March 25, 2026 • 29 mins
In this episode of iHeartCommunities as we celebrate the Ninth Annual Great Community Give, happening April 22, from sunrise to sunset. This community-wide day of giving makes it easier than ever to support the nonprofits and causes that strengthen the Valley. Whether you give online or donate directly to your favorite organization, every contribution fuels meaningful change.In this episode, we sit down with leaders from several participating nonprofits to explore how the Great Community Give uplifts their missions and the people they serve. Our guests include:
- Lauren Jefferson — The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham
- Laura Ruth & Rebecca Shelly — Friendly City Florals
- Leeanne Shepherd — Second Home Learning Center
- Mary Golden-Hughes — Anicira Veterinary Center
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And welcome to iHeart Communities. I'm Chris Carmichael, and today
we're shining a spotlight on a powerful day of local generosity.
It's the ninth annual Great Community Give. It's returning on
April twenty second. It is a sunrise to sunset celebration
of giving that makes it easy for everybody right here
in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to support the nonprofits and
(00:22):
causes that strengthen our community. And it's a chance to
give back to the place we call home and uplift
the organizations that are working every day to make our
community better. Every donation, big or small, truly makes a difference.
And from the Great Community Give and the Community Foundation
of Harrisonburg and Rocking Him, I want to invite Lauren Jefferson.
(00:43):
She's the director of Programs in Marketing and Lauren, this
is always so exciting. We raise a lot of money
to up a lot of great organizations here in Harrisonburg
and rock Aam County.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We do and yeah, thanks to our great community, we've
been raised over a million, i'm sorry, eleven million dollars
for our community and hoping.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
To grow that number this year. What's your goal our
goal is two.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Point five million this year, so that's about a two
hundred and fifty thousand more than last year, which is
definitely a high goal. But this community has been really
generous over the years, and I think it's really possible
this year for us to.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Meet that goal.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
So for listeners who are just for the first time
hearing about the Great Community Give, or maybe they're not
familiar with the foundation, can you tell us a quick,
you know, thirty thousand foot view of what your organization
is and why the Great Community Give us so important.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Tagline as we move back to the community we love,
and I like to call us a philanthropic bank, and
so we work with generous donors who invest funds, and
of course the more funds you have, the more investment
return you can grow, and so those returns go back
(02:07):
into the form of donations to nonprofits in our community
and beyond. And so the Great Community Give is one
of the programs we offer, along with Dollypartn's Imagination Library
and some nonprofit support and the Giving Back Guide, which
highlights nonprofit funding needs. The Great Community Give is one
(02:30):
of those programs that our fundholders help support, and many
geners donors help support each year and it's just a
great opportunity for the community to come together to support nonprofits,
but then nonprofits to also share the impact and the
work that they do in our community.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So how many organizations are we helping out this year?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
This year we have a record high of one hundred
and fifty eight organizations participating.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
The money raised, is that going directly to the different
nonprofit organizations or is it being invested in they're getting
a portion of the returns.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So the money that comes in from our donors on
for a Great Community to Give is all going straight
to the nonprofits. So we use an online giving platform
that allows for credit for card gifts, but then you
can also give cash or check directly to the nonprofit
and one hundred percent of those donations are going strict.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So the Great Community to Give is a one day
event or is it something that's going on all month?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Tell us about the day.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yes, So this started as a one day event, and
what happened was we had folks. We just heard feedback
that a lot of people would they'd be upset because
they'd missed that one day opportunity, and so we have
expanded it a little bit and there's a phase. There's
a two week phase called the early Giving phase. So
(04:00):
this year that is April seventh to April twenty first.
