What a night! At our Oktoberfest party at the Algoma Boat Club on Saturday, we shared some big news. We have received a $50,000 grant! It came through GiveClear Foundation on behalf of an anonymous donor.
Committee Treasurer Jacqueline Toepfer read aloud a thank you letter. It will be sent to the donor through GiveClear Foundation. Then she presented a symbolic check to co-chairs Tom Levy and Dennis Andre in front of a packed room. The news was met with applause and cheering.
We truly don’t know who the donor is. All we know is that someone cares deeply about saving the catwalk. This is the largest single gift our campaign has received. Every dollar will go toward restoring the steel catwalk on Algoma’s north pier.
But this moment didn’t happen on its own. As Jacqueline reminded everyone Saturday night, you got us here! Our community has raised $50,000 through grassroots efforts. That includes direct donations, merchandise sales, events, and countless small acts of support. Two local grants added another $2,000, thanks to Algoma Utilities and WPPI Energy, and the WPS Foundation. With this new gift, we are now 60 percent of the way to our Phase 2 goal. That goal in this phase is to refurbish the steel so it is ready to go back on the pier. We will restore the original steel wherever we can. We will make new steel only where we must.
Since 1932, the steel catwalk has stood proudly beside the Algoma Pierhead Light. It is one of only two lighthouse catwalks left on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan. It is also the only one that is publicly owned.
When it was removed this spring for work on the pier, many of us worried it might never come back. Gifts like this one, and like yours, are the reason it will.
To our anonymous donor, whoever you are: thank you for believing in this piece of Algoma’s history. Your gift will be felt by everyone who casts an eye across our harbor and sees the catwalk back beside the lighthouse.
Thank you for a night to remember. The grant was big news and a cause to celebrate. But it was far from the only highlight of the night. We’re grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. Special thanks to Kellie Hackett and Lakeside Painting for sponsoring the polka band. Thanks also to The Greatest Hits Polka Band for the great music and for giving their tips to the cause. We thank the members of the Algoma Lions Club who gave their time. And thank you to the Algoma Boat Club for hosting. Congratulations to Corey Lukes, who won our raffle for a custom steel lighthouse lawn ornament. So many people helped make this night a success. We’ll share a full recap, including what the night raised, once all the numbers are in.
Help us finish the job. We still need $68,000 to finish the steel restoration. Every gift brings the catwalk closer to home. Visit our donation page to learn all the ways you can give.