Note: The May 7 paper reported a total of nearly $99,000 raised for 2025, but online donations were still rolling in at the time.
Four years ago, County Commissioner Chair Misty Ahmic kept getting ads for Lincoln Gives, and wondered why Seward County didn’t have something similar. Why were Seward County dollars going to Lincoln when there were organizations to support here?
Together with Joey Carder from the Pleasant Dale Fire Department, Katie Morgan of Milford Kiwanis and Sharon Powell from Village of Utica, Ahmic founded Seward County Gives (SCG) to address this need.
“There are some really amazing people in this county who are working really hard,” Ahmic said.
She explained that besides raising money, SCG also gives people the opportunity to simply learn more about what goes on behind the scenes of participating nonprofits.
“That’s my favorite part, learning what they’re doing and the people behind it all,” she said.
Nonprofits wishing to participate in SCG must be able to prove that all funds raised here will be spent here, and over the last four years, around $800,000 has been poured back into the community.
As for this year, a total of nearly $150,000 has been given by 1,091 donors to support 39 different nonprofits.
The Village of Cordova, looking to repair their community building, raised over $24,000 with 79 donors. Other nonprofits at the top of the leaderboard include Southeast Nebraska CASA, Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, Staplehurst Volunteer Fire Department and Blue River Pet Rescue.
A few nonprofits made their SCG debut this year: the Seward Rotary Club, Village of Beaver Crossing, Great Plains Literacy Festival, Imagination Library, Legacy Fund for Seward County, and Wellbeing Initiative all participated in their first Give Week. As for the donor-match sponsors, SCG was glad to partner with Kinetic and Walmart for the first time.
Looking back over the last four years of fundraising, Ahmic noted trends in giving. “Our highest year was at a time when the economy was high,” she said. “With the current climate and a lot of unknowns at the federal level, I think people are nervous. So the fact that we were still able to raise $150,000 in such a small county, I think it’s really amazing.”
Although Give Week 2025 just wrapped up, Ahmic and her team are already planning for next year. Rather than just having five days of events, Give Week 2026 will be a full seven days, from April 27 to May 3. For more information about SCG, visit sewardcountygives.com. To learn more about some of the organizations involved, look for an upcoming series in the Independent highlighting the work of various Seward County nonprofits.
