The Meyer Memorial Trust has thrown its considerable weight behind the
Hoodland Community Center project.

The Hoodland Women’s Club was awarded $350,000 from the trust – a grant
request that was first submitted 18 months ago.

“In applying for grants from private foundations, the first grant award is often
hard to get,” said Project Manager Diane Lokting. “Foundations have unique
grant guidelines, but most hesitate to be ‘first in’ on a project.”

The recent grant of $25,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation,
followed by the Meyer grant, are the first major grants received by the
women’s club and will indicate to other foundations that the Community
Center project is viable, according to Lokting.

The Oregon Community Foundation award is tied to the number of new
donors to the Community Center project. With both of these grants in-hand,
the women’s club has high hopes that their outstanding grant applications
with The Ford Family Foundation and the Collins Foundation – which total
$375,000 – will be funded in February.

“The need for local support is vital to the success of this project,” Lokting said.
“The Meyer Memorial Trust has given the women’s club a deadline of August
2013 to show significant progress toward fully funding the project. Local
donations are a key factor in achieving this goal.”

With an estimated project budget of $2,238,000, the women’s club has raised
more than $1 million – $50,000 of that from 181 local residents and
businesses.

The center will have a new library, senior center, Neighborhood Missions,
County Women’s Services outreach programs and Mt. Hood Community
College classes. There will be a dividable community room to rent for
weddings, events, business meetings and after-school programs. It will house
a Red Cross emergency shelter, the community gardens will continue to
operate and a farmer’s market will be added when the building is completed.