The online platform at Great Community Give dot org is
open and you can give credit card gifts during that
time credit card donations. You can also give cash or
check directly to the nonprofit. But then on April twenty first,
(04:20):
we have almost a whole separate dayition among nonprofits. We
have cash prizes to incentivize nonprofits to get to reach
out to their donors and make sure they're giving.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And that day then ends in kind.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Of we accumulatively look at the total on the leader
board of most donors and most dollars raised among nonprofits
in three size categories, and then we award a larger
cash prize that also goes. All of this money goes
straight to nonprofits for their use in their programming and
(05:03):
fundraising needs. So that fun competition that day is what
everybody thinks about, you know, when they think about Great
Community Give. But there is, as you said, this opportunity
to give within the two weeks leading up to April
twenty second.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And you mentioned the number of organizations that are involved
this year. If we would like to see if our
favorite organization is participating or maybe discover a new one.
Do we do that on your website?
Speaker 4 (05:32):
You do?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
So, we have a website, Great Community give dot org.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
This is not our website.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
It's a website that we purchase a sponsorship or a
subscription to. So this is a safe way of giving
through your credit card. Lots of security is put in place,
and so that website has pro files of all the
(06:02):
one hundred and fifty eight organizations that are participating in
this day, and you can go.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Search by topic or you can search by name.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And you can get a wonderful idea of organizations that
are working in causes that you care about, and you
may know of some of them, but then there's new
ones and there's new participants this year. So it's a
really neat opportunity to support organizations you know about, but
then also to learn more about organizations that are that
are in this area that you may not know about.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
I'm excited this morning to have three of those organizations
joining us here on iHeart Communities from Friendly City Florals.
I want to say hi to Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelley.
They are the co founders also to Lianne Shepherd, the
assistant director of Second Home Learning Center, and Mary Goldwin Hughes,
who is the director of Advancement at annisera veterinary center.
(06:56):
Let's start with Lara and Rebecca from Friendly City Floral
So tell us a little bit about your organization and
how the Great Community Give is going to benefit.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yes, Hi, good morning.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Friendly City Florals is a nonprofit in Harrisonburg and our
mission is to spread joy and kindness by donating repurposed
even flowers.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
So how it works, for.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Example, at a wedding and we would go and pick
up the flowers after a reception, bring them back, and
we'd redesign them into new bouquets that we then donate
to the hospital, nursing homes, mental health center, schools, any
kind of organization in Harrisonburg or Rockenham County that is
serving our community.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
The Great Community Give is so helpful to us in
raising funds. Our funds just went towards purchasing a cooler
to help give us extra time in between receiving donations
and giving them back out to the community. It also
helps us connect with more organizations and helps us have
more volunteers be involved.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
I love that you guys are doing this. I just
my birthday was last week and flowers showed up. And
flowers have that ability to just put that smile on
your face. And I love that your organization isn't allowing
flowers to go to waste. That's the one thing is
you spend all this money to buy flowers, and then
you use them for the event, and then what do
(08:20):
you do with them? You mentioned you're going to be
able to purchase a cooler to help store the flowers
so that you repurpose them. If you're not able to
receive these funds, what happens? Are flowers going to waste?
Are we having to use them quicker than you'd like to?
Rebecca to tell us a little bit about how that
(08:41):
operation works.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Yeah, So at Friendly City Florals, we are really big
on environmental sustainability. So when we receive flowers that can't
be used, say they're a little too wilted from time
in the sun or they got a little smushed, we
are able to repurpose those by putting them in our compost.
Laura and I are both avid gardeners, so that compost
(09:05):
turns back into excellent soil amendments for us to grow
flowers and then we donate those flowers mixed in with
the event flowers. So we really try to use every
little bit of items that we receive from weddings.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And I'll add Chris that if we the funding really
allows us to reach more people by being able.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
To accept more flowers.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
So with the without our funding throughout the year and
the great community to give is our primary fundraiser. Last year,
we were able to raise our entire year's operation budget
with it, so we're hoping to do the same this year.
