County Charitable Foundation Awards Nearly $121,000 to 41 Projects

Roughly $46,000 goes to local projects

By Edward Lynn
Editor

EAGLE GROVE, Iowa — From revitalizing signage and supporting Special Olympics to delivering meals and replacing music stands, local causes across Eagle Grove, Goldfield, and across Wright County received a significant boost as the Wright County Charitable Foundation (WCCF) awarded $120,889.97 in grants during its 2025 ceremony on April 30 at Robert Blue Middle School. The event also marked the foundation’s 20th anniversary, celebrating two decades of community impact. Since 2006, the foundation has awarded over $1.85 million to over 800 worthy local causes!

Each year, WCCF’s Grant Committee carefully reviews every application submitted. After detailed deliberations, the committee makes funding recommendations, which are then reviewed and approved by the full WCCF Board of Directors.

This year, $45,852.97 was designated for community projects in Eagle Grove and Goldfield. While another $80,000 will support a wide range of initiatives throughout Wright County.

Goldfield organizations received the following grants:

City of Goldfield: $4,000 for a pass-through window project
Down Memory Lane: $1,500 for its pathway improvement project

Eagle Grove organizations received the following grants:

Eagle Grove Chamber of Commerce: $3,500 for revitalization of the city limit stone signs
Eagle Grove Community School District (RBMS) Special Olympics: $1,500 for the Special Olympics general fund
Eagle Grove Concerned Inc.: $10,000 for meal and home delivery assistance
Eagle Grove Music Boosters: $1,500 for music stand replacements
Eagle Grove Police Department: $3,000 for ballistic shields
Eagle Grove Senior Citizens: $2,000 for roof and bathroom upgrades
Lazy J Rescue Ranch: $5,500 for power and water access
Multilingual Task Force, Eagle Grove Community School District: $1,500 for Festival Hispano
Parent and Community Involvement Committee: $2,000 for Aaron Eilerts Day of Service and Giving
Rotary Senior Living: $5,000 for a call light and wander management system upgrade
Studio Sol Art Outreach & Creative Space: $852.97 for county-wide summer creative programming
The Closet: $2,000 for a back-to-school clothing drive
Wright County District Junior Fair: $2,000 for Agri-Golf at the Wright County Fair

Additional 2025 WCCF grant recipients across Wright County included:

Belmond Area Arts Council: $5,500 for ash tree removal and planting new trees
Belmond Fire Department Foundation: $1,000 for a vinyl hose bed cover
Belmond Growth Alliance: $1,000 for flower baskets on East Main Street
City of Belmond: $1,500 for Luick Memorial Pool rebuilding
City of Rowan: $5,000 for raising the roof at the Rowan Events Center/Iowa River Players Community Theater
Clarion Parks & Recreation: $2,500 for a gazebo park update
Clarion Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated: $1,750 for a supply hose
Colts Corner Daycare Center: $1,500 for independent play materials
Dows American Legion Watson Beach Post 523: $2,000 for a metal sign project
Dows Rural Fire Association: $4,000 for bunker gear replacement
Dows Senior Citizens: $2,891 for a furnace replacement project
Family Consumer Sciences Committee: $500 for a 5th Grade T-Shirt Design Project
Family Literacy Night Committee: $2,000 for a reading challenge
First Lutheran Food Pantry: $11,900 for the Food Access Equity Project
Food Bank of Iowa: $5,000 for feeding Wright County
Iowa Specialty Hospital – Clarion: $1,000 for a breast pump and trolley
ISU Extension and Outreach – Wright County: $2,500 for the Third Grade Safety Day Camp
Kid’s Korner Day Care Center, Inc., DBA First Steps Early Learning Center: $3,000 for enhancing infant & toddler care resources
Rowan Historical Society: $5,000 for Phase 2 of the Rowan Outdoor Classroom: museum landscaping
Santa House: $500 for Santa House activities
Sensory Room Committee: $1,236 for a sensory room
St. John’s Catholic Church Sacred Heart Church Womens’ Guild: $1,760 for fair stand support
Upper Des Moines Opportunity (UDMO): $4,000 for assisting children, families and senior citizens in Wright County
Woolstock Fire Department: $4,000 for a thermal imaging machine and lockers
Wright County Conservation Board: $2,000 for a basketball court at Lake Cornelia Campground
Wright County Public Health: $2,000 for the Pick a Better Snack (PABS) program

The Wright County Economic Development office administers the grants. Applications and additional information are available at www.wrightcounty.iowa.gov.

The Wright County Charitable Foundation is governed by a board of directors consisting of Dennis E. Bowman (President), Kyle Marker, Trish Morris, Lennea Groom, Kevin Cahalan, Adam Vorrie, and Candi Jones. The foundation’s development director is Duane Asbe. Darrel Steven Carlyle oversees grant administration through Wright County Economic Development.

The awards were accepted by:
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