The Otsego County Library submitted a grant application last year to help bring technology to the Makerspace room in the upstairs of the library.
A Makerspace is a place where people can learn and create, encouraging them to think outside the box. The grant application was for funding to equip the new Makerspace with a CNC Machine and Sphero Robots, as well as money to fund events and supplies in the space. High school sophomore Rebecca Reynolds, with mentorship by Mary Fox, wrote the grant and presented the application to the community funding partners and to representatives of donor advised funds of the Otsego Community Foundation.
Three donor advised funds completely funded this project: The Cwik Holly by Golly Fund*, Kohnert Family Fund* and Kuehlenthal Beyer Family Fund* of the Otsego Community Foundation. With multiple funding partners coming together, grants like this one and others are able to be funded throughout the county.
"We funded this project because my grandfather Hans owned and operated a plastic injection plant here in Gaylord. He would have seen the benefit of teaching youth how to use this technology to gain knowledge in the engineering field. As a family, we agreed that this grant would impact many who might not have an opportunity to experience using a CNC Machine or Sphero Robots." - Mariah Beyer.
