Community members will have an opportunity to support more than 200 local nonprofit organizations when the 36 hours of Centre Gives kicks off on Wednesday morning.
Now in its 13th year, Centre Foundation’s online giving event has raised $14.6 million for nonprofits working in areas such as arts, animals, education, environment, health and social services.
Centre Gives begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at CentreGives.org and concludes at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
For the second consecutive year, Centre Foundation will celebrate the final hours of the event with a festival in Bellefonte’s Talleyrand Park.
Centre Gives Fest will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and will include music by DJ Elbow Knee Knee of Gorinto Productions; food from vendors such as Savory Station, Brazilian Munchies and Bees Knees; and representatives from about three dozen participating organizations providing information, games and activities. Axemann Brewery also will have a beer garden.
“It’s really going to be a fun family event,” Centre Foundation President and CEO Molly Kunkel said at Tuesday’s county Board of Commissioners meeting, prior to receiving a proclamation declaring May 8-9, 2024 as Centre Gives Days in Centre County. “Bellefonte is great to host us there.”
Since the inception of Centre Gives in 2012, the Centre County community has come through in a big way each year, and last year’s event raised a record $2,316,315 through 15,213 gifts to local organizations.
Participants can choose from a long list nonprofits to support with a gift of $10 or more at CentreGives.org.
A stretch pool of $300,000 helps those gifts go further. The more money a nonprofit raises, the greater its share of the pool.
Stretch pool funding is provided by Centre Foundation and the Hamer Foundation, which for the seventh consecutive year has contributed $100,000.
Donors also can help organizations compete for $40,000 in additional prize money throughout the event. Fourteen power hour prizes will be awarded to large and small organizations throughout Centre Gives based on unique donors during a specific hour, and dozens of other prizes will be given out during and at the conclusion of the event.
“Overall, organizations usually end up getting somewhere between 15 to 20% added on to whatever donations people make,” Kunkel said. “It’s a great addition.”
Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins said the annual success of Centre Gives is a testament to the community’s generosity.
“Commissioners would like to thank the citizens of Centre County for being so generous,” Higgins said. “There was a survey a number of years ago and I think Centre County had the second highest percentage of income given to charity in the entire commonwealth after Lancaster County.”
Vice-Chair Amber Concepcion added that Centre Gives is a great way to stir excitement for philanthropy and to raise awareness for different nonprofits.
“It’s really great publicity and really highlights the important work these nonprofits are doing, and it gives the whole community a chance to participate in that,” Concepcion said.
Commissioners also praised Centre Foundation for the ease and efficiency of giving during the event.
“It benefits everybody. There’s so many different structures within the community that it helps,” Commissioner Steve Dershem said. “It’s tough to raise money anyways, but this is an opportunity for everybody to do it in one big shot.”
