T-Mobile Unveils Chelsea District Library as one of the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients

From CDL

On June 15, T-Mobile announced Chelsea District Library (CDL) as one of the 25 recipients of a Hometown Grant to jumpstart vital community development projects. 

At a presentation in the CDL Reading Garden on June 15, T-Mobile presented a $47,400 grant that will go towards Chelsea District Library’s addition of Mobile CDL—a library on wheels that will not only deliver books, but be outfitted with connectivity devices, programs, mobile office solutions, and Wi-Fi to increase accessibility to technology resources within the community. ”Our community is at our strongest when we can come together and make connections” remarked CDL board member Gary Munce. “This grant will help ensure we make meaningful connections within our entire library district.”

The addition of Mobile CDL is in response to the goals set forth in CDL’s 2020–23 Strategic Plan: Facilitating Access. Statistically, library usage increases with geographic proximity to a branch. With a 110 square mile library service district that is largely rural, CDL is more frequently used by City of Chelsea residents than the surrounding townships in the district. A mobile library allows CDL to overcome the geographic distance barrier by bringing library services and materials to the surrounding townships. Additionally, it allows us to serve those with barriers to access including physical or intellectual disabilities, mobility challenges, and lack of technology infrastructure. In response to the prospect of Mobile CDL, Lyndon Township Supervisor, Pam Byrnes remarked:

"The responsibility of the Township is to ensure the health, wellbeing, and safety of its residents. There is no doubt that having the incredible resources of the library more readily available to residents will be an asset in addressing each of these domains. Of particular interest will be the library resources that address digital inclusion. Having access to and learning effective use of information and communication technologies will be essential in helping our residents to help themselves. In this realm, the library can provide digital literacy training, quality technical support, and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency and encourage participation and collaboration."

Chelsea District Library is incredibly grateful for the support of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant to meet our goals of access and community connections. Launched in April 2021, T-Mobile Hometown Grants is a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations who help small towns across America thrive and grow by providing funding to kickstart important new community development projects. Since the program’s start, T-Mobile has given more than $4.4 million dollars to kickstart 100 community development projects across 36 states, including Chelsea. Hometown Grants are provided every quarter to up to 25 towns. Every small town with a population of less than 50,000 people with a vision for how to make their community even stronger than it is today is eligible and encouraged to apply. For full details on how to submit a proposal for Hometown Grants, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.

About Us: Chelsea District Library is a not for profit organization whose mission is to engage, inspire, and equip through evolving services and resources. The Library currently serves 16,126 residents in the Chelsea area including the City of Chelsea plus Dexter, Lima, Lyndon and Sylvan townships. More than 16,000 individuals visit the Library each month. For more information visit chelseadistrictlibrary.org.