WASHINGTON, February 8, 2011 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 16 projects in 10 states for funding to create jobs and provide new economic opportunities. The projects are being funded through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG), which is administered by USDA Rural Development.

"The funding I am announcing today will help rural communities create jobs, support agricultural education, expand access to quality health care and support business development," Vilsack said. "As the President said in his State of the Union Address last week, these investments plant the seeds of progress for our country, and good-paying, private-sector jobs for the American people as we work to win the future."

The Farmers Mutual Telephone Company of Stanton — $300,000 grant to help build a multi-purpose community center which will include a preschool center, library, recreation and fitness facility and a safe shelter for residents. Hartland Power Cooperative —$740,000 loan to help fund a biodiesel refinery that will be located outside of Forest City, Iowa. This project will create an estimated 16 jobs. Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative — $300,000 grant to help finance a library expansion that will offer more educational programming and training opportunities. Sanborn Electric and Telecommunications Utility — $176,000 grant to enlarge Prairie View Home, nursing home facility. Western Iowa Telephone Association — $300,000 grant to capitalize a local revolving loan fund to help develop office space in Moville.

Stanton Iowa-On January 21, 2011, the Board of Trustees of the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust met and awarded $60,000 to be applied towards the construction of a new library in Stanton. The library will be part of the the new Viking Center, a multi-purpose building which will give new life to the area and provide benefits for all residents in the community. The 25,350 square foot Viking Center will house the Good Shepherd Preschool, Stanton Public Library, wellness center, gymnasium and a storm shelter-all of which residents feel are a priority at this time.

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust is one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the state of Iowa with assets of more than $250 million and annual grant distributions of over $11 million. It was created through the will of Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine industrialist and philanthropist, who died in 1981.

Since the beginning of the Trust's grant-making activities in 1987, more than $246 million has been distributed in the form of 1,900 individual grants. Biomedical and scientific research; primary, secondary and higher education; and other issues related to the needs of youth are the program areas of greatest interest to the Carver Charitable Trust.

Educated as an engineer and possessing the drive and tenacity of the classic business entrepreneur, Mr. Carver began his career in the late 1930s and 1940s making high quality contractor pumps at the Carver Pump Company in Matherville, Illinois and later in Muscatine, Iowa. In the early 1950s, he launched Carver Foundry Products to supply the molds for his pump company. Then in the late 1950s and 1960s, he started the Bandag Company in Muscatine, a business that eventually became the world's largest producer of tire retread materials and equipment for the transportation industry.

Mr. Carver had a passion for quality in all that he undertook. He had a lifelong interest in aviation and world travel, and spoke five languages fluently. He was a generous man, always willing to help people in need. He was especially interested in helping young people get a good education, as well as in supporting research activities to advance scientific knowledge and improve human health.

Mr. Carver remained active in his various businesses and philanthropic efforts until his death in 1981 at the age of 71. His commitment to youth, education and research forms the cornerstones of the Charitable Trust he established to fund these and other interests in perpetuity.

Governor Culver Announces $625,100 in I-JOBS for the Viking Center located in Stanton, Iowa.

The Stanton community has received notification that Stanton Friends, an organization committed to raising a multi-purpose building within the Stanton city limits, has been awarded a grant in the amount of $625,100. The organization has raised over $ 1.8 million towards their goal of $ 2.8 million. The committee says this new grant will give them a big boost towards their goal.

The facility will give new life to the area and provide benefits for all residents in the community. The 25,350 square foot $ 2.8 million Viking Center will house the Good Shepherd Preschool, Stanton Public Library, a wellness center, a gymnasium and a storm shelter-which residents feel are a priority at this time.

The Center will provide a permanent space for the preschool and after school programs. The new facility will provide additional opportunities for students such as a library, an activity facility, shared food programs and a kitchen area that will relieve a number of barriers such as fire codes and transportation of students.

The facility will also provide a modern, handicapped accessible location for an expanded library-learning center. With the library located within the center lending itself to be very accessible to the preschool, Stanton Community School District students, and the community, the end result will be an increase in the public library usage and its ability to offer more services to the students and the community.

SIOUX CITY - Governor Culver today announced that the I-JOBS Board of Directors has approved $30 million in I-JOBS funds to assist the construction of 23 disaster prevention-related initiatives in 21 counties. The approved projects represent the entire $30 million in grants that the I-JOBS Board was charged with awarding as part of the Disaster Prevention Grant Program.

