Join Weelunk for the Amazing Raise: ONE DAY, BIG CHANGE

Did you read the one about the T-shirt guy who donates all his proceeds to good causes? How about the young waitress who overcame drug addiction, prison (where she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl) and now is a server at Later Alligator? Or the CASA Superhero 5K?

Or hometown guys Nate Strasser and Lionel Cartwright, both of whom are going great guns in the music world of Nashville and beyond? Or, how the Ziegenfelder Co. was honored by the FBI for its compassionate hiring practices?

And then there are the hilarious essays that get us giggling or the heartfelt ones that may bring us to tears on Saturday mornings. Or how about all those Wheelings across the country! There are stories about history and stories to stir our memories, and reports about what’s going on in our town right now.

We at Weelunk hope you’re enjoying all we’ve been writing about, and we want to bring you more. We want to shed light on issues affecting our lives, on people who are doing generous things, on organizations that are helping to make the Ohio Valley a better place to live. We want to share the good stuff.

And YOU can help us to bring you even more stories from even more writers.

Weelunk is participating for the first time in the Amazing Raise Ohio Valley, set for Tuesday, May 1.

Amazing Raise, which has raised well over $1 million for Ohio Valley non-profits, is part of a national day of giving. Led by the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley, the 24-hour event (midnight through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, May 1) provides nonprofits with exposure to potential new donors.

CFOV uses a combination of fun themes, bonus funds and prize challenges as incentives to attract new donors and keep them giving throughout the day to a variety of causes.

For example, donate during a specific two-hour slot to get more bang for your buck for Weelunk.

Weelunk has chosen to shoot for the Starting Line award, so please donate to Weelunk between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m. on May 1 for our chance to gain an extra $500. So stay up a little late on Monday, April 30, or set your alarm to rouse yourself for just a couple of minutes to send those dollars our way!

And don’t pass up the chance to be generous to all of the other wonderful organizations vying for funding during the Amazing Raise. There are so many that do such great things. Your tax-deductible donations to Weelunk will allow us to continue writing about them.

“Donating to Weelunk will help us tell a greater diversity of stories about Wheeling’s past, present and future, and hire more writers and expand the types of media by which we tell stories,” said Jeremy Morris, executive director of Weelunk. “One of our goals at Weelunk has been to change the way we see ourselves, so the world can change how it sees Wheeling.”

Subscribe to Weelunk

“Weelunk’s mission is to support the revitalization of Wheeling,” said Jason Koegler, board president. “In its three and a half years of existence, Weelunk, in its uniquely Weelunk-style, has aimed to highlight the people and organizations that are making a positive difference in our community and to garner support for them from others. Weelunk also strives to share ideas and serve as a platform for change. To put it simply, if you Weelunk, you are ‘Doing Something’ for Wheeling.”

FAQ: (for more, visit: https://giveov.org/faq)

How can I make a donation?

Beginning May 1, 2018, from midnight (12:00 a.m.) until 11:59 p.m., go to giveov.org and use your credit card or debit card to donate to any nonprofit that has registered to participate. You can search for a nonprofit by name or by service category or location. Participating nonprofits will have a donation page on giveov.org where you can choose the amount you want to donate from $10 on up.

Is my gift tax deductible?

Donations during the Amazing Raise Ohio Valley are 100% tax deductible. You will immediately receive an email confirming the deduction from the Community Foundation. Please save this email for your records. By selecting a specific charity to receive your donation, your gift is restricted to that charity and will not be given to any other charity. You cannot designate your donation for a specific program at a nonprofit.

Can I give to more than one organization?

You may make multiple donations. Only the nonprofits registered on giveov.org may receive gifts during this event. On the homepage of giveov.org, there will be a multi-give donation form with the option to give to multiple organizations on May 1. You will only have to fill out your personal and payment information once.

Each nonprofit will have a donation form on their profile pages. These forms are only for that particular nonprofit. If you want to make donations to multiple nonprofits, you must use the multi-give form on the giveov.org homepage.

If you choose to make a donation to another nonprofit at a different time during the day on May 1, you will need to re-enter your personal and payment information.

About the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, Inc.

For the past 45 years, the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley has served as a resource for local philanthropy, connecting individuals, families and businesses with causes they care about. Through our work, we strive to create a stronger and more vibrant region, now and for generations to come. We work with donors to build endowments, collaborate with nonprofits to address needs through grantmaking, and provide leadership on important community issues. To learn more, visit the website.