Longbranch Life

LIFE IN LONGBRANCH

A lot has changed in Longbranch since the photo at the top of the page was taken in 1909.  The Narrows Bridge replaced the Longbranch-Steilacoom county ferry.  Local farmers took their eggs, berries, and holly to market using the new highway.  But the little village at the southern end of the Key Peninsula continued to prosper and grow.

Today Longbranch is the home of choice for those who value natural beauty, clean air, and the riches of the southern Puget Sound.  We have all chosen to live “at the end of the road” for our own reasons, but we all share a love of community, culture, and the pioneer spirit.

Investing in the South Key community, The Longbranch Foundation has been created to perpetuate the best of what’s here, and the potential for what can be for those who follow us. Click here to read our latest news, or click here to read about our grant process.

The Foundation supports the Longbranch Improvement Club and all that it has stood for since visionaries created it in 1921.  “To improve the community…” is just as worthy a mission today, and the Foundation encourages charitable support of that goal.

LATEST NEWS

 

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  HELP OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN, SENIORS, AND FAMILIES DURING THIS TRYING TIME! JUST CLICK   DONATE   TO SUPPORT THE  KEY PENINSULA NON-PROFIT OF YOUR CHOICE.

 

 

Longbranch Foundation August 2023 NewsletterThe Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – August 2023 Newsletter

July is the start of a new Board year for the Longbranch Foundation and at our July meeting, we welcomed new board members Bette McCord (Director Student Programs) Nancy Carr (Director-LIC) Bob Perry (Director -LIC president, Marsha Kremen (Director) and our continuing Board Members, Beth Porter (Director – Higher Ed), Jim Hettinger (Director-LIC/TLF Treasurer), and Xoe Frederick (Director -LIC/TLF Secretary.

It was a great meeting with a vital discussion of our mission, a review of our six Charitable purposes, the 2021 Strategic plan and development of a sustainable plan to continue to meet those Purposes.

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation July 2023 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – July 2023 Update

The Longbranch Foundation thanks some very special Scholarship donors: Clark and Barbara Van Bogart, Check West, the Parks Foundation, and our many attendees, item donors, volunteers, and our generous sponsors who made the April Auction for Education a success!

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation June 2023 NewsletterThe Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – June 2023 Newsletter

Congratulations to our 2023/2024 Scholarship Recipients! Many thanks to our attendees, item donors, volunteers, and our generous sponsors who made the April Auction for Education a Success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation March 2023 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – March 2023 Update

Moving Forward: Auction for Education 2023 to benefit our youth. April 22nd, 2023, from 4-8 p.m. Buy tickets, $85 per person, at the following link…

 

 

 

 

Moving Forward Flyer April 2023The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – January 2023 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation is still seeking auction items, gift baskets, and Raise the Paddle Match Donors!  The Website  for the auction will be live in March, so look for the link in the LIC Newsletter and the KP News and on our website.

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation October 2022 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – December 2022 Update

There is still time to send in your end of year donation. We have collected $9,390 so far and I would so love to make it to $10,000 by the end of the year. There is still time to write a check or go to the website and click on DONATE NOW!

 

 

 

I love my KPThe Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – November 2022 Newsletter

Winter is here! Time for cocoa and fires in the fireplace and winterizing the yard. You should have received a letter from the Foundation with our Annual Request for donations. I mailed out over 300 letters to the current membership list.

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation October 2022 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – October 2022 Update

Fall is officially here and with the Fall comes our Annual Celebrate Campaign. This is a chance for all of us to reflect on how we give back to the community that nurtures and supports us. I for one, am blessed with all of the relationships I have made through the LIC and the Foundation, and the various ways we can all help each other while enjoying life.

The Foundation, created in 2016, continues to expand its program and services to the Key Peninsula Community. We promote and enable educational opportunities for our youth, we maintain the area’s history by supporting the historically designated LIC Clubhouse, we work to improve the Filucy Bay environment with support to the Longbranch Marina.

 

 

 

 

I love my KPThe Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – September 2022 Newsletter

After a cold and wet winter, the hot days of summer are here. A change to warmer weather is always wonderful on the KP as it brings the sounds of children playing late outside, swimming, kayaking, boating, and all those sitting by the campfire experiences.

