Mackinac Island Community Foundation 2023 Annual Report by Mitchell Graphics

Annual Report 2023

This year, as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we have an opportunity to reflect on how the Foundation has helped shape our Island community. When we were formed in 1994 the founders, Margaret Doud, Amelia Musser, and Bob Traxler, started out with simply the hope and desire to improve the quality of life on Mackinac Island by addressing community needs through supporting local non-profit organizations.

30 years and over $7.4 million in grants later, our impact can be seen all over Mackinac Island: from large housing projects like Forest Way Townhomes, to programs like Meals on Snowmobiles that are smaller but truly make a difference in the lives of residents.

As we grow and change as an organization, so does Mackinac Island, prompting MICF to identify vital areas of need through a Community Needs Assessment, completed in summer 2023. Through this comprehensive survey, MICF identified four key areas to prioritize in future Grantmaking: Building Capacity, Culture, Wellbeing, and Vibrant Island Life. In the coming pages, you can see for yourself the impact that MICF is making in these areas by granting towards programs that help build capacity for island nonprofits, strengthen our historical identity, create housing, and more.

All of this is made possible through the continued effort of our dedicated supporters throughout the years.

This year we want to acknowledge the efforts of our trusted team of advisors, including 30th Anniversary sponsors GreenBridge at William Blair, who have responsibly managed the Community Foundation’s assets over the years.

We want to thank our fundholders, who bolster our grantmaking towards specific areas of need and champion causes important to Mackinac.

We are grateful for our board and representatives over the years, who dedicate their time and efforts to ensuring Community Foundation funds are used appropriately and conserved wisely.

We thank our grantees and community partners, who work tirelessly to make a difference on Mackinac Island all year long.

Finally, we appreciate our family of donors from near and far, including our Legacy Society, all with a beloved connection to Mackinac. You continue to trust in the mission of MICF, and for this we are most grateful.

Together, all of us have built a legacy for our founders to be proud of. We hope you will continue to join us in furthering the mission of the Mackinac Island Community Foundation for years to come.

Thank you.

Jim Murray and Kathleen Rickley Co-Chairs

ASSETS BY THE YEARS

$874,694 year 5

$4,426,241 year 10

$5,005,030 year 15

$9,944,621 year 20

$12,036,221 year 25

$16m year 30

HISTORICAL TOTALS

$12,972,423 total gifts

$7,469,934 total grants made since 1994

104 funds at MICF

93 scholarship recipients since 1994

48 organizations granted to since 1994

30 years of making a difference

$702,578 total grants made from MICF in 2023

$467,730 Capacity Building Grants

$68,214 Culture Grants

$129,700 Vibrant Island Life Grants

Grants

BY THE NUMBERS

$36,932 Wellbeing Grants

$85,416 in unrestricted dollars granted in 2023

$18 million assets

25 organizations granted to in 2023

7 hardship grants to island residents

4 scholarship recipients in 2023

3 new funds in 2023

1 year we have spent in our new office

Statement of Activities

Thank you to our 30th Anniversary Sponsor

The investment managers of GreenBridge at William Blair have been responsibly stewarding the investments of MICF for 29 years. With over 100 years of experience and a skilled team of industry experts, GreenBridge uses both passive and active investment strategies to build a diverse portfolio personalized to our goals.

This year, Mackinac Island Community Foundation is pleased to name GreenBridge as our 30th Anniversary Celebration Sponsor. Throughout the years, our partnership with GreenBridge has guided the foundation towards success. Thank you to our GreenBridge at William Blair investment partners for supporting the vision to make a difference on Mackinac Island, now and for generations to come.

2023 Community Needs Assessment

From June to August 2023, Mackinac island Community Foundation conducted a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment. This study serves as a road map for MICF to support the wellbeing of all Island residents and visitors. Widely publicized among seasonal and permanent residents, there were 238 respondents to the online survey. Facilitated stakeholder focus groups and personal interviews were also held to discuss the issues, services, and needs of the island related to the areas of Health, Education, and Recreation. The survey illuminated Four Focus Areas for grantmaking that MICF will continue to prioritize for the next thirty years, and beyond.

CAPACITY

Building the capacity of Island nonprofits, incorporating best practices from other communities.

CULTURE

Supporting the distinctive and historical aspects that define the unique identity and character of Mackinac Island.

WELLBEING

Focusing on the health, safety, and overall quality of life for all residents and seasonal workers on Mackinac Island.

