Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care Fund Lakeshore Community Chorus

Lakeshore Community Chorus received funding from the Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care

Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care (ACLWWC) held their second quarter meeting on Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Saugatuck Woman's Club. The group of women gathers four times a year to hear from three different 501c3 organizations that serve Allegan County. All gathered vote and the top vote getting organization receives $100 contributions from each ACLWWC member.

ACLWWC Board Member Susan Blose announced that the Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care, currently 72 members strong, has contributed over $304,000 in financial support to non-profits since the group began over ten years ago.

The June 12 top vote getter was the Lakeshore Community Chorus, presented by Chorus and ACLWWC member Kathleen Bowen Piggins . Lakeshore Community Chorus is a volunteer organization of enthusiastic singers that rehearses and performs two concerts per year. The chorus group attracts members age 18 and up, including some high school students whose participation is provided through a scholarship that covers the $100 annual participation fee.

The chorus has sung in the community at senior centers, the Farmer's Market at Saugatuck Center for the Arts, and at the annual PRIDE fest. Funding was sought to add to the music library and upgrade costumes. Currently the group is funded through donations and ticket sales. The chorus has a paid artistic director and accompanist and was founded almost 20 years ago. It has not been funded by ACLWWC before.

The second presentation focused on the Allegan County Legal Assistance Center. Julie Cowie presented on behalf of the Center, telling the story of a Fennville woman who navigated the legal journey of answering a divorce summons with the aid of the Allegan County Legal Assistance Center. A Center patron assistant helped the young woman understand and complete required court paperwork accurately and in a timely manner, resulting in a divorce settlement that cost the Fennville resident just over one dollar, as attorney costs were avoided.

Linda Teeter, Director of Finance and Fundraising for the Allegan County Legal Assistance Center, answered questions about the Center's $140,000 annual budget and operations. Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care provided funding to help the Honorable Margaret Z. Bakker, Judge of the Circuit Court, launch the center in 2012. The group applauded the growth of the Center, which has served over 33,000 people since its inception.

The third presenter, JoAnn DeJonge, spoke about the Tri-Community HeartSafe program of Saugatuck. The HeartSafe program provides CPR training and increases access to AED (automated external defibrillator) equipment in communities.

Using data to explain the medical importance of immediate intervention, the speaker outlined how often medical emergencies occur in public places and the typical EMS response time (approximately 6 minutes for the Saugatuck area). Local residents can be trained to perform CPR and use an AED until the EMS crew arrives. DeJonge sought funding to purchase additional AEDs for the Saugatuck downtown area. The cost to place an AED is approximately $3500.

Tony Schippa of the Heartsafe Tri-Community of Saugatuck Area answered questions from the audience. Working from his 40 years of experience as a first responder and paramedic, he emphasized the importance of assisting a person experiencing a cardiac event within the first 3 to 5 minutes.

The next meeting of the Allegan County Lakeshore Women Who Care is Thursday September 11, 2025 at 5:30 pm at the Saugatuck Brewing Company, 2948 Blue Star Hwy in Douglas. New members and visitor are welcome.

Note: Julie Cowie, mentioned above, is the editor of Casco Township News.