In this year’s In Youth We Trust grant cycle, Lucia Horton was awarded a grant to bring her plans for a “Picnic with a Purpose” to life. Lucia is pictured above with Taryn Marko, the Executive Director of Winnebago County CASA, the agency whose clients and volunteers will receive the benefit of Lucia’s plans. We decided that the best way to tell you about this project is simply to post Lucia’s comments that she shared at the grant award reception and which are printed in full below. Congratulations, Lucia, you’re an inspiration!

In 2016, Byron Bank donated an undeveloped plot of land located in the middle of a neighborhood in Belvidere to the City of Belvidere. At first, the City simply cleared the lot of brush and debris, leaving a large empty grass space. Then, the City began some efforts to use the space to engage people living in the neighborhood: the fire department would bring a truck and spray kids on hot afternoons, the police department would hand out ice cream bars donated by Deans Foods.