This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

Would you donate to the Friends of Lenoir Parks and Recreation?

Right now, that’s not an option. But it might be in the future, Parks and Recreation director Rob Winkler said Tuesday.

The Recreation Advisory Board has begun exploring the possibility of an independent foundation to support parks and recreation in Lenoir, Winkler said.

“Our main key for this is to have an avenue that we have in place, in case somebody wants to leave us donations,” he said.

It’s not uncommon for city- and county-funded organizations to draw on independent (but related) foundations for help.

The most analogous organization locally would be the Caldwell County FRIENDS of the Library.

And the City of Shelby has a foundation similar to the one Lenoir is considering, called Friends of the Parks.

Recreation departments aren’t typically moneymakers, Winkler has said previously.

An independent foundation could help enhance services while decreasing reliance on city residents’ tax dollars.

“The ultimate goal would be to hopefully eliminate some taxpayer funds,” he said.