The Rotary Club Of The Caldwells Awards
West Caldwell Public Library $12,000

The Rotary Club of the Caldwells (RCC) recently awarded a $12,000 Aldo H. Vandermolen Grant to the West Caldwell Public Library. The grant will fund the creation of a makerspace project at the library.

The West Caldwell Library will incorporate learning and community-based participation by providing the space and tools to help patrons, young and old, come together to create and share resources. This makerspace mentality is mirrored by the Caldwell school system where students participate in STEM classes and activities. One of the main goals of the Maker movement is to transform education. Making is innovative and resourceful, and provides many opportunities to understand difficult concepts.

“The RCC is proud to sponsor the makerspace project and thankful for the opportunity to support the library and the community,” said Tom Cocchiola, spokesperson and chair of the RCC endowment fund.
“We were thrilled to fund such a worthwhile project and are hopeful that it provides benefits for years to come.”

As an equal access place of learning, the library is looking forward to creating spaces in and outside the library to reach all patrons, from toddlers to seniors, with a variety of projects and programs. By creating a makerspace, WCPL hopes to foster play and learning, nurture peer-to-peer training, facilitate informal learning opportunities and help develop a culture of creating. The funds from rotary will be used to purchase computers, 3D printers, technology kits, button makers, sewing machines, and a variety of other makerspace materials.

Library Director Samantha Cordaro McCoy stated, “Community is at the heart of any makerspace and the library has become the “new” community center. We hope to create an environment where the library can help foster learning and creativity through education and access to tools, as well as collaboration. By incorporating the Makerspace into the library we hope to create a transformative experience for all community members. Kids and teens can participate in circuit building or coding projects; young children can learn basic programing using Ozobots; adults can learn how to fix their vacuum by designing and printing the broken component on a 3D printer. It is a very exciting time to be at the library!”

The Aldo H. Vandermolen grants are funded through the Rotary Club of The Caldwells Endowment Fund (RCCEF). Grants are awarded to projects that are approved by the RCC and RCCEF Boards of Directors. Named for Rotarian Aldo Vandermolen, the grant celebrates a man who was an integral part of virtually every activity during his more than 20-years in the club. Aldo is a past president, acknowledged three times as a Rotary Club of The Caldwells Paul Harris Fellow, and a long-standing president of the endowment board.

The mission of the endowment is to provide funding for projects approved and endorsed by the RCC. The endowment was established to serve as a perpetual source of funding for local and international projects.

For more information about the Makerspace project, contact the West Caldwell Public Library reference desk at 973-226-5441 or mccoy@westcaldwell.bccls.org.