Fundraising campaign to benefit four local nonprofits
Security Bank of Cassville recently donated $500 to the Cassville Community Foundation as part of their grant-matching initiative. Pictured above are, from left to right: Jon Horner, Security Bank; Mary Cupps, Cassville Community Foundation; Chelsi Arnold, Security Bank; and Cristie Batsche, Security Bank.
April 13, 2016
Charlea Estes
Four local charities will take part of the Give Ozarks Day on May 3, an initiative of grant matching through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). Four affiliates of the Cassville Community Foundation, PACE, Crowder College, the Cassville YMCA and the Cassville Education Fund, will be participating.
The Cassville Community Foundation works under the umbrella of the CFO as a way to earn more money for the investments of their endowments. Multiple community groups work with the local community foundation to earn more to benefit the Cassville area.
The Give Ozarks Day began last year for the first time. The purpose of it is to have a one-day pledge drive to offer local charities an incentive to help raise money. Throughout the 24-hour period, grant matching and additional prizes are available. During the campaign, charities can earn additional money provided by CFO sponsors.
In 2015, 150 charities participated in the event and together they raised more than $1 million. Sponsors of the event provided $200,000 in prizes and matching incentives.
Since the event was so successful last year, the pledge drive will continue as an annual event. Not only are charities given the opportunity for matching grants, but it also gives them an additional push to get their local community involved.
Minimum donations during the pledge drive are $5. Cassville Community Foundation president Landon Fletcher said, “Ideally, we want people to donate $20 and split their donation $5 between each of them. Or if they want to donate $10 and split it between two of them, they can do that. Plus they can always give more.”
PACE supports a variety of local fundraising efforts for organizations that have not yet obtained their nonprofit status. PACE owns the Cassville Chamber of Commerce building and the Rotary Club rodeo grounds, which they lease to the respective organizations for $1 per year. PACE also sponsors the Christmas light maintenance downtown, the Cassville wrestling team and others. Through PACE, individuals and businesses can make donations to area groups and use it the donation as a tax write-off.
Crowder College is using the funds from Give Ozarks Day for specific projects.
Crowder will be using the funds to sponsor two projects. The main project will be to create a new classroom, which director Angela Seymour described as a flipped classroom. To create the classroom atmosphere, the college will purchase round tables and computer screens to place along each of the walls.
Seymour said, “The old way of doing things is you would have a teacher lecture and then the students would do their homework. Now, it’s the opposite where the students do their book work and studying on their own and then come together to do various scenarios and learn collaboratively.”
Seymour said that it is used primarily in the nursing program, but that it can be used in other learning experiences as well. She said, “It flips the way the education is handled and allows the students to do the research on their won and then have discussions and problem solve together.
“I’ve wanted to do this project for four or five years, so I’m really excited.”
Teachers use the screens to put up PowerPoints or talking points and then the students work together to solve the problems or discuss the scenarios together.
With whatever additional funds they have, the college will buy additional equipment for the science department. Seymour said, “A lot of the equipment we have is pretty old, so we’ll do upgrades and repair some of the old stuff. We’ve added a lot of science classes since we began, so we need to do that to keep up.” Equipment will include a microscope camera and new digital scales.
In addition to Give Ozarks Day, the Cassville Education Fund was also selected to be one of the 20 organizations that were offered up to a $5,000 grand fund match. Of the 60 organizations that applied to be a part of the program, the Education Fund was one of them. Currently, they have raised $4,500 of their $5,000 goal. The first event that aided their goal as Trivia Night, which raised $1,200 plus an additional $900 in donations. Other organizations like the Cassville Community Teachers Association and Security bank have also donated to help them reach their goal to get an additional $5,000 from CFO.
Fletcher said, “The community response has been fantastic.”
Give Ozarks Day will seek donations through a crowdfunding site called causemomentum.org on Tuesday, May 3, from midnight to midnight. If you want to give but do not want to do so online, you can drop off the donations at the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce. Additional prizes for the groups will be based on online donations. More information will be available closer to the event.
The Cassville Community Foundation Board is Fletcher, Brittany Farris, Mary Cupps, Angela Seymour, Dan Angel, Dennis Baker, Gary Fields, Jerry Marple, Mike McCracken and Susie Jacobs.
