Craig Lloyd’s Legacy Lives On In Gifts to Organizations Close To His Heart
Four nonprofits will benefit from the generosity of those who wished to honor the legacy of Craig Lloyd with a donation.
As part of Lloyd’s memorial services earlier this year, the family requested donations be sent to a fund at the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation that would make specific gifts on his behalf.
Donations totaled more than $127,000.
“Craig would have been so pleased to see not only the extent of the community’s support, but also how these contributions are already benefitting some of his favorite organizations,” Craig’s wife, Pat said.
“It really is meaningful to all of us and we chose organizations that especially aligned with Craig’s passions.”
An $80,000 donation will support the Sioux Falls YMCA, specifically its Camp Leif Ericson summer camp for children.
Lloyd served on the board of the YMCA and was a driving force to raise the funds necessary to keep its community center open, including helping pay down debt on the downtown building. Lloyd Companies developed and manages the adjacent YMCA Apartments, offering affordable housing to residents, and partners with the Y on several other affordable housing communities across the city.
“Craig had been a longtime supporter of the Y for several decades and was just an incredible champion for us,” director of development Kadyn Wittman said. “He was the recipient of last year’s Community Champion award at our annual event, so it was great to be able to present that to him.”
The donation will support camp scholarships, allowing approximately 10 campers to attend Leif Ericson for free each summer in perpetuity.
“Craig’s heart was really for kids, and he loved the camp,” Wittman said. “Anything he saw that was improving the lives of children in Sioux Falls he wanted to support and the camp is such a unique thing we have in this city and he was very passionate about it.”
The memorial fund also will contribute $21,000 each to Promising Futures Fund and Sioux Falls Cares.
Promising Futures will use the donation to support sending fifth graders from two Title I elementary schools on a memorable field trip to the Omaha Zoo, in addition to allowing 1,800 third and fourth grade students from 13 elementary schools to attend a live children’s show at the Washington Pavilion.
“In both cases, the Lloyd family gift will cover busing and tickets for these great experiences,” said Steve Hildebrand, founder of Promising Futures.
“This gift to Promising Futures in Craig’s memory, coming from the Lloyd family and their friends from all over the area, means so much to our board and to me. It was an incredible gesture from Pat and their family to help in this way.”
Craig, Pat and their family “have been very supportive of the Promising Futures Fund from the beginning,” he added.
“Their generosity had come through financial support from their family and through Lloyd and they have encouraged others in the community as well. Through several conversations with Craig, he voiced passionate support and gave me encouragement to make Promising
Futures an impactful organization for children in the Sioux Falls School District.”
Craig Lloyd also was a founding supporter of Sioux Falls Cares, an annual effort at Christmas to provide qualifying households with gifts for kids, household items and food.
“We were organized in 1991 and Craig has been a friend of Sioux Falls Cares the entire time we’ve been doing this,” said Jason Appel, a longtime friend of the Lloyd family who serves on the Sioux Falls Cares board.
“The stories we hear are incredibly impactful and we want these dollars on the street to help our recipients, so we have no overhead, we’re completely volunteer-led and we have about an eight times multiplier on what we raise because of how much we get donated for free or at cost.”
The goal is to provide 750 families with full donation packages each year and eventually get to 900 families. The Lloyd donation will be put to work in this year’s budget if needed or added to the endowment for future use.
“I just know how appreciative our board is of Craig and Pat, the support they’ve given in the past and the way they’ve advocated for us to bring more donors,” Appel said. “That’s just how that family works, and they’ve been one of many great blessings to our organization.”
Finally, the memorial fund will contribute $5,000 to the Making Memories program through Children’s Home Society, which provides fun outings and activities for children in CHS programs. They include swimming passes and lessons, summer camps, birthday parties, family vacations and sports activities.
“This donation is one of many that Craig and his family have contributed over the years to CHS,” I especially love the fact that this fund is targeted towards truly making memories. The Lloyd family knows the importance of fun in a kiddos life and it’s a joy to see this fund in action everyday.”
The hope is that others will learn more about these organizations and also be moved to support them, Pat Lloyd added.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who supported Craig’s memorial fund and to those who hopefully will be inspired to give to these and other impactful organizations in our community.”
Andy Patterson, CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, said he was grateful the Lloyd family trusted the Foundation to carry out Craig’s legacy.
“Craig Lloyd was so generous, and he cared so deeply about Sioux Falls,” Patterson said. “We felt honored to accept donations in his name and help the Lloyd family give back to causes he cared about. It feels good to see that so many others were inspired by his generosity – and that several nonprofits will benefit from their decision to give back locally.”
