Crowdfunding campaign launched for the ‘Croswell Ice Rink’ project

$5,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – The city of Croswell will gain a new ice rink and amenities at North Swinging Bridge Park through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and city of Croswell announced today. The campaign is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $5,000 by November 27, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/ice.

“Michiganders love any opportunity to embrace winter recreation and enjoy the outdoors in our cold months, and this new ice rink will provide hours of winter fun for the entire community,” said MEDC Executive Vice President of Economic Development Incentives Michele Wildman. “We are pleased to support and provide resources for this project through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

It's been years since there has been a viable ice rink in Croswell, and it has been missed. The Croswell Parks & Recreation Committee is bringing the tradition back to a new and improved location at Riverbend Park North near the splashpad. This addition to the local park system will provide a protected, natural ice location for people of all ages to enjoy our Michigan winters.

“The Parks and Recreation Committee of Croswell has been considering the purchase of an ice rink for years. With the help of the MEDC's Public Spaces Community Places grant, we will make it a reality,” said Marty Rheaume, president of the Croswell Parks and Recreation Committee. “We're looking forward to gathering community support in pursuit of our fundraising goal.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“The Michigan Municipal League is a strong believer in the importance of building community wealth,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the League. “This new ice rink will have a positive impact on the Croswell community for generations to come. This is what community wealth building is all about.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of Sept. 30, 2022, MEDC has provided more than $10.7 million in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 328 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with $12.3 million raised from 58,468 individual donors. Communities have a 97 percent success rate in achieving their goals and earning our matching funds.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.