GoodGiving Challenge involves several local organizations 

Published 6:53 pm Monday, December 2, 2019

 

Tis the season for the Blue Grass Community Foundation’s week-long GoodGiving Challenge fund-raising event, which includes six Boyle County non-profit organizations this year.

The Foundation strives to build endowments, and believes they are investments in the community’s future, according to its website. “They are the best way to ensure a nonprofit’s sustainability since they provide yearly operating dollars in perpetuity. That’s why Blue Grass Community Foundation is offering endowment prizes to nonprofits participating in the 2019 Challenge. We will also offer other exciting prizes and matching pools throughout the seven fun-filled days of the Challenge.”

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The GoodGiving Challenge is Central and Appalachia Kentucky’s premier online giving event which has raised $10 million for local nonprofits since 2011. It strives to connect donors with nonprofits and causes they care about while building a spirit of philanthropy,” according to the website. 

The Challenge will be open for donations at BGgives.org, for one week from 9 a.m. Dec. 3 to 11:59 p.m, Dec. 9. The minimum donation for the GoodGiving Challenge is $10 but there is no maximum donation limit.

Local organizations participating in the Challenge are the Art Center of the Bluegrass, CASA of the Bluegrass, Camp Horsn’ Around, Family Services Association, KY Adap and Wilderness Trace Child Development Center.

 

About the Challenge participants

 

  • Art Center of the Bluegrass: This year the Art Center has set a goal of raising $10,000 through the GoodGiving Challenge in support of free art programs. More than two-thirds of the center’s visitors come for free art programming, according to Kate Snyder,

“We think it’s really important to make art as accessible to as many people as we can. That’s also why we facilitate free field trips for more than 1,000 children each year and maintain a robust scholarship fund to underwrite the cost of classes and camps for families experiencing financial hardship.”

 

  • CASA of the Bluegrass: Court Appointed Specials Advocates uses volunteers to represent children who have entered the Family Court System as a result of abuse and/or neglect. CASA director Laura Guerrant said this year they hope to raise $15,000 through the GoodGiving Challenge. They advocate for the best interest of children by completing investigations of the child’s situation and making recommendations concerning the child’s needs and future. “We are going to use these funds to continue to train community members to become CASA volunteers. We are also going to continue to expand our initiative to offer additional continuing education to existing CASA volunteers and offer educational opportunities concerning issues of child abuse and neglect to the community at large. These funds will serve additional child victims and allow us to continue to serve the child victims who currently receive our services.”

 

  • Camp Horsn’ Around: Camp Horsin’ Around’s mission is to provide an outdoor camp adventure for children whose health is compromised or who have special needs. “Every GoodGiving gift to Camp Horsin’ Around helps us build a new accessible climbing tower and other camp improvements,” said CHA Executive Director Julie McAllister. “GGC dollars raised will directly fund camper activity areas and gear for the 2020 summe season, so this event really makes a difference for our health-comprised and special needs campers.”

The 191-acre facility in Boyle and Mercer counties includes five cabins, a dining hall, medical clinic and open-air pavilions. The activity areas include a pond for boating and fishing, a swinging bridge over the Chaplin River, a swimming pool, basketball court, rock climbing wall, low ropes challenge course and archery range.

 

  • Family Services Association: FSA provides short term financial assistance to struggling families in Boyle County who are experiencing a temporary financial emergency, while helping them identify other programs and services that can contribute to their financial stability. This year’s goal is to raise at least $8,000 according to FSA case worker Debbie Hardin. “We would love to see a higher number because our need is so great but we also understand that this seems to be a hard time for many and not just our clients. The definition of ‘poor’ in the term ‘working poor’ seems to be changing with the cost of so many necessities and utilities increasing.” Hardin said, “The GoodGiving Challenge is important to Family Services Association because it is a major fundraiser and any donation is matched at 50% through the Hudson Ellis Fund. Because of these funds last year, FSA did not run out of money to assist clients any month — a very good thing. We are going to need every penny this year to continue to meet the needs of Boyle Countians.”

 

  • KYAdapt: KYAdapt is the only organization in the state that solely serves the deaf and hard of hearing adults with other disabilities. KYAdapt board member Pat Bruce said this year the organization hopes to raise $20,000 through the Challenge event. “We want them to develop as many independent living skills as they can. This requires a lot of repetition of skills, teaching them again and again by different methods and different teachers. The funds we receive during the GoodGiving Challenge will go toward providing these classes and supports.”

The staff and volunteers communicate with the clients in their preferred language (American Sign Language) so that they can fully understand — and help clients achieve — services they need and personal goals they set. KYAdapt also provides clients with ASL interpreters as needed and offers community sign language classes to groups interested in learning ASL.

 

  • Wilderness Trace Child Development Center: WTCDC provides early intervention for children with diverse abilities to reach their full potential. This year’s goal is to raise $35,000 for the organization’s endowment and building maintenance, said Assistant Director Tonya Darnell. WTCDC also is raising money to update its playground, Darnell said.

Children ages birth/five years old participate in preschool and therapy to create skills many people often take for granted, for example, swallowing, standing, and speaking.