Fernley Community Foundation hits $200k fundraising mark, finishes year strong with Polaris pledges and membership program
The Fernley Community Foundation (FCF), a nonprofit organization committed to improving Fernley, has now raised more than $200,000 since its inception in 2017. The FCF is proud to share several notable achievements as it wrapped up an exciting year of progress. Employees of the Fernley Polaris Distribution Center recently pledged over $6,500 in donations to the FCF through their “Polaris Gives Week.” In addition, Polaris offered a 100% corporate match of these donations, bringing the total to more than $13,000 from Polaris and its employees for the upcoming year through automatic payroll deductions and other donations; more than $4,000 has already been deposited with the FCF. These donations and additional funds raised through the FCF’s annual FernStock fundraising event in August have contributed to an excellent year of fundraising.
Foundation Chairman Cody Wagner expressed how much the community’s support means to the nonprofit organization. “When we started this group four years ago, we were just trying to find a way to raise a few bucks here and there to cover the cost of filing with the IRS. To see where this has grown is really unbelievable. And to have a company so new to our community step up in such a strong way, dedicating their local Polaris Gives Week to us, putting us on the same level as the United Way and other nonprofits doing amazing work across the country, is a milestone achievement for our organization. I don’t know of any other employers in our community doing 100% matches for automatic payroll deduction donations like they’ve done. We are incredibly thankful for their employees who chose to donate their hard-earned money to our mission of bettering Fernley.”
Polaris Fernley Distribution Center Manager Molly Schmick described her appreciation for the cause. “I am so proud of our team and Polaris’ commitment to community investment. We are honored to be a part of the Fernley community and are happy to provide support through charitable donations such as this.”
Regarding the $200,000 milestone in total fundraising, Wagner commented, “We believe that this has been the largest fundraising effort by a private nonprofit organization in the history of Fernley. One of the things that makes us unique is that we have no paid employees yet. This has been entirely volunteer-driven, which helps keep overhead costs minimal so almost all of these donations will be directly invested into our future Community Center and other community projects. We are so grateful for our Board’s dedication to these efforts.”
The Foundation is currently working with the City of Fernley and other stakeholders to develop a detailed vision for the Fernley Response & Recovery Center. This Center will be constructed behind the historic Depot on Main Street, located on the same campus as the new Senior Center, serving as a hub for community events, resources, and interaction.
The Foundation kicked this year off by launching a new membership program, where individuals and businesses can become a part of the movement with monthly or annual giving. To sign up or find more information, please visit fernleycommunityfoundation.org/membership. The FCF would also like to thank past and current volunteer Directors for their efforts: Troy Pefley, Karry Vesik, Edrie LaVoie, Colleen Unterbrink, Dana Uhlhorn, Denise Kolvet, Joseph Maino, Morgan Finken, Mark Knodell, Bill Meyer, Bill Snyder, and Cody Wagner. Gratitude is also extended to all contributors who have bought bricks for the future Center, purchased tickets/raffle prizes for the FernStock fundraising event, and made other contributions including significant donations/grants from the following: Joseph Maino, Alan and Edrie LaVoie, All Out Companies LLC, Nevada Cement, Walmart Foundation, 1st Option Realty, Royal Carpet One, Fernley Chamber of Commerce, Fernley High School Leadership Class, and City of Fernley/Fernley Convention & Tourism Authority. More information about these efforts and donor information can be found at fernleycommunityfoundation.org. The Fernley Community Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
