According to a recent report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, donations in the country’s 400 biggest charities plunged last year by 11%. But at least one charity in South Eastern Iowa is doing alright, The Kalona Historical Village. Curator Marilyn Wooden says it’s hard to tell how they are doing because they have dedicated benefactors and a small budget. Wooden says the grants are helping more then the donations right now. Wooden says she feels that the people who are donating aren’t donating as much as they used to. Steven Rife, Executive Director of the villages says he attributes the drop of in local contributions to the Kalona Downtown Revitalization Project. He says all of the downtown businesses right now are experiencing a decrease in business with the construction. Rife says he expects local donations to go up again once the Downtown Revitalization project is complete. Rife says the main source that is helping to fund the Village projects is the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.

Tags: , , , ,