Twelve area nonprofit organizations in southwest North Dakota are ready for their Annual “Giving Hearts Day” fundraising efforts. Giving Hearts Day is a 24-hour online fundraiser for over 575 nonprofits in North Dakota and Western Minnesota. All the excitement takes place the second Thursday of February – this year it happens on Thursday, February 9th!
Giving Hearts Day began in 2008, when the Dakota Medical Foundation and Alex Stern Family Foundation saw a need to foster educational growth for nonprofit organizations in our area. The Impact Foundation was then formed to help nonprofit organizations promote their campaigns online, network with other nonprofits and attend regular coaching sessions by trained fundraising professionals. Historically, Giving Hearts Day has raised over $138 Million the last fifteen years! Last year was the best so far, with over 41,000 donors helping nonprofits raise $26.6 Million!
Twelve area nonprofits are Members of the Impact Foundation and have banded together to share the good news about Giving Hearts Day and the good work that each contributes toward their mission. The twelve area nonprofits in the Southwest North Dakota Giving Hearts Consortium include: West River Health Services Foundation, Sunrise Foundation, Home On The Range, Benedictine Living Community, Badlands Ministries, Camp ReCreation, Best Friends Mentoring, Assumption Abbey, USpireND, Dickinson Public Library Foundation, Jacobson Memorial Hospital Foundation and Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates.
West River Health Services Foundation provides fundraising and development services for West River Health Services and Western Horizons Living Centers in Hettinger, Bowman, Mott, New England, Scranton and Lemmon, SD. This year for Giving Hearts day they are raising funds for their “Healthcare Heroes Endowment Fund,” where the interest will be utilized for significant academic loans for college upperclassmen pursuing a healthcare degree, signing bonuses for top-priority positions and bonuses for current healthcare heroes. Onward!
Sunrise Foundation provides financial assistance and support to all aspects of healthcare in their service area (Bowman, Slope, Harding and western Adams Counties). Their Giving Hearts Day gifts will be used for assisting all areas of their community healthcare system, including physician recruitment, ambulance services, loan repayments and healthcare scholarships.
Home On The Range offers help and a healing environment for abused or neglected teenage boys and girls. They are located in Sentinel Butte, ND. The donations from Giving Hearts Day this go round will be used for therapeutic and treatment programs.
Benedictine Living Community is a faith-based ministry of senior living caring located in Dickinson. They are guided by their distinct set of core values: hospitality, stewardship, respect and justice. They are committed to providing for the underserved and those in need.
Badlands Ministries is a Christian camp and retreat center operating in the Badlands of ND since 1928. In addition to providing summer camp programs and year-round retreats for youth and adults, they also host many guests for family reunions, weddings and ministry retreats. No child is ever turned away from camp for financial reasons. They welcome all generations to be renewed in Christ and strive to bring faith to life. A donation on Giving Hearts Day is a gift of camp to an area youth when they need it most, many times changing lives.
Camp ReCreation is a summer camp dedicated to serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Located in Richardton, this life-changing experience instills endless quality values in those who participate and volunteer. Giving Hearts Day gifts will help Camp ReCreation touch hearts through fun-filled weeks of learning, loving and living.
Best Friends Mentoring is a nonprofit mentoring program under the supervision of the Western Wellness Foundation. They serve area youth (age 6-16) who would most benefit from an additional source of guidance. Each mentor is a role model who dedicates one hour each week to offer consistent guidance, friendship and encouragement.
Assumption Abbey in Richardton is a place where God, prayer, work, service and community are central. The Benedictines gather to pray five times during the day for those who need prayers. The monastery and grounds are a place of peace, serenity and hope for all who come. Giving Hearts day donations will be utilized for those who need immediate assistance and to enhance the grounds, gardens and lawns.
USpireND’s, Healthy Families of ND program, joins parents on their journey to provide safe and healthy lives for their children. USpireND provides people who will listen to your unique story and support you on your parenting journey. Funds from Giving Hearts day help to continue providing these vital services at no cost to families. After all, every family deserves to not just survive, but to thrive.
Dickinson Public Library Foundation believes the public library is a vital resource to the community, as well as offering the opportunity to preserve its past, empower its citizens and inspire its future. Gifts from Giving Hearts Day will be used to further this mission.
Jacobson Memorial Hospital Foundation supports Jacobsen Memorial Hospital Care Center and its clinics in Elgin, Glen Ullin and Richardton in their vital, lifesaving mission. Gifts from Giving Hearts Day will be used to construct a covered outside emergency entrance to the hospital and begin emergency room renovations.
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates (CHWHA) supports the proper management of the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to ensure that this herd continues to survive and thrive for generations to come. With the Park’s recent announcement to eliminate the entire herd of horses from the park, the CHWHA’s Giving Hearts Day Campaign will be used to help fight for the freedom of all 185 horses currently in the park.
All of these nonprofit organizations in southwestern ND are trying to help their communities in their own unique ways. We hope you will consider a gift of $10 or more to one or more of these nonprofits on Giving Hearts Day. Just go to givingheartsday.org and search for the organization(s) you’d like to support. If you’d like to “schedule a gift” ahead of Giving Hearts Day, you can go to the same website and select “Schedule a Gift” between now and February 9th. Of course, you can always give any time to any nonprofit organization. We are all grateful.
Article for Southwest North Dakota Giving Hearts Day Consortium
By Ted Uecker, WRHS Foundation