Greater Lewes Foundation celebrates 25 years
The Greater Lewes Foundation is celebrating a quarter-century of fulfilling its mission to make Lewes the best place to live in the country.
“Our sole mission is to improve and enhance the quality of life for everyone here,” said Joe Stewart, GLF board chair.
Stewart led the organization’s annual meeting at the Rollins Center May 17.
Treasurer Hugh Leahy said the foundation gave 300 grants totaling $443,000 in 2024. He said charitable giving is up 90% over last year, due entirely to the Fourth Street Preserve campaign. The campaign to save the city’s last forest is now in the home stretch.
Jim Ford, campaign chair, said they have raised $6.4 million of the $8 million needed to buy and save the 30-acre parcel. He said they have $2.5 million in pending grants and are still seeking private donations.
The master plan for the Fourth Street Forest was expected to be unveiled at the Lewes Mayor and City Council workshop May 22.
“The preserve would be the first urban forest in Delaware and serve as a model for other municipalities in the state,” Ford said.
The campaign has a Sept. 15 deadline to meet its goal.
Betsy Reamer, executive director of the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, outlined the Greater Lewes Foundation’s other big projects:
• DeVries Monument - GLF is overseeing plans to reconfigure the site on Pilottown Road to make it more accessible. The monument marks the location of the first colony in Lewes. Reamer said construction is expected to start this summer
• Nassau School - The former African American school in Belltown is being restored. It will serve as offices for the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice when it is completed
• Wiltbank Cemetery - The cemetery on New Road is the burial site of John Wiltbank and other ancestors of Lewes’ first settlers. GLF is leading the effort to restore the site
• Lewes 250 - GLF is facilitating the city’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday in 2026. A committee made up of nonprofits and other local organizations is planning events. Reamer said they will soon unveil an official logo and website.
The foundation elected two new board members, Rodney Robinson and Josh Baer.
Stewart said Mayor Amy Marasco will also serve on the board, taking the seat reserved for the city.
Dennis Forney, Cape Gazette co-founder and publisher emeritus, was the keynote speaker. He spoke of Lewes pride, which he said drives the foundation’s mission.
“It takes vision, determination, patience, connections and, most of all, faith,” Forney said. “It’s the pride everyone holds in the community. They’re proud to be here and proud to be making it better all the time.”
The foundation presented Forney with an aerial photo of Canalfront Park, one of the projects that Forney helped to become reality.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
