The Cheryl Mehalik Luyster Fund at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County has generously awarded a grant to SSKP of $2,000.00. Cheryl’s friends and family created the Fund to honor and remember Cheryl, a longtime Old Saybrook resident, and to support the causes she was passionate about. This award was especially meaningful because Cheryl had been a longtime cook and volunteer at our Wednesday meal at Grace Episcopal Church in Old Saybrook and had served as Team Leader for the meal site.
“We are so grateful to receive this generous grant from The Cheryl Mehalik Luyster Fund,” said Patty Dowling. “Her caring spirit lives on in the hearts of all who knew her. This gift will provide support to a mission that she cared so deeply about: providing a place at the table for her neighbors.”
Her husband, Frank Luyster, and Thayer Talbott, of the Community Foundation, presented the award to executive director Patty Dowling, along with SSKP volunteers Michael Urban and Joyce Hansel, who fondly remembered working alongside Cheryl as members of the team of cooks at the Wednesday lunch.
“Cheryl’s commitment to her community and her determination to make an impact on the issues faced by her neighbors will continue thanks to the generosity of her friends and family,” explained Cynthia Clegg, President & CEO of the Community Foundation. “We are honored to work with Frank and Cheryl’s closest friends to address basic needs through the Cheryl Mehalik Luyster Fund. They knew Cheryl best and knew her passions and hopes for her community. By working with the Community Foundation, because of its knowledge and resources, Cheryl’s legacy will continue in our communities today – and forever.”
The Community Foundation of Middlesex County is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of the County, now and in the future, by developing endowments, making grants that have impact and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives. Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has awarded 1,100 grants totaling over $3.3 million for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities, environmental improvements and for health and human services. For more information, visit CFMC’s website: www.MiddlesexCountyCF.org
