Anamosa Community School Foundation Gifts Total $1 Million

The Anamosa Community School Foundation celebrated a monumental benchmark this month as it awarded its one millionth dollar in support of students and teachers in the Anamosa school district.

“It’s quite a milestone that we’re hitting this year,” said Sally Meyer, former president of the foundation.

The foundation became a 501(c)3 in 1994, and has since awarded dollars for projects large and small — from headphones for students in Anamosa’s alternative school program, Revive, to $500,000 in support for a new science wing at the high school.

“Dollars from the Anamosa Community School Foundation have touched every student in the school,” said Meyer. Adaptive physical education equipment for a special education classroom, books, CPR mannequins, advanced calculators and other technology items are among the gifts given. The foundation even purchased a privately owned field near the school and donated it to the district for student recreation.

“What really excites us are long-term investments like kilns, pottery wheels and a plasma cutter. You see the dollars not only invested in the purchase but reinvested every year in the hands of students,” said Nic Weers, foundation president.

The foundation has supported efforts to teach students skills that could translate directly into career knowledge for graduates, such as soil sampling in vocational agriculture classes and a plasma cutter used by industrial technology students. “When you talk to businesses here in town, they are struggling to find employees who understand the robotics of a plasma cutter,” said Weers. “This is real-life industry. Kids from other schools have to go to community colleges or tech schools for that level of education, and we’re giving them that education for free in our high school.”

Funds available to the district are raised by an annual event that includes a meal, silent and live auctions and a raffle. The foundation is looking ahead at the growing needs of the school and therefore has started an endowment fund with the Jones County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. Annual distributions thus far — as well as some of the funds raised at the annual event — have been reinvested to help grow the principal. Yearly payouts from the endowment will continue in perpetuity, so the growth of the fund is an important part of the organization’s sustainability plan to support the needs of teachers and students in the future. 

Donations to the endowment are eligible for the Endow Iowa 25% tax credit. “One of our goals is to encourage more donors to better utilize those tax benefits,” said Weers.

“I imagine as education evolves our position as a board is going to evolve, as well,” said Meyer. “We to be open minded — as the teachers need things to give our kids a better education, we have to understand that and act accordingly.”

“Anamosa is doing something that no one else has done, and its because of the wonderful community members in this town,” said Weers. “That’s special.”