And we just it's the principle that the more we raise,
the more people we can reach. So it really affects
(09:52):
every part of our operations.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
House has decision made where the flowers go. Are people
reaching out to you asking for your help or are
you visiting the hospital every Saturday and delivering flowers? How
does that work?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
We have like a.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
List that we rotate through, but we try to target
individuals who might not be receiving flowers or have access
to their own green spaces, people who are going through
health challenges or perhaps don't have a strong support system.
Really trying to make an impact on those individuals, and
so we kind of just rotate through a list of
(10:29):
donation sites and its ebbs and flows based on the
donations that we get.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
As our listeners are hearing about your organization and they
want to help out, what's the easiest way for them
to help during the Great Community Give or any other
time throughout the year.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Yeah, we are doing a seven am Power hour during
the Great Community Give this year. We are really hoping
to have the most amount of unique donors during the
seven to eight am Power Hour and throughout the year.
People can sign up at our website to volunteer or
donate jars and vases. Our website is Friendlycityflorals dot com
(11:10):
and you can always send us an email at Friendlycityflorals
at gmail dot com.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
This is iHeart Communities. This weekend, we are speaking with
local organizations that are participating during the Great Community Give,
which is a day of giving which is coming up
on April twenty second. We were just speaking with Laura
and Rebecca from Friendly Cityfloral So I want to bring
in Liann Shephard, the assistant director from Second Home Learning
(11:37):
Center and Leanne tell us a little bit about what
your organization does Hey Chris.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Good morning, Good morning everyone. My name is Lianne Shephard.
I'm the assistant director of Second Home Learning Center.
Speaker 6 (11:48):
We are a childcare facility here in Harrisonburg. We offer
before and after school care for Spotswood, Smithlin, and Waterman
elementary schools. We are a low call, slow barrier facility,
so that means that the whole burden of tuition isn't
put onto our parents, and we want to make sure
that as many kids as possible get the opportunity to
(12:10):
have the same place to be before and after school.
We specifically support some of the most marginalized communities in
Harrisonburg and we are excited to once again be part
of the great community give.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
This sounds like an easy one day of giving. You
pick your local organization. Why should we choose your organization
over another, or why should we include you in choosing
multiple organizations on the day?
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Sure, I'd say you know, Harrisonburg has a robust network
of nonprofits and we are one of the only community
organizations that offer before school care for children. So this
is really an opportunity needed to make sure that our
(13:01):
kids in Harrisonburg have the opportunity to get to school
on time, they get a snack so they're fed getting
into school, they get some academic support before school, they're
reading a book, and they have the opportunity to be
around people that love them and that they love even
before their school day starts. So we're really setting up
(13:22):
the children of Harrisonburg to have a good start for
their day, and then they know where they're coming after school,
so there's no worry about parents are working, so they
have to go home to an empty house or they
forgot their house key or things like that. They come
back to us and then the parents are able to
(13:42):
finish out their workday knowing that their kids are in
a safe place with us and that they're getting that
homework help. Lots of great benefits to our Harrisonburg wor
getting parents community.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
We're speaking with Liam Shepherd.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
She is thessistant director for Second Home Learning Center Leanne.
How many children are you helping here in the valley
on a daily basis?
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Yeah, we have about one hundred kids with us every day,
So before school we have between fifty and sixty kids
and then after school we have between eighty and one
hundred kids here every day, so we are we serve
three elementary schools and two middle schools, and we are
a licensed child care facility, but we're also an academic location,
(14:33):
So this is we're offering that support not just for
them to have that safe place, but we're also offering
the ability for them to have extra academic support, extra
time for them to be reading books or doing some
math or stem And we really are hands on and
making sure the kids get that chance to have fun,
(14:55):
play outside and get a snack and some work help.
We work with lots of other local organizations to bring
in programming to have the kids have a well rounded
day and really it's for the parents as well.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I'm assuming support the worth class. Yeah, I assume.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
That that running your organization is not a free affair
and always more money is helpful, especially when we're caring
for our children. What are your plans for the money
that is raised during the Great Community Give? How would
that be used?
