Foundation grants boost Owatonna projects
The Exchange Club for Family Unity in Owatonna will get some much-needed improvements, with help from the Owatonna Foundation.
Foundation board members celebrated its fall 2023 round of grants with visits last week to the home on Hartle Avenue, as well as the Owatonna Veterans Memorial on Austin Road and the Steele County Humane Society’s new home, under construction on North State Street.
The Exchange Club for Family Unity will use the $40,000 on interior modifications to better serve the 130 families who annually benefit from its services. The nonprofit moved in on Dec. 16, 2022.
“It’s all about modifying the building and getting it ready for the next 20 years,” executive director Beth Hortrop said. The interior work will make the building “safer, more secure, and private for our families.”
The center provides a safe space for parent mentoring and supervised visits children have with their noncustodial parents. The Rochester Family Services FAAR (Family Advocacy in Recovery and Restoration) program also refers families; it serves children through age 5, while the local center takes them up to age 17.
New doors will create additional private spaces in what is now a largely open area, Hortrop said. Old vinyl flooring will be replaced, and they’re redoing lights with LED fixtures “to be more efficient and hopefully lower our electric bill.” Any funds left will go toward replacing five windows.
The Owatonna Veterans Memorial, dedicated last November, also received a $40,000 grant. It honors service members from all U.S. branches, including the new Space Force. The Humane Society received $100,000 for its new shelter, which broke ground last November. The nonprofit provides food, fostering, vet care, and more for stray animals.
