05/27/2026
We were honored to have been selected as a partner organization by a group of M**S eighth graders in the L.E.A.D. Lab program! Under the guidance of teacher and councilman Andy Herbstritt, these kids met and heard from community leaders and change makers, then worked in groups to identify an issue faced by our community and to come up with a project that would help combat that problem. They were then tasked with writing a grant to complete that project. The Crawford Heritage Foundation has agreed to fund two of the eight grants.
Willow, Carter, and Vinny chose economic development as their issue, citing the need to bolster events that bring people downtown to patronize artisans in our community, locally-owned shops, and restaurants. Their grant would help purchase outdoor games, fund interactive activities, and purchase a lendable vendor setup for new artisans who have great product but are new to markets.
This afternoon, the L.E.A.D. Lab students presented their final projects. All eight of the presentations were truly impressive, and we don’t envy the CHF for the decision they have ahead of them! We are, however, incredibly proud of the work that all of these kids have done, and are so grateful to Mr. Herbstritt for instilling this sense of responsibility to and ownership over their community from a young age!
