Heron Lake Day Care Center opened in 1975 in the small town of Heron Lake in Jackson County. Kaye Fury started caring for kids at the center in 1980 and is currently the sole staff member.
Heron Lake Okabena Community Foundation. Presenting the grant is local
foundation board member Tracy Freking.
“I just always thought it was a really good job, and a good fit for me. It’s very varied. It’s not just kid stuff. I do bookwork, too, and I look for grants,” Kaye said.
Earlier this year, Heron Lake-Okabena Community Foundation (HLOCF) awarded a grant to the center to pay for in-service training to comply with licensing requirements as well as supplies and activities for school age kids.
“It’s an everyday struggle just to keep it open. Any kind of grant, any kind of fundraising, anything helps,” Kaye said. “It’s important for people to have options of where to take their kids.”
Since June 2019, southwest Minnesota has seen a decline in the number of licensed child care centers and licensed family child care, placing a larger strain on child care availability. In Jackson County alone, First Children’s Finance estimates an additional 181 slots are needed to accommodate parents who want or need to be in the workforce and have young children.
Tracy Freking’s kids went to the Heron Lake Day Care Center when they were little, so she knows firsthand the importance of local child care.
“Having the child care center is such a great benefit to our community. Kaye was there all the time, so I didn’t have to worry about, ‘What if day care is closed? She’s never closed,’” Tracy said.
Tracy works as the business manager for Heron-Lake Okabena Schools, and she’s a founding member of the HLOCF board. The local community foundation’s mission is to solicit funds and award grants that enrich the communities of Heron Lake and Okabena by promoting education and opportunities to create a legacy of pride and partnership.
Great things have happened since the foundation was organized locally in 2001. The board has awarded more than $265,000 in grants to 20 local organizations, including several for the Heron Lake Day Care Center over the years. HLOCF hosts two annual fundraisers, a silent auction and a golf fundraiser. They rely heavily on those events to fund local projects that keep their communities vibrant.
“This last year our goal was to try to grant everything that was submitted. All of the programs in our small communities are important,” Tracy said.
In addition to supporting the Heron Lake Day Care Center, HLOCF also awarded grants this year to:
- Jackson County to support the summer library program
- Heron Lake Okabena Caring Connections to purchase gifts for students as part of the Best Birthday Project
- City of Okabena for the fire department to replace handheld ARMER radios and repair and add LED scene lighting on fire trucks
- ISD #330 – Heron Lake-Okabena Schools to upgrade the lighting at the softball field in Okabena, purchase a new scroll saw for the woodworking shop, purchase aquaponics equipment to support the horticulture class and expand vegetable growing within the greenhouse for the school lunch program
HLOCF is one of Southwest Initiative Foundation’s (SWIF) 31 community foundation partners. This program inspires people to give back to their community and empowers local leaders to ignite positive change.
“The Heron-Lake Okabena Community Foundation is a strong example of what can happen when community members are dedicated to investing in the future of the places they love. We’re grateful for the hard work of all our volunteer boards,” said SWIF Community Gift Officer Jeff Vetsch, who oversees the program.
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