Speaker 6 (15:39):
So unfortunately, we know that we've seen some changes in
funding in the federal and state level for childcare, and
so who are feeling that effect as well? There is
no money coming from a federal level grants that we've
been relying on for next school year. Federal funds coming
(16:01):
down through the state level. Those have disappeared for at
least a school year, so we're really relying on the
community and the Great Community Give to help us bridge
that funding gap between the availability of state and federal
level funds.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
If we want to make a contribution to your organization,
how do we find you on the day of the
give Yeah.
Speaker 6 (16:28):
So we are. We're going to be under Second Home
Learning Center. You can find us there and if you'd rather,
if you're not going through the online platform, we're certainly
happy to take paper checks or cash or wherever you
want to. We're in downtown Harrisonburg, so we're right in
(16:51):
the middle of everything.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
And if you want to find any of the organizations
that we're speaking with today or just find out what
organizations are involved in, you to the Great Community give
dot org and you got all the information there as well.
Uh Leanne Shepherd, Assistant director of Second Home Learning Center.
I appreciate you sharing about your organization and we'll speak
(17:15):
here in a second again, but first I want to
bring in Mary Golden Hughes. She is the director of
Advancement at Anna Sarah Vetinary Center, and Mary, uh, we love,
we love our kids, and we love our pets too,
and I love that you are part of the show
as well. Today Mary tell us about Anna Sarah and
(17:37):
what you do.
Speaker 7 (17:38):
Yes, Chris, thank you so much for giving us this
opportunity to talk about our mission.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Anna Sierra is unique.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
It is a veterinary center, so we do comprehensive veterinary care,
everything from wellness to surgery to dentistry procedures, the whole gamut.
But we are a nonprofit veterinary center, which is a
very unique entity. So we are doing as much as
we can to reduce barriers and reduce physical access and
(18:06):
financial access that families might have to ensure that they're
beloved family members who are cats and dogs have access
to high quality, compassionate, comprehensive medicine. We've been in the
valley for twenty years and with a dedication to just
ending animal suffering in any way that we can.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So.
Speaker 7 (18:26):
In addition to our veterinary center, we also have a
pet food pantry which operates three days a week and
folks can drop in and get the cat and dog
food that they need for the month, so that no
one ever has to choose between caring for their pets
and caring for themselves. And it's our privilege to be
(18:46):
a part of the great community give among all these
other wonderful nonprofits this year to just kind of highlight
that pets are family members to and that a healthy
family sometimes starts with a really healthy pet.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I love that all three organizations this morning here on
iHeart Communities are organizations that do with care showing love
to our family, our neighbors, and our pets. I will say,
We've got two dogs here in the house and one
of them was treated there at Annasara got us started
(19:23):
on the road to success with a very emaciated little
mutt that was found in the winter time and brought
her back to health and she's doing great. So as
a family, we appreciate exactly what you're talking about. It
we appreciate all that Annasarah has done for us.
Speaker 7 (19:44):
And it's stories like yours that make our mission come alive.
We have three hospital locations. We're founded here in Harrisburg.
We have one on the West coast and one of Analysis.
But here in Harrisonburg, the knees are deep. We have
families coming in every day who are trying to make
it meet and they love their beloved pet family members
(20:04):
and caring for them and then paying an unexpected financial
emergency bill for veterinary care. It's just not something they
had planned on. So when we have donations and support,
we can take those animals from perhaps a poor condition
or an emergency condition to on the road to wellness.
And so it's very fulfilling to see what donor dollars
(20:27):
can do. Last year in Harrisonburg alone, we gifted five
hundred thousand and a half a million dollars in free
care to our pet families, and so every bit helps.
We have a small goal for the Great Community Gift
because we know there's one hundred and fifty other wonderful
nonprofits who need support during this time. But even our
(20:48):
small goal will make a difference for several families and
helping them offset any kind of barriers that unexpectedly arise
when they're trying to care for their pet member.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
What's your like five year goal for Anna, Sarah? Where
would you like to be as we move forward?
