Grant to Buy New Computer for Dowell Village Hall

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Board member Shannon Williams recently received a check for $860 on behalf of the Village of Dowell to purchase a new computer for the Village Hall.

The check was presented by Nicholette Dolin, a community organizer from Illinois Coalition for Community Services (ICCS). Funding for the computer is the final phase in a three year USDA Rural Community Development Initiative grant aimed at increasing the capacity of municipalities to take on improvement projects in the community. The computer will be used for the Village payroll and accounting, as well as for writing future grant proposals. The Dowell police department will receive the computer currently used by the Treasurer once the new computer is set up.

Illinois Coalition for Community Services served as the intermediary for the grant, providing matching funds and technical assistance to the ultimate recipient communities. "Board members for the Village of Dowell understood the opportunity the RCDI grant presented to them and their community, and they've worked very hard to make the most of the opportunity over the last three years," said Dolin, who worked with the board through the process of assessing need and identifying resources to meet the need. "They were able to use training funds to begin a new CERT program, which now educates Dowell residents and other communities on emergency response. They were also able to train their Village Treasurer on grant writing, and are now pursuing grants to build a new fire station and community center."

ICCS provides technical assistance to over 140 grassroots efforts in communities like Dowell throughout Illinois.