Twenty Years, $1.8 Million in Grants: County Endowment Holds Annual Award Night

Members of the KCCEF board. L to R, Back: Todd Harbison, Kathy Davis Mike Hadley, Dawn Wheeler, Dixie Shipley, Sylvia Hadley. Front: Becky Leer, Connie McLaughlin, Ann Spillman, Sandy Van Patten, Laurie Luettjohann

By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review

KEOTA – In 2005, the State of Iowa created the County Endowment Fund Program, which distributes 0.8% of the state’s commercial gaming tax revenue to county endowment organizations, to fund projects for non-profits and local governments. Since then, 36,884 grants have been given out statewide, totalling $148,000,000. The Keokuk County Community Endowment Foundation has given out roughly $1,800,000, helping fund equipment for fire departments, the rebuilding of damaged community centers and town halls, the building of pools and childcare facilities, and so much more.

“We’re very happy to be able to do this,” said Secretary Ann Spillman. “We’ve been doing it twenty years, I’ve been on the board for twenty years, and it keeps growing each year, and it’s just a very good thing for the community, for everybody, the whole county.”

On April 17, KCCEF held its annual award ceremony, where members gave out 31 grants to local organizations, totalling $126,000.

“This is a fun night for us board members, because we get to interact with all of you guys,” said Director Connie McLaughlin. “You guys are the ones who are making the impact throughout Keokuk County, and that’s huge, and we are honored to be working with you. So, thank you.”

Grants distributed include:

$3,000 to the City of Hedrick for new swings and fall protection material at the civic center.
$5,000 to the City of Keswick for a new outside warning siren.
$,000 to the City of Ollie for new playground equipment.
$4,885 to the City of Richland to add red ball dirt to the ball fields
$,000 to the City of Sigourney Park and Recreation Committee to replace the buckets at the city pool splash pad.
$,000 to the City of Sigourney Public Safety Committee for a digital speed sign by the high school.
$,000 to the City of Thornburg for street repairs.
$,000 to the City of Webster for codebook updates.
$3,000 to the Delta Town and County Center to remodel the gym bathrooms.
$4,000 to Food Bank Iowa to support local food pantries.
$3,000 to the Hedrick Public Library for children’s books and patron computers.
$5,000 to the Keokuk County Childcare Network to expand childcare throughout the county.
$4,000 to the Keokuk County Expo for renovating the Expo hall.
$5,000 to the Keokuk County Fair for lighting at Thomas Hall.
$4,000 to the Keokuk County Historical Society to digitize old newspapers.
$2,745 to the Keota Athletic Boosters for weight room and locker room wall decals.
$4,000 to the Keota Food Pantry for non perishables and food vouchers for low income families.
$3,363 to the Keota Veterans Memorial Foundation to replace flags and rebuild a small memorial for veterans who died in service.
$5,000 to the Keswick Fire Department for 16 fire helmets.
$5,000 to the Richland Area Child Care Organization for playground work.
$3,000 to the Richland Public Library to update computers.
$5,000 out of the Disaster Fund to the Sigourney Ministerial Alliance Community Outreach Center for repairs to the kitchen wall and flooring.
$1,000 to the Sigourney Public Library for seating and furniture updates.
$5,000 out of the Disaster Fund to the St. Peter and Paul Clear Creek Heritage Association to repair storm damage to the steeple.
$4,000 to the Tri-County Food Pantry for new amenities.
$3,000 to Unleashed for three isolation banks.
$3,000 to the What Cheer Betterment Committee to repair the wooden fence at city park.
$4,850 to the What Cheer Brick Museum to reinforce basement window wells, coal chutes and doors.
$5,000 to the What Cheer Opera House Board to put a vapor barrier on the basement floor.
$1,168.99 to the What Cheer Public Library for a new computer.
$4,995 to the Wilson Memorial Library to update children’s computers.

“I’ve been a part of this organization since its inception, for twenty years, and we were talking about it beforehand, a couple of us gals, and it seems impossible that we’ve been here that long,” said KCCEF Chair Laurie Luettjohann. “I don’t know. There’s something about the group of people in this room, because each of you go back to your communities and create a difference. We are just a small part of that. We know that. We know we have a lot more things behind the scenes that you do to make things go and make things work, but if we can be just a little bit of that, it’s why we all do it. It’s one of the funnest organizations you can be a part of, because we always get to help people. That’s what I really love about it.”

KCCEF also gives out a $25,000 major grant in the fall. Last year, this grant was awarded to the City of Martinsburg, to help complete rebuilding city hall, following a devastating fire. The grant money went towards adding a handicap-accessible parking lot in front of the new building.

“Two years ago, we had a devastating fire at the old city hall and it wiped out everything,” said Mayor Pro Tem and KCCEF board member Todd Harbison, “All the city history that we had in the city hall, all the stuff that we had from the school, it was all gone. Through various hard work, and especially through the endowment fund, we have been able to actually rebuild that up and also put in a handicap ramp parking. It’s a whole new building, and so it will always kind of keep a space in our heart, as they were one of the very first ones that contributed money to get this project rolling, and it’s like a night and day difference when you come and see it in Martinsburg. We’ve made it so, basically, without the years it will last for generations to come.”

“It’s looking really nice, and we’re going to be able to really finish it up, and everything is going to be really nice,” said Spillman, who is also the Martinsburg city clerk.

“We also got to go to their building last month, a beautiful facility for the town to have,” Luettjohann. “I mean, it’s a good community center that people can go to. They really don’t have anything like that in the community at all.”

The News-Review also asked several board members about the past grants they were most proud of. “Unleahsed just does a lot of great stuff with animal rescue, and it’s all funded by donations. I mean, she just does it out of the goodness of her heart…There’s just, it’s hard to pick (thing most proud of),” said Luettjohann.

“You know, I’ve been on it for five years and stuff. The Sigourney pool was one we kinda contributed to,” said Harbison. “That was actually, when I was on the board, the very first one…I mean, there’s just been so much stuff that we’ve helped with around the community and stuff.”

“We did LUCAS devices for all of the fire stations in Keokuk County, and then in Keswick, they got the major grant for their tanker truck, to be able to help the communities surrounding Keswick,” said board member Becky Leer. “We had some renovation to the Legion Hall in Kewswick, and then the What Cheer Opera House, and even the Flea Market we gave some grants to the fairgrounds to do some rehabilitation to their areas and stuff. We’ve helped a little bit with the Keota pool, I believe we gave some of that, and the Sigourney pool, their slide and things.”