Thirteen towns, parks and recreation districts or departments in Weld County received $25,943 worth of recreation scholarships from United Way of Weld County (UWWC) for 2020. In 2019, 906 youth received UWWC recreation scholarships to participate in programs that promote a healthy lifestyle through recreational activities.
Receiving the annual scholarships were: Carbon Valley Park and Recreation District ($1,400), Evans Recreation Department ($1,000), Erie ($1,500), Fort Lupton Recreation Department ($3,400), Greeley Culture, Parks and Recreation ($2,000), Highland Recreation Association ($2,500), LaSalle Recreation ($1,200), Thompson Rivers Park and Recreation District ($3,000), Eaton Area Park and Recreation District ($2,000), Kersey Recreation ($1,143), Mead ($1,200), Platteville Recreation ($3,600) and Windsor Parks, Recreation and Culture ($2,000).
Lyle SmithGraybeal, vice president of community impact at UWWC, said the youth in the rec programs participate in positive healthy activities that teach life skills for future success. He added that teamwork, developing into a leader, conflict resolution and learning good sportsmanship are all a part of participating in the local programs.
UWWC has been distributing recreation scholarships for more than 30 years. The funds are made available thanks to UWWC donor contributions. Recreation programs or districts in Weld County were eligible for scholarships. The recipients will use the money to assist children and youth participation in programs that they otherwise could not afford to participate in without this help.
Serving on the volunteer Recreation Scholarship Committee that allocated the funds are: Scott Bailey (Windsor State Bank), Alan Holmberg (Anderson & Whitney), Megan McClanahan (Professional Finance Company) and Brian Schiller (Flood & Peterson). Committee members review reports on past results, the impact on children and youth and newly identified needs for these funds.
