The North Dakota 4-H Foundation is participating in the 2019 Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour online fundraising event on Thursday, Feb. 14, that benefits nonprofit organizations in North Dakota and western Minnesota.

The North Dakota 4-H Foundation is a nonprofit organization that secures and manages financial resources to support and expand North Dakota’s 4-H programs and educational opportunities in areas such healthy lifestyles, engineering and technology, environmental and earth sciences, communication and expressive arts.

“Giving Hearts Day has allowed the 4-H Foundation to reach out all across the state, touching individuals we might not be able to connect with through traditional activities,” foundation manager Penny Dale says. “The breadth of this once-a-year fundraising initiative provides exposure of the 4-H program to many more individuals.”

This is one of the few large fundraisers that solicit donations to support numerous 4-H programs, including Communication Arts, educational experiences at the state and national level, and judges training.

Research shows that youth who participate in 4-H do better in school, and they are four times more likely to contribute to their communities and two times more likely to make more healthful choices.

The theme of this year’s Giving Hearts Day is “count me” as a giving heart for charity. This demonstrates that the event has made a profound impact in North Dakota and western Minnesota, and everyone’s donation counts, organizers say.

The first $7,000 raised for the North Dakota 4-H Foundation this year will be matched by six donors: Great River Energy, Peterson Farms Seed, Jim Kirkeide, David and Julie Hassebroek, Eric and Suzanne Lahlum, and Proseed. The foundation’s goal is to raise $32,000.

Supporting the North Dakota 4-H Foundation on Giving Hearts Day is an easy, three-step process:

• Go to http://givingheartsday.org
• Click on ""Donate"
• Choose the 4-H Foundation of North Dakota

The first Giving Hearts Day, in 2008, generated online donations totaling $325,000 for local nonprofit organizations. In 2018, 28,044 donors raised $13,157,997 for more than 300 organizations.

“The North Dakota 4-H program is a program that I hold very close to my heart,” says Andy Staloch, chair of the North Dakota 4-H Foundation board. “It is the program that sculpted me into the person I am today. Please join me in donating to the North Dakota 4-H Foundation on Giving Hearts Day so we can continue to make the best better.”

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Feb. 4, 2019