Spirit of the Meadowlark 2025 honors Mike Hughes
by Wyoming Community Foundation
June 30, 2025
On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the Sublette Local Board of the Wyoming Community Foundation (WYCF) recognized Mike Hughes with the Spirit of the Meadowlark Award for his numerous contributions to Sublette County. The Southwest Pioneer Senior Citizens Center in Marbleton was filled with well-wishers, and a squad of Sublette County firefighters even showed up with a fire engine!
WYCF President & CEO Samin Dadelahi gave a brief overview of the organization. For over 35 years, the WYCF has connected people who care with causes that matter to build a better Wyoming. WYCF has granted more than $120 million to charitable causes in all 23 counties while ensuring communities have the resources to thrive.
WYCF houses three priority funds that focus on causes you care about which include: the Wyoming Enrichment Network, the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, and the Wyoming Wildlife Foundation.
Aside from grantmaking, WYCF specializes in working with individuals to achieve their charitable goals through:
- Establishing Donor Advised and Donor Designated Funds;
- Supporting giving in specific geographic areas or to a specific cause
- Accepting and liquidating unique gifts such as mineral rights, gifts of property and appreciated stock
- Helping individuals leave a legacy to their community through estate planning.
- WYCF works directly with nonprofits to establish endowed funds to support their work; local examples include the Museum of the Mountain Man, Pinedale Fine Arts Council and the Pinedale Preschool.
Local Board Chair Mindi Crabb then provided highlights on the Local Board:
The members of the Sublette Local Board at WYCF invest in local projects and initiatives, fund nonprofit programs, and connect the Sublette communities to our statewide WYCF resources. The Sublette Local Board was established in 2005 with a million-dollar endowment left by Shell Oil to support nonprofits in the county.
- The local board now advises on grants made from four different funds that support Sublette County, including the Gayle McMurry Kinnison Fund which Gayle established in 2000 to support charitable purposes in Health & Human Services and Arts & Culture.
- The local board has granted over $1.59 million since inception to over 60 different nonprofits in the area and granted over $91,000 in 2024 alone. The 2025 spring round of grant awards will be announced very soon!
- The local board has been operating for over 20 years and has been a major sponsor of the Pinedale Half Marathon, now the Race to Raise.
- Local board members include Sam Bixler, Tara Bolgiano, Mindi Crabb, Emily Fixter, Ken Konicek, Greg Legerski, Dean Loftus, Fred Palmer, Sherri Redden and Karen Wenz.
This is the Sublette Local Board’s fifth year honoring a recipient of the Spirit of the Meadowlark Award. The award is intended to recognize those in the Sublette area that give of their time, talent, and treasure to make their community stronger - in good times and in bad.
- The Meadowlark was chosen because it arrives as winter is ushering out. This bird is the first to start the work and build their community and they are often the bird that gives many of us a spark of hope for warmer months!
- Meadowlarks are one of the few birds that sing both while perched and while flying, much like those that willingly give both time and financial support in the effort to support the vision of their communities and favorite organizations.
- John Audubon attributed the scientific name Sturnella Neglecta to Western meadowlarks, which in Latin means "overlooked." The Sublette Local Board created the "Spirit of the Meadowlark" award to ensure those who give the most of themselves to their community are not overlooked, but recognized for the good they do to build a better Wyoming.
Board member Sherri Redden introduced Mike Hughes by highlighting some of his many roles and services to the Big Piney/Marbleton community. She and Local Board Chair Mindi Crabb then presented Mike with a beautiful acrylic award and handed him the microphone. Mike regaled the audience with a number of stories about his time as a volunteer firefighter and accomplishments during his tenure as a town council person and mayor. The evening wrapped up with a nice meal provided by the Southwest Pioneer Senior Center team led by Carie James and a piano solo by one of Mike’s granddaughters. Mike’s wife, Janice, shared a slide show and some letters and awards that he has received over the years.
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