Donors Gave Over $300,000 to Area Non-Profits This Month

by David Croyle

The Armstrong County Day of Giving committee released information this week on the success of the campaign that matches a percentage of donations to local charities.

YMCA Interim CEO Bethany Riggle said she will be meeting with non-profit groups that had signed up to participate during the evening of May 31 at the YMCA to review the figures for each organization.

“The total that was raised to be eligible for match funds is $332,118. Out of our match funds right now, we have over $31,000 and we are still looking to add to that total. We have asked a couple more individuals and businesses in the area if they would like to step up and participate and be a match partner.”

Last year, the Armstrong County Community Foundation, the organization that previously conducted the fund drive, pulled its participation. The YMCA stepped up with volunteers and NexTier Bank agreed to be the depository for the collections on May 12.

“The Y had approached NexTier when we thought about taking on the Day of Giving, and asked them if they would like to partner with us to continue the Day,” Riggle said. “The Y pretty much took care of getting all the non-profits registered and the bank was our ‘safe place’ because we could not have the funds being run through the YMCA considering we are a non-profit as well, where as the Community Foundation (in the past) was able to have those funds run through them. So NexTier stepped up and said ‘Yes, we can be that place where all the funds can be sent’ and they would help us track everything.”

Riggle said NexTier Bank turned their lobby into a collection center for the Day of Giving.

“The NexTier lobby was decorated. They had signs up. They did a great job of listing all the non-profits so when people came in, if they didn’t know anything about it, we were able to give them some literature on it (and solicit for contributions). There were quite a few people that came in that day that sat down and wrote out checks to different organizations there. It was a really nice collaboration working with NexTier and we are looking forward to doing it again next year.”

Local NexTier Bank Representative Natalie Cotherman said the committee hopes to get a head-start of next year’s campaign to give donors more time to prepare.

“We’re hopefully going to take a couple of months off and kinda give us a rest. Bethany and Kathy (Booher) have worked really hard to form this group. There was some talk and consideration to start by the end of the year to hopefully get a little more time in advance than (we did as of) February of this year.”

NexTier Bank Corporate Executive Secretary Melissa Schaeffer was overwhelmed by the community support.

“We would like to thank the community for their efforts. Without them, this would not have been successful - both the people who came in to support the non-profits and match partners.”

The non-profit organizations will get a percentage of the match funds depending on the amount that was raised for the specific organization.

“Somebody who raised $1,000 is going to receive more of the match funds than someone who raised $100. But they both receive the same percentage.”

The committee would not give specific totals for each organization, but did say that the largest amount of money was raised for Grace Christian School in West Kittanning.

The organizations included: ACMH Foundation (Healthy Armstrong), ARDC, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Apollo Memorial Library, ARC Manor, Armstrong Community Theater, Armstrong County Community Action, Armstrong County Museum, Armstrong Habitat for Humanity, Armstrong Rail to Trails, Arts on the Allegheny, Biblical Life Institute, Blessings in a Backpack, Blind Associations, Brandon’s Dad, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Crooked Creek, DBA-VNA, Divine Redeemer, Evangel Heights Christian Academy, Evangelical Lutheran Church School, Evangelical Lutheran Sundaes on Sunday, Ford City Public Library, Ford City Renaissance, Fort Armstrong Folk Festival, Grace Christian School, HAVIN, Kittanning Library, Life Choices, Lifesteps, Market Street Revitalization Project, None Like You, Open Door, Orphans of the Storm, Parker Personal Care Home, Progressive Workshop, Radioactive Events Center, Reagan’s Journey, Redbank Renaissance, Redbank Community Center, Redbank Public Library, Redbank Trails Association, Richard G. Snyder YMCA, Salvation Army, Suicide Prevention Task Force, United Way, and the Worthington-West Franklin Community Library.

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