Pay It Sideways

I’ve been offered a full-time position at the Kearney Area Community Foundation as their Marketing Coordinator. I have been interning for them for the past five years, and in a couple weeks I can officially say I am an employee and not just an intern.

Part of the Foundation’s mission is to effectively responding to the community’s needs. And that’s exactly what a couple of alums are doing with their stimulus checks.

The fund called “Pay It Sideways – COVID-19 Relief Fund” was established to collect donations to provide grants to nonprofits in the Kearney area that are providing, but not limited to, food, rent assistance, utility assistance, medicine, mental health or childcare to people living and/or working in the Kearney area suffering a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Marge Lauer, the first executive director of the Kearney Area Community Foundation (KACF), and Sherry Morrow, a past board member, are teaming up to promote the fund as a way to help nonprofits that are helping our community in the wake of COVID-19.

Morrow explained, “We want to encourage individuals to donate all or part of their COVID-19 stimulus check to help Kearney area community members with a COVID-19 related hardship.  The fund will be used to make grants to local nonprofits who’ve addressed these basic needs in our area communities.”

Lauer added, “I wasn’t expecting this money and know others need it more than I do, so I’m wanting to “pay it sideways” to help our neighbors in need.

The grants selection committee made up of seven community members will determine which local charities to assist financially with proceeds from the fund.

Donors can give two ways:

• Checks can be mailed to the Kearney Area Community Foundation, 412 W. 48^th Street, #12, Kearney, NE  68845.  (Staff is working from home, so donations cannot be dropped off at the office – only mailed.)
• Or online with a credit card:  www.kearneyfoundation.org/pay-it-sideways