FROM COPPER TO CURLING
The story
If Pinterest existed in 1885, everyone would have had a copper inspiration board.
At the height of the copper mining era, the metal was everywhere; most notably, the Statue of Liberty making her way to New York Harbor would stand as a beacon for freedom in all her copper glory.
About 1,100 miles away, tucked near the northernmost point of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Calumet Drill Shop was built to forge drilling equipment for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. A symbol of the Industrial Revolution, the stalwart shop debuted as a vital contributor to Michigan’s copper mining industry. It operated for 83 years, until the last of the local copper mines closed in 1968.
The building sat empty for nearly 40 years, and by the turn of the 21st century it was badly in need of repair. Calumet Township purchased the Drill Shop and began taking necessary steps to preserve it. In 2005, the Copper Country Curling Club moved into a section of the building and installed two curling rinks for limited seasonal use. But curling is a year-round activity in the U.P.
Enter Public Spaces, Community Places.
“Crowdfunding had a tremendous impact on our ability to raise the necessary funds and to reach our goal,” said Gary Lassila, curling club president and crowdfunding project lead. “I have no doubt that we would not have been able to reach our goal without crowdfunding.”
Steps to success
Lassila credits creating a good, short video that appeals to potential donors’ emotions as one of the keys to a project’s success.
He also emphasizes that preparation and planning are critically important.
“The project management team should expect a lot of hard work and long hours to make the project successful,” he said. And that team should be made up of dependable people.
But all that work is worth it.
“The Drill Shop project was a complete, unmitigated success,” Lassila said. “If I were to do it all over again, though, I’d definitely delegate more of the tasks that I did to other people.”
The lessons
Through the crowdfunding process, Lassila and his team learned just how incredibly supportive and giving people were. And not just the folks he knew.
“While I recognized around a third of the donor names, there were so many donors I did not know,” he said. “I was amazed that these people gave to our project even though they had no connection to the area and will probably never see the Drill Shop itself. It was because of crowdfunding that these people were able to support our project.”
The moral? Make sure you’re casting a net beyond what you think you’re fishing for.
Lassila also acknowledges that options are pretty limited in small and rural areas like Calumet, especially regions that have very few large corporations and wealth to help with community projects.
“Without crowdfunding, these projects could not reach the levels of success they have,” he said.
The impact
The Drill Shop has become a gathering place for hockey teams, high school athletes, Little League and softball players, horseshoe fans and more. And it’s spawned a new generation of curling enthusiasts!
Lassila has just one regret about the project.
“I would have liked the chance to shake everyone’s hand and thank them in person.”