What a Surprise!

The Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 23rd followed the usual format of our meetings: welcome members, elect officers, report on finances, recognize volunteers, and even cake to celebrate an anniversary but the meeting took a surprising detour from that familiar routine.

It started with a cell phone call and ended just like in the movies. Marge Hill had just been elected President. She called on Ted Mainella, the Society’s Treasurer to launch the fundraising campaign to “Burn the Mortgage” of $65,000 the Society owes on the House on Apple Court. Then her cell phone rang. Not wanting to disturb the presentation, Marge stepped into the kitchen and answered the call. It was from a member – who will remain anonymous. They said if the members would donate $l5,000 on the spot, they would donate $50,000 and our mortgage would be paid in full!

Trying to process the very generous offer – and regain her composure –President Hill addressed the meeting. She

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Thanks to the generosity of our members!

apologized for the interruption and relayed the donor’s challenge. The room was quiet. Mainella, who was reporting from home via Zoom, was silent. Members looked at each other in disbelief. Do such things happen? In less than ten minutes, members had exceeded the challenge with a total of $16,500 pledged. The following Tuesday, Marge Hill accepted the very generous donor’s cashier’s check. Along with the members' spontaneous donations, we have now paid off the entire mortgage. Our Society now owns 5597 Apple Court — free and clear!

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Marge said “As always, our generous members come together when help is needed. These donations make sure the House on Apple Court will be preserved as a Showplace of Greendale History, open to all for years to come.” Our "Burn the Mortgage" party will be announced soon!

Want to support this project but volunteering is more your thing? Click this button to share how you would like to volunteer. We appreciate all the skills our volunteers bring! We'll work together to ensure that the Apple Court House is here for all generations to come.

We invite you to help renovate the 5597 Apple Court Original home with your pledge of financial support or as a volunteer. If you would prefer to mail a donation please send it to:

Greendale Historical Society

5680 Broad Street, Greendale, WI 53129