Cortez Community Members Buoy Educators’ Spirits With a Thank-You Lunch | LOR Foundation
Complete Education

Cortez Community Members Buoy Educators’ Spirits With a Thank-You Lunch

Cortez
  • Local Champion: Cortez Teacher Appreciation Committee
  • Date Funded: April 18, 2022
  • Grant Amount: $5,820

Beleaguered by the challenges of the pandemic, online education, and recent curriculum changes, educators in Cortez’s Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District were exhausted, frustrated, and feeling a lack of appreciation. To buoy their spirits and address this problem, the Cortez Teacher Appreciation Committee—a volunteer group of engaged community members—decided to host an appreciation lunch that included prizes, thank-you goody bags, and live music for the district’s nearly 300 teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and school secretaries. LOR’s funding supported the purchase of gifts and helped make the lunch possible.

This project is fiscally sponsored by Onward! A Legacy Foundation. 

In The News

Cortez Celebrates Teachers (Cortez Journal)

Expressing Appreciation (Four Corners Free Press)

Contact our community officer in Cortez. Meet Nicci Crowley
More Education Solutions
Education / Questa Training Investments Enhance Support for Questa Learners
Local Champion:
Red River Valley Charter School
Date funded:
December 3, 2025
Grant Amount:
$9,613
Education / Weiser Adjustable Hoops Give Weiser’s Young Athletes a Shot
Local Champion:
Weiser Recreation Department
Date funded:
November 26, 2025
Grant Amount:
$3,500
Education / Lander Smith Machines Teach Safe Weight Lifting Techniques to Lander Middle Schoolers
Local Champion:
Fremont County School District #1
Date funded:
November 21, 2025
Grant Amount:
$9,995
Education / Libby Security Upgrades Protect Libby Students
Local Champion:
Kootenai Valley Christian School
Date funded:
November 14, 2025
Grant Amount:
$2,192
Education / Weiser Art Supplies Breathe Life into Weiser High School’s Creative Programs
Local Champion:
Weiser School District 431
Date funded:
November 13, 2025
Grant Amount:
$11,283
Education / Taos Bilingual Outreach Helps Taos Families Navigate School Choice Options
Local Champion:
Taos Municipal Charter School
Date funded:
November 5, 2025
Grant Amount:
$8,000
See All solutions

Share an Idea

If you have an idea for improving quality of life in Cortez or Monte Vista, Colorado; Lander, Wyoming; Libby, Montana; Questa or Taos, New Mexico; or Weiser, Idaho, use this form to start a conversation with us.

"*" indicates required fields