VIBRANT ISLAND LIFE

Fostering a thriving and inclusive community year round, to support and attract families and residents.

Making long-term grants to organizations that target specific issues will help MICF move the needle for the community. By empowering nonprofits to think outside of the box, MICF will encourage organizations to mirror best practices that are successful in other communities and collaborate effectively to deliver results. This comprehensive approach will keep MICF responsive to community needs now, for the next thirty years, and beyond.

Balancing Growth

WITH HISTORICAL PRESERVATION ON MACKINAC

PHIL PORTER

WAWASHKAMO GOLF CLUB & MACKINAC STATE HISTORIC PARKS

As a professional steward of Mackinac’s history, Phil Porter has a wealth of knowledge about the Island and how it has changed throughout the years.

Director Emeritus at Mackinac State Historic Parks, Phil has four decades of experience working to preserve the unique culture of the Island while also helping the parks grow. His expertise extends to work with other nonprofits, including Wawashkamo Golf Club, a 501c3 organization on Mackinac Island.

It might seem strange for a golf club to operate as this type of nonprofit, but Wawashkamo is a historical site important to Mackinac’s history - the rolling hills became a battleground during the War of 1812. Originally a local farmer’s field, Wawashkamo is the historic location of the Battle of 1814 between British and American soldiers. A cannon, positioned atop the ridge at the golf course’s first tee, commemorates the event.

Years later, in 1898, the former farm and battlefield was developed into a golf course, which Scottish golf course architect Alex Smith designed to integrate the natural rolling topography of the field. Over a century later, the style of the course remains substantially unaltered, and the golf club enjoys a busy summer season. Apart from its normal membership, Wawashkamo also provides youth educational and community-oriented programming, while also lessening the burden of government in regards to historical

preservation. Phil is currently Wawashkamo’s resident Historian.

It’s a busy day with a questionable forecast, not well-suited for a trip to the golf course. So we decide to meet Phil to talk in Marquette Park, down by the informational kiosks next to the street. Carriage Tours pass us, clip-clopping up Fort Hill, and at one point, the crack of rifles echoes across the park during the soldier’s hourly demonstration, high up behind the fort walls. Fort Mackinac, where Phil began his career as a fort soldier interpreter, is part of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Phil has seen the State Park grow and develop over the decades through the support of grants from Mackinac Island Community Foundation.

“I’ve been particularly appreciative of the grants that have supported the work that we did at both our historical properties, and out at the state park as well,” he says. “This is a wide variety of projects, everything from acquisition and preservation of historic documents and artifacts to the creation of new live interpretation programs, education programs, and interpretive signs throughout the state park.”

After retiring from MSHP, Phil turned his focus towards Wawashkamo.

“We have grown to the point where we need new infrastructure to keep doing what we’re doing out there,” says Phil of the 125-year old golf club.

This new infrastructure comes in the form of the Heritage Center Building, a multipurpose facility that will include

a number of improvements to the site to accommodate increased membership and provide better housing for staff.

“We need employee housing, and we need more locker space because our membership is now over 140.” The building is funded through capacity-building grants from the Community Foundation’s Heritage Preservation Fund.

Another purpose the building will serve is education about the club and its programs, as well as the its history and key figures. In the early 1900s, the club produced a golf pro who is believed to have the longest tie between a course and a professional in history, Islander Frank Dufina. Phil Porter authored a book about Mr. Dufina in 2023, titled “The Charming Gentleman of the Game of Golf,” which was also funded through a grant from the Community Foundation.

“Very important to our mission is to share the rich history of the site,” Phil continues, “The golf course, yes, but also as the Battlefield used in the War of 1812. So all of this is happening in this new building, which is being very generously supported by the Mackinac Island Community Foundation.”

The Heritage Preservation Fund was created in 2023 at the Community Foundation. Heritage Preservation is not the only MICF fund contributing to Wawashkamo expansion projects – the Historical Battlefield at Wawashkamo Fund has been instrumental in helping with projects at the club in the past couple of years as well, including purchase of a tractor.

Phil, who serves on the Community Foundation Board of Directors, maintains that MICF plays an important role in supporting Island organizations.

“We have over a hundred funds now, so we can do so much more for Mackinac in the future,” says Phil.

“We interface with so many different elements of the Mackinac Island Community…from healthcare, to housing, to the arts, to recreation, the Community Foundation really touches all aspects of life of Mackinac Island, and that’s really special. It shows we’ve been successful.”

