By the time you read this Main Street Minute, our annual Give for Good fundraising campaign has begun. Early giving began on
Tuesday April 18, with giving opportunities continuing until the official “Give for Good Day” on Tuesday May 2. Give for Good is sponsored by the Community Foundation of North Louisiana and provides support to nonprofit organizations like ours to help them raise funding for their charitable organizations. In 2022, nearly $2.4 million was raised during “Give For Good” that went directly to identified nonprofit organizations. These funds came from more than 8,000 gifts and were distributed to 214 organizations. On top of the direct donations they receive, nonprofits also benefit by capturing a portion of the Community Foundation’s $230,000 Lagniappe Fund that partially matches donations and by competing for over $20,000 in prizes.
Over the five years Main Street Homer has participated in “Give for Good,” we have raised $35,169 in donations and $4,445 in Lagniappe and prize monies. That’s a total of $39,614 – an average of $7,923 annually – or just under 20% of our annual operating budget.
Money from your donations to Main Street Homer is reinvested into our town as we continue to advance our mission to revitalize Homer through economic development, historic and cultural preservation, and advancement of the arts. Just look around downtown Homer and you can see the results of the work we have been able to complete.
Over the 9 years main Street Homer has existed, we have secured over $200,000 in outside grant money for projects (e.g. the AK Park & the PanAm Filling Station), tax credits and property tax abatements for private properties in downtown Homer of over $200,000, and stimulated over $1 million in private property investment into our downtown building infrastructure. During this time 18 vacant properties in downtown have been returned to productive service and the number of private businesses in downtown has doubled with 13 net new businesses. We have saved three endangered buildings, created a downtown park and a center for the arts, held multiple art and culture classes, and hosted multiple festivals and events. Our treasurer reports this is a fantastic return on your investment! This is your money giving back and working in your community!
“Give for Good” is a day for philanthropy and you can help not only Main Street Homer, but other Claiborne Parish nonprofit organizations raise money including The Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana, The Herbert S. Ford Museum, Keep Hope Alive Outreach Ministry, and Total Health Heroes Foundation. They say that a rising tide lifts all ships, so help the tide rise in Claiborne
Parish by supporting our local nonprofit organizations during this Give for Good season. Don’t wait – the last day of this fund drive is May 2nd and we need your help to continue advancing the missions of these organizations!
Please give to Main Street Homer today by visiting our website at MainStreetHomer.org, our main Street Homer Facebook page, or by scanning the QR code below to link directly to our Give for Good page.
Jimmy Hand
Board President