LEXINGTON — If it is fall in Lexington, that means the Give BIG Lexington campaign is just around the corner. The Lexington Community Foundation is gearing up for its 13th annual event.
The communities of Cozad, Elwood, Overton and now newly added Gothenburg have partnered with the campaign.
Give BIG Lexington
Give BIG Lexington is a fundraising event which has now been occurring for 12 years, the event culminates this year on Thursday, Nov. 9 with a 24-hour public giving campaign. The event is organized by the Lexington Community Foundation (LCF).
“Since this fundraising campaign started, Lexington Community Foundation has been amazed by the community focal point and example it has set for other communities around the nation. The impact is impossible to quantify,” the Lexington Community Foundation (LCF) stated.
Beth Roberts, the new LCF Director, is preparing for her first ever Give BIG event.
Roberts said there has been an excited energy running through the LCF and her personally, this comes from the people who are already coming in and dropping off donations, to the kind notes and words that have been offered.
“Lexington is a community that cares, it inspires people that much more,” Roberts said.
In 2020, the initiative was expanded to include Give Big Cozad, Give Big Elwood, and Give Big Overton.
Roberts said as these communities enter their fourth year of participation, they are focused on what inspires donors and how best to get the message out about their causes.
This year a new community, Gothenburg, has partnered with the LCF for the Give BIG event.
Roberts said Gothenburg approached the LCF to become a partner after seeing what the other area communities had been able to do over the past three years.
She said Gothenburg was interested in highlighting their different causes and organizations and Give BIG was the perfect way to do so.
The theme this year is “Woven Through Community,” and this is fully on display as the towns of Dawson and Gosper counties partner together through this event, Roberts said.
LCF provides a $50,000 match incentive, random prizes and covers all fees associated with GBL. The designated causes receive 100% of donations plus their portion of match funding and prizes. Donors maximize their donation impact by giving during Give BIG Lexington.
There are 80 local Lexington area nonprofits featured on the giving day platform.
Brand new causes added this year include the Lexington UNIFUT Soccer Club, the El Camino leadership group and the Dawson County Sheriff’s drone team.
The website is www.givebiglexington.org is live and donations can be scheduled anytime now through midnight on Nov. 9 to qualify for match and prizes.
There are multiple ways to participate in Give BIG Lexington 2023:
Give online at: givebiglexington.org
Mail or drop off your donation to Lexington Community Foundation, PO Box 422 / 607 N. Washington St., Lexington, NE 68850 (must be postmarked before Nov. 9, 2022, to qualify for matching funds)
Bring your donations to Give BIG Headquarters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Dawson County Annex building – 201 W. 7th St on Nov. 9.
A free-will donation hot dog lunch will be catered by the Lexington Rotary Club at the Give BIG Lexington headquarters. Donors are welcome to grab a quick bite to eat when making their donation in-person.
For those unable to stop by the Annex Building, the Runza of Lexington is donating 10 percent of their sales on Nov. 9 to Give BIG Lexington.
The annual Lexington Ministerial Association Clerical Soup and Chili Cook-off will be held Nov. 9 in the First United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall as part of the festivities surrounding Give BIG Lexington.
“The Best Soup and Best Chili trophy will be awarded to whoever gets the most donations. All proceeds go to support the Lexington Ministerial Association Benevolence Fund that helps the entire Lexington community,” per the Lexington Ministerial Association.
Call the Foundation office number 308-324-6704 for help with invoiced donations or if you are having trouble with credit card donations on the Give BIG website.
Give BIG Cozad
Give BIG Cozad is presented by Cozad Community Foundation in conjunction with the Lexington Community Foundation and is powered by Mighty Cause, a year-round online giving website.
“The mission of Cozad Community Foundation is to help individuals, businesses and organizations make charitable contributions that will enhance and promote the quality of life in the Cozad community now and for generations to come,” the Give BIG Cozad page states.
“In 2022 the CCF in conjunction with the various causes raised over $100,000 dollars to benefit the community during Give Big Cozad. We have continued to increase charitable donations year over year since 2020 for our many great causes in the Cozad Community,” Give BIG Cozad stated.
This year there are 33 different causes that can be donated to through the Give BIG Cozad campaign.
Bonnie Hubbard, with the CCF, said that there are two new causes that have joined Give BIG Cozad this year, the Cozad Elementary Parent Organization and Cozad Volunteer Fire and Rescue.
In the fourth year of their campaign, Hubbard said they are focusing on raising funds for the Cozad Baseball/Softball Complex.
The project has been in the works for several years, with the CCF helping to purchase 19 acres for the facility in 2020. The goal is to eventually raise $1.5 million for the facility.
“With our fourth Give Big Cozad event we hope to further impact the area of Cozad for generations to come. We would like to thank Lexington Community Foundation for allowing us to use the knowledge of ten years of Give Big Lexington to help enhance the local nonprofits of the Cozad area,” stated Give BIG Cozad.
Give BIG Cozad’s headquarters will be located at the Elks Club, 820 J St., from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hubbard said, similar to past years, representatives of the different causes will be on hand to meet with donors and share information and their mission.
