2020 LRA General Membership Labor Day Announcements
LRA Logo Merchandise
LRA Logo Merchandise is available at The Open Door at Alley's ol' Store
2021 Officers & Trustees
2021 LRA Officers
President: Richard Simms
Vice President: Dick Newkirk
Secretary: Judy Cathey
CFO: Anita Pittman
2021 LRA Board of Trustees
Ruddy Deas - Chair | Hannah Salwen (3) |
Jill Bernhardt (2) | Taylor Schweiger (2) |
David Dupuy (1) | Mary Shannon Scott (2) |
Marchie Hepner (3) | Ryan Simmons (2) |
Pat Hickey (1) | Clay Snelling (1) |
Lisa Hoffman (1) | Oakley Sutherland (3) |
Lorie Hughes (2) | Susie Tillis (2) |
Forrest Kennedy (2) | Robert Tritt (1) |
Rob King (3) | Laura West (1) |
Jay Morgan (1) | Jerry Wethington (3) |
( ) denotes years left to serve
Lake Rabun Foundation Summer 2020 Update
On behalf of the Lake Rabun Foundation (LRF), thank you to the many Lake Rabun Association (LRA) members who contributed toward the COVID-19 Relief Fund. The LRF donations totaled $26,000 and with a $5,000 match from the North Georgia Community Foundation (NGCF), we were able to donate $31,000 to the Rabun County Family Connection program. Since that time, another $26,000 was donated directly to nineteen local non-profits.
Additionally, the LRA awarded $107,500 in scholarships to forty Rabun County Scholars. Of that amount over $33,000 in scholarships went to our ever growing “named scholarship students”. This program, which allows LRA members to fund a scholarship in their own or a loved one’s memory, is funded at over $550,000 and supports sixteen individual scholarships. Over the last five years there has been exponential growth in this fund.
With the increased funding requests from local non-profits we are thankful for the assistance from the NGCF. The NGCF records and acknowledges all contributions received, oversees the foundation’s grants, and maintains relationships with scholarship recipients.
The LRF, however, is wary of what is to come. As the virus shows its resilience and long-term unemployment benefits remain uncertain, the needs in the community will continue to accelerate. Fortunately, the LRF is well funded and we are ready to provide critical funding to those in need as 2021 draws near.
Since the LRF is in large part funded via contributions from LRA fundraisers (e.g. the Rabun Ramble, Golf Tournament, and Home Tour/Auction), there will be a significant short fall in contributions to the fund this year. Our annual requests to LRA members in December takes on even more significance in 2020 and we are hopeful that our lake community will continue to support those in Rabun County less fortunate than ourselves.
As always, we thank you for your membership and donations…please stay safe and healthy and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Lake Rabun Foundation COVID-19 Community Relief Fund
The effects of the COVID-19 Virus on Rabun County are beginning to hit full force. Requests for assistance from laid-off and furloughed workers are flooding the various non-profits as rents and payments come due. Reverend Don Barber of Rabun Gap Presbyterian Church reports that the number of households requesting food assistance has doubled to over 400 families in March.
The North Georgia Community Foundation (NGCF) has generously offered to match the Lake Rabun Foundation (LRF) grant of $5,000 to help provide immediate relief to those needing assistance. In conjunction with the NGCF the LRF has chosen the Rabun County Family Connection (RCFC) to administer these grants which total $10,000.
The RCFC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which acts as a go to source for emergency assistance such as rent, food, shelter, and utility bills. It serves as a clearing house for local churches and other non-profits. Leckie Stack and other Lake Rabun Association (LRA) members attend most of the monthly meetings and can attest to the effectiveness of this organization. All RCFC recipients are screened and approved based on need…we know these funds will be put to good use.
Thanks to the generosity of our membership the LRF is fully capable of making this matching donation. The foundation has already made grants to a number of front line charities and stands ready to do more. If you would like to provide additional support for this effort please send a check to NGCF-Lake Rabun Fund and indicate “COVID-19 Fund”.
Please mail to:
North Georgia Community Foundation
615 F Oak Street, Suite 1300
Gainesville, GA 30501
If you prefer to donate online, please go to https://www.ngcf.org/ and click on “Give Online” in the top right hand corner of the site. Go to “Donate to a Fund” and designate the Lake Rabun Foundation when you choose “Other Funds”. After determining your donation please type in “Lake Rabun COVID Relief Fund”. This is important as donations received will accrue against the $5000 grant from the LRF. 100% of funds received by check or online will go directly to Rabun County non-profits.
On behalf of the Lake Rabun Foundation we pray for the safety of our community in these challenging times and sincerely thank you for your contributions.