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Erie Reader Gives on Erie Gives Day 2024
The power of collective giving
August 7, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Erin Phillips
The Erie Community Foundation launches their 14th annual Erie Gives Day on Tuesday, Aug. 13. After rebranding, upgrading, expanding, and streamlining the donation process, the group is hoping to surpass their record $8.2 million raised last year.
TUESDAY, AUG. 13
It's that time of year again. The time when the Erie community bands together to raise significant and much-needed funds for some of our most-loved and appreciated nonprofit organizations. So many nonprofits rely on Erie Gives Day as their main fundraising outlet, and the people of Erie never let them down. According to Erin Fessler, vice president of marketing and community/government relations for the Erie Community Foundation (ECF), the amount of giving is staggering, "Erie Gives will be celebrating 14 years of giving this year. Since inception, the event has raised over $56.6 million for local nonprofits. Last August, the event broke all records with an impressive $8.2 million."
Any donation of $25 or more made to any participating nonprofit during Erie Gives Day on Tuesday, Aug. 13, either through their website or via check dropped off at the Erie Community Foundation offices at 459 W. Sixth St., will receive a boost from the Erie Gives Bonus Bucks Pool, which means your chosen nonprofit(s) gets even more cash to improve their organizations.
And the giving keeps on getting better. The folks at the ECF have been working hard all year long to improve and streamline Erie Gives 2024 and they're hoping for their biggest year yet. They've implemented a number of upgrades and changes to raise awareness which (hopefully) translates to raising donations. Fessler explains, "Erie Gives is a community-spirited event like no other. Our corporate sponsors provide the $480,000 Bonus Bucks pro-rated match pool, our Community Partners provide $500 hourly grants which we share via Facebook Live, and on local television, radio, and newspaper." They've also partnered with Country Fair and since April, their Charity Pumps have raised over $65,000 so far for Erie Gives and are open until Aug. 13. All that funding will be equally distributed amongst the participating nonprofits.
She continues, "But truly, Erie Gives is in the hands of the donors. Donors can choose what cause they want to support. We say, 'Everyone can be a philanthropist with a gift of just $25 or more because it all adds up!' I call that the power of collective giving."
That power will be harnessed for one day only: Tuesday, Aug. 13, so mark your calendars. ECF has improved the process this year by extending their hours of giving — the Erie Gives website will be open for donations from midnight to midnight, while the ECF and Nonprofit Partnership staff will provide phone support, as always, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"From housing the unhoused, feeding our hungry neighbors, educating our young, assisting our seniors, sheltering lost animals or improving our quality of life through arts and culture — Erie Gives supports a variety of causes," Fessler reflects. "And what is even more valuable than the dollars raised are the new donor relationships built. Erie Gives introduces so many nonprofits to donors and then donors can choose what speaks to their heart, to their mission."
To find the nonprofit that speaks to your heart, visit ErieGives.org on Tuesday, Aug. 13 and use the search bar to find their individual page to donate $25 or more. Or you can drop off a check to the Erie Community Foundation by Aug. 9, 459 W. Sixth St. or call (814) 454-0843.
Our Nonprofit Picks
Each year, the writers, editors, and artists of the Erie Reader share those nonprofits that are most important to us — this diverse list represents all the perspectives of our staff as well as the breadth of services that charitable organizations provide to our community. We're happy to shine our individual spotlights on a few of them. If you're undecided about which nonprofits to toss some cash to this Erie Gives Day, perhaps draw inspiration from the following list. Happy giving, Erie!
Nonprofits are listed alphabetically by donor's last name
Who's giving: Jeff Bloodworth, Writer
Who they are: Jefferson Educational Society (JES) is Erie's nonprofit think tank founded to promote civic enlightenment and drive community progress. The JES ensures the preservation of the past for study and examines key lessons to better build the future of our region, and through the exploration of contemporary issues facing our region and nation, the Jefferson serves as a platform of discussion and a vehicle for progress to enhance the civic future of the Erie region.