Arts & Culture

ON MACKINAC

BECKI BARNWELL MACKINAC ARTS COUNCIL

“It was a rainy fall night in 2002,” Becki Barnwell begins. She folds her hands, sitting back in her red velvet seat. We’re at the Mission Point Theater, the home base of the Mackinac Arts Council.

“I had this idea, so I called some people together,” she says. “And my question for everyone was: what do we want to see on Mackinac Island, for the arts? Because at that time it was anybody’s game.”

Over the next year in 2003, Becki, a local artist and businesswoman, along with fellow leaders in the community began the process to incorporate their small group as a 501c3 organization, Mackinac Arts Council. They held their first art show at the Mackinac Island Public School that year.

The Arts Council then threw their first fundraiser, Jammin’ for the Arts. A benefit concert on the porch at the West Bluff cottage owned by the Richard & Jane Manoogian Foundation, the fundraiser was intended to be “more informational,” according to Becki, who was adamant from the beginning that the Arts Council needed to benefit everyone on the Island.

“Not just for cottagers or tourists,” she says. “There was nothing in winter either, for the arts. Was that because it wasn’t wanted, or because it wasn’t available? I felt it was because it wasn’t available. And you don’t know unless you try.”

It took the Arts Council a long time to achieve year-round

programming, initially doing a handful of programs a year. Jammin’ for the Arts was their only fundraiser, and Becki knew the organization would need stronger funding in order to grow.

“That’s why our relationship with the Mackinac Island Community Foundation was right in the very beginning.”

It was a symbiotic partnership. The Community Foundation had arts funding, and MAC was ready. One of the first funds to grant to the new organization was artist Marlee Brown Musser’s Community Arts Fund, which has made multiple grants to the Arts Council since.

“This has been over four directors in the last twenty years. It’s been so wonderful, because it’s not just been, ‘What do you want, and how can we give it to you?’ it’s “how can help you help Mackinac?’” says Becki.

MICF was welcome support to the Arts Council, which operated as a volunteer board for the first years. Working together with the Michigan Humanities Council, the State of Michigan, and the MICF, the Arts Council grew and eventually hired its first staff member. Bringing the arts into MIPS was an important early initiative for MAC, one that the Community Foundation supported. There had been no art or music programming in the school prior, and with the support of MICF, the Arts Council helped the school to hire a program director to begin arts education for K-12 students.

“And then during COVID-19, MICF stepped in again,” says Becki.

Together with the Crooked Tree Arts Center out of

Petoskey, MAC facilitated a virtual learning program where instructors from Crooked Tree could teach art classes to Mackinac Island students via Zoom videoconferencing, the Youth Creative Visual Arts Program, in 2020.

“That wouldn’t have happened without the Community Foundation. When you’re looking for a new initiative like that, foundation support is important.”

Becki says that the Arts Council is not the first or only organization to attempt to build an arts presence on the Island, but it is the only one that has stood the test of time.

“You know, there have actually been community theaters here since the 1930s, and they’ve come and gone. Our community theater now is vibrant!” she says, “The major difference here is the Community Foundation. MICF is sort of the mothership keeping this thing alive.”

When asked what she hopes for the future of Mackinac, Becki says she wants to see even more growth for the arts community.

“I would like to not only sustain the vibrant arts community, but I would like to see it grow more… We get funneled a lot of ideas, and pretty much our first phone call is to the Community Foundation to ask, ‘How does this fit? Is this something you’d be interested in supporting?’ I think about how to benefit the year-round community and the school.”

She mentions the concept of a community center, an idea that was supported by 84% of the Mackinac Island population in the MICF Community Needs Assessment Survey, conducted in summer 2023.

A year-round center would certainly open up a lot of opportunities for the organization, especially in terms of programming space. As we’re talking, we sit in the front row of the Mission Point Theater. The bright spotlight is shining onto the stage, where Island musicians, the McCartney Years, are setting up their equipment for rehearsal, and they’ve graciously taken a break to allow us to interview in a quiet space. The Mission Point theater has functioned as a space for anyone who needs a stage, and this includes not just musical acts, but also hotel events and even church services.

This is why Becki would love a dedicated year-round space for arts programming and other community activities.

“It would need to benefit the year-round community and the school especially, but it also needs to be available in the summer for seasonal employees.”

