An advertised theme of the night was “A meeting of the cows,” the mascots of the fundraising campaign. The two cows could be seen inching closer together through the 100 day duration of the project, and members of the Hometown Action Team (HAT) posed for a photo with them to celebrate reaching the goal. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Members of the Hometown Action Team (HAT), local leaders, and community supporters gathered in Tama Park last week to celebrate a milestone five years in the making: the successful completion of the fundraising campaign for the Safe Routes to School project.

In just over 100 days, the committee raised an impressive $237,000, with nearly 70% of the funds coming from grants and the remaining 30% from local businesses, organizations, and individual donors. Karen Mixdorf, one of the key organizers and the 2025 Tama Citizen of the Year, thanked the many grant providers — including Lincoln Savings Bank, IMT Insurance, the Guernsey Foundation, and the Mansfield Foundation — as well as local contributors and STC alumni who stepped up to help.

Mixdorf shared that storytelling played a major role in the fundraising effort.

“We thought there were two things that would help us raise money: making connections with people, and telling a good story,” she said. “So tonight, we’re going to keep sharing stories — just like we did throughout the campaign.”

Among those stories was a particularly heartfelt moment from Lori Baier, who reflected on her past involvement in an earlier (and ultimately unsuccessful) Safe Routes initiative in 2007.

Community members look on as Tama Mayor Brian Hanus and Karen Mixdorf address the group. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

“I stood up at that council meeting and said, ‘We’d like your support on this — and by golly, in 20 years, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand up here and ask to be on this committee again,'” Baier said.

The crowd laughed, but the message was clear: this was a long time coming.

Shelly Riley, another committee member, shared a piece of her call to action. From the STC Administration building, she had a clear view of students navigating traffic to get to school — and it was not a comforting sight.

“Karen and I did some informal surveys, just watching,” Riley said. “We saw kids wait and wait and wait for a break in traffic. And then all of a sudden — they’d just run. That scared the jeepers out of me.”

The Safe Routes to School project aims to make walking and biking safer for students and residents in the Tama-Toledo area. Construction is expected to go to bid in spring 2026, with completion targeted for 2027.

The evening wrapped up with music, cookies, ice cream — and, fittingly for this crowd, a few cucumbers.

“You are now part of the story of this project,” Mixdorf told attendees. “And we can’t thank you enough.”