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The Boulder Junction Community Foundation recently celebrated a major achievement by reaching a significant milestone of grant awards. Since its establishment in 2010 through October of 2023, a total of $1,365,625 has been granted to support local organizations and projects that aim to preserve and enhance the Boulder Junction community for present and future generations. This remarkable milestone serves as a testament to the commitment and dedication of the home town Foundation and its donors towards the betterment of the residents and visitors in our Boulder Junction community.
Through donations of generous donors, the Boulder Junction Community Foundation provides grants to local organizations and projects, such as Boulder Junction’s Public Library, Historical Society, Community Center, Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, and the Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Department. The Boulder Junction Community Foundation also supports community-wide initiatives, such as bike trail expansion, broadband access, playground and ballpark improvements. Overall, the Boulder Junction Community Foundation is a vital part of the Boulder Junction community, working to ensure a bright future for present and upcoming generations.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation, as an affiliate of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, is a registered Charitable Organization with the Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing and is exempt from Federal income tax as a public charity under Section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation has become the first affiliate member of The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin Northwoods Affiliate Network. This partnership will accelerate impact in the region by freeing local resources to focus on community relationships and initiatives, with the administration and investment managed centrally. This model creates a larger investment pool, while at the same time freeing local resources to build solutions that will last for generations.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation was founded in 2010. Sue Govier, President of the Community Foundation of Boulder Junction, said, “We have been on a wonderful journey of fulfilling our mission since our onset. Being at a point where we have grown and need help is amazing because it means we have been successful. And the partnership will give our team more time to keep asking, ‘What more can we do?’”
Founded in 1987 and previously called the Wausau Area Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin took on their current name in 2002. Donors wanted to expand the impact of their gifts and their focus has slowly expanded into the Northwoods. This first partnership is a result of careful and intentional collaboration and will serve as a model for other communities.
“We envision a region where everyone prospers and succeeds. Community is at the center of our work, and we are delighted to welcome the Boulder Junction Community Foundation as of December 30, 2022. When we dream big and work together, our potential is limitless. We see this as the first of many partnerships that will propel philanthropy into the future, helping the entire Northwoods thrive,” says Tim Parker, CEO and President of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.
The formalization of the partnership between the two foundations sets a model for future affiliate partnerships in the Northwoods, the continued realization of a common goal to strengthen our region by connecting the generosity of donors with impactful solutions that will last for generations.
The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin and the Boulder Junction Community Foundation are celebrating the new partnership and encourage everyone to become involved.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications for the second half of 2022. The deadline is September 10.
Each eligible organization may submit one application per grant cycle (maximum of two per year) with one request per application. This process helps the Foundation make the best decisions possible with the funds available each year.
Grant eligibility and application forms can be found on our website at: www.boulderjunctioncf.org under the GRANTS tab.
Completed applications should be emailed to Mary Van Grinsven, Grants Committee Chair, mary@vangrinsven.us .
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity whose mission is to preserve and enhance Boulder Junction for present and future generations.
April 10th is the spring deadline for submitting a grant application to the Boulder Junction Community Foundation. More information and application forms are available at our website: https://www.boulderjunctioncf.org/grants/all-about-grants/ Completed applications should be sent to the Chair of the Grants Committee, Mary Van Grinsven by email: mary@vangrinsven.us.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to preserve and enhance Boulder Junction for present and future generations.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation awarded Camp Jorn YMCA a $4,000 grant toward the construction of a new Health Lodge and a Day Camp Pavilion & Village.
The Health Lodge will be for everyone, but the Pavilion & Village will provide Day Camp participants, ages 5-14, with a bit of space for each group to call their own. The Summer Day Camp at Camp Jorn in Manitowish Waters serves area children, including those from Boulder Junction.
“Day Camp has blossomed into a very meaningful program for the families of our area,” Dennis Lipp, Executive Director, wrote to the Boulder Junction Community Foundation. “For the last couple summers, registration has topped out at 100 kids per day with a waiting list for most sessions.”
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation has awarded the Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Department a grant in the amount of $3488.
