North Manchester Public Library Receives T-Mobile Hometown Grant

WE WON! The North Manchester Public Library is excited to receive a #HometownGrant from T-Mobile to create a dedicated outdoor pavilion space and mobile kitchen at the library to promote food education programs, healthy eating and teach nutrition lessons to children, teens, new parents and older adults within the community.

From the official press release:
T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today unveiled the next 25 towns to receive a Hometown Grant, bringing the total to 400 recipients since the Un-carrier kicked off its five-year commitment to small towns and rural communities in April 2021. Each town will get up to $50,000 to help fund local projects that bring new life to their communities. 

T-Mobile has now given nearly $18 million in Hometown Grants to 400 communities across 48 states and Puerto Rico. The program unites people to make their communities even stronger and has generated more than 160,000 volunteer hours and created 1,270 jobs to date. 

“With Hometown Grants helping over 2.4 million people so far, the program continues to deliver on our commitment to small towns and rural communities,” said Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group. “Whether it’s powering smart classrooms, restoring main streets or enhancing public spaces, we’re helping communities build a stronger, more connected future — and there’s so much more ahead.” 

Here are the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients and their projects: 

• Clarkdale, Ariz.: Create a vibrant, first-of-its-kind placemaking destination by displaying museum artifacts in show windows on Main Street to attract tourists, enhance community gatherings and valorize an entire town's history and future. 
  
  
• Reedley, Calif.: Renovate the aging stage at the historic, 120-year-old Reedley Opera House to expand access to the arts, support youth development and help revitalize downtown Reedley — transforming the Opera House into a safer, more vibrant hub for cultural connection and community engagement — and ensuring the building remains open and active as a cherished venue for live performances. 
  
  
• Paonia, Colo.: Transform an underutilized backlot at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts into Sage Alley, a multi-use space for performances, workshops and community gatherings. 
  
  

• Franklin, Conn.: Refurbish the historic Lebanon Road Schoolhouse’s exterior and interior to be used as an educational community center. 
  
  

• Okeechobee, Fla.: Add wheelchair-accessible playground equipment to Kiwanis Park, creating an inclusive play space for children of all abilities. 
  
  

• Carbondale, Ill.: Improve connectivity and safety between Southern Illinois University and downtown Carbondale by installing wayfinding signage along the Downtown-Campus Connector multi-use path and installing new decorative alleyway lighting to make downtown safer, more welcoming and more accessible for students, residents and visitors alike. 
  
  

• Freeport, Ill.: Transform a vacant lot in the retail district into a multi-functional pocket park driving retail and dining visitation, upper-story residential development and promoting downtown as the place to be. 
  
  

• North Manchester, Ind.: Create a dedicated outdoor pavilion space and mobile kitchen at the North Manchester Public Library to promote food education programs, healthy eating and teach nutrition lesson to children, teens, new parents and older adults within the community. 
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• Winchendon, Mass.: Complete the final phase of The Hub — a former bowling alley turned youth-run café, social service agency and community center — adding an ADA-accessible indoor/outdoor classroom with community murals to amplify youth voices, expand access, and foster wellbeing, economic development and civic pride. 
  
  

• Castine, Maine: Develop a community park from an open meadow, adding a winding pathway, a children's story walk and native plantings, creating a community destination that is family and visitor-friendly, takes advantage of river views and enhances community engagement, events and quality of life. 
    

• Brunswick, Maine: Revitalize the outdoor space at Tedford Housing’s new emergency shelter facility in Brunswick, creating a vibrant mural and interactive playground to promote healing, resilience and belonging. 
  
  

• Mapleton, Minn.: Invest in a Child Care House from Business of Child Care, a turnkey solution that combines a physical site with startup support to expand local childcare services. 
  
  

• Webb City, Mo.: Create the Discovery Bus — Webb City School District’s mobile STEM lab — to deliver hands-on, innovative STEM experiences to students and the community, ensuring equitable access to STEM education to prepare students for future careers in science, technology, engineering and math. 
  
  

• Kirksville, Mo.: Revamp an underutilized outdoor concrete space at the Adair County Family YMCA into a family/community recreational space, dedicated to promoting health and wellness programs for all generations. 
  
  

• Laurel, Miss.: Renovate the Trustmark Art Park, adding durable play equipment, fencing and drought protection measures for the park’s historic live oak trees, enhancing safety and environmental sustainability for the community.  
  