Why I'm giving: America is undergoing a crisis of democracy. Our collective civic muscles and bonds have frayed. What I love about JES is their devotion to dialogue and non-partisan civic education. The annual Global Summit is an absolute city treasure. Every fall, JES brings world-class speakers to Erie to discuss cutting edge ideas and challenges. The Global Summit is a tour-de-force. Beyond the Global Summit, JES offers a range of local and national speakers who engage Erie audiences throughout the year. In addition to the talks, the JES sponsors scholars-in-residence and the annual Jefferson Civic Leadership Academy. We solve our democracy crisis by rebuilding our civic muscles and repairing our bonds. The JES is doing their part. I want to support that and them.
Bonus: Consider a gift to those institutions raising the educational bar in Erie like the Erie County Community College or the Corry Higher Education Council
Who's giving: Jonathan Burdick, Writer
Who they are: Established in 2022, the Afghan Community of Erie, PA serves Erie's 130 Afghan families, most having arrived following the evacuation of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021. As their lives were in danger due to their association with American soldiers, many of these families arrived stateside after fleeing with little more than the clothes on their back. With the challenges of living in a new environment with a different culture, language, and foods, the families bonded together to form this organization to offer one another "a sense of home, support, and closure," the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
Why I'm giving: This organization provides essential services to these 130 families across Erie. Their community center has four overarching goals to support and assist families new to the states: cultural integration, trauma healing, empowerment, and economic stability. The organization offers resources, programs, job training, support services, and more to help them adapt to life in the United States while also creating a safe environment where they can share experiences, support one another, and contribute to the Erie community.
Jonathan previously gave to: International Institute, USCRI Erie, Burleigh Legacy Alliance
U. S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants-USCRI
Who's giving: Edwina Capozziello, Writer
Who they are: Since 1919 (formerly as the International Institute of Erie) they have helped newly arrived refugees with a whole host of services including housing, cultural orientation, school enrollment, initial health appointments and employment prep/placement.
Why I'm giving: I used to live near the USCRI office and met many friendly, humble, and resilient people. This was especially true during a time when so many Syrian refugees were seeking a safe haven. My heart really went out to both the people who were forced to leave their homelands and the people who were here to receive and help them.
Bonus: Consider giving to any of the following organizations that aid new American immigrants or refugees: MCRC — Multicultural Community Resource Center, Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System, Inc. (MHEDS), or the Sisters of Mercy, House of Mercy
Who's giving: Chloe Forbes, Writer
Who they are: Goodell Gardens & Homestead is an education-oriented nonprofit botanical garden and arboretum in Edinboro. It was created on the farmstead property owned by the Goodell family since 1876. The garden has evolved and been maintained according to sisters Carrie and Margaret's wishes that it remain a public garden rooted in historical significance. From a horticultural perspective, the 78-acre garden is significant in its diversity of cultivated plant species along with heirloom gardening.
Why I'm giving: As a current resident of Edinboro, this regional asset is right in my backyard, and I find myself there quite a bit, enjoying Sunday morning yoga, learning about pollinators, and listening to live jazz as the sun sets. From applicable lectures to herb-centric events, it's a breath of fresh air — literally — in the middle of a seemingly non-stop world, and I wish to keep its legacy going by supporting the volunteers, staff, and upkeep of grounds. It's essential to care for things that naturally take care of us.
Contributing writer Chloe Forbes is choosing to give to Goodell Gardens and Homestead this Erie Gives Day – she appreciates the proximity and the programming of the facility and hopes the legacy of the Goodell sisters lives on for generations. Photo: Erin Phillips
Who's giving: Brian Graham, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Who they are: The Erie Cancer Wellness Center offers free programs and services designed to help individuals and families facing cancer. They believe that healing involves more than just medical treatment, and their goal is to provide non-medical support that addresses the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. They strive to create a compassionate and respectful environment where individuals and families can find hope, healing, and the resources they need to navigate their cancer journey.
Why I'm giving: Cancer is a prevalent disease, affecting nearly 40 percent of all Americans and a majority of families at some point. Despite this ubiquity, a cancer diagnosis can be a devastating and shocking event, upending the lives of both the person diagnosed and their families. The challenges of medical care, emotional turmoil, and maintaining daily life can be overwhelming. The Erie Cancer Wellness Center offers essential support services to help ease this burden. Through programs like massage, Reiki, gentle yoga, and support groups, the center focuses on aspects of well-being often overlooked by traditional medical treatment.
