EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: The 2011 Match Day exceeded the expectations of organizers. More than $422,000 was raised in eight hours on Thursday.

Match Day 2011 Results
(PDF version)

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 Match Day 2011 Evaluation Form

 Match Day exceeds our expectations!

On Thursday, the Mecosta County Community Foundation’s 2011 Match Day event raised more than $422,800 for local nonprofit organizations in eight hours.

“It’s the type of people who live in Mecosta County that made this possible,” said foundation President Hill-Kennedy. “Nobody is flush with funds right now. … In so many placed across the country there is a loss of a sense of community. We really have it here. Even when our residents are broke, they look around and have a real sense of caring for their neighbors and friends.”

More than 2,200 individual donations were made during the one-day event. About 1,000 individual donations were gifted last year.

MATCH DAY: More than $422,000 was raised in one day during the 2011 Match Day. (Pioneer file photos)

Donations were matched up to 50 cents on the dollar up to $2,500 per donor. All donations and match dollars will “pass through” the community foundation and be presented to nonprofits in December. No fees will be deducted by the community foundation.

With a theme of “Giving thanks for a Christmas to remember,” the goal of Match Day was to help the 109 participating nonprofits raise money for use during the holiday season.

“More than $420,000 was raised in Mecosta County. Every bit of it hits the streets in time for Christmas,” said Tim Zehr, event chair and foundation first vice president. “You hope and pray for these kinds of results, and when it all comes together like this, it just goes to show that there is nothing that can’t be done. … It’s just an affirmation that there is no bounds and no end to the generosity of the people who live in Mecosta County.”

Zehr was the driving force behind the foundation’s first Match Day in 2010, which raised more than $253,000. Chairing the event for the second year, he never imagined it would become so successful in such a relatively short period of time.

DONATION: Anna Tuuri presents a $10 check to Joni Thompson of Angels of Action. Tuuri was given $50 by her parents to give to the nonprofit of her choice at the 2011 Match Day. (Pioneer photos/Jonathan Eppley)

“Everybody has fundraisers this time of year. The question was, ‘How do we organize one that is different, better and one that works for everybody?’” Zehr said. “When you put your heart and soul into something, and it happens right, there is nothing better.”

By hosting Match Day a second time, the Mecosta County Community Foundation sets itself apart from other community foundations. Most foundations build funds within their endowments to be donated to organizations in smaller amounts throughout the year. Match Day puts larger sums in their collective hands at once, he added.

“Whether funds come to us as a foundation and we grant it out piece by piece or it comes in the form of Match Day and we give it directly to them, in the long run it comes out exactly the same — it still goes out to the community,” Zehr said.

New to Match Day this year was prizes for the top three organizations that received the most individual donations. Angels of Action will be awarded an additional $2,500 for receiving the highest number of donations, St. Peter’s Lutheran School will get an additional $1,500, and the Mecosta County Senior Center will receive an additional $1,000.

It is too soon to say when Match Day will return to Mecosta County, Hill-Kennedy said. Like last year, the foundation will ask the participating nonprofits how they feel the event went to decide how it can be improved in the future.

“We’re going to take the results, look over them and think about all the hard work the community has done to raise this money,” Hill-Kennedy said. “Bottom line, (the foundation) is going to do something big that is our signature event. A lot of the things that made this year’s Match Day so successful will preserve those important aspects in whatever form our signature event takes next year.”

DONATION: Anna Tuuri presents a $10 check to Joni Thompson of Angels of Action. Tuuri was given $50 by her parents to give to the nonprofit of her choice at the 2011 Match Day. (Pioneer photos/Jonathan Eppley)

Match Day exceeds last year’s total by about $50,000

Organizers did not finish counting the total amount of money generated during Match Day on Thursday, but are confident that they beat last year’s total. They estimate more than $300,000 was pumped into 109 nonprofit organizations during the one-day event at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center. The foundation contributed $50,000 to the match pool. More than $253,000 was raised during the event last year.

“Today went so much better than we ever dreamed,” said Tim Zehr, foundation first vice president and event organizing chair. “These nonprofits have done everything they can to get every dollar here that they could find. From a performance standpoint, we couldn’t have asked for any more from these nonprofits and what they gave us.”

