FROM LEFT: Cedar Valley Makers board of Directors members Mike Hoffman, Danny Laudick, Taylor Morris, Neal Muzzy, and John Burnett stand in front of the TechWorks building on Westfield Avenue.
PHOTO BY: Tiffany Rushing/Courier Staff Photographer
OUR BEGINNINGS
When John Burnett organized the first maker meetings, many of us were hearing about the maker movement for the first time. Meetings were organized around a maker who was willing to present on one of their projects. It was easy to get excited about what others were making, and we learned from one another adding skills and techniques to our own maker tool box. Often, the limiting factor of what was possible was access to tools. We all had an origin story of our love for making that traced back to our youth. Some also, a renewed appreciation for making because of more recent physical challenges. At the time, it seemed obvious that our community needed a makerspace that would be a center to share, and inspire creativity and innovation.
Fast forward five years: CVM has received major support from the McElroy Foundation, Black Hawk Gaming, the Leighty Foundation, as well as support from area businesses and individual donors. Volunteers have donated time and a lot of effort, leveraging every dime and turning it into at least twice its value. Combined with maker members willing to mentor and answer questions, we now have the space, the equipment, and the knowledge base to facilitate making almost anything.
Fast forward to 2025:
The Cedar Valley Makers launch a Capital Campaign called Campaign for the Future. The floor of TechWorks where the Makerspace is located was bought out, causing our lease to sunsetting in 2025. This fundraising journey marks our chance to imagine, define, and launch the next chapter of the Cedar Valley Makerspace (CVM) in a new location
WHO WE ARE
The Cedar Valley Makers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission to promote collaborative learning, creative design, and manufacturing for people of all ages and all skill levels.
We provide education by giving access to tools, machines, and training inside our makerspace and by promoting and planning educational events that can forward scientific thinking, learning, and entrepreneurial spirit for all members of our community.
Our Fab Lab is available to the community and for educational groups for workshops and is free for students. E-mail info@cedarvalleymakers.org to schedule resources and get the approved access, plan a field trip for your school, or ask about introductory series maker workshops.