The Severaid Park Improvement Special Project Fund has been established with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa to support a community-driven effort to reimagine Severaid Park as a more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming space for families throughout Elk Run Heights.
This project will enhance Severaid Park with an all-inclusive playground designed to provide accessible and engaging play opportunities for children of all abilities. Additional amenities are planned, including four square, tetherball, and gaga ball, creating a fun and welcoming space for recreation and connection.
The City of Elk Run Heights hopes to complete the project by Fall 2027 or 2028. Through the generosity of residents, businesses, and community supporters, this investment will create lasting opportunities for play, inclusion, and community pride for generations.
"Every child deserves a place where they can play, explore, and feel included,” stated Lisa Smock, Mayor of Elk Run Heights. “We're excited to work with our residents and community partners to bring an all-inclusive playground to Elk Run Heights and create a space that welcomes families of all abilities."
Financial gifts of cash/check and stock are accepted through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, 3117 Greenhill Circle, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Checks to the fund should be made payable to the Severaid Park Improvement Special Project Fund. Gifts can also be made on the Community Foundation’s secure website at www.cfneia.org/donations/severaidparkfund/.
Donors to the fund may take advantage of normal federal deductions for charitable gifts.
Questions about giving to the fund may be directed to Paula Hill, Charitable Advisor with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, at 319-243-1352 or phill@cfneia.org.
Information about the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa can be found on its website, www.cfneia.org.
Pauline Barrett was a pillar of generosity in the Cedar Valley. The impact of her giving, along with that of her husband Dr. Sterling Barrett, has rippled across the community they loved.
"Pauline loved the Cedar Valley. She understood she had been blessed and wanted to give back in a way that would impact many lives and make her community stronger," said Dave Amend, Trust Officer and Advisor to Pauline Barrett. "Her work and positive experiences with the Community Foundation during her lifetime showed her how she could keep her generosity alive even after she was gone."
During her lifetime, Pauline served on the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and saw the impact it created through generosity and grantmaking, saying of the Community Foundation, “I believe in it. It is a good way to cut the hassle and make giving easy.”
She believed CFNEIA helps uniquely by providing grants to diverse community needs, not just one cause.
In 1999, Pauline established the Women's Fund with CFNEIA with a gift of $50,000 to support organizations making a difference in the lives of women and girls in Black Hawk County. This fund supports the grantmaking of the Women for Good program, which has granted more than $250,000 since the fund's creation.
Pauline also established the Pauline R. Barrett Fund with CFNEIA as part of her giving portfolio. Today, the Pauline R. Barrett Fund supports the Foundation’s ability to support those diverse needs by contributing funds to its Black Hawk County discretionary process.
Both funds support grant processes that provide needed funding to organizations serving the community she loved. Now, after her death in January 2018, the impact of her generosity will grow, and her legacy of philanthropy will live on.
Through thoughtful planning and incredible generosity, Pauline Barrett’s vision of creating a stronger Black Hawk County by giving to nonprofits doing the most good will be carried out forever.
The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA) celebrated the power of community giving at its Black Hawk County First Cycle Grant awards event, announcing $470,375 in grants to 24 local nonprofits.
“These grants reflect the generosity of our community and the incredible work of nonprofits dedicated to strengthening Black Hawk County,” said Kaye Englin, CFNEIA president and CEO. “From expanding opportunity to delivering vital services, these organizations are making a real difference across the Cedar Valley. We’re proud to support their impact and the future they’re helping to build.”
The grant award information below is categorized by CFNEIA’s impact priority areas of: Opportunity and Access, Health and Safety, Vibrant Communities and Youth Empowerment. Each line includes the grant recipient organization name, what the grant will fund and the grant amount.
Black Hawk County 2026 First Cycle Grant Recipients
Opportunity and Access
Health and Safety
Vibrant Communities
Youth Empowerment
Black Hawk County First Cycle Grants are awarded through CFNEIA’s competitive grant process, determined by the Black Hawk County grant distribution committee. Members are: Nadene Davidson, Kaye Englin (President & CEO), Andrew Finnegan, Zachary Fischels, Sarah Helleso, Mary Janssen, Ashlyn Jungwirth, Chawne Paige (Committee Chair), Shantavia Parker, Mike Robinson and Hector Salamanca-Arroyo.
The 2026 Black Hawk County Second Cycle Grants application opens May 15, 2026. Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities serving Black Hawk County. Grant guidelines and applications will be available at www.cfneia.org/grants. For questions or to discuss a project’s eligibility, contact Sherita Jenkins, director of community impact, at 319-243-1355 or sjenkins@cfneia.org.
Members of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa’s (CFNEIA) youth philanthropy program, Teen Trust, hosted a grant awards celebration at CFNEIA on March 8. The group, consisting of 23 trustees and five student officers, all from Black Hawk County high schools, awarded $19,000 in grants to seven local nonprofits at the event.
The nonprofits that received a grant, along with the project name and grant award amount, include:
The grant funds are available to 501(c)3 agencies addressing community needs in Black Hawk County and are within criteria that the trustees determine as priorities. The trustees work as a team to decide which organizations to assist through financial aid and/or volunteerism by using a grant application system, site visits and training seminars. This program illuminates the role in which students can be vital community contributors now, through hands-on education in giving back, as well as valuable leaders in the future. This group of students is led by a student director, a local college student who empowers and challenges high school students to address, identify and seek solutions to community needs while building a sense of social responsibility.
The 2025-2026 Trustees are Ahan Tandon, Anna Hempel, Araceli Perez-Torres, Arjun Anugu, Brynn Bakula, Cael Harms, Daniel Umemezie, Diana Quinto, Dina Nazry, Elise Wing, Estelle Miller, Hunter Spitzer, Isabela Hafermann, Kaitlynn Willis, Kate Pickar, Ken Kane, Kenzie Devine, Kevin Du, Kirsten Grant, Lydia Rusley-Hanesford, Meghana Kota, Riley Castro and Rishika Shettigar. Trustee officers were James Peng, Ryan Herink, Dean Hempel, Mae Martin and Diva Dodiya. Lauren Johnson, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, is the 2025-2026 director.
“Watching the teens work through this process is always inspiring,” said Sherita Jenkins, director of community impact with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. “They take the responsibility seriously, ask thoughtful questions, and really care about making good decisions for our community. It’s exciting to see young people step into that role.”
The Teen Trust program is accepting applications from Black Hawk County high school students through May 15 to serve on Teen Trust for the 2026-2027 season. More information and the online application are at www.cfneia.org/teentrust.
Questions regarding the Teen Trust program can be directed to Sherita Jenkins at sjenkins@cfneia.org or 319-243-1365.
