Griswold Childcare Development Center Receives Funding from Charles E. Lakin Foundation
The Noble Initiative Foundation, alongside many community volunteers, have been working diligently over the last year to see a childcare facility in Griswold come to life. These volunteers were recently notified they were awarded a grant of $500,000 from The Charles E. Lakin Foundation, securing the naming rights for the facility.
Steve Wild, Charles E. Lakin Foundation President, discusses the foundation’s history and future funding goals, “The Lakin Foundation was born out of a small rural community (Emerson/Malvern) and is deeply concerned about how the population decline negatively impacts the region's economic health. We are therefore making major investments into solving the workforce shortage… We will focus on making grants to address the severe childcare shortage and researching solutions to the housing shortage.”
The Lakin Foundation’s goal of supporting the education of children and families to stimulate the economy aligns well with the facility’s purpose. The Griswold Child Development Center will provide year-round childcare for children 6 weeks up to 12 years old allowing parents to pursue employment opportunities.
Without accessible childcare, rural communities like Griswold struggle to attract and retain young families, which impacts the overall economic growth of the community. “The Lakin Foundation is very proud to become the lead donor for a new childcare facility in Griswold, Iowa.” says Wild, “It will be a state-of-the-art facility ideally located adjacent to the public school and a new housing development. Griswold is a wonderful town, and the new facility will be an important step in revitalizing the area and making it appealing for young families to live and work in the area.” Many community members and stakeholders also see the need for the facility.
Noble Initiative volunteer Hannah Bierbaum shares, “It is an honor that the Griswold Child Development Center will get to wear the Charles E. Lakin name. A huge thank you to Sandra Leighton and other individuals that invested time in establishing a relationship with the Lakin Foundation. We are excited to continue to develop that relationship through the construction and operation of the facility.”
The Lakin Foundation funding announcement comes at a crucial time as these funds help the initiative close in on the original goal of 2.3 million dollars. Noble Initiative Foundation Board President Jared Wyman says, “While there is still a lot of work to be done, knowing that the original goal has been met is huge.” The Noble Initiative Foundation Board is still optimistic that the facility will be completed by Fall of 2023 as the contractors were able to get a good start on the foundation this winter. The Board plans to host a formal ground-breaking ceremony in late March.
Fundraising efforts are still underway. If you would like to join the hundreds of local volunteers and donors investing in the future of our community, donations can be sent directly to the Noble Initiative Foundation, PO Box 103, Griswold, IA 51535. Be sure to follow the project progress on the “Noble Initiative Foundation” Facebook page or you can learn more by visiting the Noble Initiative Foundation’s website at nobleinitiativefoundation.org