Speaker 7 (21:05):
The ideal thing would be to end all pet suffering
and making sure that every family can get access to
high quality care. We're growing, We're adding new staff members
because the volume is so high. We cared for thirty
thousand pet patients in the past year, and we're doing
that across three hospitals, but at a large chunk of those
(21:25):
are here in the valley, and so we would love
to be able to expand one day and have Anishara
locations everywhere where the neeedes are deep, which we're finding
are all across the Commonwealth.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Right now.
Speaker 7 (21:38):
Times are tough, and so when you're making your ends
meet and planning your family budget, sometimes you have to
make decisions over whether you can continue to care for
your pet or not. We would want to get rid
of that situation altogether and never have a family have
to choose between economic euthanasia for their pet and caring
for their pet. And so by bridging the gap with
(22:01):
funds from donors and from grant support as a nonprofit,
we can be there with helping hands to make sure
that families can stay together and that pets can stay
with their families or they belong.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
You said your fundraising goal is small this year, but
I'm sure you have a hopeful earmarked for some project.
What would you like to be able to do with
this money.
Speaker 7 (22:24):
This money will help support unexpected financial emergencies that come forward.
We also received several wonderful grants this year which also
go into that fund. And so this is here to
help folks who really weren't expecting their beloved female pet
to have a piametra, which is an infected uterus, or
(22:45):
they need an amputation for their cat that they weren't
expecting because of an injury, or they have a long
term medical care for their dog and they're going to
need ongoing treatment for diabetes. Those kinds of unexpected emergencies
we reserve in one fund, and the Great Community Give
funds are then allocated to those pet family members.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
As a reminder, the Great Community Give is coming up
on April twenty second. Go to Great Community Give daughter
org if you like information, and I think you can
earmark your contributions in advance. You don't have to wait
until the day of the Great Community Give.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
That's correct, That's correct.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
I believe they start on April seventh, and so the
early giving period is available to all these wonderful nonprofits
at that time.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
We are speaking with Mary Golden Hughes, director of Advancement
at Anna Sarah Vetinary Center. We are looking forward to
the Great community give. This is a it's a powerful
day here in the valley when you consider how many
organizations are asking for help and then how many people
step up to assist in making sure that local community
(23:55):
organizations are able to do the work here in the
Harrisonburg and Rockham County area. And we appreciate what Anna
Sarah Vetinary Center is doing here in Harrisonburg, and it
sounds like around the country as well. So it's fun
to see when local businesses grow and are able to
help people outside the Shinandoah Valley share some of that
rocky Eam County love with people. They might not know
(24:17):
why our valley is so wonderful until they come visit
or we take it to them.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
That's what we've been told.
Speaker 7 (24:23):
The Southern Hospitality has been spreading from coast to coast
and making sure that pet families feel well supported and
cared for.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I want to bring Laren Ruth and Rebecca Shelley from
Friendly City Florals back into our conversation just as a
reminder of what you do and why it's important that
we help you. During the great Community.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Give Sure, so we really purpose even flowers and donate
them back backed out into the community to the hospital
and uness homes, schools, mental health centers. We're spreading joy
and kindness. It's truly not just about the flowers out
reminding people that they're cared for, and it's making a
(25:03):
huge impact in our community. So donating to us on
great community in the great community to give but will
help us reach more people, accept more flower donations, support
our volunteers and every part of our operations.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
And we want to keep you in mind if we're
having the event where we're going to have flowers, so
that we don't just throw them out at the end
of the event, correct, right.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yes, please. So many events we have found don't have
plans for their flowers afterwards, so it's really unbelievable how
many end up in the landfills. So we're giving them
a second life. Remember us, and we repurposed Mary's daughter's
wedding and right Mary.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That's right.
