LCF Winter Newsletter

Winter 2021 News The LCF Advisory Board would like to wish you and your family Peace, Love, Joy, and GOOD Health in the coming year!   As we near the end of our second year living with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thankful that our community was able to reconnect in person at our fundraising event with LEAF, the Hootenanny as well as at LCF grant funded community events such as the Sandstone Concert Series and the Parade of Lights. Lyons continues to shine thanks to wonderful initiatives that LCF supports and generous community builders such as yourselves. Thanks to your support, LCF was able to award $37,000 in Community Support Grants this past fall and help six high school seniors pay for college. We couldn't have done it without you! THANK YOU!!   We are halfway to our year-end fundraising goal of $30,000. Can you help us continue our legacy of giving in Lyons?   DONATE HERE Community Support Grants This year, the grant review committee awarded over $37,000 in grants to 15 separate projects which will take place in 2022. These projects represent four key areas that LCF has identified as their focus areas: Human Services ($17,050), Community Connectivity ($15,200), Local Ecology ($4,250) and Youth Investment ($500). In order to keep our community safe, the LCF Advisory Board decided to forego the reception where grant recipients typically tell us more about their exciting project. Find out more by clicking here to see videos of each project.   Human Services: The Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) has been the biggest recipient of grant funding for the past few years as their programs continue to grow to meet the community's need for human services. Since 2008, LCF has awarded over $100K to LEAF to support all five of its programs: Lyons Community Food Pantry, Basic Needs & Resource Matching, Lyons Meals on Wheels, Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery, Lyons Volunteers. Below, Lory Barton, LEAF's executive director talks about how one of these grants helps the Food Pantry when supplies are scarce. Community Connectivity: LCF has granted over $60,000 to fund community events such as the Sandstone Concert Series, the Winter Wonderland Concerts and the Parade of Lights? In addition to renewing grants for these popular events, LCF also awarded grants to the Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission for their Creative Outlets program (painted utility boxes) as well as the heARTS of Lyons program (2-year lease on sculptures). Finally, the Town of Lyons Parks and Recreation received a grant for Lights Out Lyons Night, which will take place in Bohn Park again next year.  LCF also applied for a special grant from The Community Foundation of Boulder for Senior Programming.  Even though LCF has sponsored the Parade of Lights for the past eight years, this was only the second time that LCF had a float in the parade. How many board members do you recognize?  From left to right: Josie Wratten, Claudia Kean, Kate Schnepel, Gil Sparks, Jeanne Moore, Sara Erickson and Ella Levy Here below is a sweet memory of those Thursday night concerts in the park last summer. Local Ecology: Two grants were awarded to support local ecology initiatives: the Town of Lyons Ecology Board received a grant for the Colorado Noxious Weed Identification Booklet Giveaway and the Lyons Community Farm Project received a grant for the Lyons Food Forest.  In the video below, board members of the Lyons Community Farm Project explain how the Community Support grant will help them to establish the Lyons Food Forest on leased buyout property on 5th avenue.  Youth Investment: Did you know that LCF has awarded grants to the Lyons Middle/Senior School Booster Club since 2008 to help provide a safe environment for the after prom event?   Here is a video of this year's After Prom, which took place at Lyons Middle/Senior High School. Scholarship Fund Thanks to your support, LCF was able to help six high school students pursue their education at a post secondary institution this year. LCF would like to be able to send more students to college. If you are interested in sponsoring a scholarship or if you would like to honor a loved one's memory by setting up a scholarship, please let us know by filling out this form. If you have a child who is a Senior this year, whether it be at Lyons Middle/Senior High School or elsewhere, please encourage them to apply for an LCF scholarship. There are six scholarships in total to choose from. Scholarships range from $500 to $2,000. The deadline to apply is March 11th at 3pm. Find out more here. Apply for an LCF scholarship HERE Coming up....another community event sponsored by LCF So Far This Year... You have helped make a difference in your community! See how your support has impacted the greater Lyons area: Sandstone Summer Concerts sponsored by LCF and your donations: 8   Local initiatives awarded a Community Support Grant: 15 Local high school students awarded a scholarship for college: 6 CO GIVES DAY  Thank you to everyone who donated to LCF on CO GIVES DAY! Thanks to you, we raised $5,742.82