Their goals may be modest, or ambitious, helping children, adults, or animals. The 100+ organizations participating in this year’s Giving Tuesday through the Golden Belt Community Foundation are listed on the GBCF Giving Tuesday website, goldenbeltgives.org.
Eight categories of giving opportunities for non-profits are listed:
• Animals
• Arts & Humanities
• Community
• Education & Youth
• Faith
• Health
• Libraries
• Social services
All of the organizations/funds listed are in the Foundation’s service area: Barton, Pawnee, Rush and Stafford counties.
GBCF Executive Director Christy Tustin said each entity was invited to share information and photos on the website to explain their mission, fundraising goals and specific needs.
For example, Otis Community Library’s goal is to raise $500 to update its area for children and youth with new books and games. The Bison Community Library’s goal is $300 to build up its collection in the areas of adult non-fiction, especially history. Additionally, the library is looking at purchasing or assembling kits that would assist patrons in trying out new hobbies, such as bird-watching backpacks or knitting sets.
GPS Kids Club has an endowed fund through GBCF and operates as an after-school and supplemental care facility in Hoisington for children in grades K-6. The organization needs to upgrade its HVAC throughout the building, at a cost of approximately $7,000 for each of six sections; needs 14 new fire-rated doors at a cost of $3,500 each; and needs fire-code room remodels to five rooms at a cost of $3,000 to $5,000 per room.
The Golden Belt Humane Society’s goal is $7,000 as it always has needs to help cover the cost of spays and neuters, other surgical and medical services, vaccines and more.
The Kansas Barbed Wire Collectors Association in La Crosse seeks $5,000 to grow its permanent endowment to provide funds for the long-term operation of the museum.
The Central Kansas Dream Center’s goal is $3,000 to complete roof repairs, remodel the auditorium to be able to have community events and install new carpet in the classrooms. This group also mentions that it needs volunteers for the DC Kitchen, Kingdom Kloset, and other areas.
The Stafford County Health Department has a goal of $500 to purchase first aid kids for every licensed daycare in Stafford County.
Birthright of Great Bend doesn’t show a specific fundraising goal but needs money for car seats, cribs, diapers, blankets, shampoo, lotion, etc. Birthright’s mission promotes “the right of every pregnant woman to give birth and the right of every child to be born.” It provides free pregnancy tests, maternity clothes, baby clothes to size 6, diapers, cribs, car seats, and layette items.
Hillside Envisions - Pawnee Co., Inc., listed a goal of only $10, but its needs will definitely exceed that. This group’s mission is “to empower people through education, skill development, and business opportunity.” Currently, its primary need is the repair of the boiler and repair/replacement of boiler cells, piping and infrastructure on the building, located at 502 West 5th St. in the former Hillside Elementary School in Larned.
“All of these gifts really add up, as you see at the Great Charity Giveback when we write those grant checks back (to the organizations),” Tustin said. “It enables so many programs to happen. I’ve gotten letters from small organizations who are like, ‘Now I don’t have to fundraise for this particular piece’ – a summer program or whatever – ‘because we have these gifts coming.’ It’s good to see.”
“And it’s fun to see,” said Mackenzie Mitchell, the GBCF Development & Communications coordinator. Sometimes families give each child $5 and let them choose where the money will go. “They’re getting everyone involved, even with just $5.”
“We have a couple of people that you can tell they have a really good time with the giving, because they select a lot of organizations,” Tustin said. “I don’t know if they just couldn’t make up their mind so they gave everybody something, but those are a lot of fun to see — your 30 favorites.”
Drive-through locations
For Giving Tuesday only, Nov. 29, two dozen area banks will serve as drive-through locations for Giving Tuesday donations.
GBCF stopped having Giving Tuesday community sites during the pandemic, Tustin said. “But the banks kind of took the place of that, so people don’t have to come to Great Bend if they don’t get it mailed. They can just drive by their own community, find a bank drop-off and leave their gift there.”
Stop by with a giving form (past donors should have received one in the mail or the printable forms can be found online at goldenbeltgives.org) and write one check, made out to the GBCF for the total, with the designated gifts marked on the form.
The drive-through locations are:
• Equity Bank
216 N. Main St.
St. John, KS 67576
• Equity Bank
234 N. Main St.
Macksville, KS 67557
• Equity Bank
320 Broadway
Larned, KS 67550
• Equity Bank
725 McKinley St.
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Farmers Bank & Trust
1017 Harrison
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Farmers Bank & Trust
102 W. 6th Street
Larned, KS 67550
• Farmers Bank & Trust
1612 Main Street
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Farmers Bank & Trust
820 Main Street
La Crosse, KS 67548
• First Kansas Bank
101 North Main
Hoisington, KS 67544
• First Kansas Bank
4001 10th St.
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Fusion Bank
116 W. 6th Street
Larned, KS 67550
• Golden Belt Community Foundation
1307 Williams St.
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Landmark National Bank
1623 Main Street
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Landmark National Bank
5200 Broadway
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Peoples Bank
211 E. Santa Fe Blvd
Ellinwood, KS 67526
• Peoples Bank
2200 Broadway
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Plains State Bank
800 Coolidge St.
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Prairie Bank of Kansas
200 S. Main Street
Stafford, KS 67578
• SJN Bank of Kansas
105 Elm Street
Burdett, KS 67523
• SJN Bank of Kansas
116 E. 3rd Ave.
St John, KS 67576
• SJN Bank of Kansas
130 N. Main Street
Macksville, KS 67557
• SJN Bank of Kansas
801 Main Street
La Crosse, KS 67548
• Sunflower Bank
13 N. Main Street
Ellinwood, KS 67526
• Sunflower Bank
3600 10th Street
Great Bend, KS 67530
• Wilson State Bank
201 N. Main St.
Hoisington, KS 67544
