Significant Documents of the DRLPS Corporation

Establishment of a volunteer nonprofit lighthouse preservation organization requires a myriad of actions. One of the more important is creating the proper legal entity upon which good corporate governance is based.

Corporate governance is the relationship between the members, the board of directors and the officers of the corporation, as defined by the corporate charter, bylaws, formal policy and rule of law. It refers to how a corporation is governed. Who has the authority to make decisions for the corporation within what guidelines?

Corporate governance is not an abstract goal, but exists to serve corporate purposes by providing a structure within which members, directors and the officers can pursue most effectively the objectives of the corporation. Corporate governance by definition rests with the conduct of the board of directors, who are chosen on behalf of the members. The directors must be responsive to the rights and wishes of the members. The directors and officers and the members of the Society are listed elsewhere on this website.

Three of the basic tenets of the American model of good corporate governance are accountability, disclosure and transparency. To these ends we have made available several significant corporate documents for public inspection. They are listed below and can be viewed, downloaded or printed as desired. For further information send us an email at .

Most of the below files are in PDF format and open in a new window.

Mission Statement [PDF, 38 KB]  A brief statement of the purpose of the DeTour Reef light Preservation Society (written by Jeri Baron Feltner, January, 1998).

Articles of Incorporation [PDF, 548 KB]  The primary rules governing the management of the DRLPS (filed with the State of Michigan on January 28, 1998).

By-Laws  Defines the operations of DRLPS in detail (written by Jeri Baron Feltner on January 17, 1998.  Changes must be approved by the membership.  Last revision on June 15, 2006.).

501(c)(3) Determination [PDF, 1.09 MB]  Letter from Internal Revenue Service designating DRLPS as a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization with tax exempt status (April 1, 1998).

IRS Form 990 [PDF, 904 KB]  The annual financial report of the DRLPS filed with the Internal Revenue Service and open to public inspection (see www.guidestar.org for a searchable database of 990 forms of non-profits).

Charitable Solicitation License [PDF, 1.62 MB]  Annual license granted by the State of Michigan that allows DRLPS to solicit charitable (tax deductible) contributions.

Minutes of Board of Directors Meetings:  These are the official published minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors of DRLPS (1998 to present).

Passages Newsletter:  These are copies of newsletters that have been published since 1998 for the membership.