Greater Greenfield gives update on recent impact

There has been a lot of activity at the Greater Greenfield Community Foundation (GGCF).

We would first like to publicly thank all the wonderful volunteers who have offered their time and good humor to help with various activities. They have worked at the Personal Hygiene Pantry, moved supplies from one place to another, staffed our various events, offered ideas, contributed financially and more. The goodwill we have witnessed has affirmed our belief that we live in an A+ town, and we are grateful to all who have contributed. If you want to be on our volunteer list, you can email Jenn Garside, our GGCF executive director, at greatergreenfield@gmail.com.

To date, $473,000 has been distributed to those impacted by the tornado. This included August payments to those with homes that were destroyed or those with major damage. That distribution was followed by helping those with out-of-pocket medical expenses. More recently, the GGCF provided checks to those who had less damage than those homes that were destroyed or had major damage but still required significant repair expenses. We are pleased to have also been able to help not only homeowners and businesses but renters as well.

Throughout the last several months, GGCF has partnered with generous foundations and businesses to offer some respite from the work and stress that come from a natural disaster. This included 4,100 free tickets from Adventureland for our entire community, complimentary tickets to a Drake women’s basketball game, and, very importantly, we’ve worked with local organizations to provide free youth programming, which will continue in the coming months.

The last week of October was our Giving Week at The Gathering Place. During this week, the Restoring Christmas program provided new Christmas trees, decorations, stockings, lights, wreaths and a wide array of holiday decor for those who lost so much in the tornado. We also had our Toys for Tots room set up from the generous donations of new toys the US Marine Corps left us this summer so struggling families could get a start for Christmas. We handed out winter coats, boots, snow pants, gloves and hats to over 150 children. In addition to all this, our pantry was open for personal hygiene needs during that week, and it was very busy. As for the future? We have a couple of holiday surprises in the works!

We have always done many community projects, and those continue. Nodaway Valley High School seniors have started filling out scholarship applications. Many of the groups and individuals who offer scholarships work through the Foundation to select the recipients, and we are happy to work with all of the donors and the NVHS faculty. The Imagination Library project, a partnership among county libraries and the GGCF, continues to distribute books to the birth through four population in Adair County. We have a committee supporting a generous gift from Sue Shepard to support music experiences for our children.

If you were around this summer, you may have attended our summer musical, Lion King, at the Warren Cultural Center. This wonderful show, directed by Sarah Smith Burke, was absolutely wonderful and played to two packed houses. The 25 elementary students who are participating in our youth choir, Voices Raised, are rehearsing for a Christmas Concert, which will be held at the Warren Cultural Center 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. We have two other hard-working committees supporting our swimming pool. The Foundation has supported the new playground at the old lake, the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, the Gathering Place, our community center, and many other community efforts.

The future is bright for Greenfield. Our work will intensify and be more community-focused as Greenfield and the surrounding areas work on recovery in the near and far term. While donations have diminished, we continue seeking grants and corporate giving programs to support our future tornado recovery work and help support our ongoing and new efforts as they develop.

There is a survey being circulated by the Greenfield City Council asking for citizen input as they develop a new city plan. This critical effort will help determine the future of Greenfield, and we encourage you to pick up a survey at either bank, the Greenfield Chamber Main Street office or Greenfield City Hall. What do you want Greenfield to look like in 10 years? This is your chance to provide your ideas. The Foundation will support the projects the city determines they will focus on and the citizens of Greenfield must influence that future. We need to hear from many – young families, older citizens, students, business people, and all economic groups! If you don’t fit any of those categories, the city needs to hear from you, too!

Thanks for reading.