It could be a space to hold Arts Council events like the International Employee Nights, held throughout the summer to celebrate the different cultures living on the Island. Supported by grants from MICF, the International Nights consist of a culturally-specific meal, live entertainment, and socializing with other Island employees and residents, all for free. One popular event is the Jamaican Night, which in the past has included cuisine from local restaurant Kingston Kitchen, and a reggae band.

“There are 400 people that show up. It’s a great way to meet people and get people together, especially employees from those countries. But those dinners cost $10,000 apiece,” Becki says. “And the community foundation pays for half.

That’s huge!”

Time and again, Becki feels grateful that the Arts Council has the Community Foundation in their corner. She’s optimistic for the future.

“With MICF, we know everybody. We know the board members and the director and we can come talk to them on street. It’s a very personal relationship. I’m over the hump of worrying MAC won’t be here in the next 30 years. The community foundation has always been right on task and right behind to support us.”

GRANTS 2023

City of Mackinac Island - Public Library | $20,831.03 Disbursement MIPL Fund

City of Mackinac Island - Public Library | $3,572.00 Library Disbursement Sackfield

Little Stone Church | $8,720.00

Little Stone Church 125th Anniversary Book

Mackinac 4-H Horse Club | $2,000.00

Mackinac 4-H Horse Club Horseback Riding Lesson Program

Mackinac Arts Council | $20,000.00 International Employee Celebrations

Mackinac Arts Council | $7,200.00 Music on the Trail

Mackinac Horsemen’s Association | $4,000.00 Clinics & Shows at Mackinac Community Equestrian Center

Mackinac Horsemen’s Association, Inc. | $780.00

MCEC Hot Water Horse Wash Heater

Mackinac Island Recreation Development and Ski Club | $897.48

MI Ski Club Grant

Mackinac Island Recreation Development and Ski Club | $1,378.86

2023 MIRD Disbursement

Mackinac Island Recreation Development and Ski Club | $769.04

MI Ski Club - Operating

Mackinac State Historic Parks | $4,000.00 Water Fountains with bottle fillers

Starling Shakespeare Company | $11,090.00

Mackinac Island Shakespeare Festival

Ste. Anne’s Church | $964.82

Disbursement, Dorothy Dehring Fund

Saving Lives ON

MACKINAC ISLAND

WENDY DAWSON

CHEBOYGAN LIFE SUPPORT/MACKINAC EMS

“It’s a true community effort here to make our healthcare system work,” says paramedic Wendy Dawson. “The Mackinac Island Community Foundation has been a real lifesaver for our agency to provide state of the art care on the Island.”

The Operations Manager of Cheboygan Life SupportMackinac EMS, Wendy is excited to show MICF the assortment of state-of-the-art medical equipment. She stands in front of the ambulance bay at the Mackinac Island Medical Center, the colorful new vehicle parked at an angle on the driveway. Arranged next to the ambulance on the driveway are a 12-lead monitor, chest compression machine, and electric stair chair sit, all paid for using grants from MICF.

The ambulance, also funded through a grant from the Community Foundation, looks a little different than the rigs one might find on the mainland. Covered in glossy images of lilacs, foliage, and a sprawling scene of Haldimand Bay with the lighthouses in the background, Mackinac Island’s ambulance is one of a kind. This upgrade wasn’t just for aesthetics, though – the new ambulance is larger and better equipped to tackle Mackinac Island’s substantial winters and sometimes off-road terrain.

“The one we had before was about 16 years old and it was one of the small Ford van ambulances, so this one is an incredible piece of equipment to work out of,” says Wendy.

The ambulance was funded through a grant from the community foundation, along with a new electric cot with an

automated lift system, and a ZOLL 12-Lead EKG Monitoring System for advance life support (ALS) care. Thanks to MICF, the Mackinac EMS team is proud to have some of the best gear around.

“We’re one of the few agencies that have zero issues getting people to come work a seasonal job, because we have a great equipment and a wonderful location for them to come visit. Equipment wise, thanks to the foundation, we truly have the best out there right now.”

Wendy also makes sure EMS stays up to date on their medical training through specialized programs.

“MICF has granted us two training grants, we’ve been able to upgrade our trauma training which is really substantial with bike and horse accidents on the Island. We can make sure our employees have up-to-date and current trauma training, and the ability to take transfers off-Island. Now, our latest project is working on training for Mass Casualties. We all like to think that would never happen here in paradise, but we have to be realistic.”