Donations were matched up to 50 cents on the dollar up to $2,500 per donor. All donations and match dollars will “pass through” the community foundation and be presented to the qualifying nonprofit in December. No fees will be deducted by the community foundation.

Match Day was changed from a first-come, first-served setup to spread out the match dollars given to participating nonprofits. Donations to organizations were all matched up to a certain amount.

BAND BOOSTERS: Karol Hartley (right) gets information about the Big Rapids High School Band Program from Jean Walling at the 2011 Match Day on Thursday. She stopped by the event on her lunch break to donate.

The change allowed donors more time to obtain information from nonprofits that set up booths at the event, which helped increase on-the-spot giving.

“Last year was a first-come, first-served set up for whoever came in with sufficient donations. Then we ran out of match money and we weren’t going to provide anymore,” said foundation President Judge Scott Hill-Kennedy. “That didn’t work out so well. So this year, no matter when you came in, we matched donations. We also increased the space here, because we had more than double the organizations who wanted to participate this year.”

The format change also increased foot traffic throughout the day. Rather than have a large influx of donors early on, a steady flow of people walked through the event all day obtaining information from the 52 nonprofit booths set up.

Please click the link for the 2011 Fall Newsletter!

Claudia Lenon and friend accept the Mecosta County Commission on Aging Match Day 2010 check from board member Kim VonKronenberger!

As 1940’s music played in the background, a highly successful event in tribute to World War II era veterans was held on November 6, 2010 at the Wheatland Township Hall.

More than 80 persons attended the Honor Our Veterans event. The day included a ceremony, spaghetti dinner, storytelling, and numerous displays of memorabilia. The items on display, both donated and loaned, reflected the lives of those that served in faraway places and the families left behind during the World War II years.

Included on display were two 48 state American flags, helmets, several military uniforms, newspaper articles of WWII beginning and ending, magazine articles, books, souvenirs of Japan, photos of several veterans, personal memoirs of the War, purple hearts, many other badges & medals, ration tokens and books, rifles, and bayonets. There were also items on display from WWI and the Civil War.

There were many items that tugged on the heart strings such as the wedding clothes of Orrin Havens and Rosemary Simon Havens (shown above left). Many of the letters written home by service men and women serving in far off places were on display. One memorable letter was written by Harry Howard to his parents, Nellie and Faber Howard. In the letter he wrote that he was serving in France carrying some lumber when another soldier said, Hey, your brother is here! He dropped his load of lumber to run and greet his brother Bill Howard. Linda Howard noted that five Howard brothers were serving in the Armed Forces during World War II.

The ceremony began with bugling by Dar Howard and an opening blessing by Barryton American Legion Chaplin Wayne Hull. Linda Howard, President of Remus Area Historical Society gave a welcome. Gary Cox, who planned and coordinated the event, (along with Mary Simon, Char Lenon, Ken Todd and Erna Simon) presented pins of gratitude in special recognition to the World War II veterans.

Fifteen WWII veterans were awarded: Hank Young, Justin Wernette, Gale Esch, Wayne May, John Miller, Loren Wernette, H. Stuart Dague, Edd Martston, Max Snyder, Luke Crowley, Vivian Dowling Fulk, John Serowizk, Jim Miller, and, Dick Sherbarth, as well as Korean veteran Don Cushman. The microphone was passed to each veteran to tell his or her stories. Some, like Vivian Dowling Fulk stood proudly in her WAC uniform as she told about working on planes. (See Justin Wernette below left in his original uniform and a young Fulk below right.)  The Honor Our Veterans event would not have been a success without the fund from Match Day 2010!

Kevin Courtney accepts his fund check from Gary Trimarco!

MCCF board member, Yo Bellingar, presentes Match Day 2010 check to Mary Ryan and Wendy Nystrom of the Friends of the Big Rapids Community Library.

Kacy Gillis reads to son Phillip, born May 9 at 12:07 p.m. at Mecosta County Medical Center. Phillip’s new book was given by The Friends of the Big Rapids Community Library, which provides grant funds to purchase books for distribution to new families to promote the beautiful and useful practice of reading to children from an early age.

Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center has said that they would be not be able to operate without events such as Mecosta County Community Foundation’s Match Day.