The Fort Lewis College Foundation is seeing success, both in terms of funds raised and donors engaged. The Foundation’s work is directly impacting the lives of FLC students for the better, and some ambitious projects in the College’s future will keep the organization on its toes.

For the 2018 fiscal year, the Foundation exceeding its fundraising goal, bringing in over $3.3 million. That’s a significant jump over last year’s total of just over $2.7 million. This year’s success was helped by 804 new donors, along with over 1,400 donors who reactivated their giving.

Donors and friends of the College will become increasingly important in the coming years. Fort Lewis College was awarded a little over $3 million from the state of Colorado to begin designing a new Health Sciences & Athletics Complex. The plan is to renovate and expand Whalen Gym to accommodate the growth and needs of the school’s health sciences programs, along with improving the facilities for Skyhawk Athletics.

Construction of the Health Sciences & Athletics Complex will be completed in two phases over the coming years. The Complex will be a massive investment, with the bulk of construction funding coming from the state. The FLC Foundation will be responsible for raising more than $8 million of the final price tag through donations, grants, and partnerships.

In addition to construction projects, the Foundation funds initiatives, activities, and programs all over campus, with most of the funding going toward student scholarships. Among the highlights of the past fiscal year include awarding more than $500,000 in merit and need-based scholarships, providing over $100,000 toward the purchase of a river company and permits for academic and research enrichment through the Dolph Kuss Adventure Fund, and paving the way for a new sound system for the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. The Foundation also provided nearly $100,000 in support of faculty development grants and undergraduate research. 

With the help of donors, the Foundation created 14 new scholarships worth more than $667,000 in endowments and term scholarships. Among the new funds available to students are the Nancy Elizabeth Gallagher Basketball Scholarship, the Eula Mae and Kenneth L. Morris Scholarship, and Dene and Gordon Thomas English Scholarship.

The Foundation also works with off-campus partners to create events and programs that benefit both the College and community. For example, Rocky Mountain PBS now has a home on campus where a producer-in-residence is working with students. The Durango Fall Blaze has been resurrected with the help of Mercy Sports Medicine, Morehart Murphy Regional Auto Center, and FLC alumnus Rick O’Block. The Fall Blaze will ride again on Saturday, September 29, with proceeds benefiting the FLC Cycling Scholarship fund.

Learn more about the Fort Lewis College Foundation at www.fortlewis.edu/foundation. More on the Durango Fall Blaze can be found at www.fortlewis.edu/cycling. 

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