Wellmark Foundation releases Grant Wood Loop video

Published by admin on Mon, 12/31/2018 - 12:36pm

Monticello’s downtown pocket park is one of many Grant Wood Loop regional projects featured in a new video produced by the Wellmark Foundation. Wellmark financially supported numerous projects throughout the Jones, Jackson, Dubuque County region. (Photos courtesy of Wellmark Foundation)

The Central Park lake restoration project in Jones County greatly benefitted from a generous financial gift from the Wellmark Foundation. The three-county region was the pilot project for the state’s Parks to People initiative.

     The Wellmark Foundation has released a seven-minute video promoting their partnerships with the Grant Wood Loop region. The region is comprised of Jackson, Jones and Dubuque counties, and was the pilot program for Parks to People.

     The video can be viewed online at http://youtube.be/dhhuyzM-wKI or through the Grant Wood Loop Facebook page.

     “The Wellmark Foundation mission is to continually improve and promote healthy lifestyles in Iowa,” said Nic Hockenberry, director of the Jackson County Economic Alliance, whose office managed and facilitated this regional effort. “This video, produced by the Foundation, highlights the financial investment of the Wellmark Foundation in several area projects to support its mission.” The Foundation contributed over $590,000 toward 13 projects.

     The Parks to People pilot program was an initiative under the guidance of the Iowa Parks Foundation, to create regional arts, cultural, and recreational destinations that utilizes the State of Iowa’s investment of $1.9 million to leverage private investment. The Jackson, Jones and Dubuque County stakeholders worked to develop a three-year plan to enhance, promote and sustain the region’s assets. This pilot program will be finalized by the end of December 2018, and has assisted 79 projects totaling over $50 million of investments in recreational amenities within the region. The types of project included:

     • Trails

     • State park improvements

     • County parks development

     • City parks improvements

     • River access points

     • Habitat restoration

     • Lake restoration

     • Downtown pocket park

     • Mountain bike parks

     • Skateboard park

     “We are excited to count the Wellmark Foundation as an integral partner in this collaborative effort,” stated Dave Heiar, the program manager for this regional effort and a senior advisor to the Jackson County Economic Alliance. “This public-private partnership yielded amazing results.”

     For more information, visit the Grant Wood Loop website at www.GWLoop.com or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GWMRR).   

 

Category:

Subscriber Login