Brian previously gave to: United Way Imagination Library, Friends of the Erie County Library, Meals on Wheels, Hooked on Books, Because You Care, YMCA of Greater Erie
Who's giving: Jessica Hunter, Media Editor and Photographer
Who they are: The Erie Yacht Club Foundation was established to support philanthropic maritime-related programs. They strive to enhance the Erie community by advancing maritime education, promoting youth and intercollegiate sailing competition, and expanding opportunities in boating. The foundation works with the United Way to support the greater maritime ecosystem. By bringing boating experience to underserved youth, as well as education programs to the library, maritime museums, and regional science consortium.
Why I'm giving: Both of my children have had the opportunity to join the Reyburn Sailing School program during our beautiful summers on Lake Erie. Living on a Great Lake has so many advantages. Giving children access to a maritime experience will create a lifelong passion, excitement, and skill playing a formative role in personal development as well as water safety. Sailing is truly a sport that can be enjoyed by all. Teaching a child to sail helps them acquire skills that will assist them as they navigate their way in the world. Learning to sail develops independence and confidence. When a child sails, they realize that all decisions have consequences, and they are responsible for the result.
Jessica previously gave to: Presque Isle Partnership, Lake Erie Region Conservancy, Inner-City Neighborhood Art House, NAMI of Erie County, and the Erie Humane Society
Who's Giving: Erin Phillips, Managing Editor
Who they are: The mission of the Erie Bird Observatory is "to foster enthusiasm for birds and conservation through ornithological research and public engagement." Their reach in the community grows each year and their work is key in the conservation of habitat and in the documentation and public outreach about our native land, shore, and migratory bird species. Their outreach includes bird banding, habitat conservation, educational programming including tours, walks, and talks, as well as their volunteer-run BirdSafe Erie initiative which helps monitor and prevent bird deaths from window collisions.
Why I'm giving: Have you seen the meme? The one that says: One day you're young and carefree; the next you're like, "Is that a tufted titmouse at my birdfeeder??" That's me. And as a result, my entire family. Over the past few years, we've gotten onto the complete fascination/obsession that is birdwatching, which has been fostered by the work of the Erie Bird Observatory.
While birds are fascinating, beautiful, and exciting to see in the wild, they're also key to the health of our ecosystem and perform valuable functions like pest control, pollination, seed dispersal, and scavenging. As bird populations decline, humans will in turn. The work of the Erie Bird Observatory is key in their local conservation. Our family has learned so much from their bird banding sessions (which are free and open to the public during migratory seasons) and guided hikes at Gull Point and Thompson's Circle. The organization has given our family yet another reason to appreciate the bounty of Presque Isle State Park and we're happy to donate to EBO this Erie Gives Day.
Bonus: Consider donating to other local native species conservation organizations like Presque Isle Audubon Society, Asbury Woods Partnership, The Regional Science Consortium, or Tamarack Wildlife Center.
Erin previously gave to: Friends of the Erie County Library, Erie Arts & Culture, Asbury Woods, and Our West Bayfront
Managing Editor Erin Phillips is choosing to donate to the Erie Bird Observatory this Erie Gives Day – her family has attended many programs initiated by the local nonprofit and appreciates the knowledge, enthusiasm, and important conservation efforts of the group. Photo: Erin Phillips
Who's giving: Dan Schank, Writer
Who they are: An Erie-based non-profit that uses a community health model to provide safe spaces to queer and gender non-conforming people. The organization offers our LGBTQIA+ community an array of resources, including personal counseling, career development advice, free gender-affirming clothing, and networking opportunities.
Why I'm giving: In January of 2023, former president (and, as I type this, presidential frontrunner) Donald Trump made clear his plans for the transgender community if re-elected in November. In a video posted to his Truth Social platform, he pledged to use an executive order to end all federal programming "that promotes the concept of sex and gender transition at any age." He also vowed to revoke all of the Biden administration's policies regarding gender-affirming care and to propose legislation requiring the U.S. government to recognize only two genders (assigned at birth). Finally, he promised to create a private "right of action" through which any doctor who provides gender-affirming care to a minor could be sued for doing so.
