The Leelanau Children’s Center (LCC) raised $127,185 at its annual Leelanau Grown: Feast & Fundraiser, held July 21 at Aurora Cellars Estate venue.
More than 150 friends and supporters attended the evening, which benefits LCC’s Financial Aid Program and marks the opening of the organization’s 50th year of service.
LCC’s Financial Aid Program funds the gap between what families pay in tuition and the actual cost of care.
LCC serves three and four-year-olds, funded by tuition or, for children turning four by December 1, by the state’s free Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP).
Tuition is priced competitively within the region, but the true cost of care runs nearly double that, and philanthropy covers the difference for every child enrolled.
The proceeds from Leelanau Grown carry that support through the coming year. The need returns every fall.
Five decades ago, two Leelanau visionaries, Dee Glass and Molly Phinny, set out to make sure young children in the county had somewhere safe to grow and learn while their families built a livelihood. What began as an answer to a local need has since become foundational infrastructure for the community, the reason parents can farm, teach, run a business, or care for a neighbor, and the reason young families can build a life here rather than leave in search of care.
Fifty years of that work has produced something rare: a community that holds across generations. Children who once passed through LCC’s doors now bring their own children through them, and in some cases their grandchildren.
“For 50 years, LCC has been part of what keeps this community whole. The specialness of Leelanau, the thing all of us recognize, whether we’re here year-round or seasonally, depends on families being able to stay. Our community is a fabric, and every family that gets to stay and build their lives here is another thread,” said Jen Reutter, executive director of the Leelanau Children’s Center.
That case was made personally on Saturday night by Skyler Fort, an LCC alum parent and owner of Fortified Coatings, whose testimonial described how access to quality childcare supports working families and the long-term future of Leelanau County.
The evening’s giving opened with a raffle for an Ultimate Leelanau Beach Day package from Harbor House, followed by a spirited live auction for a two-night escape to North Farm with a private dinner prepared by Chef Abra Berens. Fort’s testimonial carried the room into the paddle raise, which sparked generous giving, and the night closed with a game of heads or tails for the chance to win a top-of-the-line Aventon 5 e-bike from Suttons Bay Bikes.
Guests enjoyed a locally sourced meal by Sense of Place TC, award-winning wines from Aurora Cellars, craft cocktails from Northern Latitudes Distillery, local brews from Arbor Brewing Company, and live music by Miriam Pico.
The evening was hosted by Simpson Family Estates and made possible by LCC’s Community Partner Sponsors. LCC extends particular thanks to the volunteers who gave their time to every stage of the event, and to its teachers, whose patient, nurturing work shaping how children see the world is the foundation beneath LCC’s fifty years of service.
Leelanau Grown opens a milestone year for the organization. LCC marks its 50th anniversary honoring five decades of first friendships and first classrooms, moments that shaped not only individual children, but the character of the community itself. Alumni families, former students, and longtime supporters are encouraged to reconnect with the Center as the anniversary year unfolds.
Donations to the Leelanau Grown Campaign are still being accepted at https://leelanauchildrenscenter.app.neoncrm.com/forms/leelanaugrown. More information about volunteering, giving, and getting involved is available at www.leelanauchildrenscenter.org.
