Make Greater Des Moines greater through Give Local Des Moines
May. 3, 2016
Make Greater Des Moines greater through Give Local Des Moines
By Kristi Knous, Community Foundation President
In my role as president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, I have the unique privilege of signing checks at my desk twice a week. This may sound like an ordinary task, but the act signifies far more than providing my signature.
Each check represents grants that have thoughtfully been made by individuals, families and businesses from charitable giving funds at the Community Foundation. Each check represents someone’s passions, values and commitments to improving quality of life. Each check is a wonderful reminder of tremendous spirit of giving in our community.
At the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, our mission is to improve quality of life by promoting charitable giving, connecting donors with causes they care about and providing leadership on important community issues. It is our belief that our community is better when we work together. That is why we are a proud partner in Give Local Des Moines.
On May 3, our community will join with more than 100 cities across the country to raise dollars for the charitable organizations that make Greater Des Moines greater. This local approach to a national day of giving provides an opportunity for all of us to put philanthropy into practice and support causes we care about.
Our community is a generous one that views the nonprofit sector as a critical ingredient in the secret sauce that makes Greater Des Moines a wonderful place for all to live, work and play. And this charitable spirit is being recognized nationwide. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines ranks No. 26 of more than 800 community foundations nationwide in terms of gifts per capita to individual charitable giving funds. Our United Way of Central Iowa ranks No. 1 in per capita giving, among cities raising $25 million or more. For this tremendous support, we say thank you.
But the real impact of charitable giving in Greater Des Moines is far more than the number of dollars raised. Impact comes to life in the stories we hear each day from the charitable organizations who are meeting critical needs in our community, and the individuals who are giving of their time and treasure to support them. Whether it is the stories of donors joining together to address access to mental health care in our community, or givers coming around families facing hunger or homelessness, or contributions that build a vibrant music and art scene — meaningful impact is being achieved through charitable support. Every dollar makes a difference!
Our community’s nonprofits are collaborative, innovative and deserving of our ongoing support. We invite you to join us in lifting up our collective voice and sharing the story we know to be true: Greater Des Moines is committed to improving quality of life and making our community better together. Let’s Give Local Des Moines!