Jack Laucher Remembered for Dedication to Young People

For twenty years, the Jack Laucher Outdoor Education Fund has 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 have had once-in-a-lifetime experiences that would not have been possible without financial support from the fund established in honor of Jack Laucher.  This year, the Fund will transition to a Fund for Youth to honor Jack’s dedication to young people.

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.  “Jack’s philosophy was that children’s feelings were critically important.  The quote from Maya Angelou sums up his goal in working with children - ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’  I’m so pleased that Jack’s Fund has reinforced his commitment to young people over the past twenty years,” says Sandi.

Each year since the Fund was established, Sandi has partnered with Char-Em ISD to share the impact of the Fund on local students with employees from eleven school districts and to encourage them to support the Fund.  “Our family has continued to support Jack’s Fund, but the people of Char-Em ISD 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.”

This year, the Jack Laucher Outdoor Education Fund will make its last awards to help individuals gain a camp experience, but the new Jack Laucher Fund for Youth will continue to make a difference in the lives of young people through the Charlevoix County Community Foundation.  “Jack’s Fund has been very hands-on since it was established in 1998, with applications submitted by ISD teachers, a review of those applications, communication with families and camps, and also the updates to friends who have supported the Fund at the ISD,” explains Sandi.  Beginning this fall, the Jack Laucher Fund for Youth will boost the grant-making from the Youth Fund and other Funds for Youth, achieving more together when allocated by the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee. “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.”

The Charlevoix County Community Foundation is a grassroots charitable organization made up of various funds – all of them established by local donors like Sandi and her sons. Some funds are earmarked for specific causes, and others are open-ended to meet changing needs. The funds are held in permanent endowment, so they can continue to grow and generate income to enhance the quality of life in Charlevoix County, now and for generations to come.  For more information about making a gift, establishing a fund, or applying for a grant, please contact the Charlevoix County Community Foundation at (231) 536-2440, or online at www.c3f.org.

Click here for more information about Youth Funds.