Grants

The mission of the Lucketts Ruritan Club is to make Lucketts a better place to live through fellowship, goodwill, and community service. We are part of the Ruritan National organization with clubs across the country. We are a philanthropic organization and not politically or religiously affiliated. Since our founding in 1979, the Club has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools, scouts, youth groups, churches, scholarships, community centers, non-profit organizations, and direct giving to those in need in Lucketts.

To further this mission, the club has established two Grant programs. One focuses on Youth Development (click here), the other on Community Development (click here).

Past Grant Recipients

Tuscarora High School – March 2022 – Baseball Pitching Machine 

This $2,000 grant to the Athletic Department of Tuscarora HS was combined with $700 raised by parents to purchase a pitching machine to be used in practice by the baseball team. This highly competitive local team used the equipment to for hitting and fielding drills maximizing their practice time.

Lucketts Elementary School – June 2022 – Reflex Math Program

This $2,300 grant enabled Lucketts Elementary to purchase a license for an on-line math fluency program which is focused on basic math skills for youngest students. The license made the tool available to all Lucketts Elementary School Students during the summer of 2022 as well as for the entire 2022/2023 school year.

Lucketts Community Center – June 2022 – Summer Camp Subsidy

In 2022 Loudoun County Parks and Recreation provided a 50% discount on summer camps and fees for before and after care to families in Loudoun County whose children participated in the LCPS Free and Affordable Lunch program.  Even with this discount, some families were not able to afford camp.  The grant from the Lucketts Ruritan Club matched the County’s discount with a 50% tuition and fees supplement, making camp free.  25 weeks of camp were provided to 16 children and 14 families.

Summer camp anglers

NewAg School – June 2022 – Summer Certification Program

This $5,000 grant supported their program to train young people who seek to work in the agriculture and hospitality fields in Loudoun. Participants are trained in basic safety processes and have an opportunity to experience a full-spectrum of career opportunities within agricultural businesses.

New Ag School trains future agriculturalist

Lucketts Elementary School – August 2022 – Team Building Program

This $1,500 grant will allow the school to implement a “House” system in the which provides team rewards for good individual behavior. It is a motivational, team building program for elementary grade students. Funding pays for supplies and rewards granted on a monthly basis to the best performing team.

Lucketts Elementary School – September 2022

Every year, Lucketts Elementary fifth grade students participate in a large scale musical production.  This year, the students are doing “Aladdin, Jr.”  They create the sets, learn the songs, the lines, the dances for this project-based-learning activity. This $1,200 grant will be used to procure costumes to be used in the production.

Aladdin, Jr. cast

Riverside Presbyterian Church – October 2022 – Matching Grant

This $9,000 matching grant award will be used to repair and re-paint the roof of Faith Chapel on Lucketts Road. This de-commissioned church, assembly hall and classroom building is now the home of the Lucketts Community Food Pantry. Riverside Presbyterian Church of Sterling is the Trustee for the property and matched the grant. The much needed repair is making the facility available for other Lucketts community uses as well as a limited number of private events. The roof repair will prevent damage to the building and allow community use to continue without interruption.

Roof received restoration and fresh paint

Lucketts Elementary School Parent Teachers Association – Motivational Assembly – January 2021

During COVID-19, the Lucketts Elementary School PTA focused on “ensuring students’ health and safety” with the objective of “supporting students’ emotional and mental well-being.”  With the help of a Youth Development Grant from the Lucketts Ruritan Club, the PTA hosted a virtual assembly for Lucketts Elementary School students and families on April 5th.   Dr. Blake Brandes, a youth motivational speaker, hip-hop educator, music producer, and student leadership expert, led the virtual assembly.

In addition to hosting the assembly, the grant helped the PTA provide Lucketts Elementary School teachers with additional books (focused on social emotional learning) for read aloud activities with students.  Resources for the school’s professional library, such as “The Mental Health and Well Being Handbook for Schools: Transforming Mental Health Support on a Budget” helped teachers prepare for critical check-ins and support students in a time of hybrid/virtual learning.

Lucketts Elementary School PTA – April 2021 – Kindergarten Playground

This $9,500 grant to the Lucketts Elementary School Parent Teachers Association matched funds they raised to construct a playground for the use of kindergarten students.  Full-day kindergarten classes were established a few years earlier and created the need for specialized playground equipment for these students. Existing equipment was located on the other side of the building and was not appropriate for children of kindergarten age. The PTA had been raising funds for the project for an extended period and the matching grant enabled them to finalize the project and complete construction.

Lucketts Elementary School – Books for 1st Grade and Kindergarten – May 2021

This $1,600 grant was used to purchase books to complement the existing reading program for 1st grade children, especially those who struggle to learn to read and need special assistance.

Faith Chapel Community Church – May 2021 – Summer Food Program

This $2,000 Grant to Faith Chapel was to support a summer food program that benefits Lucketts Elementary School children who qualify for the Free and Reduced Meal Program. This enabled an extension of the existing Lucketts Community Food Program sponsored by the Faith Chapel Community Church.

Food distribution

Lucketts Boy Scout Troop 1910 – January 2020 – Eagle Scout Project

This grant of $500 was awarded to a Lucketts Eagle Scout who proposed a project to design, purchase and install landscaping at the entrance to the parking area of the Lucketts Community Center, an area sorely in need of attention.  The work involved the entire Scout Troop and was successfully completed.

Lucketts Elementary School – January 2020 – Child Care Support for Adult English Second Language (ESL)

Lucketts Elementary has a population of children whose parents are not fluent English speakers. This language gap is sometimes a barrier to communication between school staff and these families. Lack of childcare options after school and in the evenings posed an additional barrier to participation by these parents.

Working with the Lucketts Elementary School staff and Loudoun Literacy, Lucketts Ruritans awarded $1,620 to the school to provide childcare while ESL parents attended classes at the school.  Unfortunately, COVID intervened, and the classes could not be conducted.

Lucketts Elementary School – January 2020 – Sensory Pathway

This $1,500 Grant was for the construction of a “Sensory Pathway” in the Lucketts Elementary School.  The Sensory Pathway is designed to assist children with focusing skills in the classroom by giving them a hallway activity to engage large motor skills.  A wide range of students benefit from this building-based tool.

Sensory Path in the Lucketts Elementary School.

NewAg School – June 2019 – Deer Fence Project

This grant of $1,500 was awarded to the NewAg School to help them develop a class module for constructing a Deer Fence. Deer fences are used by farmers to protect crops from local wildlife.

Earlier that year a Lucketts woman lost her life after a winter storm when a branch from a tree in her yard fell on her.  In her memory her family planned to construct a Deer Fence along her property to preserve her well-tended garden. The NewAg School volunteered time and provided materials to construct a Deer Fence around the property. This grant allowed the school to document the project as a lesson in their curriculum while supporting a tragic loss experienced by a local family.