Grant Wood Loop participating in Great Give Day

     On Thursday, May 10, from 12 a.m. (midnight) to 11:59 p.m., the Grant Wood Loop, the State of Iowa, and Iowa Parks Foundation’s Parks to People pilot region, is participating in the annual Great Give Day. This 24-hour, online-only event will take place at www.greatgiveday.org/GWLoop. The Community Foundations of Jackson, Jones, and Dubuque counties sponsor this event for non-profits to encourage community members to support local non-profits.

     Dubuque, Jackson and Jones counties form the Grant Wood Mississippi River Region, better known as Grant Wood Loop. The region is working to successfully wrap up $58 million of capital projects focused on enhancing the natural and recreational opportunities in the three counties. All projects in the region must be completed by the end of 2018. This year’s Great Give Day will be critical to success, as there are still projects that have yet to secure all their necessary funding.

     “Many partners, both private and public, have come together to make many of our over 60 regional projects successful,” said David Heiar, director of the Jackson County Economic Alliance and program manager for the Grant Wood Loop. “But we still have some funding gaps. With $58 million in projects identified, but only $55 million in funding secured some projects may not happen or they’ll get pared back. If you want the project in your community to go forward, participating in Great Give Day is a great way to help make that happen!”

     Everyone has an opportunity to help make this project a success to two ways:

     1. Give. Visit www.greatgiveday.org/GWLoop on May 10 and make a gift of $10 or more to the Grant Wood Loop. This gift will help them qualify for additional bonus grant dollars during hourly contests held throughout the day. These gifts will also leverage part of the $1.9 million provided by the State of Iowa for the region into the region.

     2. Spread the word. In addition to raising dollars, this is an opportunity for the Grant Wood Loop to attract new donors to support their mission. Tell friends and family to mark their calendars for May 10 and to support this initiative. Participants can also help spread the word by sharing Great Give Day posts on Facebook and Twitter.

     During Great Give Day, giving will go further. The full amount of a person’s gift will go directly to the Grant Wood Loop to provide for the following projects:

     • Wapsi Trail in Anamosa

     • Hurstville Trail & Bridge in Maquoketa

     • Cole Park playground in Bellevue

     • New Dubuque skatepark in Dubuque

     • Bringing the American Gothic Statue home in Anamosa

     • And many more

     These projects and more are a part of the Grant Wood Loop’s capital improvement plan for the region’s parks, recreation and natural spaces. Learn more about the Grant Wood Loop at www.GWLoop.com or www.facebook.com/GWMRR or by contacting Dave Heiar at heiar@thejcea.org or 563-652-4549.