Centre Gives 2023 concluded on Thursday night with another big fundraising total in support of local nonprofits.
Centre Foundation’s annual 12th annual 36-hour online giving event raised a record $2,316,315 through 15,213 gifts to more than 200 organizations. The total surpasses the previous high of $2,238,995 set in 2021.
“We are once again overwhelmed with our community’s generosity,” Molly Kunkel, president and CEO of Centre Foundation, said in a statement. “This support will make a tremendous difference for the 205 participating nonprofits.”
Since its inception in 2012, Centre Gives has raised $16.9 million for organizations working in the areas of arts, animals, education, environment, health and social services and more.
The event also has grown to add an in-person celebration during the final four hours. The second Centre Gives Fest was held on a picturesque Thursday evening at Bellefonte’s Talleyrand Park, welcoming hundreds of community members to enjoy music, food and family-friendly activities hosted by 30 participating nonprofits.
Bellefonte-based Rising Hope Therapeutic Riding Center, which provides equine-assisted therapy to individuals with special needs, was among them, bringing two miniature horses to the festival.
“Centre Gives means a lot to Rising Hope. We are strictly a nonprofit and we rely on donations,” Cindy Kocher, one of Rising Hope’s founders, said in a statement. “Without Centre Gives, we wouldn’t be able to feed our horses. It broadens our exposure to the community and what we offer and can provide to individuals.”
Gifts during Centre Gives are boosted by a $300,000 stretch pool provided by Centre Foundation and the Hamer Foundation, as well as $40,000 in prizes.
Prizes of $1,000 were awarded to the top five large and small organizations with the most unique donors.
Large organization prize winners:
Centre County PAWS
Centre Volunteers in Medicine
Pets Come First
Schlow Library Foundation
State College Food Bank
Small organization prize winners:
Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County
Centre Wildlife Care
Dyslexia Reading Center
Nittany Beagle Rescue
Park Forest Preschool
Additional prizes ranging from $100 to $500 were awarded to dozens of organizations in 20 other categories.
