Community Chest receives $350,000

Virginia City's Community Chest Inc. will receive $350,000 in the new federal spending bill approved by Congress on Thursday.

Shaun Griffin, chest executive director, said the funding caps off a 10-year effort to get a community center.

"We've been working on this for more than 10 years," he said. "It is a huge win for the community and all the residents."

The money will help secure a site for the public health nurse, community day-care center and after-school activities for children, according to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid said he included more than $4 million for health-care programs as part of a massive spending bill that passed the U.S. Senate.

Virginia City residents routinely meet at the senior center or in schools when they have special events.

"We haven't had a public gathering place in this community for some time," Griffin said. "Part of this is going to be a gathering place for young people, which is something we need."

The money will help start work on the community center, which will be located next to the pool on the old tennis courts.

"We are hoping this will enable us to begin a facility and use the money to leverage funds to do even more," he said. "But this is a huge start. We are just elated."

Griffin said two countywide surveys were conducted to determine community needs, and a community center was at the top of the list both times.

"We've written and written to countless foundations," he said. "Senator Reid and his staff have been involved for five years and have been hugely successful."

Also in the funding bill, the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine received $1 million for a biomedical imaging laboratory to renovate existing classrooms and laboratories

Nevada Rural Health Partners telemedicine program in Reno received $500,000 to improve telemedicine to rural Nevada communities.

Another $100,000 was included for the Lance Armstrong Foundation to work with Families in Search of the Truth in Fallon. The money will bring experts who will work and train with medical professionals and educators about issues associated with surviving cancer.

Contact Kurt Hildebrand at hildebrand@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.