Funding from gambling proceeds at Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson
Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation, the local nonprofit corporation that holds the state gaming license in Greene County, distributed almost $2 million worth of grants April 2 at its 9th Annual Awards Night, conducted in person at Wild Rose Jefferson.
Grow Greene County board members say it is the highlight of their year to hand out awards to the neighboring counties’ community foundations, Greene County municipalities, Greene County Community Foundation, schools within the county, economic development, legacy awards and this year’s competitive grants.
Under agreement with Wild Rose Entertainment Inc., Grow Greene receives five percent of the local casino’s adjusted gross gaming revenues to distribute to nonprofit, governmental, and charitable organizations. Of that total, 4.1 percent went to projects in Greene County and 0.9 percent was shared equally by the community foundations in the six counties contiguous to Greene County. They include Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Dallas, Guthrie, and Webster.
The awards given out April 2 represented gaming revenues at Wild Rose Jefferson during calendar year 2023.
Grants included $175,000 to the Greene County Community Foundation for its grant distribution; $67,000 to the Community Animal Shelter as the third and final year of a $201,000 award; and $125,000 to The Children’s Center (formerly Greene County Early Learning Center) as the fourth and final year of a $500,000 award.
Other large grants included $70,000 to the Grand Junction Lions Club and 50107 Summerfest for a park shelterhouse;
$75,000 to the city of Paton for Main St lighting and beautification;
$85,000 to the Greene County Cattlemen for a refrigerated cargo van for use at grilling events around the county;
and $118,000 to the Jefferson pickleball committee for Russell Park pickleball courts.
Click here for a complete list of grant awards.
Grow Greene County is currently seeking to fill two upcoming vacancies on its board of directors. Persons interested should reach out to a current board member for more information. The application for board membership can be found at www.growgreenecounty.org. Applications must be returned by April 8.
The Grow Greene County board of directors includes president Norm Fandel, vice president Craig Marquardt, secretary Peg Raney, treasurer Bob Allen, and board members Lori Mannel, Brenda Muir, Kate Neese, and Rick Morain. Ex-officio board members added in 2019 are Dawn Rudolph of the county board of supervisors and Matt Wetrich of the Jefferson city council. Board attorney is Mike Mumma and Cindy Duhrkopf is the part-time administrative assistant.
