Foundation also awards grants and presents Broumel Award to Margaret “Peg” Lucas
At its sold-out 22nd Annual Golf Classic in October, The Greater Bel Air Community Foundation raised more than $100,000 to assist in awarding grants to organizations in the community.
So far in 2023, the foundation’s 25th anniversary year, more than $95,000 in grants has been awarded by the foundation. Grant recipients include the Town of Bel Air, for playground equipment for all inclusion-accessibility in Shamrock Park; Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding, for ceiling fans and fire extinguishers; Grace Classical Academy, for classroom expansion; C. Milton Wright Athletic Boosters, for dugout and press box renovations; The Liriodendron Foundation, for the museum project; Fellowship of Christian Athletes, for renovations to its headquarters; Bear Legacy Trail, for insurance and trail repairs for the reopening; and Winter Wonderland, to enhance the holiday presence in the Town of Bel Air. Additional grants will be made to other nonprofits by year’s end.
In other news, four new members were elected to the foundation’s board. They are Chad Arrington, partner, The Kelly Group; Jason Gasior, sales manager and senior mortgage loan originator, Southern Trust Mortgage; Nathan Holloway, director of retail operations, The Mill of Bel Air; and Qadry Ismail, freelance graphic designer.
Each year since 2016, The Greater Bel Air Community Foundation has presented the Thomas P. Broumel Memorial Award to honor someone whose commitment and service make Bel Air a better place to live, work and play. Margaret “Peg” Lucas, who has spent more than 40 years volunteering for numerous community organizations and who has served on many Town of Bel Air boards and commissions, is the 2023 recipient. The award was presented by the Foundation during a meeting of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners on October 16.
“What a great year it’s been for The Greater Bel Air Community Foundation, and it’s not over yet,” said Sarah Klein, vice chair of the foundation. “We received so many grant applications for projects that will positively impact our community. One that I am particularly excited about is the accessible renovations at Shamrock Park. The playground equipment will enable more families to enjoy all that the park has to offer.”
Since its founding in 1998, The Greater Bel Air Community Foundation has provided more than $1.2 million in funding to assist 91 projects that enhance community schools, parks and playgrounds. For more information on what projects the foundation supports or to make a grant request, visit gbacf.net.
