Charitable giving has long been a mainstay of American culture and trade associations have long been champions of giving back to others. The Tavern League of Wisconsin (TLW), however, is a particularly generous bunch. The association provides its members with an opportunity to help others — a chance to change the world — by giving to those in need. Then the Wisconsin Tavern League Foundation boosts those efforts with its Matching Funds Program.
And even though the pandemic wreaked havoc across the industry, as well as on consumers’ wallets in 2020, the TLW is pleased to announce that its Foundation donated over $10 million to almost 25,000 charitable organizations and people in need through the hard work and big hearts of its members, and the Matching Funds Program.
So why does the Tavern League put such an emphasis on charitable giving?
“We feel that it creates an awareness about the importance of making an impact on the local community,” says Chris Marsicano, TLW president and owner of The Village Supper Club in Delavan. “The program is a great opportunity to get people involved and have a voice in the decision about how we want to give back to the community.” And Marsicano should know. Each year, he and his wife, Patti, raise funds to provide Thanksgiving meals for those in need — funds that are matched (up to $1,500 each year) by the TLW. “It is just a fantastic way of reaching even more people in need,” he says.
Started in 1995, the TLW Foundation raises funds for both charitable giving and the association’s SafeRide Program. The TLW Foundation’s Matching Funds Program provides any local league that raises money for any specific cause a matching amount of funds raised, up to $1,500 a year.
The types of charitable giving efforts that the TLW Foundation provides matching funds for can range from individual college scholarships, to helping a cancer victim, to providing assistance to larger nonprofits.
Not everyone can afford to donate to charities each year, so this helps them be a part of the greater good. “It gives everyone a chance to make a difference,” Marsicano says.