Two projects in one

CHESTER - Ella and Clara Keller, 16 and 14 years old respectively, have been working on their 4-H project since last fall. But it’s not a normal 4-H activity. Together, the Keller girls have supersized their ambitious venture to include fund-raising, grant-writing, bid gathering and all manner of other tasks to the end goal of building a full-size basketball court/ice skating rink by the softball field in Chester.

The girls came up with their idea by talking to members of the Chester community, asking around to find out what people wanted to see.

“Me and my sister play basketball,” Ella said, “and we wanted to do something to get kids involved.” They were also looking for something for kids to do in winter. They liked both the basketball court idea and that of an ice skating rink, so they decided to combine them, because it would cost less money than doing each individually.

Both girls have been involved in 4-H since the fourth grade. For Ella, that’s seven years; for Clara, five.

Because 4-H teaches kids to get involved with their community, this project seemed like a natural fit. They’ve applied for the 4-H Club Pioneer Seed Grant and have gotten help from their fellow 4-H club members on a soup dinner fund-raiser.

The girls have raised money in many ways. They wrote applications (with a little help from Mom) for several grants, including the Howard County Community Foundation, which awarded them $5,000, and the Lime Spring’s St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, which awarded them $2,000. They’ve done several fund-raisers like a soup dinner, a 50/50 raffle and one where they filled Easter eggs with candy and hid them in people’s backyard for a donation. 

Perhaps their most successful venture was a letter they wrote, explaining their project and asking for donations, that the city clerk inserted into Chester city water bills. They got a good response from that, as well as from letters they wrote to local businesses. 

That’s one of the best things about this whole experience for Ella. “Being able to plan different events and see how they WANT to support us,” she said. It makes her very happy to see so much community enthusiasm for their endeavor.

But the project doesn’t stop at fund-raising. The girls collected all the bids for the work itself and awarded contracts to paid vendors like Mudslingers Construction for cement work, Harrington Enterprises for picnic tables, and German Heritage Furniture for benches.

Right now, the total amount they’ve raised is $17,252.03. Their goal is $29,000. 

Because this project is being built on city land, the girls have worked with the city of Chester every step of the way. Whatever funds they don’t raise will be covered by the city, but both Ella and Clara are determined to raise as much as possible to take the weight off community tax resources.

With less than 50 days to go before the Howard County Fair, where the girls will enter their project in the 4-H exhibits hall, the campaign is picking up speed. Vendors are standing by with all the supplies. “This project is ready to roll,” the girls’ mother, Amanda Keller, said. “Once it starts, it’s going to go.”

If you’d like to donate to Ella and Clara’s project, there are four different levels of donation: Silver ($50), Gold ($100), Platinum ($500) and Diamond ($1,000). Donors will get their name listed on a sponsor board that’s permanent to the site. Donations can be mailed to:

City of Chester

Basketball/Ice Rink Project

Box 86

Chester IA 52134

“This will be a huge benefit for the community,” Amanda  said. “That’s going to be the big win, right there.”