The Daly Elementary School PTSA and the Fayette Area Community Theatre are together benefitting from more than $100,000 in donations from the Veterans United Foundation. Daly is the recipient of a grant in the amount of $58,084 for playground improvements, and FACT received $40,000 to build a stage and pay for other building upgrades.

The grants were funded by a $10 million campaign by the Veterans United Foundation to benefit nonprofit organizations. Nearly 100 organizations have been awarded funds.

The funding is in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Veterans United Home Loans, which is headquartered in Columbia. A majority of the charitable organizations are located within the mid‐Missouri area, with others located throughout the country near the 30 Veterans United Home Loans branch locations. More than $8 million of the funds are going to mid‐Missouri organizations.

Funds were donated to organizations where VU employees reside. Several of those employed in Columbia live in Fayette. The grant application for Daly Elementary was prepared by the Parent Teacher Student Association and submitted by PTSA officer and VU employee Emily Bange. Veterans United employees then voted on which proposals will be funded.

Bange is Vice President of PTSA, as well as an employee of Veterans United Home Loans and is treasurer of the Veterans United Foundation. “This donation is near and dear to my heart,” she said.

The Daly PTSA has bought individual pieces of playground equipment over the years. This funding will allow for a much larger piece of equipment to be added. 

The announcement of the donation to Daly was made by principal Cheri Huster at the most recent meeting of the school district’s Board of Education on Wednesday, November 17. 

“Luckily we do have quite a few people around the Fayette area (who work for Veterans United),” Huster told the board. “They were talking and communicating so it got the right amount of votes.”

To be considered, each nomination had to be a 501c(3) organization located within one hour of the employee’s home or office, and any financial support had to go toward a specific impactful project in the planning stages, or on a long‐term wish list – and not to go to general operating costs.

“We often assist organizations throughout the year to fund aspects of regular programming,” said Erika Pryor, Veterans United Foundation Manager. “With this celebration of our history, we saw an opportunity to jumpstart these projects that will provide a tangible difference in our communities for generations to come.”

Support is going to organizations in categories that include veteran support, education and youth services, emergency relief and recovery, home ownership and adapted housing, mental health treatment and awareness, and social impact organizations, among others.

Huster explained that the main addition of the new playground equipment will be one large piece that could inlcude as many as four slides. The playground will also benefit from eight new swings and a tether ball. Repairs to other playground equipment will be made as well.

“It’s so, so exciting,” Huster said. “We’ve worked for years to add pieces (to the playground). We’re getting another large piece of equipment.” 

The additional equipment will allow for more time on the playground as children from several grade levels will be able to use the playground at the same time. “When you’re talking about getting preschool through fifth grade out, and having time on the playground, our time is limited. By opening that up we can have multiple recesses and kids having those gross motor skills at the same time,” Huster told the board.

Huster said the new equipment will be ordered soon, but it is not known when it will arrive. 

A check presentation was made Sunday afternoon for FACT. The long-standing community theater will eventually move into its own building on South Main Street. The building, which has for years been an eyesore, is being renovated by its newest owner, Frank Flaspohler. A new cement floor has been poured, walls are undergoing tuckpointing, and a stage will be built. Sheet metal covering the front of the building will be removed, allowing an open-air theater. The back side walls along with the ceiling will remain. 

FACT is currently leasing the building, and will one day own it.

The application for the grant from Veterans United was submitted by former FACT president and board member and VU employee, Josh Kirby. Since all VU employees were eligible to vote on the various projects, Kirby solicited help from every employee he could find. “We got it funded before the first day ended,” he said. 

FACT president Bridget Hussey said the organization is anxious to have a performing space. For many years FACT presented summer performances in what was an assembly hall beneath Linn Memorial Methodist Church on the campus of Central Methodist University. That space has since been renovated and is no longer a performance venue. Other performances have taken place at the CMU Little Theatre and the courthouse lawn.

While the new space downtown will not be conducive for large musicals, it will be ideal for FACTs regular improv shows and an upcoming interactive improv performance.

“It’s nice to have a home,” Hussey said. 

FACT has been leasing space next door in the newly renovated Tricky Fish Community Room, also owned by Flaspohler. “He came and said, ‘let’s make this side a performing space,’” Hussey explained. “This is going to be a stage with dressing rooms and storage. It will be three-sided, and then the front will be open.”

The next performance presented by the community theater will be an interactive improv show in February. The musical “Newsies” is next up for FACT’s annual summer performance.