MALVERN, Iowa (KMTV) — The need for childcare options is an ongoing concern in Southwest Iowa. In the East Mills school district, neighbors are about 65% of the way to the $5 million needed to renovate an existing building into a child development center.
- A local couple offered a matching donation of $5,000 for a fundraiser on Saturday night.
- “We’ve had a lot of young people move here. We just want to keep that going. That’s the only way you keep a community vibrant,” said Bonnie Pierce, who made the matching donation with her husband, Greg.
- PREVIOUS STORY: 'Near and dear to me': FREE Malvern concert is fundraising opportunity for future childcare center
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Despite the weather, a Saturday evening fundraiser for a child development center in Malvern met its weekend goal.
I’m Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel.
We’ve been following stories about the need for more childcare options in Southwest Iowa and there’s an update on my Friday story.
East Mills Child Care Solutions board members hoped to bring in at least $5,000 in community donations during a Saturday night concert in order to match a donation from Bonnie Pierce and her husband Greg.
The two are among a growing group of neighbors and local leaders in the area trying to expand availability of local child care as a way of sustaining local growth.
“We’ve had a lot of young people move here. We just want to keep that going. That’s the only way you keep a community vibrant,” said Pierce.
Due to the storms that rolled through the area, the concert was moved indoors, but neighbors showed up and helped the organization raise more than $10,000.
I was there, just before the weekend goal was met, and these kiddos {{picture}} were effective fundraisers.
