Victory and CoBank award 2022 Sharing Success Grants
The Victory Electric Cooperative, Assn., Inc., is pleased to announce both the American Legion of Copeland and Ford County Fair Association of Ford County as recipients of the 2022 Victory Electric/CoBank Sharing Success Grant!
The annual Sharing Success grant opportunity, capped at $20,000, is made possible by Victory Electric’s governing board of trustees, in partnership with CoBank — a cooperative bank that provides loans, leases, financing, and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers. CoBank’s $4 million Sharing Success fund matches charitable contributions made by its cooperative members to local nonprofits in their individual communities.
The matching grant program is designed to celebrate the vital role cooperatives play in individual communities across the country. CoBank states that collaborating with their customers to support worthy causes they care about is a great way for them to make a positive difference and fulfill its mission of service to rural America. Since its inception in 2012, the program has generated more than $66 million in combined donations, primarily in rural areas across the country.
Copeland American Legion
This year’s first grant recipient, the Copeland American Legion, is a veteran-based national organization that provides services and resources to veterans, their families and communities. The Copeland American Legion Post No. 369 is the local post, and only post, for Gray County veterans and their families.
“Our mission is to enhance the well-being of American Veterans, their families, our military, and our community by our devotion to mutual helpfulness,” said Calvin Koehn, Post No. 369 Commander. “With this grant, we would be able to continue to fulfill our mission and it would allow us to be fully committed to providing services to our local veterans without worrying about our building falling apart and leaving them and us with nowhere to go.”
The legion plans to upgrade their building using the granted funds. The legion membership believes repairs will be a huge benefit to the community, which uses the building for family dinners, reunions, graduation and wedding parties, land sales, business meetings and funeral dinners just to name a few.
One of the most important users of the building is the American Red Cross which conducts blood drives, sponsored by the Copeland United Methodist Church, every 56 days.
The Copeland Public Library also holds their Summer Reading Programs in the building as well since they do not have the space to host all the children who participate.
By updating the building, the legion is restoring a key asset to the Copeland community.
Ford County Fair Association
Our second grant recipient, the Ford County Fair Association, is a not-for-profit organization with the sole purpose of maintaining and supporting the Ford County Fairgrounds. These grounds are available for community use, in addition to providing the facilities for the annual Ford County Fair. The association is managed by 12 volunteer board members who conduct the maintenance, planning and general upkeep of the fairgrounds and buildings throughout the year.
The association has numerous projects planned for the next few years to improve and upgrade the facilities. The purpose of the 2022 grant funds will be the repair and modernization of the facility floor.
This grant and other community fundraising attempts are vital to continue the operation and improvement of the fairgrounds for everyone in the community to use and enjoy.
“Many times, when the community members think of the fairgrounds, they think of only the Ford County Fair,” said Jeremy Woydziak, Ford County Fairgrounds board member. “While this is indeed a large part of what our organization assists with, we help with much more than that at the fairgrounds. Nearly every weekend, as well as multiple weekdays and evenings, the fairgrounds are utilized for meetings, events, trainings, weddings, auctions, quinceaneras, animal shows, 4-H projects, emergency animal storage and much more.”
“Thanks to our board of trustees and CoBank, the Sharing Success grant has enabled Victory Electric to make an impact to give back to the communities we serve,” said Shane Laws, Victory Electric CEO.
If you or are involved with or know of a nonprofit organization that could benefit from the CoBank Sharing Success grant, please visit victoryelectric.net or contact askcomunications@victoryelectric.net for more information about the 2023 grant application.