JUNE 22, 2020—GILLETTE, WYOMING—Nine nonprofits in Campbell County have signed on to participate in WyoGives, an initiative of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network that is designed to bring the state together as one community to raise money and awareness for Wyoming’s nonprofits.
Scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, this 24-hour day of giving takes place virtually at wyogives.org. This is the first year this online fundraising day has been hosted in the state. The event is held on GiveGab, an online fundraising platform where individuals can search and donate to nonprofits across the state. The platform also allows smaller nonprofits a chance to fundraise alongside more well-known organizations, broadening their reach to a larger audience to help raise more money.
Thanks to GiveGab, each nonprofit that participates can create a separate and customizable web page for secure donations. GiveGab also provides the Wyoming Nonprofit Network a way to thoroughly vet the charities that participate to ensure donations go to worthwhile causes and good stewards of funds.
A list of the Campbell County nonprofits participating in WyoGives and their goals are below:
- Campbell County Healthcare Foundation, partnering with YOU in the health and wellness of YOUR community, by addressing the critical need of patients in our community through financial assistance, medical supplies and hospitality stays. We also promote preventative care through our VIP (Vaccine for Influenza Prevention) Program and promote healthcare education through local scholarships. GOAL: $5,000 to fill the increased need by our patients due to COVID-19 ramifications. For more information, contact Nachelle McGrath at nachelle@cchcf.com or 307.688.6235.
- Council of Community Services offers meals every day through its soup kitchen, provides nutrition to families in need in Campbell County, Wyoming through the food pantry, puts a roof over people’s heads in times of crisis, provides case managers to help people deal with health emergencies, and works to move families into permanent housing. More families rely on the food pantry or require rent assistance to avoid hunger and homelessness due to layoffs related to the Coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, traditional fundraisers have been postponed as we stay home and stay safe. GOAL: $5,000. For more information, contact Misty Lange at misty@ccswy.org or 307-686-2730.
- Edible Prairie Project works to get food grown by local farmers and ranchers right here in Campbell County into the hands of children and families that need it most so we can build a more fair, resilient, and sustainable community food system. Our Summer Weekend Meals for Kids program provides kid-friendly and nutritious food packages, including at least one fresh fruit or vegetable, to children each weekend during summer break. We help maintain the Gillette Little Free Pantries – a network of upcycled newspaper dispensers placed in our city parks that any member of our community can access for food at any time, and our Veggie Baskets bring locally grown produce to everyone through our “pay-what-you-can” pricing. GOAL: $3,000. For more information, contact Megan Taylor at megan@edibleprairieproject.org or 307-228-0044.
- Energy Capital Habitat for Humanity addresses the critical need for affordable housing by providing home ownership opportunities for Gillette families in need. We serve families whose income is 30 percent – 60 percent of the current median income, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Wyoming. In clean, decent, stable housing, families can provide stability for their children; a family’s sense of dignity and pride grow; health, physical safety, and security improve; and educational and job prospects increase. GOAL: $3,000 to help with the Critical Home Repairs program. For more information, contact Brenda Kirk at energycapitalhabitat@gmail.com or 307-228-0024.
- Fur Kids Foundation: All too often animals suffer needlessly or are put down due to expensive veterinary bills. Created in November 2011, Fur Kids Foundation helps families with pets afford emergency veterinary care when they cannot afford it in Campbell County. Many people have been laid off in Campbell County, Wyoming due to changing national and worldwide energy needs and wants, and due to the devastating effects that COVID-19 has had on our national and state economy. Fur Kids Foundation has seen an uptick in families who need help when their pet gets hurt or ill unexpectedly. GOAL: $5,000 and five new volunteers. For more information, contact Felicia Messimer at furkidsfoundation@gmail.com or 307-363-1132.
- Gillette College Foundation works to advance student success at Gillette College. The Foundation provides funding for specific projects, such as the Rodeo/Ag Complex, Area 59 and the Pronghorn Center; as well as funding for programs, equipment, grants and scholarships. GOAL: $5,000. For more information, contact Heidi Gross at hgross@sheridan.edu or 307-681-6400.
- Gillette Main Street: If you live in Gillette, then you already know about the fierce loyalty that comes with being a “local” – supporting local business, preserving our economy, and maintaining our sense of identity as Wyomingites. Gillette Main Street is a nonprofit dedicated to upholding these very same values. Building The Economy of Gillette’s Future with Time-Tested Values from Its Past: Gillette Main Street promotes these values, protects them, and uses them to shape the future of our historic downtown. Gillette Main Street holds many of the most popular public events in Gillette every year—events that bring our far-flung community together for cultural enjoyment and pride. Our goal is to continue to build upon Gillette’s citizens’ sense of local community and to foster pride in the community where we all live and work. For more information, contact Jessica Seders at gillettemainstreet@gmail.com or 307-689-8369.
- Women’s Resource Center of Northeast Wyoming offers free medical services and support to women facing unplanned pregnancies in Northeast Wyoming. Our clinic provides free pregnancy testing, confirmation of pregnancy, options consultations, personalized community referrals, and material assistance through our Earn While You Learn program. As a nonprofit we rely on community fundraisers to keep our doors open and services free. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic our annual spring auction event was canceled. Help us fill the gap this summer! GOAL: $5,000. For more information, contact Sawyer Poitra at sawyer@wrcgillette.com or 307-685-2211.
- YES House Foundation provides funding for the programs, children and families, equipment, building and expansion needs of the Youth Emergency Services, Inc. to better serve the Gillette, Wyoming community. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the YES House hard. Staff has shifted many outpatient services to phone and video services, and some prevention programs have had to be suspended which has reduced funding to the YES House. At the same time revenue has decreased, staffing needs for youth living in residence has increased in order to maintain separation and safety. Each year the Y.E.S. House helps to protect, heal, and care for an average of 1,000 youth and their families throughout Northeastern Wyoming. In 2018/2019 1,038 children and their families received support. GOAL: $5,000. For more information, contact Mary Melaragno at MMelaragno@yeshouse.org or 307-686-0669, ext. 1009.