Community Foundation helps raise over $350,000 for local nonprofits on Giving Tuesday

ALPENA - It's been a full decade of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan providing a platform for local nonprofits to participate in the global Giving Tuesday movement.

This year, 60 nonprofit organizations participated in CFNEM's Giving Tuesday Northeast Michigan event to raise a grand total of $350,837 on Dec. 3.

The Community Foundation held a special event on Wednesday to announce the final totals, award the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose, and celebrate with participants.

"We know our communities are generous, and the past ten years of hosting this campaign has really been a shining example of our region's giving spirit," CFNEM Executive Director Patrick Heraghty said. "All of our local nonprofits work hard all year long, and the support showed on Giving Tuesday for that work is incredible. Everyone who donated on Giving Tuesday should take pride in knowing they are part of something bigger than themselves and that they have made an impact."

Giving Tuesday follows the widely recognized shopping events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offering a dedicated day for charitable giving as the holiday season kicks off. The hope for this worldwide movement is that people will set aside a few minutes, and perhaps some shopping money, to give back to their community through the charities and causes they support.

Sixty nonprofits from Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, and Presque Isle Counties participated in the event through the Community Foundation and its three affiliate foundations, which provided an online platform, marketing tools, and all recording efforts, free of charge to the participating organizations. Every penny of each donation received went directly to the organization chosen by the donor.

Grant, the Giving Tuesday Golden Goose, which was unveiled in 2017, was presented to Friends of the Hubbard Lake Center for raising the most funds ($38,790) during the 24-hour giving event.

Funds raised on Giving Tuesday will help the organization with the construction and furnishing of the new library and community center in Hubbard Lake. The official groundbreaking took place this past spring and construction is underway.

The top 20 organizations in this year's campaign are as follows:

ORGANIZATION TOTAL RAISED

Friends of the Hubbard Lake Center $38,790

Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan $19,065

Northeast Michigan Women's Giving Circle $17,390

Hope Shores Alliance $13,900

Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse Preservation Society $13,210

West Branch-Rose City Educational Support Partnership $13,025

Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary $12,347

Second Chance Animal Shelter $11,815

Alpena Community College Foundation $10,750

Boys and Girls Club of Alpena $10,420

CFNEM Community Impact Fund $10,360

Friends Together $10,175

Children's Advocacy Center of NE MI $9,880

Thunder Bay Theatre $9,090

Alpena Area Senior Citizens Council, Inc. $8,143

River House, Inc. $6,000

Ogemaw County Historical Museum $5,750

Huron Humane Society $5,549

Ogemaw Hills Free Clinic $5,340

Northern Michigan Children's Assessment Center $5,300

A full list can be found at cfnem.org.

The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Its three affiliate foundations include Iosco County Community Foundation, North Central Michigan Community Foundation, and Straits Area Community Foundation. Led by a volunteer board of local citizens, the foundation oversees a group of permanently endowed funds from a wide range of donors. Gifts of all sizes from individuals, families, businesses, and agencies are invested in a balanced, well-managed portfolio to build endowments, enabling support for students and local community nonprofits now and forever.