The Norton County Community Foundation hosted its first Norton County Match Day on July 20.

There were a total of 16 organizations from around Norton County that participated, and collectively they raised $29,267 plus a $10,000 match from the Norton County Community Foundation. Overall, the day brought in $39,267 to be distributed amongst the organizations for various projects and programs around the county.

The 16 participating organizations were: The Compassionate Friends of Norton, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas (DSNWK), Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc., Norton County Health Dept. & Home Health, Norton County Horse Council, Norton Eagles #3288 Aerie & Auxiliary, Norton Flower Fund, Norton Pride, Norton Public Library, Norton Regional Health Foundation, Norton Veterans Memorial, Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Second Chance Homeless Pet Society, Star Spangled Quilters, Sunshine Learning Center, and the United Parish of Lenora. All 16 of these organizations work hard to better the quality of life in Norton County.

For the 2017 Match Day, all organizations set up a table in Heaton Building in Downtown Norton which allowed donors the opportunity to talk with them and learn more about the organizations. There was also time for the different organizations to talk with each other, and many commented on how much they learned about what was going on in our county. Those who wished to donate money had the choice of donating to one or as many organizations as they wished. There were also many remarks made about how hard it was to choose where to donate their money because there were so many great causes represented. The building was open from 7 am – 7 pm for donations, and in that time there were 118 donors who came and visited.

“I was very pleased with the turnout from Match Day. Since this was the first time we had done something like this, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we had a great day. The support from the community was overwhelming and I hope to make our Match Day an annual event,” states Tara Vance, Executive Director of the Norton County Community Foundation.

The Norton County Community Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the mission of making Norton County a better place in which to live. The foundation was established in 1994 and has increased in size in recent years thanks to visionary donors and a proactive community in which to operate. For more information on the Norton County Community Foundation, visit www.nortonccf.org.

— Submitted