DCF Proactive Grant Helps Dearborn County Historical Society with New Tech

In its 25th year of helping donors make a difference, DCF is awarding 15 proactive grants of $1,000 each throughout 2023.

DCF Board member Linda Gellert presents a $1,000 grant to Roger Rimstidt, President of the Dearborn County Historical Society. Photo provided.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF), Inc. recently awarded a $1,000 Proactive Grant to Dearborn County Historical Society to improve technology as the organization moves forward in making information over the Internet more available to the public.

In its 25th year of helping donors make a difference, DCF is awarding 15 proactive grants of $1,000 each throughout 2023 to charitable organizations that serve Dearborn County residents. Each of the Foundation’s 15 volunteer Board members is recommending a grant. The money comes from the Foundation’s Unrestricted Endowment Funds, established by donors to provide flexibility to address changing needs in the community over the years.

DCF Board member Linda Gellert, who recommended the grant, said she discovered the dire need for tech upgrades this past summer after visiting the Vance-Tousey House, Lawrenceburg, which serves as the historical society's headquarters and museum. Gellert was searching for information about her family's Sawdon Ridge farm.

Historical society volunteer Jenny Awad gave her the tour.

"When Jenny and I discussed public access to the collections … she shared her frustrations with the technology available. I could easily see the need for updated technology, and especially for a networked catalog station to share collection information with our community, and with our state historical society and library," said Gellert.

Gellert is knowledgeable about computer databases and was extremely interested in the Historical Society's collections and the accession process, said Awad.

"I explained our database with the hope that in the future we can link all our information to the various archives in the state. Our computer systems were old and could not be updated. With her kind recommendation, the Dearborn County Historical Society was able to purchase two laptop computers," said Awad.

To make a donation to Dearborn County Historical Society, visit dearborncohis@gmail.com, or call 812-537-4075.