On August 3rd 2011 Wiscraft once again hosted its annual Live @ the Lakefront Appreciation Night.  For the past 3 years the first Wednesday of August has been a day for Wiscraft to say thank you and give something back to all of the customers, donors, and employees who make the continued success of our mission possible.  Each year the event has become a little larger and a lot more fun.  This year was no exception!

Idyllic Wisconsin weather and a backdrop of the majestic Dennis Sullivan sitting in port set the stage for the best event to date.  More than 100 VIP guests of Wiscraft enjoyed refreshments and appetizers in the VIP tent while an additional 500-plus members of the general public once again enjoyed the musical stylings of Los Ciegos del Barrio.  You may remember from last year’s event that Los Ciegos is a wonderful New York based Latin-fusion band that masterfully combines Latin flavor with a wide variety of genres.  What’s even more amazing though, is that the entire band is legally-blind.

During the intermission of this special event Wiscraft’s president, Jim Kerlin, and Board Chairman, Ron Hutchinson took the time to recognize foundations that have made significant contributions toward Wiscraft’s mission over the past year.  Each of the following organizations was recognized with a custom made plaque and magnifying glass as well as a round of resounding applause from the audience for all of the wonderful things they have done for the community.

1) Harley Davidson Foundation

2) Helen Bader Foundation

3) Forest County Potawatomi Foundation

4) Briggs & Stratton Corporation

One of the larger projects, which foundations supported over the past year was the launching of our communication center, and as such, Steven Gastreich, one of our communication center employees gave a heart-wrenching speech about his experience struggling to find employment prior to being offered a job at Wiscraft.  It was truly inspirational to hear of Steven’s 7 year struggle to find steady employment, which ended with a job here at Wiscraft.

Even after the sun had long since retired for the evening and the band had left the stage, hundreds of people remained at the Discovery World Amphitheater listening to a recording of Los Ciegos del Barrio.  It was pretty obvious that we had another successful evening by the fact that nobody wanted to leave even after it was over.  We would like to thank everyone who attended and has continued to support Wiscraft, and we look forward to seeing more of you there next year!