OCALA, FL (352today.com) – It was an evening that exceeded expectations.
The 2024 Give4Marion campaign achieved a major milestone thanks to the support and generosity of the 352 community. This initiative by the Community Foundation of Ocala/Marion County (CFOMC) was a huge success, raising over $2.9 million in just 33 hours, setting a new record for this five-year-old event.
The event kicked off in The Reilly Arts Center’s NOMA Blackbox Theatre Wednesday, Sept 18 at 5 p.m. with an event called Taste of the Give which featured a variety of local restaurants offering samplings of their best dishes. Longtime 93.7 K-Country midday personality Lewis Stokes emceed the event which moved into the main theater for a Family Feud-style game show featuring members of several charities vying for more money for their nonprofits.
The local non-profits were central to the evening’s success, with donors showing great generosity because of the important work these organizations do for the area’s most at-risk individuals. Marion County took the chance to support others, highlighting their spirit of giving and compassion. Give4Marion showed remarkable growth and teamwork among all the non-profits, reflecting the core values of each group.
“We all have to work together as one to create a community to meet the needs of others,” said Director of Strategic Engagement for the CFOMC Ashley Gerds. “I have never seen a community come together in such force as I do in Give4Marion. And each year, it gets bigger and bigger. It not only helps the nonprofits raise money, but it helps connect people to the resources. People look at Give4Marion, they view the pages, and they get to see we do have a domestic violence shelter, we do have housing for the homeless, we do have different food pantries, we have people who serve the youth. we have something for everyone who is in need within our community.”
One of the nonprofits that gained from the fundraising was The Rock program. This charity was started in 2016 by Rondo Fernandez. It supports students by offering a safe place, essential items for their basic needs, and mentoring for those who need someone to talk to.
“The reason that I founded the charity was the way that I grew up out in the [Ocala National] Forest,” said Fernandez, who was celebrating his birthday and was presented with a birthday cake at the event. “I was lucky to have my needs met, my mom worked really hard, but all my friends were the kids that we serve. As I got older and gave my life to Christ, I had a strong desire to serve and to meet that need. So, we started our first location at Lake Weir High School, and now we’ve grown to 20 locations in three counties.”
Grace Christian School received an anonymous donation of $600,000. In total, they raised $740,346,000 from 211 donors and 277 guests. The money will be used for important campus expansion and improvements.
“I was born and raised in Marion County and I’m so proud of this community and what we’ve grown over the years, and we’re so appreciative of the foundation and the opportunity that Give4Marion provides to all of the nonprofits,” said head of Grace Christian School, Tom Gerds. “All the Glory to God. It really is amazing to me, how often he brings the right people at the right time for the right reasons.”
Frank Hennessey, the founder of CFOMC, addressed the audience at the NOMA Blackbox Theatre during Taste of the Give. He expressed gratitude to the community and CFOMC, then revealed a special “Matching Moment” of $5,000 for the last hour of Give4Marion. During this time, sponsors match specific donations, enhancing the impact of each contribution. In this case, the CFOMC itself committed to matching every donation up to $5,000 during that hour.
To conclude the event, Hennessey returned to the stage to announce a target for 2025. He aimed high, setting the goal at $4,000,000.