Following this year’s Mancos Days festival in July, the less than 2-year-old Mancos Colorado Days Association is providing five donations of $1,000 each to local organizations. The charitable giving is part of the association’s mission of celebrating and giving back to the Mancos community.
The Mancos Days board, which oversees the association and decisions about giving, decided to direct money toward organizations that volunteered at the festival or that have a habit of giving back to the community, according to Mancos Colorado Days Association President Lacey Murphy.
“It’s things that people in the community do that actually help people in the community – that’s kind of what I focused on,” Murphy said when asked how she decided which organizations would receive the donations.
Among the donation recipients was Girl Scout Troop 26250, co-led by Tressa Jukes, who says that the donation may go toward supporting the troop’s “first big overnight trip” in the spring, which would take place over a long weekend.
“They (the girls in the troop) are pretty excited,” Jukes said.
Mancos Little League, co-coached by Anthony Mestas, is receiving one of the donations. Mestas says the team plans to put the money toward an infield at the baseball diamond in Mancos Wayside Park where they currently play.
“We want to thank Mancos Days for their donation, and they’re giving us the opportunity to put some little kids in baseball,” Mestas said.
Mancos Pay It Forward is also receiving a $1,000 gift. The organization is a 501(c)(3) that accepts grants for small, personal donations that cover various expenses of local residents who are in financial need, as determined by the charity.
Dana Weaver, a manager of the Pay It Forward fund, said that awarded grants can cover everyday costs like rent, groceries or transportation.
“We always try to respond within 24 hours because usually it’s that necessary of a request,” Weaver said. “(For example,) they’re going get pushed out and their utilities are going to get shut off.”
The organization does not pay medical bills because, according, to Weaver, those costs tend to be out of the organization’s range.
However, many of the fund’s donations have gone toward assistance with other expenses that can overwhelm residents with severe sickness or who are receiving specialized medical treatment. Murphy said she received such help in the form of groceries from the organization when she became sick last year.
The Mancos Fire Department, which according to Murphy saved the father of one of the Mancos Days board members, also received a $1,000 gift, and the Mancos school district will receive $1,000 to support the construction and furnishing of a new weight room.
“The Mancos Colorado Days Association can not say enough how thankful we are for the support we receive from the communities,” Murphy said in a statement. “All of the donations, sponsorships, volunteers, participants, attendees and vendors made these donations possible and we can’t wait to see what next year brings!”
cpape@the-journal.comThis article was reposted on Oct. 2 to correct the name of Lacey Murphy.