From May 1 through 5, people far and wide will have the opportunity to support 24 organizations and causes in Seward County.
The first Seward County Gives campaign is meant to bring Seward County together as a community during one week of giving to raise money and awareness for nonprofits and civic projects.
Misty Ahmic, who helped organize the event, said the online format will allow locals as well as those who have moved away but still want to contribute to the community to give easily.
“We will also have 20 in-person giving stations around the county that week for those who don’t want to give online,” Ahmic said.
The event is organized through The Legacy Fund for Seward County, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation, both of which encourage charitable giving through donations and estate planning.
It serves the communities of Beaver Crossing, Bee, Cordova, Garland, Goehner, Milford, Pleasant Dale, Seward, Staplehurst and Utica.
Ahmic said The Legacy Fund will offer $20,000 in matching funds – but the match requirement is different from most grants.
Instead of the match going to the organization that raises the most money, it will go to the organization that has the most donors.
“Each donor equals one point,” Ahmic said, and the organizations with the most points at the end of the campaign will get the additional dollars.
Many of the participating organizations will host events throughout the week to promote their projects and causes.
More information, including how to donate when the time comes, can be found at sewardcountygives.org.
The following organizations will accept donations as part of the Seward County Gives campaign, with many earmarking the funds for specific projects or purchases:
Blue River Pet Rescue
Funds will be used to help provide food and shelter for rescued animals and to help place animals in need of homes with foster or adoptive caregivers.
City of Milford
The goal is to fund a new splash pad and park renovation in the uptown city park as a multi-phase project.
Hope Crisis Center
All proceeds will go toward providing shelter, food and necessities to individuals and families displaced by domestic violence and sexual assault.
Illuminate Seward
The white lights along the top of Seward’s downtown buildings are between 25 and 30 years old and are falling apart. Funds will be used to replace the lights with new, efficient LED lights.
Kiwanis Club
of Milford
Funds will be used to purchase and install a new soft-surfaced safety pad and mat under the playground equipment at the Milford city park, replacing the old pad that has reached the end of its lifespan.
Kiwanis Club of Seward Foundation
Donations will be used to replace torn flags and damaged poles and for general upkeep at Seward’s Parade of Flags.
Kiwanis Club of Seward - Helping Hands
Money will be intended to purchase tables, chairs, bookshelves, games, easels, cubbies and storage units for the kids area at the proposed Seward Wellness Center.
Legacy Fund
for Seward County
Funds will be invested in opportunities for Seward County organizations to continue to receive local grants.
Nebraska National Guard Historical
Society
Funds raised will support five new exhibits at the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward. They include: “Civil War to Today” honoring the Nebraska units, the first Native American Medal of Honor recipient, artillery in Nebraska and re-enactors; “Higgins Boat” Display for the 80th anniversary of D-Day; “Spanish-American War” honoring the NENG participation in the war; “World War I Trench” upgrades to a realistic trench scene from 1918 in France; and “Fort Donelson” honoring NENG participation in the Civil War in 1862.
Olde Glory Foundation
Donations will be used to pay the remaining $16,700 of the $80,000 loan used to purchase the Olde Glory Theatre.
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and School
Phase 2 of the Ministry Center at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and School in Staplehurst will begin construction in May 2023. Funds raised will support the gymnasium/multipurpose facility which will be available for sporting events, receptions and community events.
Pleasant Dale
Volunteer Fire
Department Boosters
Money will go toward the purchase of an ambulance, as the department currently relies on five other area departments to transport patients for hospital care. Other needed equipment includes a power cot, stair chair, new portable suction and additional supplies to stock the ambulance.
Seward Arts Council
Donations will be used this year to promote honoring Reinhold Marxhausen as a famous Seward artist, Art Connections First Fridays and seed money for the Marxhausen Legacy Room.
Seward Foster Friends
The Foster Friends closet is in need of a remodel to allow it to better serve the needs of families and to allow volunteers to sort and organize incoming items to allow for faster order preparation. Funds also will be used to purchase shelves, hanging racks and totes and create a boutique area for prom dresses, given to teens at no cost.
Seward Fourth of July Celebration
To “dress up Seward for the Fourth,” the Seward Fourth of July Committee hopes to outfit various buildings, such as the band shell, with rows of red, white and blue bunting and string red, white and blue pennants between street lights. These are used every year, and the pennants need replaced.
Seward United Methodist Church
Funds will go toward the Gather and Grow renovation and addition to the church building. SUMC hosts FoodNet and Bright Beginnings Child Development Center and serves as a meeting space for the local Boy Scout troop. Improvements will include covered, accessible front-door entry, additional handicap-accessible parking, relocation of church offices for better visibility, a new entrance for Bright Beginnings and up-to-date restrooms closer to the sanctuary.
Seward-ish Giving Tree
The goal is to bring fun and joy to seniors in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Funds will be used to purchase gifts, treats and craft supplies to promote fun and well-being for residents who spent so much time alone during the pandemic.
Southeast Nebraska CASA
Money will help train a certified Gallup Strengths Coach to help staff and volunteers who help children experiencing abuse and neglect. This coach will work with other organizations in Seward County to identify strengths.
Staplehurst Volunteer Fire Department
Currently, half the bunker gear Staplehurst Fire has is out of date – only being good for 10 years. Funds raised will help purchase 10 new sets of gear to protect firefighters.
Utica Ball Organization
Funds will go toward a 1,200-square-foot handicap-accessible, air-conditioned concession stand and restrooms to replace the current 200-square-foot building that is not accessible and cannot store appliances or supplies.
Utica Community
Foundation
The Utica Foundation is raising money for a new, larger, lighted picnic shelter and restrooms/storm shelter in the city park.
Utica Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department
Donations will be used to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatuses, or “air packs.” The packs go through a yearly test for air flow to the mask and bottles are hydro-static tested every five years. The department’s current packs are no longer supported by the National Fire Protection Association and parts are unavailable.
Village of Garland
Volunteer Fire
Department
A 12-lead electrocardiogram device allows diagnosis before hospital arrival to ensure rapid care for patients in medical emergencies. Garland Fire and Rescue is raising money for a new device to help detect chest pressure or tightness, heartburn, racing heart, slow heartbeat, severe weakness, stroke symptoms, prior cardiac disease, diabetes, obesity or recent cocaine use/suspected overdose.
Village of Utica - Parks and Pool
New, safe and inclusive structures are the goal for Utica parks, as well as a complete overhaul of the 53-year-old swimming pool. Improvements to the ball fields and north village park also are part of the proposed projects.
