March 28, 2024

Dekko grant spurs library capital campaign forward

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Gibson Memorial Library recently received a large grant from the Dekko Foundation that has the library’s capital campaign committee bursting with excitement.

The Dekko grant includes two parts. The first is a matching grant worth $250,000, where Dekko will match dollar for dollar every dollar raised by the library’s capital campaign. That matching period began April 13.

The second part of the Dekko grant is an additional $250,000 by April 13, 2021.

“I think we’re close to having half of that match already made. That goes for pledges, in addition to actual gifts. We’re doing pretty well on it,” Gibson Memorial Library Executive Director David Hargrove said. “We have received smaller Dekko grants in the past, but this is by far the most generous one we’ve received to date. It really pushes our capital campaign forward.”

The total outcome of the grant has the potential to reach $750,000.

Receiving the grant from Dekko has pushed the library’s capital campaign over a huge milestone, as organizers work to raise the necessary funds to renovate and expand the library facility, giving Creston residents more space for meetings and better programming options.

With the Dekko money included, the capital campaign has now raised more than $1 million, and is reaching the halfway point of it’s $2.9 million fundraising goal.

“We had been in conversation with Dekko before we actually wrote the grant, because we’re aware of their interest in families and youth and community,” said Peg Anderson, Gibson Memorial Library trustee. “So we felt like this is a perfect opportunity for them, and they thought so, too.”

“As we approach the halfway mark in our fundraising, we can sense the excitement of transforming our library into a beautiful and inviting space, equipped with state-of-the-art technology that comfortably accommodates children’s programming, public meetings and our materials,” Hargrove said. “By 2021, we’ll be hosting large groups of children in the library, where there’s a strong connection between programming and literacy, books and digital resources.”

Hargrove noted that with the Dekko matching funds, any gifts or pledges given to the library’s capital campaign now is worth double the money.

The goal is to raise the $250,000 to be matched by Dekko before April 13, 2019.

“Our initial success would not have been possible without critical support from area businesses,” Hargrove said. “First National Bank, Carroll Family Chiropractic and Powers Funeral Home have made significant pledges to the project, but we need help to finish the job.”

Fundraising efforts

The capital campaign committee has been hard at work organizing various fundraising efforts, and recently has seen success with its cemetery walk and St. Patrick’s Day party fundraisers.

The St. Patrick’s Day party fundraiser raised about $10,000 for the library’s capital campaign.

The committee is currently planning a new fundraiser, which has the library partnering with many of the uptown businesses.

Gibson Memorial Library will host a wine walk, called Uptown Uncorked, held Aug. 3.

“The wine walk reflects our desire to partner with businesses and organizations in the uptown area,” Hargrove said. “We perceive that our success is tied with theirs. We see ourselves as an anchor institution for the Creston area. We think it will be a great opportunity for us to not only support the library, but publicize what’s going on in uptown Creston. I love the name of it because it’s short, to the point, but it also indicates unleashing the potential of the uptown area.”

Already, more than 20 uptown businesses have expressed interest in participating in the wine walk.

Anderson said she’s always looking for new fundraising opportunities, and after attending Osceola’s wine walk in the fall, thought it would be worth a try.

“We’re so happy about the uptown businesses grabbing onto this. There’s kind of a revitalization in the uptown recently,” she said. “We were really pleased that many people wanted to do that in the uptown in the first year.”

Anderson also said the capital campaign committee has listened to the people in the community it has spoken with, and learned that the younger generation who grew up in Creston and have returned to live in Creston has a strong interest in having more and better programming at the library.

“We’re not just a warehouse for books and materials; we are a vehicle for community engagement,” Hargrove said. “Libraries have spaces where people can meet, they host large-scale programming, they partner with other nonprofits in the community. Particularly, with regards to meeting space, that’s something we see a need for in the community.

“Our plan ensures that Gibson Memorial Library, which is the only public library in Union County, will remain an anchor institution,” Hargrove continued. “We have a vital role in the Creston area, as hub of community activity, and as a catalyst for our knowledge-based and talent-driven economy.”