Lafarge West, Inc., the Rocky Mountain region's largest supplier of construction materials, is hosting its annual "Building Blocks of Our Community" grant program, that offers up to $30,000 for the construction materials (aggregate, asphalt, concrete, or a combination (thereof) needed to realize one local community group's dream project. Now in its tenth year, the Building Blocks of Our Community grant program is available to local grassroots community groups in Arapahoe, Adams, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson Counties that have little or no access to public or other private funding sources. Interested groups must complete an official Building Blocks of Our Community grant application and submit it to Lafarge by Friday, November 30, 2005. An application can be requested by sending an email to buildingblocks@lafargena.com. Questions about the grant program may also be directed to this email address.

"We developed this program as another way for our company to remain  connected to the cities and towns that we also call home," said Bob Cartmel, President of the Western U.S. region of Lafarge. "We've already donated more than $260,000 to eight local grassroots community groups that are making a difference in neighborhoods throughout the metro area. Every Lafarge employee takes great pride in this program because it gives us a
chance to show how our products can transform a piece of land into a shared source of pride for an entire community."

Each year, Lafarge receives around 50 applications for its grant program. A blue ribbon panel of judges who represent different sectors of the metro area will review the applications and select one proposed project that they believe has the highest priority within the scope of the funds available. This year's judges will select a grant recipient by late December 2005.

Past projects awarded a Building Blocks of Our Community grant include: a multi-use volleyball/tennis/basketball court; a youth baseball facility; a youth skateboard park; a concrete foundation for a youth treatment facility; construction materials for a local historical museum; a new parking lot for a residential treatment facility; landscaping and a parking area for handicapped drop-off at a local community center; improvements to a community center for immigrant workers, and a base for a synthetic baseball field designed for children who use wheelchairs and prosthetic devices.