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LOR Foundation launches presence in Cortez

Nonprofit aims to connect community with resources to improve livability in rural areas
The LOR Foundation’s new Cortez Program Officer, Nicci Crowley, has lived in Cortez since 2006. (Courtesy of Nicci Crowley)

The LOR Foundation, a family foundation that works to improve quality of life in rural areas, has begun operating in Cortez.

According to a news release, the nonprofit has hired Cortez local Nicci Crowley to lead its efforts in the area.

The organization’s goal is to improve and promote livability, opportunity and responsibility in rural Mountain West communities. LOR efforts in the past have included initiatives to fight food insecurity, repair homes for veterans and provide housing assistance to seniors.

Last fall, LOR helped the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe secure a “Census Instagrant” to improve response rates to the U.S. Census. The tribe ended up reporting a 100% success rate on the census count.

“I was really encouraged to see the LOR Foundation coming to Cortez,” Crowley said in the release. “I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to help carry its mission forward in a place I’ve lived for many years and care so deeply about.”

Crowley has lived in Cortez since 2006. She most recently served as the deputy director of Onward! A Legacy Foundation.

Crowley said she has been scheduling between four and five meetings per day to meet with community members.

“Right now I’m really just listening to community members,” Crowley told The Journal. “This is the opportunity for us to set priorities for our community. So the more people I get to talk to, the more educated I’ll be. Even though I live in our community, I don’t want it to be my perceptions. I want it to be community perceptions.”

Those interested in sharing ideas or suggestions with the foundation can do so on their website.