Rock County Red Arrow recently wrapped up its 2016 fund drive with a $74,000 tally — which is $14,000 over their goal.
“The people of Rock County are generous,” said Dianne Ossenfort, chairwoman of the 2016 Red Arrow fund drive. “It is just that simple.”
Red Arrow was founded more than 50 years ago in 1965 on the premise that it would simplify giving for area residents by coordinating one major fundraising drive that would support dozens of local charities.
“You can give in one lump sum,” Ossenfort said. “It’s just a good thing for our local agencies to help them provide services for the community. It’s just a good way to help people.”
Rock County Opportunities Inc. is one of the organizations that receive Red Arrow support.
Director Beth Bartels said the money has been put to good use in RCO, a day training and habilitation center in Luverne.
“Over the course of many years, we used the Red Arrow money to buy an electric button-making machine (for Tri-State Band Festival buttons plus other projects), as start-up funds for our Buffalo Joe Coffee Bean business, to help purchase a vehicle used to transport clients to and from work, to help with the cost of the recent and much needed addition to our building, to buy exercise equipment used by clients, to purchase software that allowed us to convert from paper to electronic files, to repair parking lot potholes, and to replace landscaping and plant grass around our building,” Bartels said.
Other organizations receiving Red Arrow funds are American Diabetes Association of Minnesota, American Red Cross (Southwest Minnesota Chapter), ATLAS of Rock County, Backpack Program, Big Buddies, Boy Scouts of America (Sioux Council), Child Guide Program, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Minnesota Chapter), Habitat for Humanity (Southwest Minnesota), Helping Hands Pregnancy Chapter, Home Delivered Meals, LifeScape Foundation (formerly Children’s Care Hospital and School), Luverne Senior Citizens Center, Luverne Street Music, Mary Jane Brown Intergenerational Program, Minn-Ia-Kota Girl Scouts, Multiple Sclerosis (Minnesota Chapter), National Ataxia Foundation, Rock County Relay for Life, A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota, Salvation Army, Sanford Luverne Hospice, Southwest Crisis Center, Southwest Youth Services, Special Olympics, USO and Volunteers In Mercy.
The organization conducts its annual fund drive in the fall, but tax-deductible donations may be mailed anytime to Rock County Red Arrow, P.O. Box 895, Luverne, MN 56156.
For more information about Red Arrow or to make a donation, contact Ossenfort at (507) 283-9050.