Virginia Community Foundation

Lou's ClosetFunds from Lou's Closet are designated to students enrolled at ISD 2909. The purpose of these funds are used to promote the attendance and achievement of low-income students or for students who are experiencing a crisis. The clothes closets throughout the schools provide quality, functional items of seasonally appropriate school clothing to students whose families or guardians lack the resources to provide such items. Funds are also used to provide corrective eyewear and other necessary items for eligible students to improve and encourage their educational outcomes.MN DEED Main Street Economic Redevelopment Program (MSERP) GrantThe Virginia Community Foundation entered a fiscal sponsorship agreement with the City of Virginia to be the Partner Organization for the MN DEED MSERP Grant. The program provides leveraged grants and guaranteed loans to support economic development and redevelopment projects that deliver the most economic impact to the community's needs due to conditions that have arisen since March 15, 2020. It is through the City's Virginia Economic Development Authority's (VEDA) established Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation Program that implements the Main Street Economic Redevelopment program.Rockwell Church Back-Pack RoundupThe grant was used to purchase 200 Back Packs and school supplies to be given away to families that cannot afford school items in the Quad city area.Friends of the Public Library-Children's Room UpdateThe grant was used to provide more accessibility to picture books and easy reader books for the youngest library visitors and their caregivers. The shelving purchased houses the picture book collection, along with creating a new section for our easy reader books. In addition, the shelving top will be used to display art, Lego art, and other creations made by children at library events.Northland Learning Center-Bridge to Independence Life Skills WorkboxesThe funds were used to purchase pre-made work boxes that help students to acquire post-secondary education and skills such as training, employment, vocational, community participation, independent living, and recreation and leisure skills. These boxes will support students in many areas such as: working steadily, sorting, assembling, packaging according to instructions, completing a task, higher level fine motor actions, coordination steps, pattern recognition, counting, matching, attending over time, working with others, asking for help as needed, keeping hands to oneself, and staying on task.Rock Ridge Public Schools-Aquatic Center Video ScoreboardThe video scoreboard will increase the awareness of, and participation in, our swimming programs. This project will prioritize Rock Ridge swimming by providing college level experience. This video board will put the aquatic center on the same level of scoreboards as the donated gymnasium video scoreboard and donated stadium video scoreboard. Fans will be able to watch their swimmers up close and personal. This video board will be able to live stream our swim meets and include video and live results to the viewers; grandmas, grandpas, relatives, and friends, unable to attend, will feel like they are at the meet.City of Virginia-Relocation of Duane Breyers MuralThe City of Virginia has been working to safely relocate the Duane Breyers mural from the Roosevelt School (scheduled for demolition) to the Iron Trail Motors Event Center. The grant will be used to have an art historian evaluate and make recommendations on preservation measures to properly display the mural.Lyric Center-Lyric Center Youth Arts Program Operating ExpensesThe Lyric Youth Arts programming provides access to art education outside of the normal ISD curriculum and is a growing addition to its 22-year children's theater program. Art education is crucial to help children find and create an outlet for themselves to express their needs while staying occupied. This keeps them out of harmful after school activities or isolation while fostering critical thinking and community pride. The grant will provide access to our current roster of regular students as well as intriguing new students that are looking for a creative outlet, which will nurture their learning while finding stronger community connections in our historic downtown.Rock Ridge Public Schools-To access funds inside the Rock Ridge Education FundThe Rock Ridge Education Fund provides support for enriching learning experiences, creating community connections to the classroom, enhancing available school resources and providing the best educational opportunities for all students within ISD 2909.Rock Ridge Public Schools-To access funds inside the Wolverine FundThe Wolverine Fund provides support for co-curricular activities as defined by the Minnesota State High School League within ISD 2909.Rock Ridge Public Schools-Rock Ridge Football BoostersThis grant supported the Rock Ridge Football Program.Olcott Brewfest-Olcott Park Entrance Project-Phase 1This grant will construct a historically inspired entrance on the Northern side of the park in addition to making the entrance safer by widening it to allow traffic to enter and exit the park safely along with providing an aesthetically pleasing entrance and exit to the most utilized and beloved park in the Virginia Park and Recreation Park system.