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I was so happy to see you all on this
pall as well, because what wonderful way for my daughter
who loves this community and loves the beauty of flowers,
knowing that her wedding flowers while she's on her honeymoon
are off being enjoyed by others. So I can a
test for what a wonderful nonprofit you all have.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
How do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
You can go to our website, Friendly Cityflorals dot com.
We have all of our contact information on the website
Friendly Cityflorals at gmail dot com. Our phone number is
on there multiple ways excellent.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
I want to bring back in Leanne Shepherd, assistant director
from Second Home Learning Center and Lianne before we wrap up,
I want to give you an opportunity to share your
story one more time and how we can get in
touch with you.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (26:35):
Second Home we offer before and after school care for
some of our most marginalized families in Arisenburg. We support
Harrisonburg City Schools. We have about one hundred kids here
every day. We provide academic support and just a safe
place for them to be. We really believe that every
child deserves a safe place to be before and after
(26:56):
school and that every working parent, every parent deserves the
chance and deserves to know that their kids are safe
and are well cared forward while they're working.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
We truly thank Harrisonburg. We thank you all for having us.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
And we look forward to continuing to being there for
Harrisonburg's most marginalized kids. We believe that these kids are
going to go off and continue to be part of
the community and know that they were loved here with us,
and so we're grateful to be able to continue that mission.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And how do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Yeah, we have lots of social medias, so find us
on any of the socials and are at our website,
second home via dot org, and then also buy our
email so you can contact us off of our website
and find our emails there, and we'd love to We
take lots of volunteers. So if you've been thinking about
(27:55):
maybe your grandkids are farther away than you'd like, you
want the opportunity to come and sit and read a
book with a kid, we'd love to have you. We
have lots of kids who need that extra a little
bit of love, and so adult volunteers are always welcome.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Mary Golden Hugh's director of Advancement at Anna Sarah Ventnary Center.
How do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 7 (28:18):
You can reach us at Annaseira dot org and you
can reach us by email and our social media. You
can also feel free to pop by our hospital. We're
located at nineteen ninety two Medical Avenue near the Mall.
We're open Mondays through Thursday, seven am to five pm.
We just renovated our hospital to expand access to provide
(28:38):
more surgical care for the thousands and thousands of pets
that we care for, and so we welcome you to
come in and see our new fresh look and how
excited we are to help support the community with high
quality veterinary needs.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
We want to thank all of our guests on iHeart Communities. Today,
we spoke with Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelley, a Friendly
City Florals, Lin Shephard, assistant director at Second Home Learning Center,
and Mary Golden Hughes, director of Advancement for Anasarah Vetnary Center.
As we wrap up, remember the Great Community Give is
your opportunity to help local nonprofits thrive. You can donate
(29:16):
directly with casher checks or give online to help your
favorite organization compete for cash prizes throughout the day. However
you choose to participate, your support matters. Visit Great Community
Give dot org to learn more and get ready to
make an impact. On April twenty second, I'm Chris Carmichael,
I appreciate you joining us this morning for iHeart Communities
(29:37):
here on your favorite iHeartRadio station.
And welcome to iHeart Communities. I'm Chris Carmichael, and today
we're shining a spotlight on a powerful day of local generosity.
It's the ninth annual Great Community Give. It's returning on
April twenty second. It is a sunrise to sunset celebration
of giving that makes it easy for everybody right here
in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to support the nonprofits and
(00:22):
causes that strengthen our community. And it's a chance to
give back to the place we call home and uplift
the organizations that are working every day to make our
community better. Every donation, big or small, truly makes a difference.
And from the Great Community Give and the Community Foundation
of Harrisonburg and Rocking Him, I want to invite Lauren Jefferson.
