The Charlestown Historical Society Board is thrilled today, after receiving notice from the Champlin Foundation.
CHS President, Pam Lyons, got an exciting letter from the Champlin Foundation this morning. First she received it successfully although the PO Box number was incorrect, thanks to the great work of our post office staff. Then, when she picked it up she could tell it contained more than one sheet of paper. She thought, "rejections are usually short so this might be good news!"
She was too nervous to open it herself so she called a couple Board members to join her. When they opened the letter they discovered that the Historical Society had been awarded a grant of $40,000 toward museum construction.
Generous donations from members of the community and two extremely successful fundraisers had resulted in in $100,000 to start the construction. That was enough to complete the exterior of the building and the landscaping but the interior is currently unfinished.
This additional $40,000 grant from the Champlin Foundation should be sufficient to complete the interior and set up the first museum displays.
Now we need to muster the volunteer construction helpers to finish the work and plan for the grand opening!