The grant will purchase two cold water rescue suits and associated equipment. These suits will replace cold water the remaining rescue equipment that has been in service for more than twelve years. “We are extremely grateful to the Boulder Junction Community Foundation for their support of our grant request. Our members trained in cold water rescue are looking forward to the enhanced functionality and user safety that the new suits and equipment will provide,” Eric Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief said.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation awarded the Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce a grant in the amount of $3775, helping to reel in the new mascot for the Musky Capital of the World. Discovered at a resort in Elcho, WI last summer and named recently in a contest sponsored by the Chamber, Marty the Musky was repaired and repainted by Tommy Organiscak. Community volunteers helped to create and install the display of the 18’ fiberglass musky outside the Chamber.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation has awarded the North Creek Loop Trail Committee/Town of Boulder Junction a grant in the amount of $5000. The North Creek Loop Trail Project is an expansion of the Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail System, recently designated a National Recreation Trail.
The project, managed by the Town of Boulder Junction, will add approximately 3.3-miles of paved trail, complete the 14-mile North Creek Loop Trail, and connect to the Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail System. The new trail will run from Highway H and K along the east side of Highway H going south to North Creek Road. Trail users will then be able to continue down the newly paved North Creek Road to access the existing trail along Highway M, toward downtown Boulder Junction. It will connect two state forest campgrounds and one private campground, providing a safe way for campers, visitors and residents to come into town by bicycle.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation is proud to act as the fiduciary for the North Creek Loop Trail. Fundraising for Phase 1 of the project is almost complete, and the North Creek Loop Trail Committee will begin fundraising for Phase 2 later this month. To donate, go to https://boulderjunctioncf.networkforgood.com/. Select the “North Creek Loop Trail Fund,” or donations may be mailed to Boulder Junction Community Foundation, Inc. PO Box 675, Boulder Junction, WI 54512.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation has awarded the Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Department a grant in the amount of $4500. The grant will purchase a Thermal Imaging Camera.
Thermal imaging cameras, colloquially known as TICs, are a type of thermographic camera used in firefighting and rescue applications, allowing firefighters to “see” through darkness and smoke on the fireground. By rendering infrared radiation as visible light, TICs allow firefighters to see areas of heat through smoke, darkness or heat-permeable barriers – spotting fires within walls, detecting overheated electrical wiring, locating hot-spots in fire debris, locating materials involved in spontaneous low-level combustions, etc.
Thermal imaging cameras, which can detect the heat signature of visually-obscured victims, are helpful in aiding search-and-rescue operations in hostile environments, including those involving structure fires, helping expedite life-saving rescue operations. TICs are also useful in some outdoor rescue applications as well.
Pictured standing, from left, are treasurer Katherine Maurer, Jesse Moore, EMS Director Daniell Wahlgren, Capt. Paul Newberg, Krysta Maurer, Assistant Fire Chief Jason Maurer, Secretary Trish Menzia, Olivia Menzia, Lynn Long, Linda Thayer, Linda Chantry, Marshall Reckard and Lt. Josh Thompson. Sitting on Brush One, from left, are Linda Novak, Fire Chief Eric Johnson, and Sarah Moore.
The Boulder Junction Community Foundation welcomes a $10,000 donation to their Restricted Endowment Fund, made possible through the recent Public Restroom Project. The Boulder Junction Community Foundation served as the fiduciary for the Public Restroom Project at Sturm Ballfield, part of the Boulder Junction Sports and Recreation Complex. The project includes public restrooms, a bike repair station, two bike racks, and a water fountain with a water bottle filling station. Situated next to the Sturm Ballfield, it also serves the playground, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, skateboard park, as well as the Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail, a recently recognized National Trail System.
The project was completed in the fall and dedicated October 12, 2020. According to the contract, the residual in the account after 100% of the bills were paid was to be a donation to the Boulder Junction Community Foundation’s Restricted Endowment Fund. The Foundation wishes to thank Janet Sturm Oppenheimer, Linda Sturm Jenner, and the Sturm Family & Friends Building Community, of which they are directors, for the fundraising efforts that made this project and donation possible.