Community members give strong start to Matching Challenge Grant – La Crosse Tribune
LA CROSSE (La Crosse Tribune) – At the Bridges to Better Tomorrows event for Family & Children’s Center on Thursday, the agency announced that key donors are presenting a $350,000 Matching Challenge Grant to take a relentless stand to protect children from abuse and support those with growing mental health challenges after the pandemic.
These donors are inviting people to match their pooled funds on a dollar-to-dollar basis: Jerry and Marilyn Arndt, Binsfeld Family Fund, Cleary-Kumm Foundation, Dahl Family Foundation, Glendenning Foundation, John and Linda Lyche, Jerry and Pat Papenfuss, Josh Severson and Jennifer Knapp Severson, Barb and Dave Skogen, Slaggie Family Foundation, Trust Point, The Weber Group, Jeff and Andrea Wieser and WNB Financial.
Event sponsors were The Weber Group, Merchants Bank and Weiser Brothers General Contractor, Inc.
Mayo Clinic Health System and WA Group were the first pledges to Matching Challenge Grant. Attendees at the event also pledged and gave $82,570 toward the match.
Gifts will help fund Family & Children’s Center prevention, intervention and treatment programs in La Crosse, Winona, Viroqua, Sparta and Black River Falls, serving 4,600 people annually.
Libby Weber and Laura Eddy co-chaired the event with 280 attendees and more who watched the live-streamed portion of the program held at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts in La Crosse.
A Dec. 10 deadline has been set to help secure the additional tax-deductible gifts to meet the $350,000 match. If a pledge is given, payment may be made through March 2023.
Tanner Holst, Family & Children’s Center board of directors chair, said, “As chair of the board, my role is to remind people that FCC’s good work takes passion and trust. But it takes money as well. With such generosity we have seen by our donors so far, FCC is well on its way to meeting the donors’ challenge.”
The center’s leaders also unveiled a refreshed logo for the agency.
New Bridge Builder Giving Societies were also unveiled. Go to fcconline.org to give a gift online or view the new giving societies on the Give page.
Community members interested in viewing the livestream of the event can do so on the center’s website and Facebook pages.
For more information or questions or for a tour of the facilities, call Ellen Hongerholt at (507) 459-1989 or (608) 668-2132.
Article originally appeared in the La Crosse Tribune on November 11.
