By RONDA GRAFF

MCFF

McCOOK - The Southwest Nebraska Big Give got bigger this year, not only with a longer name and more organizations but also in the total amount donated on the one day of giving Nov. 2. 

With the final sponsorship dollars added in, the total for the 2023 Big Give is $278,112.49 - a new record for the annual event. That total came from 938 individual donations, another new high for the event, which is in its 8th year.

The Big Give also saw the most non-profit organizations taking part in the event with 38 charitable groups joining the effort, covering communities across Southwest Nebraska from Curtis to Cambridge to Culbertson. 

A complete list of the organizations and their totals raised during the Big Give can be found on the Big Give website, swnebiggive.org. 

The Southwest Nebraska Big Give continues to grow each year because of many people,businesses and organizations coming together to make it happen. These include the sponsors, which provide the matching funds to make individual donations even more impactful. Those sponsorship dollars are used to provide the matching funds during the power hours throughout the day. Organizations also receive matching funds based on the total dollars raised throughout the day, up to a certain amount based upon the sponsor dollars raised throughout the year. 

The 2023 platinum sponsors include the Graff Charitable Foundation and MNB Bank. Gold sponsors are Community Hospital and First Interstate Bank. 

Silver and bronze sponsors include Golden Plains Realty, Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel, Horizon Bank, First Central Bank, First State Bank and Insurance, MNB Insurance, Pinnacle Bank, State Farm-Linda Maiden and Waypoint Bank. 

Friendship sponsors included Casey’s, the Sports Shoppe, W Design Associates and Wagner Auto Group.

And the Big Give would not be as successful without the publicity from local media including the McCook Gazette, High Plains Radio and Hometown Family Radio.

Finally, the Southwest Nebraska Big Give is possible because of the volunteers who serve on the McCook Community Chest committee, led by co-chairs Melissa Stritt and Lisa Felker. 

The Community Chest is a sub-account of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.