For more information, contact any of the board members or call Fletcher at (417) 847-6623.
Charlea Estes
Four local charities will take part of the Give Ozarks Day on May 3, an initiative of grant matching through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). Four affiliates of the Cassville Community Foundation, PACE, Crowder College, the Cassville YMCA and the Cassville Education Fund, will be participating.
The Cassville Community Foundation works under the umbrella of the CFO as a way to earn more money for the investments of their endowments. Multiple community groups work with the local community foundation to earn more to benefit the Cassville area.
The Give Ozarks Day began last year for the first time. The purpose of it is to have a one-day pledge drive to offer local charities an incentive to help raise money. Throughout the 24-hour period, grant matching and additional prizes are available. During the campaign, charities can earn additional money provided by CFO sponsors.
In 2015, 150 charities participated in the event and together they raised more than $1 million. Sponsors of the event provided $200,000 in prizes and matching incentives.
Since the event was so successful last year, the pledge drive will continue as an annual event. Not only are charities given the opportunity for matching grants, but it also gives them an additional push to get their local community involved.
Minimum donations during the pledge drive are $5. Cassville Community Foundation president Landon Fletcher said, “Ideally, we want people to donate $20 and split their donation $5 between each of them. Or if they want to donate $10 and split it between two of them, they can do that. Plus they can always give more.”
PACE supports a variety of local fundraising efforts for organizations that have not yet obtained their nonprofit status. PACE owns the Cassville Chamber of Commerce building and the Rotary Club rodeo grounds, which they lease to the respective organizations for $1 per year. PACE also sponsors the Christmas light maintenance downtown, the Cassville wrestling team and others. Through PACE, individuals and businesses can make donations to area groups and use it the donation as a tax write-off.
Crowder College is using the funds from Give Ozarks Day for specific projects.
Crowder will be using the funds to sponsor two projects. The main project will be to create a new classroom, which director Angela Seymour described as a flipped classroom. To create the classroom atmosphere, the college will purchase round tables and computer screens to place along each of the walls.
Seymour said, “The old way of doing things is you would have a teacher lecture and then the students would do their homework. Now, it’s the opposite where the students do their book work and studying on their own and then come together to do various scenarios and learn collaboratively.”
Seymour said that it is used primarily in the nursing program, but that it can be used in other learning experiences as well. She said, “It flips the way the education is handled and allows the students to do the research on their won and then have discussions and problem solve together.
“I’ve wanted to do this project for four or five years, so I’m really excited.”
Teachers use the screens to put up PowerPoints or talking points and then the students work together to solve the problems or discuss the scenarios together.
With whatever additional funds they have, the college will buy additional equipment for the science department. Seymour said, “A lot of the equipment we have is pretty old, so we’ll do upgrades and repair some of the old stuff. We’ve added a lot of science classes since we began, so we need to do that to keep up.” Equipment will include a microscope camera and new digital scales.
In addition to Give Ozarks Day, the Cassville Education Fund was also selected to be one of the 20 organizations that were offered up to a $5,000 grand fund match. Of the 60 organizations that applied to be a part of the program, the Education Fund was one of them. Currently, they have raised $4,500 of their $5,000 goal. The first event that aided their goal as Trivia Night, which raised $1,200 plus an additional $900 in donations. Other organizations like the Cassville Community Teachers Association and Security bank have also donated to help them reach their goal to get an additional $5,000 from CFO.
Fletcher said, “The community response has been fantastic.”
Give Ozarks Day will seek donations through a crowdfunding site called causemomentum.org on Tuesday, May 3, from midnight to midnight. If you want to give but do not want to do so online, you can drop off the donations at the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce. Additional prizes for the groups will be based on online donations. More information will be available closer to the event.
The Cassville Community Foundation Board is Fletcher, Brittany Farris, Mary Cupps, Angela Seymour, Dan Angel, Dennis Baker, Gary Fields, Jerry Marple, Mike McCracken and Susie Jacobs.
For more information, contact any of the board members or call Fletcher at (417) 847-6623.
