LACF News – The Los Alamos Community Foundation announced today that longtime resident and community theatre participant, Ken Milder, has established the Los Alamos Little Theatre (LALT) Endowment Fund with a seed gift of $10,000. The purpose of the fund is to provide unrestricted operating support to LALT.
“I want to support the Little Theatre because it’s tough to sustain a performing arts center, put on plays, and provide educational programs and opportunities for experience and learning,” said Milder. “I also want to make sure that the Little Theatre has financial support in down years because things like the pandemic can be devastating, and unfortunately not every play makes money,” he added.
LALT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater group, was founded in 1943 and has been providing entertainment since the days of the Manhattan Project. Productions take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC), which LALT operates on behalf of Los Alamos County.
Milder, who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 38 years, believes there is a strong relationship between science and the arts. “During my time at the Lab, what I observed almost without exception is that LANL Fellows have a strong foundation in the arts, humanities and music,” said Milder.
“A foundation in the arts helps people apply technical knowledge in creative and outside-the-box ways. For our country to remain a leader in science, engineering and design, we need the arts,” Milder said. “Personally, I’ve benefited greatly from the arts. I’ve been involved in performing arts since I was 13, and when I moved to Los Alamos the very first organization I joined was the Little Theatre.” Milder added, “We must add arts to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and call it STEAM!”
Steve Laurent, Executive Director of LACF, noted that Ken’s contribution is just a first step. “There is a need to grow the endowment significantly so it can relieve LALT of the pressure to raise funds and allow it to focus on what it does best – providing the gift of theater to the community. I encourage anyone who has been a member of, or has been entertained or touched by, the Little Theatre to consider contributing to the fund,” Laurent said.
To donate to the LALT Endowment, go to losalamoscf.org/donate.
About the Los Alamos Little Theatre: Founded in 1943, LALT has been providing entertainment on the “Hill” since the days of the Manhattan Project. LALT serves the following purposes: to produce plays and other dramatic works; to promote the interest of the public in drama and dramatic productions; to instruct and educate members in the dramatic arts and related subjects; and to furnish the community of Los Alamos with a source of dramatic talent. For more information, visit www.lalt.org.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the Los Alamos Community Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards fourteen locally endowed funds and has total assets of nearly $900,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.