Explore ways to show your support!
Supporting Us
Your support as a Donor and/or Volunteer provides the foundation for our work at the Les Cheneaux Historical Association. All gifts are 100% tax-deductible. There are many avenues to donate to the Museums, and we are here to help you fulfill your philanthropic goals, knowing your gift impacts our mission.
Learn more about ways to give, how to make an unrestricted gift, support specific initiatives, and more!
Individual Gifts – If you are interested in making a donation to the Les Cheneaux Historical Association or one of our Museums please contact our development team at lcha@lchistorical.org or call 906-484-2821.
To make a donation online – click here.
To mail a gift, please send your donation to:
Les Cheneaux Historical Association
P.O. Box 301
Cedarville MI 49719
Gifts In Tribute – Memorial & Tribute donations are given memory of someone who has passed away as a way to honor both them and their family. When you give a gift in honor of someone, you honor their memory by supporting the museum’s mission to create a culture of lifelong learning and to preserve the Les Cheneaux Areas traditions & heritage for generations.
Learn more about making a Gift in Tribute – click here.
Give to a Specific Initiative – Explore our giving areas to allocate your investment to the work you are most passionate about! Your gift can directly support our initiatives for Youth & Educational Programming, Fleet Maintenance, our Boat Shop, Exhibit Development, to support our Infrastructure, and more. For more information on our specific initiatives – click here.
IRA Transfers & Gifts of Stock – If you are 72 (70½ if you turned 70½ before January 1, 2020) years old or older and own an individual retirement account (IRA), you must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Did you know that you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA directly to the Les Cheneaux Historical Association without paying income taxes on the money. For more information – click here.
Les Cheneaux Legacy Society – The Les Cheneaux Legacy Society honors individuals who have included the Historical Association, Maritime Museum, and/or the Historical Museum in their estate or giving plans by naming the our organizations as a beneficiary to wills, living trusts, insurance policies, IRAs, and other methods of planned gifts.
You may designate your legacy gift to the giving area that means the most to you, whether you choose Educational Programming, the Mariner’s Library, or one of our other important initiatives. For more information – click here.
Gifts of Local Notoriety – If you are in possession of local artifacts of significance to the traditions & heritage of the Les Cheneaux Islands and its people – please consider donating these items to the Les Cheneaux Historical Association for both research and preservation.
If you are interested in making a donation to the Les Cheneaux Historical Association or one of our Museums please contact Museum staff at lcha@lchistorical.org or call 906-484-2821.
Thank you for your support!
We love volunteers! If you’d like to help the museum and have fun hanging out with us, please click on any event below to sign up. If you have any questions about volunteering, please email lcha@lcihistorical.org or call (906) 484-2821.
To sign up, click on the opportunity title below or contact Museum Staff @ lcha@lchistorical.org.
Seasonal Museum Prep – Many hands make light work! Join us on Saturday, May 18th (9am – Noon) to open the doors up, dust off, and prepare the Maritime Museum for Summer Visitors. No sign-up necessary, just swing by the Maritime Museum.
Group Tour Guides – Do you enjoy sharing your enthusiasm for history with kids and families? Get trained on our current exhibits, and then come in and lead gallery tours for student & group visitors. Contact Shirley Jewel at lcha@lcihistorical.org or (906) 484-2821 for more information and to schedule training.
Welcome/Greeters – Be the first friendly face that visitors see as they enter our Museums from the parking lot or as they return to the lobby area. If you prefer to be able to sit during your volunteer opportunity, this a great option for you. Help visitors find their way, hand out information, and welcome people to the museum.
Boat Show Crew – Our most popular volunteer opportunity – it takes over 300 volunteers to host the annual Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show. We have volunteer opportunities for ages 14 – 104. Participation comes with Crew Shirt, admission to the event, and an invitation to our Annual Picnic.
Other Volunteer Opportunities – If there’s another volunteer duty that might interest you – perhaps making phone calls, helping with landscaping tasks, helping with dusting/cleaning, the Mariner’s Libaray, Collections, or other ideas you might have – please contact us at lcha@lchistorical.org.
WHAT’S IN A MEMBERSHIP?
Your membership is an investment in the community. As a Historical Association Member, you support a cultural resource that provides unique, exceptional services to the Eastern Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan. Your membership helps care for and conserve the Maritime & Historical Museums collections of over 5,000 artifacts and makes possible a rich variety of educational and outreach programs.
More details on Membership Benefits coming Summer 2024!
Sponsor involvement with the Les Cheneaux Historical Association and our Museums is a wonderful means to achieve your business objectives and enhance your company’s role and profile within the community.
Corporate memberships are available at a variety of levels and include employee and client benefits such as complimentary admission, Gift Shop discounts, private exhibition and collection tours, and exclusive VIP events. Our annual corporate partners provide an important business investment that sustains our exhibitions and programs, enhances our community outreach, and helps us to reach a broader audience.
More information on Sponsorship Opportunities & Corporate Memberships coming Summer 2024 – in the meantime, please contact Museum Staff at (906) 484-2821 with questions.