all farm houses had indoor toilets and septic systems.  The farm was completely self sufficient with it’s own power plant, food gardens, root cellar, cattle, pigs and chickens.  Many dairy farm industrialization ideas that became common practice decades later were in use at Murphy Farms prior to 1920.  Frank Murphy also began planting cherry and apple trees on the bluff overlooking the farm complex.
  5. Murphy Farms: Holstein Breeding Specialists. Frank Murphy built the Farm with the intent to produce pure bred Holstein-Friesian cattle.  The first bull was purchased for $20,000 in 1919.  The farm’s reputation grew as they pioneered selective breeding concepts that created ever more productive dairy cows that could be sold at auction.  The farm boasted the 3rd largest milk producer in the world; the first cow to produce 30,000 pounds of milk in Wisconsin; and the largest dairy cow in the world (2,240 pounds).  In 1925, tragedy struck the farm when one of the bulls contracted Bangs disease, infecting a large portion of the herd.  Over 70% of the herd was put down and the breeding operations came to an end.
  6. “The Great Horseshoe Bay Farms of Egg Harbor.” With the abrupt conclusion of the breeding business, the emphasis turned to the orchard operations and Frank Murphy renamed the farm: Horseshoe Bay Farms. Over 450 acres of cherry, apple and plum trees were planted on the bluff.  Dairy, beef cattle, hogs and chickens were also raised and sold.  The farm was home to 3 or 4 families at any one time who worked and managed the farm on behalf of Frank Murphy and later DR. Robert Cowles, who married Frank’s only daughter.  Anyone down on their luck and needing a place to stay for a few days or a job, eventually landed at the farm.  Horseshoe Bay Farms became the largest seasonal employer in Door County for several decades.  Door County residents and local newspapers constantly referred to the farm as ‘The Great Horseshoe Bay Farms of Egg Harbor’.
  7. Cherry Camp. The Cowles family created the idea of Cherry Camp, a 2 week experience on the farm for 13-17 year old boys from around Wisconsin.  The original UFGC clubhouse was converted to a dormitory that housed over 100 young men.  All were required to cover their daily room and board by picking 40 pails of cherries at 5 cents per pail.  Upon meeting their quota, the boys were allowed to swim, fish, play baseball and enjoy the Door County summer.  A number of planned social activities were also available.  One of the big camp draws included the camp counselors, several of whom were Green Bay Packer players looking for off season work.  Thousands of boys from around the area and state left Door County with wonderful memories of their Cherry Camp experience.
  8. Tecumsah Cave. Legend has it that Potawatomi Chief Tecumsah was being chased by the Menominee Indians on Green Bay when he put ashore near Murphy Park and hid in a cave halfway up the bluff.  The Menominee’s walled Tecumsah in the cave and left him behind to die.  One year later the chief appeared in another part of the state.  Did he find another passage out of the cave or is this part of the Door County lore?  Tecumsah or Horseshoe Bay Cave as it is now called is one of the more treacherous caves in Wisconsin, with only 50 feet of walking passage but over 3/4 of a mile of agonizing crawlways.  The crawlways connect 56 rooms.  Horseshoe Bay Cave is also home to a large habitat of over 1,200 bats.
  9. HB Golf Club: Realizing Frank Murphy’s Dream. In the mid-1990’s the descendants of Frank Murphy proceeded to realize his dream of creating a seasonal home development and a first rate golf course.  Horseshoe Bay Farms development consisted of 7 unique communities.  Homes began selling in 1997. The golf course opened in 2000 and has consistently been ranted one of Wisconsin’s best.
  10. National Register of Historic Places. In 2012 Horseshoe Bay Farms was placed on the Wisconsin and National Historic Registers.  The farms were recognized for their historical significance: as a major breeding farm for Holstein-Friesian pure bred stock; for their apple, cherry and plum orchard operations.  The Farms were also recognized for their architectural significance as the largest intact farm complex in Wisconsin, containing both historic agricultural out buildings and five houses designed to house farm personnel.

 

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mission of the Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc.
Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity that was created to secure the future of the Farms for generations to come.  The first important step is to refurbish the iconic farm structures as a part of a campus for broad community use.  At a minimum, this will allow us to preserve our rural heritage and share many stories of our past to inform the present.  There are many Door County residents and visitors that see the Farm as a “cathedral” of sorts, representing an important part of what makes Door County… “Door County.”

Why are you moving two of the cottages?
The historic cottages remain an integral part of the story of Horseshoe Bay Farms and thus we are relocating two of them from the shoreline to the main property on the bluff side of the road.  Specifically, the Assistant Herdsman’s house and the Assistant Farm Managers house are robust enough to make the journey across the road.  Eventually these cottages could be used to offer educational sessions, house guest educators and speakers, and otherwise remind us of the stories of Door County’s past.

How will I be able to access the Farms?
Once the restoration is complete, the volunteer Board of Directors of Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc. will work on plans to provide safe public access to the property.  In addition, the Farms will be made available for community use by various organized groups such as the Door County Visitor Bureau, historical societies, and other civic groups.

What is your timeline?
Our first and most urgent priority is to secure the remaining money necessary to make this project a reality. We secured sufficient gifts to enable us to purchase the Farms in November of 2018, but much work remains to be done. Restoration efforts are planned to begin by the end of the summer of 2019 and we hope to then hold community sessions to gather input from the many donors to the project and other stakeholders in the community.  Our intent is to open the Farms more broadly to the community by 2020.

How will my donation be used?
Your gift is an ESSENTIAL part of this project.  Without it we will be unable to secure the property, move the cottages, and restore the farm buildings.  Specifically, your gift will be used to help with the following:

Transfer ownership of land, buildings and artifacts      $    500,000

Refurbishment of building envelopes                                      400,000

Relocation of farm cottages to main property                         175,000

Development of educational programs and other costs         75,000

                                                                      Total Cost: $ 1,150,000

 

 

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Preservation Site Plan

The entire property on the bluff side of Horseshoe Bay Road is going to be preserved as a part of this project.  This includes all of the major farm structures.  In addition, two of the most historic farm houses on the bay side of the road will be relocated to the main property so that they can also be preserved forever.

  1. Cow barn, creamery, and crop storage
  2. Bull barn
  3. Horse barn
  4. Root cellar and stables
  5. Test barn
  6. Manure pit
  7. Power plant and oil storage
  8. Machine storage and cattle storm shed
  9. Machine storage II
  10. Assistant Herdsman’s house (to be moved to main property)
  11. Assistant Farm Manager’s house (to be moved to main property)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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