There will be a donor celebration from 5-7 p.m. at the Elks Club.
There are several ways to participate in Give BIG Cozad
Give online at givebiglexington.org/event/Cozad23
Mail your donation by Nov. 10 to Cozad Community Foundation, PO Box 214 Cozad, NE 69130.
Stop by Give BIG Cozad headquarters on Nov. 10 Cozad Elks Club – 820 J Street, Cozad from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Give BIG Elwood
Give BIG Elwood is presented by the Elwood Area Foundation (EAF), their mission is to encourage, enhance and provide opportunities for charitable giving, and to manage and distribute the funds in a responsible manner to strengthen the Elwood area community and benefit the future generations of our community, according to the Elwood Area Foundation (EAF).
This is Elwood’s third year participating in Give BIG and Melissa Vinzant, Executive Director of the EAF. Give BIG Elwood has continued to add causes, from 19 in 2021, to 30 in 2022 and now 34 this year.
Some of the new causes this year include the Beef in Schools program, the Elwood Community Sign and the Johnson Lake Carp Removal group has joined Give BIG Elwood after being partnered with Lexington for the past several years.
Vinzant said they are focused on doing what they have done over the past three years, getting the word out about the different causes to help raise awareness and attract new donors.
The EAF has been showcasing the different causes on their social media pages, leading up to Give BIG day on Nov. 9.
The Give BIG Elwood headquarters will be hosted at the Elwood Area Foundation office, 314 Smith Ave. They will be accepting donations in person from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Later there will be the “Great Elwood Chili Cook-Off,” from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Elwood Civic Center. Prizes will be awarded for the best chili, best soup and best presentation, awards will be announced at 6:45 p.m.
Vinzant said cookoff was hosted for the first-time last year and it proved so popular with so many people in attendance, that they knew they had to host it again this year.
“Those who contribute to Give Big Elwood will invest in advancing the missions of our local nonprofits, expanding the impact of our programs; and moving our projects forward to completion,” per the Give BIG Elwood site.
“It is with deepest thanks that we are using the knowledge provided by the Lexington Community Foundation from their great success with so many years of Give Big Lexington, to carry out this event for the Elwood Area,” per the Give BIG Elwood page.
Give BIG Overton
Give BIG Overton is presented by the Overton Area Community Foundation (OACF), a group of volunteers committed to the future of Overton.
“OACF envisions a future where citizens from all walks of life experience a sense of belonging, youth and future leaders are nurtured, locally owned businesses thrive, and a variety of recreational activities are available to all who call Overton home,” per the Give BIG Overton page.
“Through generous donations, OACF has already made significant investments in Overton including youth sports programs, a local park, a basketball court, a new greenhouse, efforts to bridge the learning gap, and various events and gatherings that instill a sense of pride in the community,” the Give BIG page stated.
There are 11 different causes that can be donated through Give BIG Overton.
Eric Ryan, a member of the OACF, said that the new cause added this year is purchasing four new instruments for the Overton High School Band, their goal is $2,500.
Evan Neben, Instrumental Music teacher at Overton Public School said he does not want money to be a barrier to a student participating in band and having a number of school-owned instruments will help with this.
The Overton High School band earned their first superior rating in several years at the Minden Bandfest event earlier this month.
Ryan said in three years, $50,000 has been raised for the Overton causes. He said in their fourth year they are continuing to work with these causes that continue to benefit the Overton community.
“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,” Give BIG Overton stated.
Residents are invited to the Overton Family Center from 4-7 p.m. for a soup supper provided by the Overton FAA and FCCLA students. Bingo will be hosted from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Give BIG Gothenburg
The new Give BIG Gothenburg campaign is being presented by the Pony Express Foundation.
“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 Give BIG Gothenburg page.
“With the first annual Give Big Gothenburg event we hope to build upon the spirit of generosity that Gothenburg and the surrounding communities embody. We would also like to sincerely thank the Lexington Community Foundation for allowing us to leverage their knowledge and experience of over a decade’s worth of Give Big Lexington to help further the missions of Gothenburg’s charitable organization,” per Give BIG Gothenburg.
For this first year, there are 21 different causes, some of which include the YMCA at Gothenburg Health, the Wild Horse Foundation, the Berg, Gothenburg Volunteer Fire Department, Gothenburg Senior Center, Gothenburg Public Schools Foundation, Gothenburg Fireworks Fund, Gothenburg Baseball Inc., etc.
Will Rahjes, President of the Pony Express Foundation, said the board had been discussing the opportunity to partner with Give BIG and have seen the success that the LCF and the other partner communities have had through the campaign.
As Gothenburg was a Dawson County community that had not yet partnered with Give BIG, Rahjes said this year was as good of a time as any, adding that only good can come of the collaboration.
When selecting the different causes to benefit through the first year of Give BIG Gothenburg, Rahjes said the board looked at who is making a charitable impact in the community and hope to use this event as a way, not only to garner donations, but raise awareness about the different organizations in Gothenburg who are making a difference.
The tentative plan is to host the Give BIG Gothenburg headquarters at the YMCA at Gothenburg Health during business hours so people can come in and drop off their physical donations.
