Larchwood, Iowa — Several area projects have received grants from the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation in the organization’s mini-grant ceremony, held Monday night at the Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort event center, near Larchwood.
The foundation is the non-profit license holder for Grand Falls Casino, and as such, receives a percentage of the gambling take from the casino, which the foundation gives out in grants.
Foundation officials tell us they awarded almost $150,000 to 52 organizations in northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, and southeast South Dakota at the 2024 Mini Grant award ceremony. Nearly 300 people attended the ceremony. Organizations from 24 different cities were awarded a grant. Rock Rapids and Sioux Falls were the biggest winners with nine grants each. Sioux Center had four winners, while Brandon, Inwood, Larchwood, and Sheldon each had three winners. Ocheyedan was the only other city with multiple winners with two. For the 2024 mini-grant cycle, 124 applications were considered from 33 different cities.
The Lyon County Riverboat Foundation has four Special Interest Categories. Of the 124 applications that were received, 31 were for Community Development & Beautification, two were for Economic Development, 36 were for Education & Arts and 55 were for Human & Social Needs.
Mini-grants can be up to $3000 and many of them were for the full amount or nearly the full amount.
In our area, receiving grant funding toward their project or organization were a sand volleyball court, the Civic Music Association, and Spanish books and signage at the public library all in Sheldon; Kids Express Daycare equipment in Sanborn; the weekend food project of the George Kiwanis Club; a scanner and camera for the Hull Historical Society; Sibley Housing & Development for the “Sibley Clean Sweep” project; police equipment, postpartum and breastfeeding support at Guiding Star Siouxland, a concert series for the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and storage upgrades for the Sack Pack Program, all in Sioux Center; hand tools for the Little Rock Fire Department; Little League equipment in Doon; a storage shed for the Rock Valley Gun Club; track equipment for Central Lyon, a swimming pool pergola, a new roof at Immanual Lutheran Church, a Binder Lift for Lyon County Ambulance, the Oaklyn Foundation’s funeral project, electrical improvements for the Rapids Theatre Preservation Society, recreation enhancements, pickleball and trails, and restoration of the Rock Rapids Mural Society’s murals, all in Rock Rapids; park updates and money towards remodeling the pantry and a smart TV at the Ocheyedan Senior Center in Ocheyedan; the Lester Visioning Committee’s Shelter House Project; picnic tables, SCBA tanks for the fire department and a CNC machine for Lyon County Conservation, all in and around Inwood; Veteran Flag Poles for the Larchwood Legion and library furnishings for the Larchwood Public Library; and the 5K walk and run put on by the Friends of Blood Run near Granite.
