Drake University Law School has been awarded a $12,500 grant to help update the computer and audiovisual equipment in the Legal Clinic courtroom from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino through its Community Betterment Grant Program.
The improvements will include new courtroom cameras, a recorder and projector for the courtroom, which is located in the Neal and Bea Smith Law Center at 2400 University Ave.
“We are pleased to receive this funding from Prairie Meadows, which will help us replace outdated equipment in our courtroom,” said Jerry Foxhoven, director of the Drake Legal Clinic and the Middleton Center for Children’s Rights. “The courtroom is a key facility for our clinical programs, plus it is often used by Polk County nonprofit agencies and programs at no charge.”
Drake’s Adult Literacy Center also has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Prairie Meadows to start a program that will provide technology-assisted learning designed to help its students acquire computer literacy skills, achieve their educational goals and become more employable and productive.
Officials from the Law School and Adult Literacy Center will accept checks for the two grants at a luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Prairie Meadows Events and Conference Center in Altoona.
Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants are awarded to projects in one of four categories: arts and culture, economic development, education and human services. Since 1996, Prairie Meadows has contributed more than $399 million to promote these areas in Iowa.