Fortunately, the Mackinac EMS team is in good company, with Mackinac Island Police and Fire Departments at the ready to help respond to emergencies – but even these departments have indirectly benefited from grants made to Mackinac EMS from MICF.

“We got this amazing electric stair chair last year that allows for ascent up the stairs with a patient on it, as well as controlled descent. And that means two providers can do that, so we’re not needing to utilize the Fire Department as much -

which is a bonus for them, as a volunteer organization.”

Wendy points to the chest compression machine, an electronic device about the size and shape of a draft horse’s harness collar.

“This is the LUCAS 3 Automated CPR Device,” she explains. “It does chest compressions consistently, with the correct depth and correct rate, which allows providers to do other types of care on the patient at the same time. Last October, we had a cardiac arrest about a half mile outside of town.” This time, the Police were first to respond.

“They got there first and were able to initiate CPR, and we were able to provide great ALS care with the monitor and the LUCAS 3, benefiting a patient who is alive today. It was really an exceptional story and I personally believe the LUCAS 3 played a huge role.”

Working together as first responders is vital on the Island, as well as having good equipment, since mutual aid isn’t always an option. “If we call for assistance from another agency, they have to come from St. Ignace on a shipping boat, that takes 45 minutes. This equipment has really made a difference for us.”

Over fifteen years, Wendy has witnessed the growth of Mackinac Island, along with the healthcare needs of its residents and visitors. As tourism increases, so do the EMS calls. Once numbering about 150 per year, Wendy estimates that EMS now receives at least 500 calls during the summer alone- and the ambulance isn’t always available.

“One thing the community foundation helped us out with was a golf cart, that allows us a non-transporting vehicle to haul equipment and a paramedic to the patient’s side when the ambulance is already on a call,” says Wendy. “I think in the future we’re going to have to upgrade some of those capabilities. Right now, we have three staff, and I really think we’re going to have to go to four to manage the transfers off the Island.”

No matter what the future holds, Wendy is grateful to MICF and the Mackinac Island community.

“I think we cannot stress enough to us how important our community is. People treat us wonderful when we’re out and about, people talk to us all the time even though they don’t really know us because our staff comes from all over the state to work here in the summer. But they treat us well, and they’re helpful if we need it, if we ask for something, even if we’re literally in the middle of a response, [residents] will go out and help clear the traffic for us to be able to turn on Market Street. Which doesn’t sound like a big deal out in the real world, but here we have to move a thousand people and bicycles off the road to make that happen. So, for us, it is.”

GRANTS 2023

Cheboygan Life Support Systems / Mackinac EMS | $14,738.82 Stryker Electric Stair Chair

Cheboygan Life Support Systems / Mackinac EMS | $8,800.00

TECC high threat training for EMS, Fire, LEO and Medical Center staff

Mackinac Connect Foundation | $6,000.00 Mackinac Connect Employee Events

Mackinac Island Medical Center | $102,866.78 2023 Yearly Distribution

McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation | $1,500.00 Patient Assistance Program

Ste. Anne’s Church | $50.00 Meals on Snowmobiles

Ste. Anne’s Church | $3,500.00 Meals on Snowmobiles 2023-2024

Ste. Anne’s Church | $1,000.00 Summer Employee Meals 2023

Ste. Anne’s Church | $50.00 Meals on Snowmobiles

Ste. Anne’s Church | $100.00 Meals on Snowmobiles

Trinity Episcopal Church | $717.50

Smiles Fund - Emergency Dental Assistance

Workforce Housing

ON MACKINAC

EMMA MOTZ FOREST WAY TOWNHOMES

Sitting at a wooden picnic table on a calm spring afternoon, Emma Motz observes her neighborhood through a pair of mirrored sunglasses. She’s the Community Manager at Forest Way Townhomes, Mackinac Island’s first workforce housing development. Emma and her husband, Dan, live in one of these units with their four small children, far from the hustle and bustle of downtown, tucked away next to the Island’s airport.

Across the drive from where we talk, in front of an apartment, two women sit on a blanket with a baby between them. They laugh and play with the child as a wheat-colored terrier sniffs around them, and a few feet away, a black cat stretches out on the porch. The front door is propped open, airing out the home as the family enjoys the grassy area in between the two apartment buildings of Forest Way Townhomes Phase II.

“When I was young, we were the only kids out here,” Emma says.

