Boettcher Foundation gives $70K to Adams State Community Partnerships (09-27-07)
A $70,000 grant from the Boettcher Foundation will support construction of Adams State College's Community Partnerships Center, according to Mary Hoffman, executive director of the center.
Based in Denver, the Boettcher Foundation is a privately endowed grant-making organization dedicated to assisting, encouraging, and promoting the residents of the State of Colorado.
Remodeling of a vacant building on the corner of Main Street and Edgemont for the center will begin soon. It was constructed in the late 1950s as the Student Union, then served as the college's Art Building.
To raise matching funds for the grant, Community Partnerships is offering a donation incentive of 1940s vintage wooden desk/chairs that were originally installed in Richardson Hall classrooms. Proceeds from the "chair challenge" campaign will support new furnishings for the Center.
The chairs are available for $50 plus shipping. To contribute, contact Adams State Community Partnerships (719) 587-7230 or email nancy_molina@adams.edu
The Community Partnerships Center will serve as a gateway to the campus and a gathering place for community and campus staff, Hoffman said. The project previously received a $600,000 grant from the HUD Office of University Partnerships.
Adams State Community Partnership connects college resources with the community in order to increase the quality of life for all residents of the San Luis Valley. The Center has four main community service programs:
- Community Organizing
- Service Learning
- Community Cultural Arts
- Business Support
Building plans call for offices and meeting space for the College's Community Partnerships staff, community arts exhibit space, volunteer small business counseling space, two large rooms that will be used for community meetings, as well as for a community room for elementary and secondary students to receive additional science education when they visit the Planetarium.
"This is a very cost effective way of turning an unused and currently unusable building, literally at the front door of the campus, into a tremendous college and community asset," Hoffman said. "We expect to increase the number of participants in our outreach program by at least 10 % during the first year at our new location."
By Julie Waechter
