Robey Memorial Library Expansion Project Capital Campaign receives $15,000 R.J. McElroy grant

The R.J. McElroy Trust of Waterloo has granted $15,000 to the Robey Memorial Library Expansion Project Capital Campaign, according to Capital Campaign Co-Chairs Ken Olson, MD and Will Ament.
"This grant adds to our $1.3 million in funds raised toward our financial need of $1.56 million,” said Ament. “Our volunteers believe this foundation grant, along with other grants we have received, substantiate the worthiness of this Robey Memorial Library Expansion Project. This grant, in addition to the recent Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust grant of $60,000 document how credible this project is because foundation staff members thoroughly review the goals and plans of the building project along with justifying the costs,” Ament added.  
The Robey Memorial Library fundraising campaign will finance the costs to increase the library square footage by about 6,000 square feet.  “This expansion will basically double the size of our library,” said Robey Memorial Library Director Rick Meyer. “Library use has grown over the past few years and a larger library will permit our staff and volunteers to offer more programming and accommodate the attendees,” he added.
According to Ament, library volunteers and staff continue to provide ways for area residents and businesses to contribute. “Our campaign to date has been very successful with excellent volunteers and staff members working the campaign plan provided to us by our campaign consultant, Ralph Savoy, of Consult Savoy, Inc., Cedar Rapids,” Ament said. “Savoy continues to provide some guidance to us but his active involvement is complete and we believe we have the necessary items in place to reach our final goal. We need to raise about another $250,000 and are optimistic we can do that and that the community will continue to help us," Ament said.
Ament has been joined in leading the campaign by his Co-Chair Ken Olson, MD. Together, they recruited approximately 25 additional volunteers who worked on this campaign for the past eight months. “Will and I, along with all campaign volunteers and the library staff, want to thank all contributors for their generous giving and invite you to give or give again to reach the final goal,” Olson said. “There are many ways to give to this expansion project such as cash, a gift of stocks, a gift of grain, you might have a CD that is coming due to help you with your contribution, or some other method of giving, all gifts are important and helpful, so please consider a gift or another gift to the library,” he added. “One of the main reasons for our project receiving these foundation grants was the generosity shown by Waukon area residents and business to this library expansion. Foundations look at the impressive local charitable giving we have achieved to verify the worthiness of this building project,” Olson said.
To make a gift to the campaign or receive more information, contact Rick Meyer at the library at 568-4424 or stop in at the Robey Memorial Library.