2024 Give BIG Lexington at Orthman Community YMCA, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
LEXINGTON — Give BIG Lexington entered its 14th year as a 24-hour giving day on Thursday, Nov. 7 and was joined in partner campaigns by the communities of Cozad, Elwood, Overton and Gothenburg.
The Give BIG Lexington campaign found itself at a new headquarters this year. In the past it had been hosted at the Dawson County Annex Building, where volunteers worked to log in the donations that came in person.
This year, Lexington Community Foundation Executive Director Beth Roberts said the headquarters moved to the Orthman Community YMCA.
The move to the YMCA had several purposes, Roberts said the sheer number of organizations involved in the campaign meant that they were scattered around the community, hosting their own events during the day.
Roberts said the LCF wanted to bring everyone together in the same place, “together as champions of the community.”
The move to the YMCA also helped to expose more people to the event, given the foot traffic in the YMCA.
Volunteers were set up, taking donations that were dropped off in person, and in addition, several of the 83 organizations taking part in Give BIG Lexington this year had set up booths to speak with donors.
This was something that the LCF had picked up from their community partners, as in the past, Cozad and Overton have had their organizations set up to meet with community members at the donation headquarters, in the Elks Club and Overton Family Center, respectively.
Roberts said two new campaigns had joined Give BIG Lexington this year, including the Lexington Volleyball Club and Traffic Stop – Voices Against Human Trafficking.
The Volleyball Club’s mission is to “provide a Lexington-based high-performance volleyball program for youth ages 3rd through 12th grade that fosters a cohesive pathway from elementary to high school,” the Give BIG site noted.
“Traffic Stop started with two friends, Stacey Cahill and Lisa Molina, writing a novel. Once the novel was published, they realized that their work was just beginning. They found that many people were unaware and blown away by the number of children being trafficked in and around Lexington,” the Give BIG site stated.
“This grassroots nonprofit is working towards educating the community by providing prevention techniques to help the public keep their children safer from sexual predators,” the site noted.
In her two years as director, Roberts said Give BIG has evolved for her and sees the awareness brought to the causes just as important as the funds that are donated.
“Since its inception, Lexington Community Foundation has been inspired by the way this fundraising campaign has become a central focus for the community and a model for many others. The profound impact it has had defies measurement,” LCF stated in a press release.
Over in Cozad, Bonnie Hubbard, Cozad Area Community Foundation member was found at the Cozad Elk’s Club along with other volunteers who were taking donations. Booths were also set up for people to meet with the different organizations.
Hubbard said that there were 33 different Cozad causes that were taking part in Give BIG Cozad this year.
One of the big projects that the Cozad Area Community Foundation has been working toward is the Baseball/Softball Complex.
“The Cozad Community Foundation is actively seeking philanthropic donations for a multi-use sports complex for baseball and softball fields located in the City of Cozad,” per the Give BIG Cozad site, “We envision this area as a place to gather, with four fields, a walking trail and a playground this project will provide endless possibilities for Cozad.”
New causes this year included the Cozad Fine Arts Booster Club and the 100th Meridian Museum.
Hubbard echoed what Roberts had said about awareness playing a key role in Give BIG Cozad. She said the foundation had conducted their own awareness campaign on social media to draw attention to all the different organizations within Cozad.
She said that this was the largest number of organizations that would benefit by Give BIG Cozad this year.
Hubbard noted that while Cozad is a smaller community in Dawson County, the people nonetheless donate proportionally high amount to the various causes in the community.
Just down the road in Gothenburg, this was the second year the community had participated in as a partner community.
“With the second annual Give Big Gothenburg event we hope to build upon the spirit of generosity that Gothenburg and the surrounding communities embody,” the Give BIG Gothenburg site stated, “Those who contribute to Give Big Gothenburg will be investing in the betterment of the community for this generation, and for many generations to come.”
This year there were 35 different causes that could be donated to, with some of the leading causes being the YMCA at Gothenburg Health, the Wild Horse Foundation and the Gothenburg Impact Center.
The Pony Express Foundation was the group that helped to put on the second annual Give BIG Gothenburg.
“Founded in 1993, the mission of Pony Express Foundation is to provide support to civic organizations and projects that aim to improve the quality of life for the community of Gothenburg and its residents,” per the foundation.
Down in Gosper County, Give BIG Elwood was being hosted for its fourth year.
Melissa Vinzant, Executive Director of the Elwood Area Foundation, said that there were 33 different causes that were a part of this year.
The two new causes included a proposed pickleball court to be constructed in the local park and Axios in Elwood.
“Axios Workforce & Talent Development is a program focused on assisting area students to develop skills that will help them succeed as the next generation of leaders,” per the Give BIG Elwood website, “The AXIOS Program takes a holistic approach through workforce development, education, faith, and collaboration in preparing this young generation of workforce to be innovative and have an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Vinzant said that new causes help bring in more people and this helps increase awareness about Give BIG Elwood and the different causes they benefit.
“We want people to know about these programs,” Vinzant said.
Vinzant also echoed what others had said about the donations being beneficial to the organizations, but getting the word out, spreading awareness and bringing in more people are other benefits of Give BIG Elwood.
One organization that was fundraising strongly was the Elwood Fire and Rescue Department, which was working to purchase a new ambulance and to equip it.
By early afternoon Thursday, the fire department had the highest amount of donations.
It was noted that the death of Elwood’s Fire Chief Darren Krull, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a massive wildfire in 2022, has bonded the community to its local volunteers.
Overton is another community to has been a partner community with Give BIG Lexington for several years.
“The Overton Area Community Fund is honored to host Give Big Overton this November 7th for the fifth consecutive year. Worthy causes that have benefitted from past Give Big Overton events include youth sports programs, the park, basketball court, greenhouse, cemetery, summer reading programs, early childhood care, fire department, and student computer need,” per the Give BIG Overton site.
This year there were 13 different causes that could be donated through Give BIG Overton. Some of the organizations with the most amounts raised were Micha’s House in Overton, the Overton Little Eagles Learning Center and the Overton Volunteer Fire Department.
“Our vision is to make Overton a proud community and a place for quality living. We want citizens to experience a sense of belonging and provide a welcoming atmosphere,” per the Overton Area Community Foundation.
