Support Us

When you make a general donation to RFR, we put it right to where funds are needed the most. Your donations keep our lights on and allow us to continue to offer affordable programs for promoting healthy living in our community. Your tax deductible donations directly support recreation and fitness opportunities in the Chequamegon Bay Area. We believe when individuals and families are healthy and active, our community is healthy and active. Thanks to all our donors who keep our programs affordable and accessible.

​Affordable access to sailing is made possible by the generosity of people like you who believe in the value of sailing in the Chequamegon Bay Area. Your support goes directly towards building up confident, self-reliant, collaborative sailors who love and respect the largest freshwater lake in the world. ​

Our 1% for Recreation program started in 2007 as a way for local businesses to support the operation of the Bayfield Rec Center.  From restaurants to gift shops and hotels, local businesses ask their patrons to pay an additional 1% on their bill as a donation to the program.
Though these donations are generally quite small individually (typically under a few dollars), they add up to a sizable amount - Last year, local businesses raised over $50,000 by asking for an additional 1% on Patron's bills.
Ask us how you too can make a difference by becoming a 1% partner. The best part is, it won't cost you a dime!  Contact us today!

Bequests​
A bequest is a gift of money, stocks, bonds, jewelry, or other personal property that is donated through a will, trust or beneficiary designation form. A bequest is one of the most generous ways to make a significant contribution to the rec center and to help us fulfill our mission. Bequests come in many forms.

• Specific Bequests – Names a specific sum of money or a specific asset to be gifted.
• Contingency Bequests – Provide for the gift only after a certain event has occurred, for example, The Rec Center might be designated to receive a certain bequest if the bequeather's spouse is no longer alive.
• Residual Bequests - Leave to the recipient everything that remains in an estate after other bequests have been made and various expenses and claims have been paid.

 To leave a bequest to the Bayfield Rec Center, please talk to your estate planner and provide them with the following information Donation Information. 

Beneficiary Designation Gifts
You can designate the Rec Center as a beneficiary when preparing a will, life insurance policy, or retirement account, to receive the benefits or proceeds when you pass away. The Rec Center can be designated as a direct beneficiary of other assets such as, qualified retirement plans, IRAs, life insurance policies, and revocable and irrevocable trusts. You could also name the Rec Center as a direct beneficiary of your taxable investment accounts or bank accounts through a “transfer on death” (TOD) assignment.

​To name the Rec Center as one of your primary or contingent beneficiaries in your life insurance policy or retirement or investment account, please give your financial professional or accountant the following Donation Information.

The Rec Center hosts annual events such as the Polar Plunge and the Point to La Pointe Open Water Swim. Both events but in particular, the Point to La Pointe, require an army of volunteers to carry it out effectively. Every year hundreds of volunteers sign up to lend us a hand with both events. Stay tuned for a link to a volunteer form coming soon.  As always, we want to thank all our volunteers without whom the execution of these events would not be possible. 

Looking for an easy and  tax effective way to make a donation to the Bayfield Rec Center? You can make a donation of your appreciated securities, including stocks or mutual funds. By donating appreciated securities, you can:

• ​Avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated stock
• Receive a charitable income tax deduction
• Help us continue our mission

If you would like to know how you can make a gift of stock to the Bayfield Rec Center, please contact us.

The 18th Annual Point to La Pointe Open Water Swim is quickly approaching on August 5, 2023. The Point to La Pointe is a premier 2.1-mile open water swim race from Bayfield to La Pointe, WI in Lake Superior and it is our biggest fundraiser of the year.

The Point to La Point Swim provides a great opportunity to put your business in the spotlight, build your brand and deliver your marketing message to an engaged and targeted audience of over 1,500 area residents, visitors, swimmers, their supporters, and volunteers – your customers. 
To become a sponsor of the 18th annual Point to La Point Open Water Swim, please click on the round sponsor icon.