The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership announced 10 more grant recipients from its Extraordinary Women Micro-Grants Program.
Grants of $2,000 were given to:
- Sarah Ann Lesslie of Cocolita Chocolate Cafe, Flagstaff, Arizona: Purchase two new, single-door refrigerators for the shop, replacing a malfunctioning one.
- Amy Stephens of the Edmond History Museum, Edmond, Oklahoma: Install new logo signage on three sides of the building to help ensure visitors know where the museum is.
- Cindy Miller of Alley Katz Unique Emporium, Amarillo, Texas: Install a new entrance ramp to ensure the shop is ADA-compliant.
- Jenalyn Lorilla of Nomadic Coffee Project, Seligman, Arizona: Build a new custom mobile coffee wagon.
- Flora Cordova, Route 66 Welcome Center & Gift Shop, Tucumcari, New Mexico: Restore the neon sign atop the column outside the shop.
- Becki Colon of Colonel Mustard Hot Dogs, Holbrook, Arizona: Complete exterior repairs to the hotdog stand, including its illuminated “Colonel Mustard” sign, glazing and sealing windows and fixing the building’s rain scuppers.
- Heather Arnold of Routes Rentals & Tours, Albuquerque: Enhance guest experiences and accessibility by installing new rental/rate menu boards in both English and Spanish, with a new digital menu board.
- Alliessia Arnold of Stagecoach Motel, Seligman, Arizona: Replace gravel in the motel’s driveway and parking lot and purchase new outdoor furniture.
- Vida Pazarin of Friday Night Route 66 Market, Victorville, California: Purchase equipment and supplies to host a series of night markets each Friday on a vacant lot in Victorville.
- Noelle Sosaya of Rat House Vintage, Albuquerque: Building a new counter for the shop’s register, constructing new apparel racks/shelving, and painting a new exterior sign.
The grant program is one in a series of “birthday gifts” to be given to Route 66 in the years leading up to the historic road’s 100th birthday in 2026. The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program provides critical and flexible funding to businesses and attractions along Route 66 that are majority women-owned or operated.
The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program is funded in part by a grant from the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to direct fundraising efforts undertaken by the Road Ahead, the public may make donations to the Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program online here.
The next round of the Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program funding will begin July 5. Program guidelines, criteria and applications are available here. Up to 10 grants of $2,000 each will be made.
(Image of the neon arrow at the Route 66 Welcome Center in Tucumcari, New Mexico, in 2021 that’s due for repairs)