Community Foundation is almost to $500,000 goal as deadline nears

    Excitement is soaring as the Imperial Community Foundation Fund (ICFF) nears its $500,000 campaign goal and as the final deadline approaches.
    ICFF accepted a four-year challenge when the Sherwood Foundation based in Omaha offered to match 50 cents on the dollar up to $250,000 towards Imperial’s unrestricted endowment.
    The local fund advisory committee set a goal to raise $500,000, realizing a 50% match is worth the required time commitment, said ICFF Chair Tyler Pribbeno.
    As the Dec. 31 deadline approaches, the community is within $7,500 of reaching its goal. Donations need to be in several days prior to assure deposit before the year-end. Online donations are accepted on the ICFF website, www.imperialfoundation.com. The Unrestricted Endowment Campaign explanation shows on the home page with a link that takes donors to a secured portal.
    Opportunities for making a difference increase significantly when a $750,000 growth such as this bumps the unrestricted endowment past the $1.2 million mark. Credit goes to the generous donors who take ownership in investing in Imperial’s future, Pribbeno said.
    Effective granting requires community involvement, he added. The local fund advisory committee encourages people to dream about what can make Imperial better and share those ideas.
    ICFF was established as an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF) in 1999. It is through NCF’s partnership with the Sherwood Foundation that led to this valuable opportunity for making Imperial even better.
    “Our unrestricted endowment and strong relationships with local organizations have allowed us to provide crucial resources to our community in the most critical of times,” Pribbeno said.
    ICFF has awarded more than $519,000 from investment earnings over the years.
    Significant support from the past year alone has gone toward the Mid-Plains Community College expansion, Chase County Schools remote learning, Chase County Community Hospital wound care program, Imperial Manor and Parkview-Heights connecting elders, Imperial Community Center projects, Teammates, Chase County All Stars 4-H Ag Safety Day, City of Imperial soccer program, CCS graduate mailbox project, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and Lied Imperial Public Library equipment.
    COVID restrictions have delayed some of the projects although others are a result of the pandemic.
    ICFF awarded $40,000 to a CCS remote learning project by utilizing the Bridging the Learning gap matching grant through NCF. The Chase County Schools Foundation and Imperial Rotary joined forces with ICFF to utilize the maximum match.
    CCS Supt. Adam Lambert researched Swivl devices that use technology to record what’s happening in the classroom. The devices purchased  follow the teacher’s movement, giving more of an overall effect of being there.
    Students who are quarantined, sick or gone to a school activity can participate in

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