For the third year in a row, the Pine View Association (PVA) will be participating in a county wide fundraiser known as the Giving Challenge. PVA will be raising funds to help support various initiatives and projects, all relating to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM). The 2016 Giving Challenge will take place Sept. 20 to 21.
The Giving Challenge has been a prominent fundraising event in Sarasota for the past three years, and has grown substantially over the years. It is a 24 hour online fundraising event that will begin noon Sept. 20 and end noon Sept 21. Only 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations can apply to be a part of the Giving Challenge. This year, over 500 organizations will be participating in the event.
The fundraiser is put on by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, along with the involvement of several other partner organizations. In 2015, the Giving Challenge as a whole raised $7 million in a span of just 24 hours .
The event has proven to be very successful for PVA. In 2014, PVA raised $35,809 in the Giving Challenge, and in the following year it raised $25,915. The event has helped to fund many influential educational experiences for students at Pine View. PVA Vice President and Chair of the Giving Challenge Renee Ryckman said, “The Giving Challenge has been our second largest fundraiser for the year.”
The Patterson Foundation, a major partner organization of the Giving Challenge, has pledged to match donations from new donors in the range of $25 to $100 in a 2:1 ratio, so a donation of $100 would be $300 to the benefitting organization. Old donors’ donations and donations over $100 will still be matched in a 1:1 ratio.
As a part of the event, there will also be a social media challenge on Twitter. “They are asking supporters to tweet #GivingChallenge16 at random times during the 24 hour period between noon on Sept. 20 and noon on Sept 21. They will choose 1 tweet per hour with that hashtag, and that person will win $100 for the charity of their choice,” Ryckman said.
PVA will be using the funds raised through this event for various STEAM initiatives at Pine View. In the past, the money raised through the Giving Challenge has gone to Classrooms of Tomorrow; bought equipment such as calculators, microscopes, 3D printers and educational robotics kits; and also supported the art department. The money raised through this year’s Giving Challenge will fund STEAM projects and equipment for the elementary, middle and high schools at Pine View. “We want to help students get the materials they need and help fund different experiences and opportunities that they have,” Ryckman said.
This unique event allows PVA to raise funds to support the variety of STEAM related initiatives taking place at Pine View. PVA President Karen Kirsch said, “The Giving Challenge is truly an amazing opportunity for PVA and other charitable organizations to reap the benefits of being part of such a generous and philanthropic community.”
To take part in the challenge, visit the Giving Challenge website to make a donation. Members of the Pine View community are all encouraged to donate.