Lauren's Fundraiser for Truckee Roundhouse

This year, I am dedicating my fundraising efforts for the Truckee Roundhouse to my mom, who passed away this August after a long battle with dementia.

Anne Hickey was a maker and DIY enthusiast long before the concept of Maker Spaces emerged. When we were kids, if we had a dream, she would help us bring it to life—whether that meant creating the perfect prom dress, designing a Halloween costume, making holiday decorations, or redecorating a room. She shared her passion and skills with me and my sisters.

As her dementia progressed, our shared language of making endured. I witnessed the power of creation in countless moments. The satisfaction of completing a project, the pride in the items we crafted together—all of it brought us joy. We spent hours coloring, sewing, and ironing, without the pressure of finding the right words. We simply enjoyed trusting the process and celebrating our results.

This year, I ask you to contribute to the Truckee Roundhouse so that we can honor my Mom and continue creating making moments. Whether it’s a member finally finishing a project they’ve worked on all year, a nine-year-old at summer camp who makes something just as they imagined, or a member of the Tahoe Truckee Community who attends a fix-it event and successfully repairs a broken lamp they were considering throwing away, your support can make a difference. 

Keep reading to find out more of how the Roundhouse invests in our community.

Our mission is to support the teaching, learning, and practicing of a wide variety of crafts, skills, technologies, and arts in the Truckee-Tahoe community. We achieve this by providing accessible resources – tools and teachers and programs – in a collaborative environment for youth and adults so that all members of our community can explore their creative potential.

Since our opening in December 2016, we have been bringing community together, making a positive impact on education, youth development, and the arts.

YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS Youth and Community Enrichment Programs

We provide high quality tools and instruction so youth and community groups can immediately begin to learn and create projects in a safe and engaging environment.  Professionals and experienced users mentor the students, who celebrate the joy of making something with their own hands as they learn project design and teamwork. The making process helps develop problem-solving skills, self-esteem and resilience.  As they exercise creativity to build custom projects, they also apply principals of math and science to real life situations.

We are very proud of our Youth and Community Enrichment Programs that offer affordable programming to educational partners, which to date include: Creekside Charter School, Sierra Expeditionary Learning School (SELS), Sierra High, Creekside Charter School, Tahoe Expeditionary Academy (TEA), Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Sierra Watershed Education Partnership (SWEP).  Our programs remain affordable for our educational partners thanks to funding from individuals, businesses and foundations.

Scholarships 

We offer need-based scholarships and subsidized memberships. As a nonprofit, we  must raise the funds to offer scholarships or discounted rates because our costs are real, and your donations helps us do this.

Affordable Membership Rates

We strive to be an inclusive, accessible resource for all members in our community. We understand the cost of living is high in our area and seek private and grant funding to keep our monthly membership rates affordable for all. 

Thank you for your continued support and for reading all the way to the end!