Jack Laucher Fund for Youth

For twenty years, the Jack Laucher Outdoor Education Fund provided grants to enable students in Charlevoix, Emmet, and northern Antrim counties an opportunity to experience challenges and personal growth through summer camps and other programs.  More than 30 young people had once-in-a-lifetime experiences that would not have been possible without financial support from the fund established in honor of Jack Laucher.

A learning disabilities consultant for Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District (Char-Em ISD) before his passing in 1998, Jack had a specific goal: to support young people in reaching their potential.  The year after his passing, Jack’s wife Sandi and sons Adam and Andrew worked with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation to establish the Fund in his honor.  “I’m so pleased that Jack’s Fund has reinforced his commitment to young people,” said Sandi. “Our family has continued to support Jack’s Fund, but the people of Char-Em ISD [who have given to the Fund and] who truly care about children in our communities have made this work in Jack’s name possible,” says Sandi.  “I am so grateful to them for their contribution to his legacy.”

In 2019, the Jack Laucher Outdoor Education Fund transitioned to the Jack Laucher Fund for Youth to continue that impact and honor Jack’s dedication to young people by boosting the grant-making from the Youth Fund.  By pooling grant dollars from funds with the same goal, each fund dedicated to making a difference for our young people achieves more.  Grants from these funds are awarded by the Youth Advisory Committee, a group of local youth who are learning how to give back.   “We know this Fund is so very special to Sandi, her family, and the many donors who have contributed in Jack’s honor over twenty years,” says Community Foundation President, Chip Hansen.  “Jack’s legacy will continue through his Fund for Youth, forever.”