Community rallies around local nonprofits for ‘Give BIG Green Bay’ fundraising event
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Nonprofit representatives gathered at Johnsonville Tailgate Village Wednesday at noon for the kickoff to Give BIG Green Bay 2024.
The 24-hour giving day event, hosted by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation in partnership with the Green Bay Packers Foundation, encourages everyone to learn about and support participating nonprofits serving Brown County.
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“It’s really a day for us to celebrate any number of non-profits that are doing really important work across our community,” said Dennis Buehler, the President and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation.
Each nonprofit has a unique purpose for serving the community, and since the event first launched in early 2018, more than $10.46 million has been raised for a variety of local nonprofits.
“It means a lot to us. This is a way to identify our services. There’s a lot of work that we need ahead of us as an organization,” said Said Hassan, Executive Director of COMSA. “We are the only non-profit organization in brown county that is founded by refugees, for refugees and immigrants.”
Aside from COMSA, 49 other nonprofits throughout Brown County were selected to participate in the 7th annual Give BIG Green Bay.
“We’re just so grateful to be a part of this,” said Liz Wollenberg, the Vice President of Regional Strategy and Resource Development at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “Highlighting all the wonderful non-profits in the Green Bay, Brown County area, is fantastic.”
Several of the non-profits told Local 5’s Samantha Petters that in addition to highlighting their missions, the event allows them to understand why and how other organizations work to serve their community.
“Just coming together for all of these kinds of events, we’ve gotten to find so many people that we can actually have our kids and our clients attend their non-profits and give support in that place,” explained Lesley Laluzerne, the Founder and President of Bridge the Gap. “We’ve also found a lot of other non-profits that need support from us.”
Laluzerne said it’s that collaboration with the community members helps each non-profit grow.
“We’re really fortunate, the foundation, and I know the Green Bay Packers feel the same way, that we get to work with these non-profits every single day throughout the course year,” said Buehler. “That is something that gives us a lot of satisfaction and pride throughout the year. We hope we can share that with other people.”
Every dollar donated up to just over 500 thousand will be matched by the Green Bay Packers Foundation, with minimum donations beginning at 10 dollars.
“The Packers are pleased to again support Give BIG Green Bay and the incredible nonprofit organizations involved this year,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. “Give BIG provides Brown County nonprofits with an invaluable opportunity to share their missions with the community and raise funds and awareness for their causes. We are proud to encourage our fans from near and far to learn more and donate at any level.”
Giving Day goals included building awareness, engaging the community, and engaging the community.
“We cannot do our work without collaborating with others. We cannot work in silence,” stated Said Hassan. “It’s an opportunity for interaction among folks who all do the same kind of work. It’s also an opportunity to see the altruism.”
According to officials with the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, of the 50 organizations selected this year, 28% will participate for the first time.
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“Today’s really just our day to shine a spotlight on it and really celebrate it,” expressed Buehler. “But every single day, we get to focus on this and just share that with others in our community and say there’s a lot of important needs, and they need that volunteerism and need your support.”
For more information, to learn more about each participating nonprofit, or to donate, visit the Give BIG Green Bay website.
