Makerspace: Rotary Club Gives West Caldwell Library $12,000 Grant

The Rotary Club of the Caldwells (RCC) recently awarded a $12,000 Aldo H. Vandermolen grant to the West Caldwell Public Library.

According to a release, the grant will fund the creation of a “makerspace project” at the library, which will “provide the space and tools to help patrons, young and old, come together to create and share resources.”

The funds will be used to purchase computers, 3D printers, technology kits, button makers, sewing machines and a variety of other makerspace materials.

“The RCC is proud to sponsor the makerspace project and thankful for the opportunity to support the library and the community,” stated Tom Cocchiola, spokesperson and chair of the RCC endowment fund.

“Community is at the heart of any makerspace, and the library has become the new community center,” stated Library Director Samantha Cordaro McCoy. “By incorporating the Makerspace into the library we hope to create a transformative experience for all community members. Kids and teens can participate in circuit building or coding projects, young children can learn basic programing using Ozobots, and adults can learn how to fix their vacuum by designing and printing the broken component on a 3D printer.”

According to a release, Aldo H. Vandermolen grants are funded through the Rotary Club of The Caldwells Endowment Fund (RCCEF). Grants are awarded to projects that are approved by the RCC and RCCEF Boards of Directors. Named for Rotarian Aldo Vandermolen, the grant celebrates a man who was an integral part of virtually every activity during his more than 20-years in the club. Vandermolen is a past president, acknowledged three times as a Rotary Club of The Caldwells Paul Harris Fellow, and a long-standing president of the endowment board.

The mission of the endowment is to provide funding for projects approved and endorsed by the RCC. The endowment was established to serve as a perpetual source of funding for local and international projects. This is the fourth Aldo Vandermolen grant.

For more information about the Makerspace project, contact the West Caldwell Public Library reference desk at 973-226-5441, or mccoy@westcaldwell.bccls.org

Photo courtesy of S.M. Kent

Photo caption: From left, Stanley Hladik (West Caldwell Councilman), Board President Marilyn Rubino, Rotarian Tom Cocchiola, Library Director Samantha Cordaro McCoy, Library Board members Carol Otterbein, Debbie Podvy, Maura Lincoln, and Dan Cipoletti.

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