FAIRBURY, Neb — A new community-wide fund-raising effort called Jefferson County Gives will unite area residents for a 24-hour day of giving on March 19. The event invites supporters across Jefferson County to donate to their favorite local charities and help stretch their dollars even further.

Organizers say the goal is to match the generosity of Jefferson County residents with nonprofit organizations already making a difference in the community.

“We want as many organizations and people participating as possible,” said Ben Schwartz with Blue Valley Community Action, one of the organizers behind the effort. “There’s a lot of generous people here in Jefferson County, and there’s a lot of worthy causes. Jefferson County Gives is going to be a 24-hour giving period that brings those two things together.”

Nonprofit groups interested in participating can apply online at jeffersoncountygives.com. Schwartz said the application form can be downloaded, completed, and either emailed or mailed to organizers for review.

While the initiative is new to Jefferson County, Schwartz said inspiration came from similar community giving days in surrounding areas.

“We’ve been in communication with and drawn inspiration from communities in Kansas, from Beatrice and Gage County, Seward, and Thayer County,” said Schwartz, who says one of the things that they have learned is that it's helpful to have a coordinator for the event. “Those that have a dedicated person to run it are pretty successful, so one of our goals is to get enough sponsorship money to hire a part-time coordinator to help pull this event off.”

Organizers hope the first-year effort will unite donors, volunteers, and local organizations around a shared goal — strengthening the future of Jefferson County through collective giving.

For more information or to get involved, visit jeffersoncountygives.com.