Opinion

A $350,000 grant shows REWARD

Monday, July 15, 2002

REWARD!

In abbreviated form, that's the name chosen for the grant-writing program launched last September by six McCook area agencies.

Known in full as "Regional Efforts Win Additional Regional Dollars," the REWARD project is a cooperative project funded by the City of McCook, Red Willow County, McCook Public Schools, Red Willow County Mutual Finance Organization, Community Hospital and the McCook Economic Development Corp. To get the program rolling, each of the agencies agreed to put up $10,000 per year. Talks started a year ago, approval was given in September and the first meeting took place nine months ago -- in October of 2001.

So how are things going? Is the REWARD program accomplishing what it set out to do?

Emphatically, yes! That's a good way to describe the feelings of the REWARD chairman, John Bingham, who announced in a news release issued Friday that the "Multi Agency Grant Writer Program Is a Success!"

Bingham, McCook's city manager, specifies the reasons why in his report on the grant writing program.

Topping the list is the $350,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded to the Heritage Senior Center in McCook. Word was announced in Lincoln July 2, and the "check" was delivered to McCook officials Thursday of this week by Gov. Mike Johanns.

In the successful effort to get the funding, the grant writer -- Bonnie Buckland of Buckland Consulting -- went to work immediately on the application. It was a lengthy and intricate task. According to Bingham, "This 75-page application document included a 17-page narrative describing the community and the project, various forms and assurances and numerous attachments." As impressive as the first grant was, there is much more in the works.

Also pending is a $149,927 application to finance radio equipment for six fire districts in Red Willow County. On this grant request, Buckland is working closely with Randy Dean, an Indianola resident who is representing the Red Willow County Mutual Finance Organization.

In addition, Bonnie Buckland is seeking federal funding for a McCook Economic Development project, and Victoria Buckland is currently gathering data to submit a grant application for Community Hospital.

Buckland Consulting is also providing grant research and writing services for projects identified by the McCook Public Schools and Red Willow County, Bingham said.

Although $60,000 was pledged for the first year of the grant writing cooperative, only $13,898 has been spent to date ... a cost of $2,949 per agency.

Looked at from the city's perspective, that investment is paying off big time. With less than $3,000 invested, the City of McCook has already received a $350,000 grant to expand the Heritage Senior Citizen.

It this era of limited resources, that truly is a REWARD for the McCook area's new, and so far, very successful grant writing cooperative.

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