Larchwood, Iowa — The Lyon County Riverboat Foundation has recently given nearly a million dollars in grants to area nonprofits and government subdivisions for various items and projects.
According to foundation officials, the five biggest grants were
1. A quarter of a million dollars to the Friends of Doon Foundation for the demolition phase of their community center project.
2. $130,000 to George EMS toward the purchase of an ambulance
3. $100,000 to the Doon Fire Department toward a replacement pumper truck
4. $100,000 to the West Lyon Industrial Tech program toward facility improvement
5. $87,500 to Midwest Honor Flight toward Mission 14.
The foundation is the non-profit license holder for the casino. State law mandates a certain percentage of the casino’s gaming take has to go back to the community. The agreement between the casino and the non-profit stipulates that for the first $20 million the casino collects in gambling winnings in a year, they will give the foundation 4.5 percent. When they get up to $20 million, the percentage goes up to 4.75 percent; and when they get up to $30 million, it goes to 5 percent.
The Lyon County Riverboat Foundation is set up to give half of the money in grants to county government subdivisions and schools, and the other half in a competitive grant process to non-profit projects.
Fall 2022 Competitive Grants (sorted by amount)
| Organization | Project | Amount |
| Friends of Doon Foundation | Community Center Project-Phase 1-Demolition | $250,000 |
| George EMS | Ambulance Purchase | $130,000 |
| Doon Fire Dept | Pumper Truck Replacement | $100,000 |
| West Lyon Industrial Tech | Facility Improvement | $100,000 |
| Midwest Honor Flight | Mission 14 | $87,500.00 |
| Lyon County Community Childcare | Start-Up | $76,535.43 |
| Lester Visioning | Softball Diamond Upgrade | $50,000.00 |
| Larchwood Betterment Club | Soccer Expansion | $33,012.00 |
| Doon Parks & Rec | City Park Playground Equipment | $27,925.01 |
| Mustang Sports Boosters | George Baseball Field Updates | $25,215.54 |
| City of George | Storefront Incentive Program | $22,500.00 |
| Alvord Fire Dept | Air Compressor SCBA Refill Station | $22,100.00 |
| Little Rock Fire Dept | Equipment | $20,759.36 |
| Siouxland Adaptive Sports | Equipment Upgrade & Replacement | $11,648.00 |
| G.I.V.E. Foundation | 9th Annual Charity Golf Tournament | $10,000.00 |
| Little Rock Public Library | Interactive Play Table & Chairs | $7,495.00 |
| Lyon County Historical Society | Property Repair & Upgrades | $7,029.91 |
| Inwood Museum | Winterize Our Legacy | $4,624.00 |
| Lyon County Historical Society | Fairground Round Barn Activity Improvements | $1,629.64 |
Fall 2022 Competitive Grants (sorted alphabetically by organization)
| Organization | Project | Amount |
| Alvord Fire Dept | Air Compressor SCBA Refill Station | $22,100.00 |
| City of George | Storefront Incentive Program | $22,500.00 |
| Doon Fire Dept | Pumper Truck Replacement | $100,000.00 |
| Doon Parks & Rec | City Park Playground Equipment | $27,925.01 |
| Friends of Doon Foundation | Community Center Project-Phase 1-Demolition | $250,000.00 |
| G.I.V.E. Foundation | 9th Annual Charity Golf Tournament | $10,000.00 |
| George EMS | Ambulance Purchase | $130,000.00 |
| Inwood Museum | Winterize Our Legacy | $4,624.00 |
| Larchwood Betterment Club | Soccer Expansion | $33,012.00 |
| Lester Visioning | Softball Diamond Upgrade | $50,000.00 |
| Little Rock Fire Dept | Equipment | $20,759.36 |
| Little Rock Public Library | Interactive Play Table & Chairs | $7,495.00 |
| Lyon County Community Childcare | Start-Up | $76,535.43 |
| Lyon County Historical Society | Property Repair & Upgrades | $7,029.91 |
| Lyon County Historical Society | Fairground Round Barn Activity Improvements | $1,629.64 |
| Midwest Honor Flight | Mission 14 | $87,500.00 |
| Mustang Sports Boosters | George Baseball Field Updates | $25,215.54 |
| Siouxland Adaptive Sports | Equipment Upgrade & Replacement | $11,648.00 |
| West Lyon Industrial Tech | Facility Improvement | $100,000.00 |