A member of the Chambers family, Emma is a lifelong Islander and grew up in her parents’ home a few hundred yards away from where the townhomes now stand. As a kid, she was raised with a sense of freedom and safety, playing and exploring with her many siblings around her family home, surrounded by a winding hedge across the road from Stonecliffe mansion.

The quiet neighborhood would eventually become more developed over the years, as hotel properties expanded and the nearby Sunset Forest subdivision grew. As tourism and summer residency increased, the opportunities for year-round housing

fell. Generational homes were converted into employee housing, and real estate prices continued to climb.

By the time the City of Mackinac Island and Mackinac Island Community Foundation conducted a housing needs assessment in 2017, buying or even renting a home on Mackinac Island was out of the question for most year-round residents. Affordable workforce housing was desperately needed, but land was scarce.

Fortunately, a 200-acre parcel was available near the airport, right down the road from the Chambers home. In 2018, the Community Foundation made a grant from the Richard and Jane Manoogian Historic Preservation and Open Spaces Fun to the City for $250,000 to supplement the land purchase.

When construction officially started on Phase I in 2019, Emma, now with a family of her own, would walk by every morning with her children, curious about the new development. She added her family to the applicant list as soon as it was available. Soon after, Emma and her husband Dan were hired as the day-to-day management of the Townhomes, and they began preparing for tenants to arrive.

“The first twelve units were finished during COVID-19, so we had slowed down a little bit, but we were able to get everybody moved in right around July.”

The townhomes were filled quickly, and the waiting list started to grow. There were more names on the list than there were available units: dray drivers, teachers, bank tellers, tradesmen, and single people as well as families.

“With that wait list growing and the need for housing, the city and the MICF came up with a plan to build 12 more units,” says Emma. Phase II filled up as quickly as expected,

but the list of names continued. “We’re happy to say that Phase III will be breaking ground in September of this year! “We’re building two four-bedroom duplexes. These are more family homes that are really going to have an impact.”

The emphasis on space for families is vital. A year-round community of less than 600, Mackinac Island has its own public school, but enrollment fluctuates heavily. Housing for families is the first step towards boosting enrollment at Mackinac Island Public School and strengthening the year-round community.

“Our school is preschool through 12th grade. I loved everything about growing up here, going to school here, and I wanted my children to go to school here. But without family housing, we can’t move families to the Island, which means our enrollment for the school is getting lower and lower. I want to see housing available to families who want to work and move here, who want to work year-round jobs and help grow the school and the community.”

She also recognizes that couples or single people already living on the Island are in need of housing as well.

“We have police officers, firefighters, EMS, we have bank tellers, post office workers, construction workers. All of these jobs are year-round jobs needed for Mackinac Island. one of the requirements to qualify here is you have to have a year-round job on the Island. Having a strong year-round community could really help the Island grow. Building these next Phase 3 homes will help grow the families, but I hope in the future we find more plots of land where we can do Phase IV and Phase V,” Emma says.

“The MICF grants keep us going,” she explains, “Because we have that boost from the grants we’re able to do the next step, and the crisis of housing is getting less and less because of that. Having that feel of community up at Forest Way helps in so many ways, and MICF put that into action, for sure.”

In Emma’s opinion, this community atmosphere is the best part about the housing at Forest Way.

“I do a newsletter each month, and I do a section called “Meet Your Neighbor,” where I interview a tenant. And my final question in the interview is ‘What do you love about living in the Forest Way Townhomes?’ And nine times out of ten, it’s ‘I love the community feel that we get here. We feel like we’re in a neighborhood that’s welcoming.”

Sitting at the picnic table on the woodchips in the middle of the Forest Way courtyard, enjoying breeze through the tall pines in the peaceful, car-free neighborhood, it’s easy to see why.

“They love hearing the kids running around, if you’re inside, hearing them playing outside.” She laughs, “My daughter learned to ride her bike yesterday, and she rode around out here twenty times! And every single kid was coming out and encouraging her, telling her ‘go, go!’”

Emma says she thankful to know her young ones will have a similar experience to her own childhood on Mackinac Island.

“That’s the way I want my kids to grow up, and that’s the way I see these kids growing up. And the school is growing at this point because of that,” she says.

“This all just started as a vision. And with the help of the Community Foundation, we were able to make that dream a reality. It’s been wild to watch it all grow, but I’m very proud of how it ended up.”