Reflections from the 2022 KT Mini-Grant Program!

As 2023 comes to a close, Kingdom Trails is excited to share the progress of grants awarded in 2022 during the 4th Annual KT Mini-Grant Program! In 2022, KT was privileged to receive 17 applications with $73,019 in requested funding for the $25,000 allotted by the Kingdom Trails Board of Directors. This made it the largest number of applications and funding requested since the program began in 2019, and we were able to fund 9 projects! We were grateful for the opportunity to fund these projects that seek to enhance and enrich the life of our shared community. 

Take a look at some of the projects a few awardees have been able to accomplish with the funds provided by KT and the local community: 

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Adaptive Sports Partners was awarded $2,500 to purchase an enclosed trailer to access more athletes in our community and serve everyone who wishes to recreate! After they purchased the trailer, ASP outfitted the interior with hooks and straps for the bikes to transport safely. The trailer benefited the summer and fall program in the community by storing bikes safely, bringing bikes to various partners, including schools and community organizations, and allowing athletes with disabilities to access different trail locations, including the NEK! (See more pictures below!)

The Town of Lyndon was awarded $2,000 to purchase an e-bike available for checkout at the Cobleigh Library. The outcome led to an opportunity for Lyndon residents and visitors to try an e-bike as an alternative form of transportation in the hopes that overall vehicle miles traveled would be decreased by using an active mode of transportation. The bike was checked out 6 times for 6 weeks straight before winter! Read more about the impact of this new program at this WCAX article!

The Cobleigh Library was awarded $2,850 to build a shed to house the e-bike lending library. They are currently awaiting a zoning permit to have the shed installed. Once approved, they will put down a gravel pad and a prefabricated shed on top of the pad. They are hopeful to have the shed in place, with another e-bike, in time for the 2024 summer season!

The Northeast Kingdom Preschool was awarded $4,250 to build an outdoor playground shelter to accommodate both their infant and preschool play yards, offering the ability to have a dry space to teach, explore, and grow our curiosity on a day-to-day basis throughout the year. In addition to the shelter, this project brought an outdoor classroom to their center to be utilized year-round, offering more opportunities for outdoor learning and exploration. (See pictures below for the shelter in action!)

The Town of East Haven, VT was awarded $4,400 for a community project that built a 12’ by 14’ gazebo in an area that is between the existing playground and the newly paved basketball court that is adjacent to both the East Haven Community Building and the East Haven section of the KTA trail system. The East Haven Select-board reported that the gazebo was constructed after many weeks by their road foreman and 2 residents, and the structure has been used since June 2023. This is an excellent addition to our Community Building playground area. We appreciate this grant helping to improve our outdoor space. Additionally, Kingdom Trails used the gazebo during our 2023 Landowner Appreciation Celebration, and it's been used for many outdoor functions since! (See more pictures below!)

The Northwoods Stewardship Center was awarded $2,000 for Northwoods has revitalized programs with new hands-on materials, grown our confidence with and knowledge on the care and handling of raptors,  and sparked students’ wonder for native wildlife. To enhance visitors’ experience at Northwoods, they designed and ordered signage for the mew of our resident barred owl, Oberon. With these signs, visitors can learn about Oberon’s personal story, threats facing other raptors like her, and the unique adaptations of our most common, but rarely seen species of owl. They have also purchased the first piece to expand the hands-on wildlife artifacts collection: a set of silicone life-size replicas of 16 species’ scat and tracks. With these materials, their wildlife tracking and mammal movement programs have taken on a new life as students have a hoot comparing the artificial poops to one another, making paw print art, and creating plaster molds of bobcat and bullfrog feet - and of course, the occasional human hand. Allocating half of the supporting funds to staff time for the wildlife ambassador program has allowed the Northwoods Education Program Coordinator to dedicate more time to creating lessons, training Oberon and exploring enrichment opportunities for her, and attending a more in-depth raptor handling and husbandry training with their partner at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). Read more about Northwood's Outdoor Education Programs here! (See more pictures below!)

The East Burke School was awarded $1,000 to help purchase a brand new American Harvester Cider Press and Grinder for one of their school’s most beloved traditions. Each fall, EBS students and teachers shake their neighbors’ trees for fresh apples that they manually grind and press for the annual apple cider fundraiser. In addition to cider-pressing, students learn how to make the most of Vermont’s apple abundance by putting surplus to use in chutneys, cider vinegar, fire cider, boiled cider, and more. In 2021, EBS pressed more apple cider than ever, but their aging equipment proved increasingly inefficient and painful to operate. The new press’s double-tub design will allow for grinding and pressing to occur simultaneously, offering the greatest efficiency and output available in a hand-operated mill. Students began assembling the press in April and utilized it throughout the cider season, cranking out over 60 gallons of cider! (See more pictures below!)

Lyndon Town School was awarded $5,000 to jumpstart a ski and snowboard program at the school! These funds allowed the school to offer this program free of charge to interested students, essentially erasing a barrier to participation many students faced. In the winter of 2023, every single 6th-8th grade student was able to participate in winter sports at LTS, choosing either skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, or snowshoeing!

Thaddeus Stevens School was awarded $1,000 for renovations to the red building on their new East Burke campus that offers students art and music classes. Funds were used for electrical improvements of the building, which serves as a classroom for music and art for TSS students! Additional lighting and outlets were added to maximize the functionality of the classrooms, including installing eight horizontal LED lights and four new electrical outlets!

Donations help fund programs like the KT Grant Program. Together, we can make a difference!
Make your gift at kingdomtrails.org/donate today to provide support and help sustain programs like these.
Thank you all! We are SO grateful!