This year, Lancaster County Community Foundation (LCCF) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The organization has used its centennial as an opportunity to reflect on its past and chart a course for the future with a yearlong series of community events, which will conclude with Protecting Our Planet on Thursday, Oct. 17. The free community event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Farm at Eagles Ridge, 465 Long Lane, Lancaster, and it will highlight environmental issues that are specific to the area, as well as local organizations working to find solutions.

"Protecting Our Planet is the culmination of the whole year's celebration and more than $1 million given out in awards and scholarships," said Val Schade, LCCF's communications manager. "It's about how we can come together to protect natural resources and address unique environmental challenges."

From 6 to 7 p.m., local organizations will offer interactive activities and discuss different aspects of environmental challenges facing Lancaster County. Lancaster Conservancy will offer educational games such as Pollinator Plinko and Biodiversity Giant Jenga, and representatives from RegenAll will discuss the county's overall air quality and collective carbon dioxide emissions. Live Music will be provided by Lavacave, a musical duo featuring Robin Chambers and Nick DiSanto.

Representatives from Lancaster Farmland Trust will talk about the organization's efforts to preserve local farmland, which loses 3,000 acres to development each year. The preservation of Lancaster County's farms helps to protect nearby watersheds, a topic that Pennsylvania Rural Water Association will explore with an augmented reality sandbox. The interactive display will project a topographical illustration onto sand to simulate the flow of water and offer information about watershed boundaries, stream health and local geology.

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a full-time residential service program for young adults, will offer information about its mission and projects. AmeriCorps team members will be present to answer questions and to share their personal experiences, as well as what the organization can do to serve Lancaster County. Coffee will be available to purchase from an educational coffee bar that will share information on forest preservation and the decline of migratory and local birds.

A presentation from a keynote speaker, who has not been announced at the time of writing, will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the announcement of the Our Planet award and Shaping Tomorrow scholarship recipients. The Our Planet award will recognize projects aimed at Lancaster County's unique environmental challenges such as poor air quality, polluted waterways and dwindling tree cover. Award recipients will receive funding for initiatives that incorporate anything from land conservation to environmental education. The Shaping Tomorrow scholarships each include $2,500 for a student pursuing an education in a field such as nursing, education, business, computer science, environmental science or the arts. This year, 43 Shaping Tomorrow scholarships were offered to students throughout the county.

For more information, visit http://www.lancfound.org/protecting-our-planet.