Community members gave 8,762 gifts to raise more than $1.4 million during Centre Gives, Centre Foundation’s annual 36-hour online giving event supporting local nonprofits.
The total set a new record for the event, which began in 2012 and has broken the record for amount raised in each successive year.
Centre Gives 2017 got under way at 8 a.m. Tuesday and concluded at 8 p.m. Wednesday
“We live in such a tremendously generous community,” said Molly Kunkel, executive director of Centre Foundation, in a release. “Each year, the response is absolutely amazing! Since Centre Gives began in 2012, we’ve broken records every year — in participating organizations, in gifts, and in dollars raised.”
Centre Gives has a fun and friendly competitive nature, as the 147 participating organizations tried to win hourly prizes totaling more than $25,000 to increase their fundraising totals throughout the event. A major draw of the event is that donations during the 36 hours go even further thanks to a stretch pool. The more money an organization raises, the more they can receive from the pool.
Centre Foundation has provided a $100,000 stretch pool each year of the event. This year that doubled to $200,000 thanks to a partnership with the Hamer Foundation.
“We are so grateful to the Hamer Foundation,” Kunkel said. “Their generosity will be felt across Centre County, from Philipsburg to Penns Valley and everywhere in between. Organizations working in every charitable field imaginable will be able to feel the impact of this gift.”
Centre Gives has now invested about $5.4 million in local nonprofits working in the areas of arts, animals, education, environment, and health and social services .
