Giving Hearts Day is Thursday, February 11. The RiverView Foundation, Benedictine Living Community, Crookston Care and Share, and the United Way of Crookston are all participating in this year’s event.
BENEDICTINE LIVING COMMUNITY
Benedictine Living Community is participating in Giving Hearts Day for the second time and will be raising funds to support the purchase of a new van to transport residents and tenants, according to Benedictine Living Community Foundation Development Director Cindy Hulst. “The proceeds we raise will go towards a van,” said Hulst. “Our current van is 20 years old so it’s not nearly as efficient, dependable, and reliable as it used to be. When we’re transporting residents and tenants, we do need a reliable van. When traditional medical transport isn’t available, or families can’t provide that from a resident or tenant we will often do that as a third backup.”
Benedictine will be accepting donations through the Giving Hearts Day website, but will also provide a special treat for anyone wishing to drop off a check in person on Thursday. “The day of Giving Hearts Day, they can go to www.givingheartsday.org (Benedictine Living Community here),” said Hulst. “Folks can make a donation online with their credit card if that’s something they wish to do. Or they can bring a check to us, even if they want to bring it on Wednesday if in the memo line it says Giving Hearts Day. Or they can bring it on Thursday they sure can. We have the drive-thru garage, so folks are invited to drive through the garage and receive a cup of coffee and a donut.”
CARE AND SHARE
The Care and Share will be raising funds for its general operating budget to help the homeless said Executive Director Brian Halos. “We don’t really have a theme from year to year, like a particular project in mind as other groups do,” said Halos. “I guess our project is to provide shelter and services to the homeless. Just for our general operations is where the money goes that we raise on Giving Hearts Day.”
Halos also covered the ways to donate to the Care and Share’s Giving Hearts Day campaign. “There are different ways to donate,” said Halos. “You can go to the Giving Hearts Day website (Care and Share here) and that will give them a whole list of the charities involved in Giving Hearts Day and you can search for the Care and Share. You can go to the Care and Share website www.careandsharecrookston.org and click on any of the donate buttons. There is a donate button in the top left corner of the first page, at the bottom of the page, and I believe on every page. If you click on that donate button it will bring you to the Giving Hearts Page and you can click on a predetermined amount or a custom amount if you want to donate with a credit card. Otherwise, a lot of folks do drop off checks with us by the 11th and write Giving Hearts Day in the memo.”
RIVERVIEW FOUNDATION
RiverView Health will be conducting its 14th Annual Giving Hearts Day while concluding its capital campaign associated with building the new hospital and donations will be matched by several other donors said RiverView Foundation Director Randy Schoenborn. “Dakota Medical Foundation and other generous donors have provided $184,000 in matching support to the RiverView Foundation,” said Schoenborn. “This helps stretch and leverage our Giving Hearts Day donations. All of the undesignated funds for this year’s event will go to the building project to support the mediation room, in-patient unit rooms, labor and delivery rooms, and family suites.”
Schoenborn added donations can be made in person or online. “Donations can be made through the Foundation Office by coming into the hospital the day of,” said Schoenborn. “But also, can go to our website (www.riverviewhealth.org) and click on the donate button in the upper-righthand corner which will bring you right to our Giving Hearts Day page (here).”
United Way of Crookston
The United Way of Crookston is participating in Giving Hearts Day for the first time and will use the funds raised to support the New Hope Food Shelf in Crookston said Executive Director Lori Wagner. “This is our first one for United Way,” said Wagner. “Our goal is $10,000. Our dollars are going to the New Hope Food Shelf in Crookston, so I’m hoping that you can reach into your hearts on that day. We have had some questions that the Care and Share is also doing Giving Hearts Day. Their dollars going for operations of the homeless shelter and the soup kitchen. Our dollars are going to the New Hope Food Shelf – a completely different account, different bank, different checkbook. $1 when giving to Giving Hearts Day buys five meals.”
United Way will also accept donations online and in person. “You can give at www.givingheartsday.org (here),” said Wagner. “Or you can go to our website at www.unitedwayofcrookston.org and hit the red button on our website. We take checks for this but not credit cards at our office. The best thing to do is go online to give or drop off checks at Valley Tech Park.”
