Category Archives: Uncategorized

Door County Reads, and its national counterpart the Big Read, is a month-long series of events designed to bring a community together in celebration of reading and literature. Now entering its 10th year in Door County, this year’s effort was launched with a Kick-Off Celebration at the Door Community Auditorium on Jan. 23. I wasContinue reading “Using a Book to Build Community”

In a weird sort of harmonic convergence, I’m composing this column on March 24th on what would have been my father’s 94th birthday. Bernaldo Daniel Bicoy passed away four years ago, just a handful of days before he was to turn 90. While I’m naturally always a bit reflective when his birthday rolls around, 2017Continue reading “Typing My Father’s Words”

A good many of us have a hard time thinking clearly without that morning mug filled with coffee but apparently my brain was more addled than usual the other day. It was far too early to be awake, so I dreamed of stopping for a cup of java on the way to the office onlyContinue reading “Charity is Not a Dirty Word”

It was nearly four decades ago that I first got involved in charity in a meaningful way. I was in the third grade at Pearl Ridge Elementary School and helped organize a recycling drive to collect newspapers and aluminum cans. This effort had the dual benefit of removing waste from the landfill stream as wellContinue reading “Winter is Coming: The Environmental Failings of Tax Law”

Is it a telephone or a television? That was the fundamental question I heard Harvard Professor Robert Putnam ask nearly 20 years ago when pondering this new thing called the “internet.” He had come to speak with a gathering of community foundation executives to ask for assistance (and funding) for his largest-ever study of civicContinue reading “How We Say I’m Sorry :)”

I’ve always liked my first column of the New Year to be optimistic and thought provoking. In years past I’ve written about the relationship between religion and giving, how giving enriches the soul, and how helping others helps us enjoy life more. This year I was having difficulty coming up with a concept for myContinue reading “Lessons from a Pineapple”

Quit smoking. Lose weight. Enjoy life. Help others. These are four of the most common New Year’s resolutions, according to most everyone who surveys such things. Chances are that a couple of these are on your list as well. Sadly, less than one out of every three people will fulfill one of their New Year’sContinue reading “The Best New Year’s Resolutions”

When a business affiliates its brand with a beloved charity, it’s good for the company’s bottom line. Countless studies have conclusively shown that consumers are far more willing to spend money at a business if they know a percentage of their purchase is going to a nonprofit organization they respect. Unfortunately, evidence is mounting thatContinue reading “Cause Marketing: Good for Business, Not Always for Charity”

Every year the Door County Community Foundation presents an event called Preview Door County for our friends in Southwest Florida. From our vibrant arts community to our wonderful music, to those who steward and protect our environment treasures, the goal of Preview Door County is to remind our seasonal residents that so much of whatContinue reading “My Father is Still Teaching Me About Generosity”

“We believe that we have established a rather easily implemented strategy for improving one’s level of well-being,” write Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough. “Our results provide some important findings that have not been reported in the empirical literature on happiness. There do appear to exist benefits to regularly focusing on one’s blessings.” Using the dryContinue reading “The Virtuous Circle of Gratitude”