DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — A new grant program is awarding over $100,000 to six Door County nonprofits, providing vital support for seniors and working families throughout the peninsula.
The funding aims to help local organizations expand services, create new opportunities, and strengthen community programs that make a real difference for residents.
John Ludwigsen, who leads Cycling Without Age Door County, is among the first to receive funding from the new grant program.
"Just to get people outside," John Ludwigsen said.
Cycling Without Age is a volunteer organization that enhances the lives of older adults by providing free, leisurely trishaw rides.
"One of our pilots was worried in the beginning that he wouldn't be able to converse with these people because he wouldn't know what to say," He said. "He found out these people are just excited to be outside and tell their story."
Ludwigsen says the group received a $10,000 grant to purchase new trishaws and adaptive equipment, allowing them to expand services to reach more older adults in the community.
"They have ridden their bikes all their life, and now they're to a point where maybe they have problems with balance, and they just don't want to sit and be driven around," Ludwigsen said.
The grant funding was provided by the Senior Citizens Agency of Northern Door (SCAND) in partnership with the Door County Community Foundation.
"We have historically always been helping the aging community," Susan Ford-Hoffert, president of SCAND, said.
She says the goal of the grants is clear: to provide seniors with more opportunities to get outside, stay active, and engage with their community.
"It became important that we are able to continue giving them money that they can continue the services that are really important to our friends and neighbors," Ford-Hoffert said.
The Senior Citizens Agency of Northern Door says a second grant cycle is planned to fund additional local groups serving the community.
