Community Outreach
The London Creek Ranch Foundation
London Creek Ranch is a natural wonder with vast amounts of unspoiled country that is surrounded by beautiful lakes and abundant vegetation. It is a sprawling ranch with 425 acres of uplands, 135 aces of pasture, 290 acres of heavily canopied oak forest and 400 acres of wetlands. The idyllic serenity of the property is highlighted by the Marion and London Creeks winding throughout the land. First settled as a cattle ranch in the late 1800s, the Ranch is nestled in east central Polk County, south of Orlando, Florida. Now, the ranch offers such amenities as state of the art lodging facilities, horseback riding, fishing, hundreds of nature trails, and camping. It provides a secluded venue for participants of the Foundation to experience a new and unique world, while offering stress reducing activities, and an opportunity to heal and grow.
The London Creek Ranch Foundation is a non-profit organization, whose main focus is children. One group the Foundation is working with is called Hearts and Hope, Inc. based in West Palm Beach, Florida. They are whole-heartedly dedicated to relieving the pain caused by the death of a parent or sibling. Another group is children of soldiers who have lost their lives or have been injured in Iraq. The children come to the ranch and spend a day or weekend enjoying all the ranch has to offer. They can take part in horseback riding, hayrides, lake activities, bonfires, nature trails, and cookouts. As well as having fun, the children will also have an opportunity to talk with grief counselors provided by the Foundation. LCR will be a regular host to charitable events for multiple causes. In addition, the Miller family regularly hosts charitable events and community outreach from Legacy's Corporate Headquarters in West Palm Beach as well as the family’s estate in Palm Beach.
The London Creek Ranch FoundationAs well as offering a chance for the youth to experience the natural beauty of the land, the Foundation also reaches out to soldiers who have served on two or more tours in Iraq. The Foundation wants to extend their deepest thanks for their sacrifices and bravery by selecting a soldier and their family and invite them to the ranch for a getaway weekend. The Foundation wants to offer them all the ranch has to share, and as a special gift, present them with passes to the Orlando parks and restaurants.
Preserving the natural beauty of the land and the hundreds of square miles of wetlands is very important to the London Creek Ranch Foundation. The area is home to North America's highest concentration of rare and endangered species, as well as diverse varieties of plant and animal life. Lake Wales Ridge in the eastern portion of the county was once a chain of islands that experienced sea levels much higher than today. Species isolated on the islands roughly three million years ago evolved in very unique ways. Because of this rare occurrence, the Foundation is enthusiastic about establishing the area as a resource for ecological studies. In turn, the Foundation offers local college students the chance to stay at the ranch and study the biological aspects of this untouched natural preserve to achieve credits for their degrees. The Foundation believes that by supporting the youth of today, we continually move forward to a better tomorrow.
Board members:
President/Vice Chairman
Linnette Miller
Vice President, Vice Chairman, Treasurer/Secretary, Executive Director
Joan Kirk
Directors:
Robert Miller
Scott Baker
Doug Sealy
Jeff Koons
Jim Murphy
Harkley Thorntorn
Bill Lane