"The I-JOBS awards announced today will help cities and counties throughout the state move much-needed projects forward to protect their citizens from the impacts of natural disasters," Culver said. "I created the I-JOBS initiative to build a better, stronger Iowa in response to the devastation of natural disasters. The awards announced today will do exactly that, by directly improving our state’s disaster prevention infrastructure and wisely using I-JOBS funds to make Iowa a safer place. The cost of preventing a disaster is much less than the cost of recovering from one."

In 2010, the Iowa Legislature appropriated $30 million to the I-JOBS Board for a Disaster Prevention Grant Program that provides funds to cities and counties on a competitive basis. Applications for the funds were due August 2. The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) administers the program and received 142 applications totaling more than $124.1 million in requests.

"The I-JOBS Board continues its commitment to helping Iowa cities and counties of all sizes move forward with projects that will benefit their citizens," said I-JOBS Board Chair Jeff Pomeranz. "It’s with great pride that I serve with my fellow board members to award the important funding that I-JOBS provides to projects in communities, large and small, all throughout the state."

The Iowa Legislature initially allocated funds for the I-JOBS program in 2009 and then identified additional I-JOBS programs and initiatives in 2010. In all, the program includes $875 million raised through the issuance of bonds rather than increasing taxes. I-JOBS is designed to create and retain jobs, rebuild communities impacted by the natural disasters of 2008, invest in Iowa’s infrastructure and promote long-term economic growth. Multiple state agencies administer various I-JOBS programs, while the I-JOBS Board of Directors has jurisdiction over the Local Infrastructure Competitive Grant Program and the 2009 Targeted Disaster Rebuilding Program, both created in 2009, and the Disaster Prevention Grant Program and 2010 Targeted Disaster Rebuilding Program, both created in 2010. In all, the I-JOBS Board has awarded $225.9 million to help the state recover from natural disasters and avoid future disasters.

Stanton, Iowa: Stanton Friends share new building renderings, floor plans, and its vision to the community on April 14, 2010 in a public meeting. Stanton Iowa will soon have a facility that will give new life to the area and provide benefits for all residents in the community. The 25,350 square foot $ 2.8 million Viking Center will house the Good Shepherd Preschool, Stanton Public Library, wellness center, gymnasium and a storm shelter- which residents feel are the most pressing needs.

The Center will provide a permanent space for the preschool and after school programs. The new facility will provide additional opportunities for students such as the library, activity facilities, shared food program and kitchen area and relieve a number of barriers such as fire code and transportation of students.

The facility will also provide a modern, handicapped accessible location for an expanded library-learning center. With the library located within the center lending itself to be very accessible to the preschool, Stanton Community School District students, and the community, the end result will be an increase in the public library usage and its ability to offer more services to the students and the community.

Having a wellness center for our community will make us happier, healthier and stronger. It will provide just what we need to produce a better quality of life for all ages. A weight room and a walking track will promote a healthier lifestyle for all. The community has one school gymnasium, which is continually booked with elementary, middle school, and high school activities. Even these activities require tight scheduling to accommodate practices, games, musical concerts, plays, community events, etc. Adding a second gymnasium will provide adequate facilities to hold activities such as tournament play and a gym to be used for additional recreation purpose for the community.

A much needed 5,168 sq ft FEMA approved tornado safe room will also be included that will protect 623 residents and students during inclement weather. This along with the peace of mind that when bad weather approaches, our preschool, students, and residents would be sheltered in a very safe place.

Stanton Friends has the culmination of more than two years of intensive planning and community needs assessment. Volunteers have carefully considered multiple sites during their search for the Viking Center. The location site is the property adjacent to the school which is on Elliott Street. In addition to the feasibility study, hiring a grant writer and architect, Stanton Friends researched the experiences of other community centers built in other small communities around Iowa.

We are taking great strides in reaching our $2.8 million capital campaign goal. We have raised over $750,000, and continue to research grant agencies and charitable foundations. A community portion of the capital campaign is truly the piece of this fundraising effort. Reaching our goal, one dollar at a time, we can not emphasize the importance of making a pledge, big or small, to help make this vision a reality. To make a pledge or donation you may download a form from our website www.stantonfriends.org

We encourage you to stay up to date on the progress of the Viking Center and its sprint toward the finish line on this monumental effort. The most current news, fundraising tally, programming, and construction planning is at www.stantonfriends.org. For more information contact us at stantonfriends@myfmtc.com.