  

• Evergreen, Mont.: Install a veteran’s memorial at the North West Montana Veterans Stand Down food pantry and community center, recognizing military service veterans and increasing awareness of existing community outreach programs for veterans and the community.  
  
  

• Searchlight, Nev.: Build a shade structure at the Searchlight Community Garden, protecting plants from the desert sun to continue to provide residents with affordable access to fresh fruit and vegetables and mitigate the effects of living in a food desert.  
  
  

• Cottage Grove, Ore.: Renovate the Humane Society of Cottage Groves This and That Thrift Shop, updating electrical panels and wiring to reduce potential fire hazards and continue to be a source of vital funding for all our animal welfare programs. 
  
  

• Meadville, Penn.: Transform an empty lot into an aesthetically pleasing and active parklet to create a gateway into downtown and enhance access to The Arc Community Greenspace through community collaboration. 
  
  

• Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Revitalize an unused alleyway, Railroad Alley, into a safe pedestrian walkway dedicated for use as a community recreation space that will promote economic opportunities and community togetherness in the downtown area.   
  
  

• St. Stephen, S.C.: Create The Sheds on Main, an unused empty lot transformed into a vibrant community park and business incubator space for community events, fostering social connections, supporting local economic growth and revitalizing St. Stephen’s Main Street as a cultural and social hub. 
  
  

• Jasper, Tenn.: Install solar powered charging benches in the Jasper historic Courthouse Square and library, enabling citizens to stay connected near outdoor community hubs and gathering spaces.
   

• La Grange, Texas: Build a new food court and seating area at the Fayette County Fairgrounds, allowing the fair to continue serving its visitors during events for years to come.  
  
  

• South Padre Island, Texas: Launch Sea Turtle Inc.’s mobile conservancy outreach vehicle to bring our mission of conservation, education and rehabilitation of endangered sea turtles directly to communities across the Rio Grande Valley which will provide hands-on learning experiences in schools, public spaces and underserved areas, helping inspire environmental stewardship and deepen community understanding of sea turtle conservation.
   

• Viroqua, Wis.: Install a comprehensive signage and kiosk system throughout Vernon Trails, featuring seven trailhead kiosks and 80 wayfinding signs across three heavily used trail networks and 18-hole disc golf course to improve safety, accessibility and navigation while reinforcing Vernon County’s outdoor recreation identity. 
  
  

T-Mobile teams up with Main Street America — a nonprofit organization that works to advance shared prosperity, create resilient economies and improve quality of life through place-based economic development and community preservation — to bring Hometown Grants to life. Grant applications are reviewed based on their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations. 

“Small towns are continually shaping the conversation around what community-driven change looks like, and the T-Mobile Hometown Grants program is helping amplify their impact,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “This kind of investment empowers local leaders to turn their long-held visions into tangible, lasting change.” 
T-Mobile’s Ongoing Commitment to Small Towns 

T-Mobile's Hometown Grants commitment goes beyond community development programs. The Un-carrier has awarded nearly $5.3 million through Hometown Grants to community-led projects that strengthen small business ecosystems, from the revitalization of farmers markets to the development of business incubators and main street placemaking enhancements.

In addition to Hometown Grants, T-Mobile is focused on making sure no community gets left behind, with initiatives like: 

• Project 10Million: Offers free internet connectivity and mobile hotspots to eligible student households to help close the digital divide. 

• Friday Night 5G Lights: A competition that’s gearing up for its second year to give one deserving high school a game-changing football field makeover. Pre-register now. 

• T-Mobile Home Internet, Business Internet and T-Mobile Fiber: The Un-carrier offers affordable and reliable broadband options designed to deliver value and choice for homes and businesses across the US.  

• T-Satellite with Starlink: T-Mobile's satellite-to-mobile network that automatically connects to existing phones is currently in beta and available free for customers until commercial service launches in July. The service aims to eliminate dead zones, keeping people connected nearly anywhere they can see the sky. Join the beta today.  

As the country’s largest and fastest 5G network, T-Mobile is all about keeping small towns and rural areas connected. 
For more information about T-Mobile's commitment to small towns, visit www.t-mobile.com/hometowngrants. And to see how Hometown Grants are creating change, go here. 
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We are so excited and grateful for this opportunity and would like to invite YOU to celebrate with us! We are inviting all members of our community to our T-Mobile Big Check Presentation event on Wednesday, June 25th from 1pm to 2pm. T-Mobile will present the big check to library staff and we'll reveal our plans for the exciting project the nearly $50,000 grant will finance. We hope to see you there!