LIBRARIES OF MORROW COUNTY AWARDED AMERICA 250-OHIO COMMUNITIES GRANT FOR STORYTELLING AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

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Libraries of Morrow County Awarded America 250-Ohio Communities Grant for Storytelling and Education Programs

The project is one of 57 community-based projects chosen as part of the America 250-Ohio Commission’s third and final round of grants

 

In the lead up to America’s 250th anniversary, the four libraries of Morrow County announced today that they received a grant from the America 250-Ohio Commission for their upcoming project titled, “Morrow County Celebrates America’s 250th Birthday.” The grant of $5000 was awarded to Selover Public Library in Chesterville and will be shared evenly with Cardington-Lincoln Public Library, Mount Gilead Public Library, and Perry Cook Memorial Library in Johnsville.

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“The county was only allowed to apply for one grant,” says Selover Library Director Martha Wall, “so the four libraries seemed like the perfect vehicle for distributing the funds throughout the county. Plus, storytelling and education are the focus of the grant, and that’s kind of our thing.”

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The libraries will use the grant funds over the next year to collect oral histories about Morrow County through a series of events called the Morrow Memories Road Show, to lead workshops about recording written histories, to contribute to community celebrations of our nation’s birthday, and to plant a time capsule in Mount Gilead.

In total, grants of up to $5,000 each went to 57 organizations across the state of Ohio, for a total of $278,834. These grants are dedicated to funding programs and initiatives commemorating Ohio’s important contribution to American history. The grants are administered by Ohio Humanities.

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In order to qualify for the grants, applicants needed to either be designated an official “America 250-Ohio Community” or have a letter of support from that local government entity. These community-focused grants are aimed at helping local communities plan, organize, and implement a program or event that aligns with America 250-Ohio initiatives in two broad categories: Storytelling and Education (Next Generation Citizens).

 

“On behalf of the America 250-Ohio commission, we congratulate the libraries of Morrow County on this grant award for their rich contributions to Ohio’s history and significance in our nation,” said Doug Preisse, co-chair of the America 250-Ohio Commission. “This new round of grants will help Morrow County to discover new and exciting ways to celebrate our state’s role within the founding of our country.”

 

For more information on the libraries of Morrow County, visit their websites at cardingtonlibrary.org, mglibrary.org, perrycooklibrary.org, and seloverlibrary.org. To learn more about the America 250-Ohio Commission’s grants program, visit America250-Ohio.org/grants/. The America 250-Ohio Communities grant program is supported in part by Neighborhood Strategies.

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About America 250-Ohio

In 2026, the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial, which is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each state has been encouraged to create a celebration and commemoration of this anniversary to reflect the unique character and contributions of each state to the nation over the past 250 years. Ohio is fully embracing this opportunity. The Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (aka America 250-Ohio Commission or AM250-OH) was created by the Ohio legislature and launched on March 1, 2022. The charge of the AM250-OH Commission is to “…to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United States and the impact of Ohioans on the nation’s past, present, and future.” — Ohio Revised Code (149.309). More information can be found at America250-Ohio.org.

 

About Ohio Humanities

Ohio Humanities is a statewide nonprofit that shares stories to spark conversations and inspire ideas by hosting programs and awarding grants that support storytellers statewide, from museums to journalists to documentary filmmakers. For more information, please visit our website at OhioHumanities.org.