I'm giving to Compton's Table because I want to stand up to this kind of cruel bullying. Their work exemplifies what is best about our community, and I'm worried about the systemic threats they are facing.
Dan previously gave to: NWPA Pride Alliance, Inc., The Erie County Community College of PA, and The Multicultural Community Resource Center (MCRC)
Who's giving: Ben Speggen, Contributing Editor
Who they are: Erie's Black Wall Street "serves as a vehicle for change and empowerment of Erie's Black Community through meaningful relationships, education, social networks, and the promotion of Black entrepreneurship. Vision: We aspire to create a culture of Black Excellence and Wealth in Erie, inspiring generations to come."
Why I'm giving: I am inspired by how an idea around a table can grow from a Facebook group to a nonprofit that offers a suite of programs to educate, inform, lift up, and connect a community in powerful ways. That's how Erie's Black Wall Street came to be and exists now with impressive growth to suggest an even brighter future.
Historically, when we think of Black Wall Streets, we often think of our past -- the massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the devastation that unfolded there over a century ago. A fuller history should be recounted, too -- acknowledging the existence of many other Black Walls nationwide and the impact they had in their respective communities and the wealth they were once building, snuffed out by policy and time. Now is the chance to acknowledge that past, but also invest in the present to build the future. Erie's Black Wall Street is doing just that -- and anyone with time, talent, or treasure can help support what I believe to be a model for the nation.
Bonus: I recently wrote about Erie's Black Wall Street, which you can read within this issue. As you'll find there, a contribution in August is perhaps all the more timely, as it is National Black Business Month.
Ben previously gave to: L'Arche, WQLN Public Media
Erie Center for Arts & Technology (ECAT)
Who's giving: Matt Swanseger, Copy Editor
Who they are: Located in the former Wayne Middle School on Erie's lower east side, the Erie Center for Arts & Technology (ECAT) comprises more than 80,000 square feet of studio, conference, and activity spaces, hosting adult job training, creative youth programs, and entrepreneurial initiatives aimed to uplift and educate Erieites of all ages — especially those with limited means.
Why I'm giving: I became acquainted with ECAT in 2022 while working on a story about the ErieMade Business Academy (an incubator program geared toward historically disenfranchised populations) and was immediately impressed with the facility and the scope of the organization's outreach. As a content director with Epic Web Studios, I've also had the opportunity to contribute to several projects through like-minded ECAT collaborators such as Bridgeway Capital, helping to bring entrepreneurial aspirations to fruition. Inertia is the biggest hurdle to achievement, so I appreciate ECAT's mission to help others get things moving.
Matt previously gave to: Erie Arts & Music Festival (d/b/a Erie Blues & Jazz Festival), Erie Food Rescue, The Performing Artists Collective Alliance (PACA), Erie Together, Bayfront Maritime Center, Asbury Woods, and The Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
Compton's Table, located within the Central Outreach building at 31st and State streets, is a local nonprofit group helping to support our local LGBTQIA+ and gender nonconforming population through counseling, career development, networking opportunities, and positive outreach. Photo: Erin Phillips
Who's giving: Adam Welsh, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Who they are: Founded exactly 30 years ago, the Presque Isle Partnership is an official nonprofit partner of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Their job is to generate private support and build strategic partnerships to serve the growing needs of Presque Isle State Park and its 4+ million annual visitors. Basically, their focus is on making Presque Isle the best park it can be, and ensuring that our experiences are enjoyable throughout all four seasons.
Why I'm giving: Like many in the Gem City, I view Presque Isle as our community's crown jewel. As I cycled around the newly repaved bike path through the very well-attended events of Discover Presque Isle a couple weeks ago, I was once again struck by a sense of intense gratitude for the fact that we have this amazing natural resource (and reason alone for visitors to plan a trip to Erie) right here at our disposal. And more than that, thankful to the folks who are tasked with providing the accessibility, amenities, safety, historical preservation, and education at the park. Here's to the next 30 years of keeping Presque Isle beautiful.
Adam previously gave to: Career and Dreams, Erie Women's Fund, Film Society of Northwest Pennsylvania, Lake Erie Region Conservancy, LifeThruMusic, and the Jefferson Educational Society