The Sanilac County Historical Society (SCHS) will be celebrating this year’s GivingTuesday by presenting updates on the completion of phase one (and plans for phase two) of the Save the Aitkin House (Bark Shanty) project.
In January of 2022, the Sanilac County Historical Society raised $75,000 to help save the Aitkin House (Bark Shanty), which is a historical home located beside the Port Sanilac Lighthouse. As one of the first homes built in Port Sanilac, it also stands as one of the oldest homes in the area. The funds raised by SCHS have been used to move the home to the village grounds, lay the structure on a new foundation, repair construction scars from the move, and run utility lines to the building. Current plans for phase two include interior renovations in the kitchen and bathroom, along with landscaping.
[Through support by financial contributions], “we’re able to–in real time–live out our mission statement: to preserve, protect and promote history in Sanilac County,” said former Administrator of Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum, Dawn Malek.
GivingTuesday is a generosity movement celebrated on November 28 that aims to encourage people and organizations to transform their communities. It was originally launched in 2012 as a way to encourage others to do good; however, in the eleven years since its creation, GivingTuesday has exploded in popularity worldwide, inspiring millions of people to celebrate generosity any way that they see fit.
Those interested in funding phase two of the project and participating in SCHS’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=PHZBH4EV942FN.
