Special Lincoln City Drop Brings Over 100 Glass Floats and Philanthropic Twist to Oregon Coast

Published 05/01/25 at 7:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – A special drop of glass floats on the central Oregon coast will not only make for more of treasured finds but just picking one up will do someone, somewhere a bit of good.

Explore Lincoln City is partnering again with the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation (MLCF) to add a philanthropic dimension to the cherished Finders Keepers program. This year's initiative emphasizes encouraging young people to embark on adventures and explore new environments and experiences.

To commemorate Marie Lamfrom’s 129th birthday, MLCF will sponsor a Finders Keepers “Special Drop” involving 129 exclusive yellow glass floats carefully placed along Lincoln City's iconic seven-mile shoreline from June 1 to June 14. Each float will feature a unique marking and will correspond to a specific coastal school or nonprofit organization. When a float is discovered and reported, MLCF will make a donation to the affiliated organization, contributing to field trips, guided tours, and other educational outings for youth from Oregon’s coastal communities. In total, MLCF is pledging $129,000 to support local youth in 2025.

These special floats complement the annual Finders Keepers tradition of hiding over 3,000 glass treasures from Roads End in the north to Siletz Bay in the south. Every discovered float becomes a keepsake for its finder.

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“Marie’s love for the Oregon coast - especially her passion for beachcombing and collecting glass fishing floats - was only matched by her devotion to children, the arts, and community,” said Sally Bany, Marie’s granddaughter and MLCF Co-Founder. “This initiative beautifully intertwines Marie’s joys, honoring her legacy by inspiring young people to step beyond their daily surroundings and discover something extraordinary.”

This year’s special floats prominently feature the color yellow, a nod to Marie’s favorite flower, the yellow rose, and a symbol of her warmth and optimism. Each float will include a distinct sticker indicating its connection to the MLCF program. While the beach offers countless other treasures, floats bearing this unique sticker are unmistakably part of the initiative.

The floats, crafted by artists from Lincoln City Glass Center and Alder House, will be discreetly hidden by Finders Keepers “float fairies” between June 1 and June 14. Once a float is found and verified, the corresponding school or nonprofit will receive grant funding. The first 10 discovered floats will unlock rewards of up to $5,000. All participating organizations will receive grants between $500 and $5,000, even if their assigned floats remain undiscovered by July 31.

“Sally Bany’s grandmother, Marie Lamfrom, served as a nurse in World War I, escaped Nazi Germany with her family to live in Portland, Ore., and quickly became a champion for young people, especially the Girl Scouts,” said Explore Lincoln City. “She served as a troop leader at Shriners Hospital for Children and later, at Providence Hospital. MLCF was granted additional funds after the passing of Marie’s daughter and Sally’s mother, Columbia Sportswear Chairman Gert Boyle in 2019. The Foundation continues to support nonprofit organizations focusing on education and mentorship, arts and creativity, and health and wellness, with the majority of funds benefiting programs based in Oregon.”

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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