LIFRC would like to clarify about our grants in relation to the Parks and Rec levy, which the LIFRC is endorsing.  We are fortunate to currently have a 5-year OSPI 21^st Century Community Learning Center Grant, which funds after-school and summer camps for grades K-8. The grant expires in summer 2027. The Lopez Community now has the unique opportunity to sustain these out-of-school time programs and ensure youth and working families receive the support they need. The community can decide to either a) sustain them through “Lopez Rec” or b) see them shrink, become too expensive for families to afford, or go away completely once the 21^st CCLC grant expires. And here’s why it is important:

Impact on Youth:

• We serve youth enrolled in public and private schools, and homeschooled youth.
• Last year, we served 112 youth (K-8^th grade) and their families by offering programs operating 4-5 days per week after school until 5:30 PM for 36 weeks of the school year and 6 weeks during the summer break.  
• This summer, 52 elementary-aged youth attended the full-day Summer Day Camp “Camp Huckleberry”, 7 youth with disabilities attended the six-week-long half-day summer day camp “Camp BuildAbility”, and 48 youth in grades 5-8 attended specialty camps and workshops.
• The After-School Program served 62 youth last year.

Meeting Community Needs:

• Other islands have had this full-week after-school and summer programming for decades, but Lopez did not. 
• For example, on San Juan Island, the after-school and summer camp programs are run through their Parks and Recreation District “Island Rec”. Its equivalent of Lopez’s “Camp Huckleberry” for elementary-age youth is called  “Camp Eagle Rock” and has been offered since 1995. Island Rec’s After-School Program has been offered since 2011.
• LIFRC had specialty summer camps, but families shared they needed more.
• So LIFRC applied for the 21^st CCLC grant in direct response to the community telling us they needed week-long after-school enrichment activities (STEAM, music, reading, homework help, theatre, outdoor learning, and more), and week-long, full-day summer camps that support both youth and their working families.
• Under the 21^st CCLC grant, the programs are offered for free to Lopez residents mandated by the grant to ensure that any financial barrier to participation is removed.

Grant Details

• The OSPI grant amount is $333,000 per year for 5 years, which was awarded in 2022.
• The vast majority of the K-8 grade programs are funded by the 21^st CCLC grant, including its entire staffing. 
• Only $10,000-$20,000 of support per year comes from LIFRC donations and community grants to cover snacks that the 21^st CCLC grant does not pay for.
• LIFRC’s annual fundraising budget is $525,000, which in past years accounted for 24% of our budget.  Due to grant losses, that same dollar amount will account for 44% in 2026. We do not believe LIFRC can raise an additional $333,000 each year to replace the 21^st CCLC grant and sustain After-School and Summer Camp programs for K-8.
• LIFRC donations and other grants are essential to support other vital programs:  community health workers, Lopez Food Share (food bank), Early Learning and Reading programs, and Youth Leadership/Engagement Programs such as Youth Mentors, Orgullo Latino, Youth Health Advocates and Indigenous Learning.

Grant Funds are Time Limited:

• It is important to note that this 21^st CCLC grant supported by federal Department of Education funds expires in the summer of 2027 (hopefully not sooner). 
• Regardless of the current situation in the US, these highly competitive grants always require ongoing financial sustainability by the community without continued grant funding. 
• The Parks and Rec District was the original plan noted in LIFRC’s 2022 grant application to sustain these needed programs for youth once the grant ended. 
• This is our community’s opportunity to decide to sustain these essential programs.