Grinnell College Community Mini-Grant Spotlight: Grinnell Volunteer Fire Department and Drake Community Library

Published:

October 26, 2022

Eli Grasso ’26

Fighting Fire on the Frontlines — Grinnell Volunteer Fire Department

Members of the Grinnell Volunteer Fire Department stand ready to defend the community from the threat of fire. Firefighting, which is classified as a remarkably high carcinogen exposure occupation by the World Health Organization, provides a vital service to the community. While these firefighters are protecting the general population, it stands to reason that they should be afforded protection that will allow them to perform efficiently, effectively, and safely in the course of their work.

Grinnell College’s Community Mini-Grant Program has provided the fire department with replacement protective equipment through two separate awards. The first provided each firefighter with two new particulate-blocking hoods. This special hood insulates firefighters from 99% of potential particulate matter exposure, even while moving quickly. The second grant went toward the purchase of new helmets with innovative eye protection equipment that allows the wearer to raise and lower the eyepiece as needed. The newly purchased helmets provide greater heat and force protection than the old ones. All these materials combine to further safeguard firefighters’ health and well-being while they protect the community.

Fire Chief Dan Sicard said, “The members of the Grinnell Fire Department appreciate the opportunity of the Grinnell College Community Mini-Grant Program. This program has allowed us to improve the safety of our firefighters over the years.”

To learn more about the Grinnell Fire Department and the service they provide to the community, visit the Grinnell Fire Department website.

Projecting Voices — Drake Community Library

The Drake Community Library’s mission is to serve community members in diverse ways, including providing community space for events and gatherings. However, the library’s facilities were not optimal for recording or livestreaming events to a wider audience.

With $7,500 in mini-grant funding for audio-visual upgrades at the library, the Drake Community Library can now record and livestream events, such as the Community Education Council’s “Bucket Class” series for community members. Participants can learn engage with a variety of different topics, often taught by Grinnell College professors such as Kesho Scott, who taught a Bucket Class on October 12.

Organizations such as the League of Women Voters, the Poweshiek County Extension Office, Grinnell College Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Grinnell Historical Museum, and the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce make use of the space. Now they can also take advantage of improved audio-visual equipment that does not limit attendance to those who are physically present. Better audio will also allow more accurate closed captioning for videos posted to the internet. This space, which can be reserved free of charge, is open to individuals and nonprofit organizations to use for a variety of purposes.

Monique Shore, technical administrator at the Drake Community Library, said, “This upgrade would not have been possible without the mini-grant. The wildly successful Bucket Class program has used this space since the building opened in 2009. These high-quality programs [use] technology in the space in ways that were not planned for in the original AV design. What we had was adequate for their needs but had limitations that required work-arounds. The upgrade will help this program provide higher quality recordings of content and will also benefit any other community group that uses the space.”

For more information on reserving a room, visit the Drake Community Library website.

Kesho speaking at library event — **Kesho Scott**, professor of sociology and American studies, taught a “Bucket Class” for community members on Wednesday, October 12. This lecture, and others like it, can now be recorded and made available to a wider audience, thanks to the room’s expanded audio-visual capabilities. Images provided by the Drake Community Library.

Applications Open for Fall 2022–2023 Grinnell College Mini-Grant Program:

Applications for the fall cycle of the 2022–23 Grinnell College Community Mini-Grant Program will be accepted until Monday, Oct. 31. Online application is the preferred method. Some exclusions apply. To access the application, visit:

https://www.grinnell.edu/about/leadership/offices-services/community/investments/mini-grants.

Cycle 1 mini-grant applications must be received by the Oct. 31 deadline to be considered, and the results will be announced on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.
Cycle 2 mini-grant applications must be received by Friday, April 7, 2023, and the results will be announced on Friday, May 19, 2023.