Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A pair of Mower communities were among those in southern Minnesota to receive a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s (SMIF) Small Town Grant Program.

LeRoy received $10,000 to construct the LeRoy Main Street Pocket Park, an accessible and inclusive space designed with the input of residents to create a sense of community.

Meanwhile, $10,000 was granted to the Adams Town and Country Recreation Pool Corporation to host a Day of Caring where community members will come together to build a pickle ball court.

In total, $200,000 of grant money was given out to 25 different communities in SMIF’s 20-county range.

Each grant seeks to impact the culture, education, economy, and/or social aspects of a town by investing in collaborative initiatives that help make the community more welcoming.

Launched in 2017 to support smaller communities, the Small Town Grant program is designed to help these locations grow and address challenges.

This year alone, SMIF has invested $1,172,490 in small communities.

“We knew when we started this program that it could have a huge impact on the smallest communities in our region,” said Tim Penny, president and CEO of SMIF. “Now, 138 projects later, we have invested more than $1 million into southern Minnesota through this grant. This is an investment that will last for generations. We are once again grateful to Paul Johnson’s family for continuing his legacy and giving SMIF an opportunity to leverage additional funding for small town support. Without them, we would not have been able to reach this milestone so soon.”

The Small Town Grant program is supported, in part, by a generous donation in memory of Paul O. Johnson who wanted southern Minnesota’s smallest communities to thrive. Paul’s legacy is being continued by his family, Amy De Jong, Paula Rehder and Scott Johnson.