The Historical Society is proud to have been one of the original charities invited to join the Giving Challenge in 2012, its first year, and happy to join the over 700 area nonprofits participating in this year’s Giving Challenge, a 24-hour online event between noon Tuesday April 9 and noon Wednesday April 10, 2024. During this time, your gift of $25 to $100 will be doubled by The Patterson Foundation. (Here’s our FAQs on the Giving Challenge.)

Click here between noon Tuesday April 9 and noon Weds. April 10 to donate to HSoSC and have your donation DOUBLED.

Now, the Historical Society is unique amongst most local nonprofits in that it is 100% responsible for the upkeep and daily maintenance of two historic buildings: The Bidwell-Wood House built in 1882, and the Crocker Memorial Church, dating from the early years of the 20th century.

Here’s just the highlights of what donations,

including the 8 Giving Challenges in a dozen years, have helped us accomplish:

• 2012-2013: Installed the security camera system for the safety of visitors and neighborhood.
• 2014: Repaired the roof. Also the back porch steps for easier access from our parking field.
• 2015: The church roof refurbishment.
• 2016: The stage reconstruction and new more efficient ceiling fans.
• 2018: Upgraded the entire security system.
• 2020: This was the year of the global pandemic, when so many were in need. We asked our supporters to think “People first, then buildings.” Revisit our 2020 message here. Here’s what Treasurer Deborah Bowers, head of our Finance Committee, said, ” …HSoSC feels that in these perilous times, people must come before preserving historic buildings. Therefore we ask, think people first as you decide your donations …Historic buildings are wonderful… but buildings are nothing without people to enjoy them in good health and prosperity.”
• 2021: We added three park benches for the public to enjoy the serenity of our campus in Pioneer Park. But on the west side of the Church, it wasn’t quite so serene! We tackled the biggest project to date: Repairing the entire west wall of the Church, which ended up involving support beams as well. Read about that here.
• 2022: We started planning for the refurbishment of our signature red double doors, and for the office renovation and updated hardware and software, which were both completed the next year.
• And in 2023, the Florida inevitable: New air conditioning for the Church, which is heavily and joyously used for community gatherings and functions.

Now in 2024, we face ongoing maintenance. We’ve recently fumigated both buidings to preserve their wooden structure; worked on the campus gardens; explored the finances of restoring the east wall with its original windows and renovating the columns and the feasibility of ever-better, contemporary reuse of these historic buildings.

And that’s not even saying anything about our educational offerings, our member events, and our support of our historic peers in the tri-state area. You can read more about this here on our blog, on the rest of our website, and on our Facebook page.

Have you read this far? Thank you! Both for your past support and your including The Historical Society of Sarasota County during The Giving Challenge 2024!