This summer has also brought changes in the make-up of the Foundation Board as Michele Gorman and Barb Floyd have stepped down. I want to extend a huge round of applause and appreciation for all their hard work and service to The Longbranch Foundation.

 

 

 

 

Longbranch Foundation March 2022 Newsletter

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) – May 2022 Update

The day provided so much more than an opportunity to buy a few needed (or not so needed) items. It was an occasion to once again greet community on the grounds of the historic Longbranch Improvement Club. The morning was chilly, but the smiles were warm all around at the Super Sale, sponsored by The Longbranch Foundation. The proceeds from the event will directly benefit the club’s unique building.

LIC is the ideal venue. The grounds also provide us the space to take a quiet walk through lovely trails with a friend, or to sit and share a bagged lunch with others in the community garden.

 

 

 

 


A LITTLE HISTORY of THE LONGBRANCH IMPROVEMENT CLUB

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead

What is an Improvement Club? Many neighbors on the Key Peninsula have heard about The Longbranch Improvement Club (LIC), but don’t know much about it. According to the original Articles of Incorporation, the club formed a corporation in 1921 to buy “Real Estate for the purpose of a Consolidated School, Athletic, and Picnic purposes and to encourage any activity for the betterment of Schools, Homemaking, Roads, Marketing, Dairy, Poultry and all its branches.”

According to Key Peninsula Historical Society & Museum, “Improvement clubs grew out of the Progressive Movement that swept the nation from the 1870s to the 1920s. Civic duty and improving the quality of life were to be based on new learning and technology. This was a national focus, and Teddy Roosevelt tasked communities to focus on rural improvement.” It is interesting to note that even the City of Tacoma had an improvement club at one time; a scattering of improvement clubs remain active today.

In the 1940s when School #328 was discontinued, the LIC assumed ownership of the former gymnasium building, built-in 1934 as a WPA project during the Great Depression. The old Pierce County pier in Filucy Bay had been abandoned in the 1930s when the “Mosquito Fleet” ferry service to Longbranch was discontinued. In 1959, members of the LIC, through agreements with Pierce County and Washington state, took over management and maintenance of the marina. They built a 168-foot pier and attached it to the old county dock.

Today, the LIC continues to be active on the Key Peninsula. The building and marina still serve in the spirit of the founders of the LIC. The marina is open to the public for use by local and visiting boaters. The clubhouse, now on the Register of National Historic Places, is used by the club for events and is available for rent. In addition, the local Fire District uses the property for helicopter evacuation practices, and the Parks District holds a Day Camp at the facility each summer.

SUMMARY

The Longbranch Improvement Club has remained committed for nearly 100 years to fulfilling its mission, which is “… for the Betterment of the Community”, and it is now joined by The Longbranch Foundation in that effort.  Both organizations are evolving and we look forward to continuing to improve our support for the Key Peninsula. Much credit goes to our members and residents of the broader community – Thank You!

WHY TWO ORGANIZATIONS

The answer turns on federal laws concerning exemptions for charitable organizations from income taxation.

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes the Longbranch Improvement Club (LIC) as a tax-exempt social welfare organization under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. As long as it continues to meet certain requirements, its income is immune from taxation, however, donations to the LIC by individuals or other organizations are not authorized to take income tax deductions. The LIC has significant income from non-qualifying sources such as the rental of its clubhouse and moorage fees at the Longbranch Marina. The LIC has a membership of over 200 members that conduct a variety of educational, social, and philanthropic events and provides support for a number of other community organizations.

The Longbranch Foundation (TLF) was formed in 2016 to raise funds and provide grants for specified charitable purposes that qualify it as a tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Not only is its income exempt from taxation, but individuals, businesses, and other organizations are authorized to take income tax deductions, to the extent authorized by law. Its specified charitable purposes include preserving and maintaining historic properties, maintaining and improving local recreation grounds and trails, supporting scholarship programs and public school activities, enhancing the environment of Filucy Bay, improving public safety at the Longbranch Marina, and supporting community service organizations and activities. Both organizations are managed and supported by volunteers. Both organizations use the same pool of volunteers for LIC Events and TLF Fundraising activities.

 


 

The Longbranch Foundation is a non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization associated with The Longbranch Improvement Club. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.