by Tyler Veno
The countdown is on for this year’s Cattaraugus Gives, the annual day of giving that unites the community in support of local nonprofits.
Scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, this year’s event promises to highlight the generosity of donors and the incredible work of 91 participating nonprofit organizations.
Cattaraugus Gives, hosted by the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, is a 24-hour online fundraising event that brings together area nonprofits of any service area, size or mission in friendly competition to celebrate the community’s spirit of giving.
Last year, the campaign raised an impressive $306,567, shattering the marks set in previous years. Cattaraugus Gives has now helped nonprofits raise around $1.5 million since its inception.
This year’s participating nonprofits include: • African American Center for Cultural Development• Allegany Area Historical Association • Allegany Little League • Allegany Public Library • Allegheny Highlands Council, Boy Scouts of America • Big 30 Athletic Fund • Cats Knead TNVR, Inc. • Cattaraugus Co. Dept. of the Aging/Meals on Wheels • Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation – Community Fund • CBA Vision Rehabilitation Services • CCA – Connecting Communities in Action
Challenger Learning Center of the Twin Tier Region, Inc • Chautauqua Cattaraugus Board of Realtors Scholarship • Chesnut Hill Cemetery • Christine Conner Memorial Scholarship • Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation (CAMP) • Community Scholarship Fund (CRCF) • Directions in Independent Living, Inc. • Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation • Dream it. Do it. Cattaraugus County • Ellicottville Memorial Library • Ellicottville Playground • Ellicottville Rotary Club • Empire Animal Rescue Society
Enchanted Mountain Garden Club of Allegany • Enchanted Mountains Village • FeedMore WNY • Friends of the Library of Olean, NY • Genesis House Shelter • George and Marcia Pancio Scholarship Fund • Greater Olean Association of Churches • Greater Olean Hospitality Scholarship
- Gregory D. Spring Perseverance Scholarship and Awards Fund • Hamilton Court #2, Order of the Amaranth • HomeCare & Hospice Foundation • Immanuel Lutheran Church and Childcare C
Intandem • Interfaith Caregivers, Inc • J&E Awareness Non-Profit • Jack Reading Memorial Fund • James and Valerie Brundage Scholarship Fund • JF20 Scholarship • Joyful Rescues • Joyful Rescues, Inc. • Leadership Cattaraugus Scholarship • Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. • Literacy of Love, Inc • Little Valley Fund • Marjorie and Robert Schaumleffel Rotary Scholarship • Mercy Flight Inc. • Nannen Arboretum Society • OHS Class of 1983 Scholarship • Olean Business Development • Olean Community Theatre • Olean First Baptist Church • Olean Food Pantry Inc. • Olean General Hospital Foundation • Olean Meditation Center • Olean Parks Beautification Fund • Olean Rotary Club • Olean Schools Foundation • Olean Sports Boosters • Olean Theatre Workshop • Operation Warm Hearts, Inc.• Pay-it-Forward • Pfeiffer Nature Center & Foundation Inc • Phoenix Humane Society of Greater Cattaraugus, Inc. • Portville Community Association • Portville Community Food Pantry • Positive Ripples, Inc. • RAM Fund of Cattaraugus County • Rescue Pups • Salamanca Rail Museum Association
Santa Claus Lane • Shadows Veterinarian Relief Trust • Southern Tier Catholic School and Archbishop Walsh Academy • Southern Tier Health Care System • Southern Tier Symphony • SPCA in Cattaraugus County • St. Elizabeth Mission Society, Inc. • The Bob McCarthy Foundation • The Pink Pumpkin Project • The Salvation Army – Olean • Tim Bushnell Memorial Scholarship • Tina Zerbian Resilient Community Scholarship • Total Senior Care • Tracy Veno Memorial/Olean Professional Firefighters, Local 1796 Scholarship Fund • Tri-County Arts Council • Twin Tiers Disc Golf Association • Veggie Wheels • YMCA of the Twin Tiers
Giving will begin on the cattaraugusgives.org website at 12am. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 and will continue for the next 24 hours.
Donors can help the 91 participating organizations win prizes from a pool of $21,200 in prizes sponsored by CRCF and a number of area businesses. This year, donors will have the chance to win themselves, as there will be six gift card drawings throughout the day as well as raffles for a signed Gregory Rousseau mini helmet and a signed Rasmus Dahlin photo. The full prize list can be found at cattaraugusgives.org/prizes.
A number of participating nonprofits have matches and challenges available, which will increase the impact of donors’ gifts.
“Cattaraugus Gives is a shining example of what can happen when a community comes together to support its own,” said CRCF Executive Director Kirk Windus. “We are excited to see what this year will bring and how these funds will help nonprofits make a difference in the lives of so many.”
Donors can visit cattaraugusgives.org to explore participating nonprofits and make their contributions on December 3. Every gift, no matter the size, helps fuel the collective impact of the Cattaraugus region nonprofits.
The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email foundation@cattfoundation.org, or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter