WHY I Give

By Kitty Cortez

Ihave been a Wallooner since the early 1960s, when my parents, Bill and Emma Makinen introduced our family to Louise Williams’ and Jane McNamara’s Valhalla Family Resort in Wildwood Harbor. We created core family memories in the great outdoors - canoeing, swimming, sailing, hiking, playing tennis, horseback riding, singing around a campfire, and catching frogs. Getting out of the city was good for our souls. Eventually, our family bought our own cottage and would drive Up North in the winter to ski and snowshoe. After college, I moved to Washington State, but always made summertime at Walloon a priority. It was during this time I began volunteering for the WLAC.

When money was being raised to purchase the Wildwood Harbor Preserve, I wanted to be a part of that effort to protect the watershed. I also helped mark and maintain the trails with my dad and our neighbor, Bill Marklewitz. I continue to give as a monthly donor to conserve the magic of Walloon Lake for my daughter and grandchildren. For all that this lake has done to enrich my life, it is a small price to pay to donate to the Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy so they can continue their work of keeping the lake pristine and protecting its watershed.