Melvin, Iowa — Over $95,000 in grants was given on Thursday to nonprofit groups in Osceola County through the Community Foundation of Osceola County.
The 29 grants totaled $95,121.72. The event, held at the Melvin American Legion Community Center, marked the foundation’s 13th year of philanthropic giving.
Established in 2006, funding for the foundation was secured from the Iowa Legislature to encourage improvement projects in communities that do not have a gaming facility located in their county.
More than $1 million has been invested in Osceola County by local charitable organizations to fund projects in the arts, recreation, health, community service, environmental improvement and a variety of other community development areas since 2006. It is estimated that these grant funds, added to the recipients matching dollars, volunteer labor, and in-kind contributions, easily make the impact of Community Foundation of Osceola County grant program to be in excess of $2 million since the program was started.
Stephanie Neppl, Executive Director of the Osceola County Economic Development Commission says that they are pleased again to present Community Foundation grants to so many deserving organizations in Osceola County. She says congratulations to all the recipients and thank you to the board for their time and support for this grant cycle. She says they look forward to seeing the projects come to fruition.
The following projects were funded for 2019:
Receiving $3,500 grants were
| · Ashton Ambulance Crew – purchase of a commercial dryer to help care for cover blankets. |
| · Ashton American Legion Post 290 – update furnace that serves the building’s south side which includes the bar, hallway and restrooms. |
| · Ashton Betterment Committee – repair and replace parts of the roof affected by water damage. |
| · Ashton Fire Department – update turnout gear racks which are storage solutions for firefighter turnout gear and personal protective equipment. |
| · Ashton Town & Country – purchase a new LED message board that will be used to post information about town events and personal messages. |
| · Bright Beginnings – purchase of a new childcare security swipe card system. |
| · City of Harris – phase one improvements for the historical preservation of the Harris Marshall’s Office and Jail which include repairing the foundation, replacing doors and windows and sidewalk replacement. |
| · City of Sibley – purchase of 16 LED Christmas snowflake decorations to be hung on main street. |
| · De Boer Grocery Museum, Osceola County Historical Society – multiple repair and painting jobs to help preserve the building. |
| · May City Betterment Committee – revitalization of the May City Fire Hall/Community Center including fixing leaking windows and doors. |
| · May City Fire Department – building improvements including repair of rim joists, replacing existing steel on the original structure and minor landscaping projects. |
| · McCallum Museum/Brunson Heritage House – purchase a software package to help organize the museum’s collection of artifacts into a computerized database. |
| · Ocheyedan Indians 4-H Club – purchase of historic banners for Ocheyedan’s Main Street. |
| · Ocheyedan Public Library – purchase of a new circulation computer and software, funds to remove and replace current countertop and work area, and improved lighting in the book area. |
| · Ocheyedan Township Cemetery – repair and restore historic cemetery monuments. |
| · Osceola County Livestock Show – adding handicapped access to fair buildings. |
| · Sibley Park Board – purchase of 10 new picnic tables for the city’s campgrounds. |
| · Sibley Public Library – purchase of a filtered water bottle filling station, a multi-table meeting room and prominent lettering on the exterior of the library. |
| · Sibley VFW – remodeling bathrooms to make them handicap accessible, and replacing floor tile, vanities and ceiling tile. Also adding stall door and dividers and improved lighting. |
| · Tracy House Museum – purchase of copy machine and restoration supplies in addition to phase 2 of a concrete project and replacement of display case glass. |
| · WeCare – helping Osceola County Veterans to go on the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight to Washington DC. |
| · Westerners/Those Crazy Goat Kids 4-H Club – Hawkeye Point upgrades including repairing the corncrib, replacing damaged boards and preparing the building for power washing and new paint. |
OTHER AWARDS:
| · Ashton Public Library – purchase of a new air-conditioning unit. $3,120 |
| · Sibley-Ocheyedan STEM Program – Middle School Mobile STEM Learning Center which includes large wheeled cabinets to easily transport STEM resources. $3,000 |
| · Osceola County Economic Development Commission – purchase of new computer tablet for use while out in the community attending meetings with businesses and organizations. $2,979 |
| · Melvin Fire Department – purchase new LED lights for firemen’s helmets. $2,850 |
| · New Beginnings – purchase a new security back door and a chute door to help volunteers and staff access merchandise in the basement. $2,125 |
| · Ocheyedan Senior Center – purchase new flooring for the Senior Activity Center to replace existing damaged flooring. $2,000 |
| · Osceola County Sheriff’s Department – purchase of dash mount directional radar units. $2,047.72 |
