Lori Orzech, Chairman. If it’s the Friday nearest to Valentine’s Day, then the Lions are cooking and serving a free dinner to anyone who wants to stop by. Cranmer Chapel, Winter Park is the location and this bi-weekly meal is coordinated by St. John’s Episcopal Church (Granby) from Thanksgiving through March. Dinner is served on the ‘off’ week (no paycheck) for the Resort employees to help them (and anyone else who wants to stop by) to have a homecooked meal when they’re between paychecks.
“Friday Night Dinners” began in 1999 with a Thanksgiving Dinner at the then St. Columba’s Episcopal Chapel in Winter Park. The idea of providing home cooked meals to young people working in the valley away from their homes and families came, in part, from Joan Von der Heiden and her husband Ken. Permission was obtained from St. John’s Episcopal Church to use the Winter Park St. Columba’s Chapel – which has since been renamed the Cranmer Memorial Chapel after the residing Rev. Chappell Cranmer passed away in 2000.