It’s a Wrap: Donors give $1.25 million to Local Nonprofits

Our 2019 Giving Spree donors packed a jumbo helping of generosity into three short hours. Between 4 and 7 p.m. on November 7, no fewer than 4,000 people streamed through the doors of Gettysburg Area Middle School and donated $1.247 million to the 84 Adams County nonprofits participating in this year’s event.

This total far outstripped the record-setting 2018 Giving Spree, which raised $733,000.

This year, donors supported South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) with gifts totaling $93,265.35. Rounding out our top five nonprofits are:

Adams Rescue Mission $68,964.34

Adams County Historical Society $55,278.59

Land Conservancy of Adams County $53,495.87

and Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen $53,107.16

Click here for the 2019 Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree Final Totals

How did the Giving Spree get so big so fast? This year’s efforts to boost Giving Spree visibility included sprinkling the entire county with yard signs, distributing the “Resource Guide” (the program for the Giving Spree event) in the Gettysburg Times, and personal outreach to the top 900 Giving Spree donors of recent years. The people of Adams County have strong and deep roots in this community, and the more they know about this annual opportunity to give back within their community, the more they give.

Bonus $10 Coins

The first thousand guests who attended received a Giving Spree “coin” to deposit in one organization’s piggy bank, resulting in an additional $10 gift to that nonprofit courtesy of an anonymous Community Foundation donor.

Old Friends and New

Attendees strolled among the booths of the 84 charitable organizations showcased at the event. Some focused on organizations they have faithfully supported in the past; others took the opportunity to discover charities that were new to them. Each year, nearly 20 percent of Giving Spree donations are first-time gifts to the recipient organizations.

No Need to Choose

The Giving Spree “stretch pool” traditionally
distributes the entire stretch amount raised to all the participating
charities, in proportion to the amount raised by each charity at the Giving
Spree. Donors who give to the stretch pool don’t have to choose among the
dozens of worthy causes represented—they know their gift will support all of
them. This year donors contributed $100,000 to the stretch pool, and every
dollar of that will be distributed to this year’s participating organizations.

Giving in Adams County, for Adams County

All organizations participating in the Giving Spree
are based in Adams County, and all money raised through the Giving Spree will
be used to serve the people of Adams County. Giving Spree gifts stay in this
community.

Generosity in All Shapes and Sizes

Every Giving Spree donor is different, and every
Giving Spree gift is cherished. This year saw contributions ranging from $5 to $80,000
in cash, checks, credit card gifts, pledges of IRA charitable rollover gifts,
and gifts of stock.

Gifts That Last Forever

Our Giving Spree donors care about Adams County today
and in the future. Thirteen of the organizations at the Giving Spree were also
raising money for their endowments, held securely for them at the Adams County
Community Foundation. Over the course of the evening, donors added more than
$140,000 to those endowment funds, helping to ensure long-term sustainability
for these Adams County charities.

Special Thanks

No event of this magnitude happens without a huge cast
of volunteers and sponsors. We extend heartfelt thanks to the 58 volunteers,
including 15 teens, who helped set up the event and worked throughout the
evening to welcome donors as they arrived.

We are grateful to our event sponsors, businesses and individuals that care about this community:

Thanks to our Stretch Pool Partners:

• The LeCompte Family,
  in honor of their ancestor Lydia Ziegler, who at the age of 13 cared for
  wounded and dying soldiers after the Battle of Gettysburg at Seminary Ridge
• J. William Warehime
  Foundation Fund
• Thomas E. & Florence
  B. Metz Fund
• Adams County Community
  Foundation Board of Directors
• Knouse Foods Fund
• Gettysburg College
  Alumni and Friends of Adams County
• Gettysburg Community
  Theatre Patrons

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsors:

• ACNB Bank
• Adams Electric Cooperative
• Biggerstaff’s Catering
• Brown Advisory
• FirstEnergy Foundation
• Giant Food Stores
• Rice Family Foundation
• Rice Fruit Company
• With additional support from: CS Davidson, Fred & Susi Guinn, New Oxford Social Club, Stonebridge Financial Group, Destination Gettysburg, Hockley & O’Donnell, APM Building Materials, Consolidated Scrap Resources (CSR) and Tevis Energy

2019 Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree Committee:
Stacey Green (Chair)
Heidi Acker
Jill Bemis
Vickie Corbett
Linda Gawthrop
Lydia Obrist
Loretta Plitt
Cynthia Salisbury
Donna White
Bob Witt

Our sincere thanks to the Gettysburg Area Middle School for hosting this incredible community event.