Eleven towns, parks and recreation districts or departments in Weld County received $25,940 worth of recreation scholarships from United Way of Weld County (UWWC) for 2021. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 548 youth were able to utilize UWWC recreation scholarships to participate in programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and teach life skills through recreational activities.
- Receiving the annual scholarships were:
- Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District ($1,060)
- Evans Recreation Department ($800)
- Town of Erie ($2,000)
- Fort Lupton Recreation Department ($4,000)
- Greeley Culture, Parks and Recreation ($1,250)
- LaSalle Recreation ($2,300)
- Thompson Rivers Parks and Recreation District ($3,600)
- Eaton Area Park and Recreation District ($1,230)
- Town of Mead ($1,800)
- Town of Platteville ($5,100)
- Windsor Parks, Recreation and Culture ($2,800)
Lyle SmithGraybeal, vice president of community development at UWWC, said that teamwork, developing into a leader, conflict resolution and learning good sportsmanship are all a part of participating in the local programs.
Clint Dudley, executive director at Thompson Rivers Park and Recreation District in the Johnstown-Milliken area, said the funds from UWWC help 40 to 60 children every year in his program. He said the programs children are participating in because of the UWWC funds are active programs such as soccer, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, open swim, swim lessons, youth yoga, youth Zumba and even in-person arts and crafts classes.
Dudley said a large portion of their operations is funded by severance taxes from oil and gas.
“That obviously has taken a pretty big nose dive. Our funding has been severely impacted this year and it will be next,” Dudley said. “The (UWWC) funds we got this year are absolutely fantastic.”
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.
