The Friends of Vincent Foundation (FOV) donated $700 to the Fire Safety Council, Inc., in March 2023 for the purchase of fire safety and burn prevention educational materials to provide to students in our schools.
FOV is the non-profit organization that operates the Haunted Sawmill as a fundraiser to support its mission to help children in our local communities.
This past fall, the Haunted Sawmill completed its 12th season; the FOV are already hard at work preparing for their 13th year. Fittingly, this October the theme will be “the 13th Door.”
In 2022, the Haunted Sawmill scared more than 8,000 guests for a good cause. The Haunted Sawmill was also voted as the #1 haunted attraction in Northeastern Wisconsin for the third year in a row by fans at hauntedwisconsin.com.
FOV purchased Christmas gifts, food, and clothing for more than 60 individuals and 25 families in 2022 as part of their Christmas Giving Program. In addition, they funded their high school scholarship, helped individual families in crisis, donated to the Fill-a-Backpack program to purchase school supplies, and assisted children going on extracurricular trips and experiences.
“The Friends of Vincent Foundation wants to get the word out about how we are here to help people in their time of need,” said Gerald Hersil, the President of FOV and Director of the Haunted Sawmill. “We believe that it is our duty to help children however we can in our community. The more people that know about the help we can provide, the better we will be able to fulfill our mission.”
“It is incredibly rewarding to see the good that we are doing right here in our own community,” said Kristin Woller, the Vice-President FOV. “The Haunted Sawmill is completely staffed with unpaid volunteers. Everything that we are able to raise via the Haunted Sawmill is able to be used to help children.” The organization has an application process to assist those in need.
“We also offer direct opportunities for youth groups to earn money by working in our concessions areas during October,” Woller said.
“There are so many ways that we help children,” said Dick Duginski, the Secretary of the Board of Directors for FOV. “It’s all the things you see by donating to all these worthwhile causes. But, maybe most importantly, it is the process of teaching our young volunteers at the Haunted Sawmill about how important it is for them to do a good turn and lighten the load for others whenever they can do so. We stress that if everyone gave back to their own community and made it a little bit better, the world would be a beautiful place.”
“The Haunted Sawmill has gone through a lot of changes in its 12 years,” said Hersil. “While we hope that the young leaders of the haunt become the people that run and operate well into the future, we will continue to do everything we can to help children in the meantime. To see our volunteers learn from our dedicated team of adults, develop new skills, come out of their shells, and develop into bright, confident, amazing adults has been an incredible experience for all of us.”
“The Haunted Sawmill and FOV is not just about scaring people at Halloween, and it’s not just about being able to lend a hand where we are needed,” he said. “At its core, the Haunted Sawmill is really about being able to continue providing an environment that our teens appreciate and have come to feel is their home away from home. They feel like this is their safe place where they are with people that appreciate and accept them for exactly what they are. The most rewarding thing for me is when kids tell us how the Haunted Sawmill changed their lives for the better. That makes us unique and that makes us important. There is no other haunted attraction anywhere that can come close to matching the amazing things we are doing at the Haunted Sawmill.”
As soon as details are finalized, show dates, times, and ticket prices for the October 2023 Haunted Sawmill will be posted on their website: hauntedsawmill.org. Information and opportunities to win free tickets and merchandise are also available on the Haunted Sawmill’s Facebook page or by sending Vincent Mudgett, the Haunted Sawmill’s main ghoul, a Facebook friend request.