WISCONSIN RIVER TRAIL NEWS
I have taken a couple of weeks off from submitting an article for a couple of reasons. 1. I was HOME, in the 53805! I was visiting my mom, kids, traveling all over to make sure we saw as many people as possible. But also…2. To have time to put into perspective the fact that I failed with writing not one, but two huge grants. Grants that I spent months preparing. Time I can never get back. But here is what I want to tell you.
I did have great help with the Dept. of Transportation grant. That grant was for 80%. The cost figure is $1.6 million to put a trail as far as Cozy Acres. After talking with a DOT rep, I found out that there were 33 projects accepted out of the 69 submitted. They have to spread the funding to all regions. We were #35. She said that next year, we could submit the exact same grant and we would probably get it. The DNR grant that was written for the remaining 20% did not qualify because we did not get the 80% from the DOT. It makes me feel better to know all of this. We were so close and on track. I have to keep reminding myself that I have no formal training at all in grant writing. I gave it my best shot. I work so hard that for about 6 weeks, I can’t even sleep, trying to get it done to the best of my ability.
When we do get these grants, and I know that we will, we will have to come up with about $300,000. That’s a lot of change and a lot of fundraising. I still say that if funding is a problem, we can work around it. We have. We will. But helping to support this trail is crucial. It will be a game changer, a legacy trail left that will only be built upon. Just to know that we did something to positively change the lives and future of our children makes me happy.
Everyone should be passionate about something. Mine is the trail. Yours may be to build a new school, support the Boscobel Education Foundation or Boscobel Community Foundation, to work on improving the airport, the Boscobel Antique Club, or work on the BASH program. There are times in your life that you don’t have time to do anything but work and raise your kids. I get that. My request is simply that you support the people that are trying. That’s all.
What are we up to this week? We just had an awesome trip of 30 people, victors of the rain brigade, jumping on a bus to five different wineries. It’s something new and fun, and we hope you all enjoyed it. We’re working hard on our 3rd Annual Hiking/Biking Banquet that is coming on November 12th. If you would like to be on the waiting list for tickets, or you’d like to donate anything at all for the event, please let us know. Donations are coming in and they are WONDERFUL! We appreciate ALL of the support that the donors and the attendees have given us and we look forward to enjoying that night to the fullest. A huge thank you goes out to our Boscobel band, Fast Action, for playing that evening for us, from 8:30-10:00 pm.
Thank you all for your kindness, your support, and for your dedication with us as we build a trail that is like no other trail. We can do this….We got this!
