Dutch and Irma Cragun To Receive BLACF Philanthropy Award

The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation’s (BLACF) Board of Directors announced this year’s Award in Philanthropy recipients are Dutch and Irma Cragun. The Craguns have been involved in numerous community fundraisers and assisted with the growth and development of the Brainerd Lakes Area and our tourism industry.

Dutch & Irma have supported many organizations over the years through many different avenues. They have generously given cash donations, gift certificates, and free or reduced pricing for charity events and fund raisers.

A favorite program of the Craguns is “Free Golf For Veterans” that began when they built The Legacy Golf Course. Every year on Memorial Day and that Tuesday, any military veteran gets complementary golf at The Legacy and can bring a non-veteran guest for a greatly reduced rate. Over 15,000 green fees have been given away in the past 20 years. Many veterans have made new friends and they look forward to coming back every year.

The Craguns have also been huge supporters of local performing arts. The CLC Theater, Lakes Area Music Festival, and Heartland Symphony have all received generous donations that have helped make performances available to everyone in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Karl Samp, executive director of BLACF, said, “There are too many charities to mention that have benefited from Dutch and Irma’s generosity. The Brainerd Lakes Area is a better place because of their philanthropic giving. We are honored to have them as our 2019 recipients of the Award in Philanthropy.”

The Award in Philanthropy will be presented to the Craguns on Thursday, July 11, at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa during the BLACF Annual Dinner.