Kickoff Lunches Scheduled to Invite Local Groups to Get Involved
After the overwhelming success of last year’s event, the Heartland Community Foundation is excited to announce the return of Heartland Give Fest, our region’s community giving day, set for Friday, October 10, 2025.
Give Fest 2024 raised over $404,000 in one day for 45 participating organizations — thanks to generous donors, bonus match games, and a powerful show of community spirit. In 2025, we’re doing it again with a $150,000 match pool already committed by the Heartland Community Foundation.
To kick things off, we’re hosting three informational lunch sessions to invite nonprofits, school groups, churches, civic groups, and any local organizations who are curious about participating—or simply want to learn more. These kickoff events are open to both new and returning groups, from any Heartland county.
Kickoff Lunch Schedule (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM each day):
- July 28 – Briefspace, Hays
- July 29 – Trego County Historical Museum, WaKeeney
- July 30 – Plainville Public Library
Each session will cover:
- An overview of the 2025 Give Fest event
- How organizations can participate and what to expect
- Website registration help for current fundholders in the second half of the lunch
In addition to welcoming participants, Heartland is now seeking local sponsors that would like to contribute to the county match pools. These local match contributions will boost giving and benefit all participants in their home county.
We're also looking for 5th grade sponsors to help us bring back a special feature from 2024: giving each 5th grader $10 to donate to a cause of their choice. “This was one of the most inspiring parts of last year’s Give Fest,” said Sarah Meitner, executive director. “The students took their decisions seriously and showed how powerful early philanthropy can be. We'd love to give them even more to work with this year.”
If your business or organization is interested in supporting the match pool or sponsoring the 5th grade giving program, please reach out to heartland@gscf.org for details on enrollment estimates and pledge information.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about how to register, volunteer, or support Give Fest 2025.Together, we do more good.
