Helping Decatur County Grow

Fire and smoke are their business, and we are all thankful they are willing to keep us safe from both!

The Decatur County/City of Oberlin Fire Department received a $4,000 grant from the GROW Decatur County Foundation in June. This grant was written to help finish their conference/training room project that was started a while back. Their final phase of the project was to equip this room with chairs, tables, a television and other items to give them the opportunity to keep up on the required training to continue to do what they do. These volunteer firefighters did the remodel process all in-house and with GROW Decatur County Foundation funds should be able to start training a step above what they have been. The $4,000 grant was designated to purchase the needed television to use for training and remaining funds to go toward other needed items applied for with the emphasis on purchasing local.

Thank you to these amazing volunteers for stepping up and protecting Decatur County residents and being willing to go aid other communities in time of need. Pictured are GROW Decatur County Foundation board member Gary Walter and Board Liaison Vaughn Duckworth along with Decatur County/City of Oberlin Firemen.

Congratulations to the Decatur County Economic Development!! They applied for a grant in April to upgrade their bathroom to be more accessible to the public as well as their electrical in their public meeting space. They were awarded a $3,500 GROW Decatur County Foundation grant to help with those renovations. They continue to build on the amazing facility they have and we are thankful for their generosity in allowing groups and organizations to use their meeting space.

Growing Rural Opportunities Within one donation, one project, one grant at a time!

Pictures are GROW board members Gary Walter and Amanda Grafel, GROW Director Bryan Richards, EDC Director Sharee Dempewolf, and EDC Board Members Bailey Bruggeman, Jeanie Gawith, Alvera Bruggeman, Mark Dickman and Jasmine McEvoy.

GROW Decatur County Foundation is an affiliate of Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation

The Playground Committee for USD #294 did an amazing job of seeing the need, putting together a plan of what they want to purchase to fulfill the need, got the school board’s approval, started raising money and applying for grants.  They applied for a grant from the GROW Decatur County Foundation and we saw the amazing need, the amount of lives we could touch and wanted to help.  

$5,000 GROW Decatur County Foundation Grant

$10,000 Decatur County Hansen Community Foundation Grant

$10,000 GROW Decatur County Foundation Initiative Fund Grant

$25,000 Total from the GROW Decatur County Foundation toward the purchase of the playground equipment at Oberlin Elementary School.

This group is far from done raising money and applying for grants for this project but this is a nice start.  This is another great example of Growing Rural Opportunities Within one donation, one project, one grant at a time!!  If you would like to help this group with additional donations or help with fundraising efforts, they have set up a fund through GROW Decatur County Foundation for the donations and we are sure they would be glad to have you, your group or your business help them make this happen.   

Pictured are the Oberlin Elementary Students, Staff and Principal, Krickit Ketterl, Playground Committee Molly & Tripp Olson and Rachel Roe along with GROW Board Members Mirla Coleman, Gary Walter, Laurie Wasson and GROW Director Bryan Richards.

GROW Decatur County Foundation is an affiliate of Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation