East Texas Giving Day is in full swing with donations already coming in thanks to advanced giving. This year’s event features 194 registered nonprofits from across East Texas. Ken Adams, with Lancer Legacy Ranch, is hoping generous residents remember his organization when deciding where to give on April 28th.
Lancer Legacy Ranch is just one of twenty Bowie County nonprofits participating in this year’s Giving Day event.
“Our community is a giving community,” said Ken Adams, Executive Director of Lancer Legacy Ranch. “Giving Day is an opportunity to celebrate the work of our area nonprofits, but it is also a day for us to say thanks to our donors. Without their generous support, we could never fulfill our mission.”
Lancer Legacy Ranch empowers veterans to reclaim their lives by helping them identify obstacles to success, providing temporary housing when necessary and connecting them with medical, legal, educational and employment resources within the community.
East Texas Giving Day, powered by East Texas Communities Foundation, is an 18-hour, online giving event set for April 28, 2020. The event officially kicks off at 6:00 a.m. and ends at midnight. Donors can participate by going online to www.EastTexasGivingDay.org to make their donation of $10 or more.
Donations can be made from any device that can access the internet including; desktop computers, mobile phones or tablets.
“Giving Day is happening at an unprecedented time,” said Holly McFarlin, Public Relations Director of East Texas Communities Foundation. “Nonprofits are responding to an increased demand for services in their communities meanwhile, donations have slowed due to the postponement of public fundraising events due to concerns of the community spread of the corona virus. Giving Day is an online event which is perfect with everyone social distancing right now. You can make a difference in your community without ever leaving the safety of your home.”
New to the platform for 2020, donors can find information on immediate needs at nonprofits affected by COVID-19. “It is important for nonprofits to be able to share information, quickly to donors,” said McFarlin. “We added a COVID-19 search filter to assist donors that want to know how agencies are being impacted.”
This year, many of the Bowie and Miller County nonprofits have received match funds from community partners. Combined, the nonprofits have over $120,000 in matching funds available through the East Texas Giving Day website. All match amounts on the giving day website are dollar-for-dollar matches. Donors that give any time before midnight on April 28th, to an organization with a match, have the opportunity to double their donation when processed through the giving day website.
“Unlocking these matching funds is critical to the nonprofits this year,” said McFarlin. “Donors in Texarkana have a unique opportunity to double their donation thanks to these very generous partnerships.”
Ongoing updates about the event will be posted on ETCF’s Facebook page and the giving day website.
Bowie & Miller County charities participating in the April 28th event include:
Alzheimer’s Alliance Tri-State Area, Caddo Area Council, Evergreen Life Services, For The Sake Of One, Habitat for Humanity of Texarkana, HandsOn Texarkana, Harvest Regional Food Bank, Just Love and Kindness, Lancer Legacy Ranch, Northeast Texas Casa, Inc., Randy Sams Outreach Shelter, Rock Solid Resource Center, Runnin’ WJ Ranch, St. James Day School, Susan G. Komen Arkansas, Texarkana College Foundation, Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council, Inc., Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Texas A&M University – Texarkana Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund, United Way of Greater Texarkana.
About ETCF
East Texas East Texas Communities Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving 32 counties in East Texas. The Foundation distributed $12 million in grants in 2019 and currently manages over $110 million in over 374 unique charitable funds which support non-profit organizations and student scholarships. The Foundation, which was formed in 1989, has awarded almost $100 million in grants and scholarships since its inception. Philanthropy builds community and changes lives. East Texas Communities Foundation supports philanthropy by offering simple ways for donors to achieve their charitable goals.
