Heart of Jasper Holds Community Appreciation Night, Looks Forward to 2022

Jasper - Thursday evening, the Heart of Jasper hosted a Community Appreciation Night at St. Benedict's Brew Works - recapping 2021 and looking ahead to 2022.

Heart of Jasper, a local non-profit organization, hopes to "create the epicenter of activity for the community by leveraging existing assets, transforming those in need, and instilling new energy through creative programs and collaborative leadership."

Heart of Jasper Director Kate Schwenk led the presentation by reviewing 2021. The year that saw the organization implement the Façade Grant Program which granted $50,000 to five community recipients, add welcome banners through the district, and hold a Farm to Table event on North Main Street.

The Façade Grant Program will be back in 2022, Schwenk says.

"We rolled out the Façade Grant Program again, also, with a great partnership with the city," Scwenk said. "We greatly appreciate that $50,000 that we can again grant to five building owners who want to re-do the exterior of their buildings."

The deadline for applications will be Friday, February 25th.

With help from the anonymous Genesis 12 Project donors, the Heart of Jasper has unveiled another project: New Business Incentives.

"Our Genesis 12 donor, after the COVID relief project was done, said that they were happy to stay on as a partner," Schwenk said. "So we said 'Well, we would love to have a New Business Incentives Program.'"

The overall focus is entertainment, arts, dining and retail - anything that will drive foot traffic downtown. 

The New Business Incentive Program has already received one application, granting $20,000 dollars.

More information about the organization can be found online at www.heartofjasper.org.