The Greene County Community Foundation distributed more than $245,000 at a grant awards program April 14 at First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson.
Community Foundation board president Karen Shannon served as emcee. She explained that Grow Greene County, the nonprofit organization that holds the gaming license for Wild Rose Casino, allocated $175,000 to the Community Foundation for its grantmaking. Another $70,327 was drawn from the Community Foundation’s endowment.
Greene County Conservation received $35,000, the most the Community Foundation can award. (Requests for amounts greater than that are submitted to Grow Greene County.) The grant will go toward constructing new restrooms on the east side of the park.
Grand Junction fire and rescue was awarded $29,036 to replace the overhead doors on the ambulance garage. The city of Grand Junction will replace the marquee sign at the Community Center and update directional signage on Hwy 30 with a $22,392 grant. The library received a $4,733 grant to update lighting.
The city of Churdan received $26,546 for adult exercise equipment for the city park.
Other grants were awarded to: Jefferson parks and recreation for new swings, including an inclusive swing and a two-generation swing, $14,055; Churdan American Legion post for building renovations, $12,000; Jefferson Matters for one-time expenses of expanding the Winter Festival, $10,500; Rippey baseball commission for work on the Walt Anderson baseball field, $10,815; Paton-Churdan Schools for Open Science kits, $10,124, and an AcuSpike (volleyball) team trainer, $2,437; Paton-Churdan Early Learning Center, technology and security updates, $7,820; Pleasant Hill Memorial for building preservation/renovation, $9,537; and Scranton Township trustees, cemetery management software, $9,375.
Also Food Bank of Iowa for food distribution sites in Greene County, $7,500; Jefferson Matters Tower View Team for the Art Garden alley project, $6,281; Greene County Community Schools for security strobe lighting, $5,539; Ever Greene Ridge, handicap accessible doors, $5,500; City of Paton for new library furniture, $4,050; Greenwood Homes for capital improvements at the congregate meal site, $3,3667; RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program, Samaritan’s Feet for Seniors (shoes designed for fall prevention), $2,000; and The Children’s Center, for radon mitigation, $1,420.
Thirty grant applications were submitted requesting more than $400,000 in funds, Shannon said.
