Highland Lakes Legacy Fund

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The 2016 Celebration of Giving of the Highland Lakes Legacy Fund fill the banquet hall of the Horseshoe Bay Resort Tower Thursday, Nov. 17.

The guests had come to honor friends and neighbors who lived out the spirit of philanthropy in time, service and treasure.

“They exemplify the spirit of giving,” said Donna Klaeger, interim executive director of the Legacy Fund.

Honored were Stuart and Rebecca Nunnally, the Philanthropy Award; Martin McLean, Community Volunteer Award; Ely Banuet Rodriguez of the Marble Falls Children's Day Celebration, Excellence as a Non-Profit Leader Award, and current coordinators of VetRide, Sophie McCoy and Bill Worley, an award dedicated to the memory of the program's founder, the late Chuck Caraway.

In each case, the audience found those honored ready to give credit back to other volunteers and supporters of the work they have championed.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

On the eve of the annual Highland Lakes Legacy Fund Celebration of Giving Thursday, Nov. 17, it was announced that Kathy Fletcher will become the executive director of the fund, effective Jan. 1.

She will oversee donor relations, program implementation, fundraising, and community awareness from fund headquarters in Marble Falls.

The announcement came from Austin Community Foundation, the umbrella organization of which Highland Lakes Legacy Fund is a branch. The 80 different funds of Highland Lakes Legacy Fund stands now at $4 million providing scholarships and grants in the amount of $7.27 million to students pursuing educational goals and nonprofits serving the community.

Fletcher will follow former county judge Donna Klaeger, who has served as interim director since Midge Dockery left the fund last year to join the Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation (MFEDC) staff.

The Annual Celebration of Giving of the Highland Lakes Legacy Fund on Thursday night, Nov. 17, at the Horseshoe Bay Tower will center on four awards recognizing “the spirit of philanthropy.”

The Legacy Philanthropy Award will be presented to Rebecca and Stuart Nunnally. The Legacy Excellence As a Non-Profit Award will be presented to Burnet County VetRIDES.

The Legacy Excellence As a Non-Profit Leader Award will be presented to Ely Rodriguez of the Marble Falls Children's Day Celebration.

Finally, the Legacy Outstanding Community Volunteer Award will be presented to former Judge Martin McLean.

The Legacy Fund has directed more than $6 million in grants and scholarships to deserving people and programs since 1005. It is family of funds held at the Austin Community Foundation to provide creative and effective support to good works.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The Highlander

“It’s okay to ooh and aah,” said the astronomy educator to the group of 8th-grade Marble Falls Middle School students who couldn’t help but react upon seeing the entire universe above and around them. Students reclined in the Discovery Dome, watching as day turned to a brilliant night sky brimming with stars and planets.

Over the course of two days, MFMS students got a 10-minute tour of the universe followed by “2 Small Pieces of Glass,” a program about the invention and evolution of the telescope, all while nestled in the black bubble of the inflatable planetarium in the library.