Donors generously support nonprofit causes across Lake, Porter and La Porte counties
Northwest Indiana residents, corporations and foundations came together for an unprecedented one-day philanthropic effort on February 12, contributing a preliminary total of $248,678 to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations in Lake, Porter and La Porte counties.
The donations were made through NWIgives, the first-ever online giving event to unite charitable organizations regionally. Organized and presented by Lake Area United Way and Legacy Foundation, NWIgives is an innovative online fundraising event that encourages individuals to donate as much money as possible in support of their favorite participating Northwest Indiana charities in just 24 hours.
“We are thrilled with the outcome of NWIgives, especially for a first-time event. The participation of our nonprofit agencies and the generosity of our donors was outstanding,” said Jeremy Miller, chief operating officer of Lake Area United Way. “We are extremely grateful to our sponsors and partners whose support helped us achieve our goals for this new effort to build nonprofit capacity and raise funds for important causes across Northwest Indiana.”
Child and Pet Relief Fund of Crown Point, a foster home based group rescuing “death row” animals in northern Indiana and Illinois, won the grand prize of $5,000 from NWIgives. Each donation of $100 or more gave the participating nonprofit one entry into the grand prize drawing, which was held shortly after the NWIgives day ended at midnight. In total, Child and Pet Relief Fund raised $1,640 plus won the $5,000 prize, and came in third on the leaderboard among small nonprofits, giving it another $1,000 prize.
Forest Ridge Academy of Schererville raised the most money overall with $14,525 in donations, followed by Duneland Education Foundation of Chesterton with $9,125 and Campagna Academy of Schererville with $6,745. As overall leaders, these nonprofit organizations will receive an additional $4,000, $3,000 and $1,500 in prize awards, respectively.
Additional winning fundraisers and their earnings were:
| Name | Amount Raised | Prize Awarded |
| Small Nonprofits- Leaderboards | ||
| Duneland Education Foundation | $9,125 | $3,500 |
| Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry | $2,455 | $2,500 |
| Child and Pet Relief Fund | $1,640 | $1,000 |
| Mid-Sized Nonprofits- Leaderboards | ||
| Tri-Town Band Boosters | $1,745 | $3,500 |
| Indiana Ballet Theatre Northwest | $820 | $2,500 |
| American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana | $780 | $1,000 |
| Large Nonprofits- Leaderboards | ||
| Forest Ridge Academy | $14,525 | $3,500 |
| Campagna Academy | $6,475 | $2,500 |
| La Porte County Family YMCA | $4,110 | $1,000 |
| Golden Tickets- Sponsored by Centier Bank | ||
| Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry | $1,000 | |
| St. Jude House | $1,000 | |
| Housing Opportunities | $1,000 | |
| La Porte Symphony Orchestra | $1,000 | |
| Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana | $1,000 | |
| Power Hours- Sponsored by NIPSCO | ||
| Food Bank of Northwest Indiana | $1,000 | |
| United Way of Porter County | $1,000 | |
| Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry | $1,000 | |
| United Way of Porter County | $1,000 | |
| Kibble Kitchen Pet Pantry | $1,000 |
Coordinating partner agencies in NWIgives included Foundations of East Chicago, United Way of Porter County, United Way of La Porte County and Unity Foundation of La Porte County. Sponsors of the NWIgives day included Centier Bank, NIPSCO and the Knight Foundation. Media sponsors were The Times Media Company and Lakeshore Public Media. Supporters included Indiana University Northwest, Purdue University Calumet, Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly magazine, Larry Alt & Associates and V as in Victor Creative Agency.
For more information about NWIgives and the complete listing of participating nonprofits with amounts raised, visit http://NWIgives.razoo.com.