During the fifth annual Give More 24!, Southwest Washington’s unofficial giving holiday, 3,457 donors raised $1,191,053 for 155 regional nonprofits as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday. As the name implies, Give More 24! is a 24-hour giving spree, so the giving started in the wee hours Thursday morning.
The goal was to raise $1.2 million through 4,000 donors.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Vancouver raised the most money, $73,754, and Lower Columbia School Gardens garnered the most donors, 200, as of 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Our Lady of Lourdes got a boost from $50,000 in available matching funds and won a $1,000 prize.
The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, the event’s host, kicked off the day of giving with a 7 a.m. rally in Esther Short Park, where about 100 people gathered to play games and be part of a Latin dance party.
“We were getting some exercise this morning,” said Jennifer Rhoads, president of the Community Foundation.
Daisy Rose, of the Yacolt-based Christian camp and retreat Royal Ridges, came out to the morning rally.
“This is our first time (participating in Give More 24!), so we’re seeing what it’s all about,” she said.
High Five Media, which was playing music and pumping up the crowd Thursday morning, did live video feeds throughout the day at events around the area. Esther Short Park also hosted guided meditation, belly dancing, Zumba, musical performances and other festivities through the evening.
The festive environment is intended to promote charitable giving. This year’s theme was empower in numbers — the idea that giving collectively has a greater impact than giving individually. Donations were done entirely online at givemore24.org, where people could learn more about specific nonprofits or peruse different causes. The minimum donation amount was $5.
New building celebration
Homeless shelter and service provider Open House Ministries had a lot to celebrate Thursday. The faith-based nonprofit got occupancy permits for its new resource center Tuesday afternoon — just in time to host a big celebration during Give More 24!. It was the first event in the new building.
Wayne Garlington, former executive director, said it was “sort of surreal” to be in the resource center after it being a dream for so many years.
There was a resource fair in the gymnasium, a barbecue and a pet clinic that drew hundreds of people from the shelter and surrounding neighborhood. Ryan Bartholomew, spokeswoman for Banfield Pet Hospital, said the veterinary teams were volunteering their time and had seen about 50 pets by midafternoon. Veterinarian Carla Lerum said they were providing preventative services, getting vaccines up to date, deworming and providing flea and tick control.
“It’s really fun to see our new space be used to bless people so immediately,” said Courtney True, a board member.
Attracting supporters
She added that she hoped Give More 24! would attract new supporters and make more people aware of what Open House Ministries does for the community.
Development Director Judy McMorine said the nonprofit plans to use the funds raised Thursday for operations. Over the next few weeks the nonprofit will be moving staff into the new resource center, which will open up space in the shelter for more homeless families.
“We’re thrilled to have our new building. It’ll have a huge impact on our programs,” said Dick James, board president.
Open House raised the second most money among medium-sized nonprofits, $38,767 as of 9:30 p.m. As for small nonprofits, Southwest Washington Symphony raised the most: $29,415 as of 9:30 p.m.
