The results of the 2021 Give! campaign are in and, as usual, they’re gratifying. In its 12th year, the campaign raised $1,113,949 in public donations and $535,733 in matching grants, amounting to $1,675,366.
With 82 nonprofits participating last November and December, we can’t recognize all of them in this space. But here are updates on causes near and dear to our hearts and, we hope, yours.
Happy Cats Haven (327 Manitou Ave., (happycatshaven.org) landed in third place with $60,623 donated. HCH had set a goal of $50,000 in monetary donations, to be used for general operating expenses.
Costs for veterinary care and food keep rising, so the Give! funds will help keep the kittens and cats healthy and happy this year.
“It has been truly encouraging to find so many people in the Pikes Peak region who care about the felines and are willing to support them through not only financial donations, but also time and talent,” board member Laura Ettinger-Harwell said last fall.
Westside CARES (2808 W. Colorado Ave., www.westsidecares.org) is in eighth place, with $43,828 raised. The nonprofit serves people in need in the area between the Air Force Academy and Fort Carson, and between Interstate 25 and the El Paso/Teller county line.
“Westside CARES has been continually humbled and surprised by the incredible generosity of our community,” CEO Kristy Milligan said in December.
Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, led by Manitou resident Cory Sutela, brought in $38,218. That puts the group at 12th place among the 82 nonprofits.
“At the core of MWTA, we’re mountain bikers who love trails — and most of our trails provide inspiring views, experiences and connections for hikers, trail runners, equestrians, pet walkers and other users,” Sutela said in November.
The Manitou Art Center, 513 and 515 Manitou Ave., was in 15th place with $32,221.
“We can use it to pay for all the things it’s difficult to find a donor to pay for. Give! is huge for that, because it’s one of the few funding sources that doesn’t have some kind of programmatic requirements,” Executive Director Natalie Johnson told the Colorado Springs Independent.
Applications are submitted to the Give! campaign for several weeks in the spring. The review committee, made up of dedicated community volunteers, selects from the eligible organizations that applied by the deadline.
The campaign kicks off Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 31.