El Pomar Gives New Life to HOPE

Site of Project HOPE Teen Center

Lori Hammer, Project HOPE director in Lamar, has received confirmation from the El Pomar Foundation of a $100,000 grant for funding into the 2014-2015 school year.  “I received a phone call telling us we had been awarded the donation, and the recent confirmation made it official,” she explained.  The funding announcement comes just in time, as a previous JAG grant will have run its four-year course this September.  Hammer had said earlier that the JAG grant was a one-time event and could not be renewed to help fund school activities and pay for staff salaries.  She added that El appeared to be on board with the HOPE Center at the school, implying that additional funding for projects would be available, and the philanthropic organization would help Project HOPE seek out additional funding venues.

Carla Warman, from Prowers Soil Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation District, awarded a plaque to Hammer, honoring the neighborhood Garden of HOPE which was planted at Lincoln School last year.  The Garden was recognized as the Earth Team’s Volunteer Award for its contribution to the community.

Hammer will attend the three days Southeast Colorado Rural Philanthropy Day Event in Trinidad, September 24-26.  She said ten youngsters from the HOPE Center will be on hand Thursday for their portion of the presentation to the organizers.  The Young HOPE meetings are scheduled for the second Monday of the month, beginning in September and guests are being sought to address the students on various topics.  The annual chili supper and silent auction will be held on Friday, November 7 at Lincoln School between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

A new project at the school this year will feature bicycles and bike repair classes.  The Lamar Parks and Recreation Department, working with the Lamar Police Department and Project HOPE, are donating all unclaimed bicycles to the school.  Students are being supplied with all the necessary tools from LiveWell Prowers County, and volunteers will help repair and teach the students how to repair their own bikes.  Emily Nieschburg of LiveWell Prowers County noted, “There isn’t any local bike repair shop in our area, so when a bike breaks, it usually just gets tossed away or left in the garage.”  This new project will allow students to paint and repair discarded and donated bikes which are currently being stored at Lincoln.  The bike repair project will be geared to students in the upper elementary school grades.

The next Coalition meeting will be Monday, September 15 at Noon at Lincoln School.

By Russ Baldwin

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