Natural spaces across the Upper Peninsula hold a special place in the hearts of residents. While everyone has a favorite park, many consider Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park the region’s largest and most treasured nature preserve.
Many people may not know about the Friends of the Porkies. The group works to keep the park a place where people can come to learn about one of Michigan’s largest areas of wilderness.
Holly Page, communications coordinator for the Friends of the Porkies, said donations help make park visits possible for students who might otherwise never see it.
“Donations can pay for the funding for the school buses to bring the kids from five different school districts,” Page said. “And then we reimburse the schools. So a lot of those kids have never been here.”
The group’s programs reach across generations. Its Dan’s Cabin serves as the home of the Artists in Residence program, which now hosts classes for children and older adults.
Page said sponsorships help people who could not otherwise afford to take part in a folk school class.
“Dan’s cabin, is for our Artists in Residence program, but now we have lots of different classes here,” Page said. “We have some for kids, we have some for older people, we mean the whole age range, and we also have, and it’s one of the things that we need this year, is we have sometimes some sponsorship opportunities for people who couldn’t have otherwise afforded to pay for a folk school class. So that’s one really nice thing that Giving Tuesday has helped us with.”
Giving Tuesday helps the group maintain essential programs for youth and the community. Some programs introduce participants to artistic skills using natural materials or inspiration from the park. Others guide visitors onto lesser-traveled trails.
Page said she has seen the campaign grow during her time with the group.
“I think this is only my third or fourth year, so I don’t know how it started, but it seems like it’s been growing, and that’s fantastic to see this community-wide movement and all the giving and the community coming together and helping out all these different organizations,” Page said.
The Friends of the Porkies will join Copper Shores and close to 70 other causes during November’s Giving Tuesday campaign. This year marks the campaign’s 10th anniversary. Over that time, the community has helped raise more than $5.8 million.
Readers can learn more about the Friends of the Porkies on the group’s website. More information about Copper Shores’ 10th Giving Tuesday campaign is also available online. Readers can follow the My UP News and Keweenaw Report Giving Tuesday Spotlight Series for more coverage.
