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-Our Campaign for the Future
Since our start in 2016, Cedar Valley Makers has realized the promise that we made to the community, and our supporters. Community leaders, funders and volunteers have
invested time, effort, talent, and money towards creating what we believe to be a critical
community resource. As you all have witnessed, the Techworks building has seen an
amazing revitalization. What used to be an empty shell and a huge playground is now
mostly full and we are competing for space that is becoming expensive and a barrier that limits our creativity and options as we pursue our mission.
Recently, Hawkeye Community College has been awarded a Building Pathways to
Infrastructure Jobs grant award, with plans of further investment into Techworks. This is
great news for Hawkeye and Techworks, but also means our lease will end in 2025 and we will need a new home.
We have identified a great new location that promises better access, expanded capacity
and capabilities. It has been made clear that Cedar Valley Makers' future depends on
buying, not leasing its space. Securing the property and making the move will be a great
value to the community, but not inexpensive. A capital campaign will be needed.
With the Capital campaign and the move behind us, Cedar Valley Makers future will be
secure. The promise of the new maker space, facilitating the community through our
mission and the expanded capabilities we will be able to offer is incredibly exciting.
Our Mission:
501C-3 To promote collaborative learning, creative design and manufacturing for people of all ages and skill levels. We provide education by giving access to tools, machines and training inside our makerspace and by promoting and planning educational events that can forward scientific thinking, learning and entrepreneurial spirit for all members of our community.
Our Goal - Our Vision:
Our Vision has not changed, but got 30% bigger and better:
The Old Makerspace was 7000 SQFT - The New is over 10,000
● Doubles our level I Community Classroom and Workshop Space
● Woodworking will have a more efficient layout
● Machine Shop and Welding add some space, but will have a more efficient layout
and easy access through overhead doors.
● Additional Space for added capabilities and convenience:
○ Expanded Textiles and long arm quilting
○ Auto and small engine repair and vehicle storage
○ Small business incubator space
○ Shipping and receiving and packaging
○ Commercial Kitchen
The community decides what, when, where and how
Our New Makerspace:
Repurposing a vacant building that happens to be near
perfect for our needs. Just a mile from our current location and easy highway access, Cedar Valley Makers will be a great addition to the area.
Serving a Critical Need:
Linked by a passion for making, tinkering, inventing and learning, Cedar Valley Makers is the meeting space for a diversity of backgrounds and ideas, where anything is possible. Access to modern tools, and a great space allows for people to unleash their creativity and potential. A community of creators provide expertise, ideas, and a passion that is often contagious.
Mission Driven Agenda -
A Summary
For the last 8 years, CVM has provided access to community and educational groups, as
well as volunteers that serve our community. We make our space and expertise available
to individual student projects and we engage the community with our Maker 101 series of workshops, which work to inspire the next generation of makers. We provide free access to mentors that volunteer to do that important work, providing fun and rewarding activities and a safe place to meet. Subscription members have access whenever they want, and they sponsor their own guests and groups, which further leverages the impact CVM has on our community. The years have seen an ever growing impact and the move to a new facility will make an incredible difference on how Cedar Valley Makers is able to serve the community.
Makerspace - Facilities:
2024 has seen both more community interactions and improvements in operations and
facilities. Eight years of experience has paid off and we are the experts at providing a
community shared workspace. Our goal is to make the equipment, the space, and the
know-how accessible to everyone, and then get out of the way and witness creativity.
Membership and Support:
From the beginning, our makerspace has received financial support from the McElroy
Foundation, Black Hawk Gaming, the Leighty Foundation, area businesses and individuals that have shared our vision and taken a risk for the betterment of our community.
Subscription members make CVM operationally sustainable providing a community
resource, that provides access to a handicapped accessible, climate controlled facility with over 250K of equipment, for less than the cost of purchasing a single tool. Most
importantly, an army of enthusiastic supportive members means that every dollar is
leveraged for the biggest impact.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” - Maya Angelou
Cedar Valley Makers, Inc. - 501C3 non profit profile
https://www.cedarvalleymakers.org/copy-of-about-us
If interested in sponsorships, estate planning, or making a large gift. Please contact us, so we can discuss how we can recognize your contribution, but also protect and maximize your contribution for the 2024 and 2025 tax years.
e-mail: mike@cedarvalleymakers.org
Board of Directors:
Officers:
Nicholas Pfeiffer - CVM President
Pete Lilja - CVM Vice President
Michael Hoffman - CVM Treasurer
Todd Prusha -CVM Secretary
General Board Members:
Mohammed Albasri
Dave McKeown
Sara Smith
Dick Zimmerman
Cory Tanis
Sarah Tanis
Scott Hayes