ROCKFORD -- Work will begin next month on new exhibit and community meeting space inside a restored barn, carriage and stables at Heritage Park Museum Campus as a result of $50,000 being awarded through State Senator Steve Stadelman to fund the project's first phase. It's part of $1.64 million in Rebuild Illinois capital funds that are being or recently have been released to 28 local nonprofits designed by Stadelman to receive state grants.
Stadelman formed a partnership with United Way of the Rock River Valley to allow Rebuild Illinois funds he designated for local nonprofit organizations to be awarded more quickly and to ease the grant application and reporting process for the smaller nonprofits. Of the $1.64 total, $895,000 already has been released to nonprofits for completed infrastructure projects with another $745,000 being distributed to projects that are under way or pending.
"I cannot thank United Way enough for its help in accessing and distributing these much-needed infrastructure dollars to so many deserving nonprofits that fulfill an array of vital needs," Stadelman said during a news conference on the museum campus today . "We are fortunate to have a diverse nonprofit network in our community -- but brick and mortar work is challenging to finance for businesses and families, especially in the post-pandemic era, and our nonprofits are no different."
Funds are supporting nonprofit projects that include HVAC and roof replacements, parking lot resurfacing and expansion, ADA and fire-suppression compliance and lighting upgrades. Recipients include $200,000 to Friends of the Coronado for ongoing preservation and maintenance of the landmark theater, $100,000 to YMCA of the Rock River Valley for playground improvements and $150,000 to Zion Development for remodeling at its Strong Neighborhood House in Machesney Park and for flooring and electrical replacement at the former Grand Hotel supportive housing facility on Broadway in Rockford.
“United Way was honored to serve as the fiscal agent for these grants, allowing Senator Stadelman to support more organizations more quickly than if the grants were done individually," said Julie Bosma, President and CEO. "Capital support is critical, especially post-Covid, and it is encouraging to see these funds come to very deserving organizations in Winnebago County.”
Heritage Museum Park anticipates work starting next month to restore the historic Graham Ginestra House barn, carriage house and stables for uses including additional exhibit space and community space to be available for public events. The first phase, a $50,000 foundation stabilization, is being funded entirely through the Stadelman-designated funds. The campus includes the limestone house on the National Register of Historic Places and the Ethnic Heritage Museum next door.
United Way administered two grant packages: $975,000 that went to Barbara Olson Center for Hope, Boys and Girls Club of Rockford, Ethnic Heritage Museum, International Women's Baseball Center, Ken Rock Community Center, Lifescape Community Services, North Suburban Library District, Midway Village and Museum Center, Muslim Community Center, Northern Illinois Hospice, Northwest Community Center, Patriots Gateway, Remedies Renewing Lives, Rockford Public Library, Roy Gayle Pony Baseball, SWIFTT, Tinker Swiss Cottage, YWCA Northwestern Illinois, Zion Development; and $675,000 that has been or is going to: African American Resource Center, Anderson Gardens, Belvidere YMCA, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Discovery Center Museum, Friends of the Coronado, YWCA of the Rock River Valley and Zion Development.
