Community Foundation Supports Kalkaska County Library with $10K Grant

[Photo credit: Kalkaska County Library / Facebook; Image description: The children's area of the library basement with books on shelves and yellow honeycomb paper cut-outs on the wall featuring drawings from local children.]

The Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation recently awarded a $10,170 grant to the Kalkaska County Library to support needed repairs after flooding caused damage to the Library’s lower level over the summer.

"The flood damage forced us to close the children's and teen areas of the library for several weeks this-past summer—we had lots of disappointed kids in August,” said John Roberts, Director, Kalkaska County Library. “The repairs that our grant funded will ensure that our building can better withstand future extreme weather events. I'm a lot less nervous now when rain is in the forecast."

The grant was a collective funding effort through two Foundation-stewarded community funds: the Endowment for Kalkaska Area and the Areas of Greatest Need Fund. Community funds like these provide flexible dollars that address pressing and ongoing community needs.

“The Kalkaska County Library is an important community asset. When we were approached about the situation they were facing, we knew we had to get involved to help the Library continue serving the local community,” said David Mengebier, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “By pooling funding from two of our community funds, we were able to respond quickly so that the Library could begin repairs and mitigate the likelihood of reoccurring water damage.”

To learn more about grantmaking at the Community Foundation, visit: www.gtrcf.org. To support community fund resources, donations are welcome at: www.gtrcf.org/give.