Bikes will be given away, a bike safety class will be held, and a community bike ride will take place in Mountain Lake on April 9 as part of the community’s focus on active living, says Wade Nelson, chairman of the Mountain Lake Area Foundation, an affiliate of Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF).
The local foundation is one of the recipients of a matching challenge grant offered by SWIF that encourages community affiliates to try new local fundraising efforts.
The evening of April 9 the Mountain Lake Area Foundation will also host a dinner at local business Jubilee Fruits and Vegetables, where a raffle and silent auction will be held, Wade says. The funds will be placed in an endowment and will be used to help finance further foundation initiatives, like the bike program, he says.
Though Mountain Lake has held smaller evening events with appetizers, for example, this is the first time they are fundraising using a dinner event, and Wade says he hopes it can become an annual gathering.
SWIF has played a huge role in motivating the foundation and providing expertise over the years, Wade said.
“They are such a great help in even learning about what a foundation is,” and how a foundation can help a small community, he says. “We probably wouldn’t have a foundation here in town if it weren’t for SWIF.”
SWIF community affiliates were invited to apply for competitive challenge grants last fall, with 10 projects selected in December and $42,500 in grants approved. Each winning applicant receives funds after matching the granted amount from SWIF by June 30, 2016, says Jeff Vetsch, SWIF Community Philanthropy Officer.
“The real goal was to encourage the boards to try something new,” to fundraise for the match, Jeff says. “And many of them did.”
The grants themselves, and their respective matches, are geared toward building up the affiliates’ endowments, Jeff said.
“They’re creating something new of real value,” he said. “It brings a new awareness to the work they’re doing in the community, too.”
SWIF affiliates have access to nonprofit administrative support resources, leadership training, and opportunities to network with other volunteers across southwest Minnesota.
“It helps the groups focus on what they can do for their communities and spend less time on filing taxes and doing paperwork,” Jeff says. “It makes life very simple. We want them to succeed.”
Affiliates working on this special match include:
- Balaton Area Community Foundation
- Benson Area Community Foundation
- Clarkfield Area Community Foundation
- Granite Falls Area Community Foundation
- Madison Community Foundation
- Marshall Community Foundation
- Montevideo Area Community Foundation
- Mountain Lake Area Foundation
- Worthington Area Foundation
Visit their GiveMN.org page to find local contact information and support their fundraising efforts!
