Ellsworth E3 project committees start with a community-led vision. When a community member reaches out with an idea, we encourage them to engage others in the community who share their desire for similar quality of life improvements. When they are "team-ready" to start organizing, we help them form a committee under our non-profit umbrella. Once a project is approved for Project Support by our Board of Directors, we empower the committee to take the lead on their project, becoming the project managers to see it through to completion. Through the process, we will offer our support through fundraising, grant writing, presenting to other agencies/interested parties, finding volunteers, and creating community awareness.
We are honored to have supported the following projects:
This multi-year project to turn Cairns Woods into a place to hike, explore nature, and increase resident wellness in our community, was completed with help by raising the funds needed to put up a kiosk to mark the entrance and map cleared trails. Community volunteers put in many hours in all seasons to clear trails, make signs, provide activities for families, and honor this once-hidden Ellsworth gem.
In an effort to show community support half a world away, students hosted a fundraiser to show support for all Ukrainians during the war with Russia. With the money received from the Empower Ellsworth grant, they prepared a dinner with traditional Ukrainian food and raised money for the Red Cross and to directly aid the damaged school of a Ukrainian foreign exchange student currently attending Ellsworth High School.
In spring of 2021, with the help of a memorial donation from Mary Gilseth, in honor of her late husband, Ellsworth artist, Jerry Gilseth, we were able to transform 6 old, tired planters in East End into works of art! With the community rallying behind the project, we completed the remaining 14 community planters from Fall 2021 - Spring 2022. This project logged hundreds of volunteer hours and has impacted beautification and excitement about public art in many positive ways.
This group of students hosted a few movie nights in the middle school football field for a fun community experience, providing refreshments and taking free will offerings for Feed My Starving Children. This community engagement project was made possible by an Empower Ellsworth grant.
This project of the Etown Arts Committee has plans to create 7 full-scale murals in East End. To date, 2 of the murals have been completed. The first interactive "Bubble Mural" was designed and painted by Dawson Peters in the spring of 2022 and is located at N Broadway Street. The second, "The Future of Ellsworth Arts" was completed by Greg Gossel in the Fall of 2022, and is located at the Broadway Street Parklet at 259 N Broadway Street.
One Ellsworth highschool basketball player had noticed that there are not many younger girls going out for basketball and wanted to introduce the sport to others. An Empower Ellsworth grant of $500 helped her host a camp for elementary students so that they could learn and, hopefully, come to love basketball as much as she does.
This project is focused on building more interest in the high school tennis program. A group of passionate high school students hosted a summer camp for upper elementary/middle school students to introduce them to the basics of tennis with the help of an Empower Ellsworth grant.