(00:43):
She's the director of Programs in Marketing and Lauren, this
is always so exciting. We raise a lot of money
to up a lot of great organizations here in Harrisonburg
and rock Aam County.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We do and yeah, thanks to our great community, we've
been raised over a million, i'm sorry, eleven million dollars
for our community and hoping.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
To grow that number this year. What's your goal our
goal is two.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Point five million this year, so that's about a two
hundred and fifty thousand more than last year, which is
definitely a high goal. But this community has been really
generous over the years, and I think it's really possible
this year for us to.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Meet that goal.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
So for listeners who are just for the first time
hearing about the Great Community Give, or maybe they're not
familiar with the foundation, can you tell us a quick,
you know, thirty thousand foot view of what your organization
is and why the Great Community Give us so important.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Tagline as we move back to the community we love,
and I like to call us a philanthropic bank, and
so we work with generous donors who invest funds, and
of course the more funds you have, the more investment
return you can grow, and so those returns go back
(02:07):
into the form of donations to nonprofits in our community
and beyond. And so the Great Community Give is one
of the programs we offer, along with Dollypartn's Imagination Library
and some nonprofit support and the Giving Back Guide, which
highlights nonprofit funding needs. The Great Community Give is one
(02:30):
of those programs that our fundholders help support, and many
geners donors help support each year and it's just a
great opportunity for the community to come together to support nonprofits,
but then nonprofits to also share the impact and the
work that they do in our community.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So how many organizations are we helping out this year?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
This year we have a record high of one hundred
and fifty eight organizations participating.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
The money raised, is that going directly to the different
nonprofit organizations or is it being invested in they're getting
a portion of the returns.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So the money that comes in from our donors on
for a Great Community to Give is all going straight
to the nonprofits. So we use an online giving platform
that allows for credit for card gifts, but then you
can also give cash or check directly to the nonprofit
and one hundred percent of those donations are going strict.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So the Great Community to Give is a one day
event or is it something that's going on all month?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Tell us about the day.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yes, So this started as a one day event, and
what happened was we had folks. We just heard feedback
that a lot of people would they'd be upset because
they'd missed that one day opportunity, and so we have
expanded it a little bit and there's a phase. There's
a two week phase called the early Giving phase. So
(04:00):
this year that is April seventh to April twenty first.
The online platform at Great Community Give dot org is
open and you can give credit card gifts during that
time credit card donations. You can also give cash or
check directly to the nonprofit. But then on April twenty first,
(04:20):
we have almost a whole separate dayition among nonprofits. We
have cash prizes to incentivize nonprofits to get to reach
out to their donors and make sure they're giving.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And that day then ends in kind.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Of we accumulatively look at the total on the leader
board of most donors and most dollars raised among nonprofits
in three size categories, and then we award a larger
cash prize that also goes. All of this money goes
straight to nonprofits for their use in their programming and
(05:03):
fundraising needs. So that fun competition that day is what
everybody thinks about, you know, when they think about Great
Community Give. But there is, as you said, this opportunity
to give within the two weeks leading up to April
twenty second.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And you mentioned the number of organizations that are involved
this year. If we would like to see if our
favorite organization is participating or maybe discover a new one.
Do we do that on your website?
Speaker 4 (05:32):
You do?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
So, we have a website, Great Community give dot org.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
This is not our website.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
It's a website that we purchase a sponsorship or a
subscription to. So this is a safe way of giving
through your credit card. Lots of security is put in place,
and so that website has pro files of all the
(06:02):
one hundred and fifty eight organizations that are participating in
this day, and you can go.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Search by topic or you can search by name.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And you can get a wonderful idea of organizations that
are working in causes that you care about, and you
may know of some of them, but then there's new
ones and there's new participants this year. So it's a
really neat opportunity to support organizations you know about, but
then also to learn more about organizations that are that
are in this area that you may not know about.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
I'm excited this morning to have three of those organizations
joining us here on iHeart Communities from Friendly City Florals.
I want to say hi to Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelley.
They are the co founders also to Lianne Shepherd, the
assistant director of Second Home Learning Center, and Mary Goldwin Hughes,
who is the director of Advancement at annisera veterinary center.
(06:56):
Let's start with Lara and Rebecca from Friendly City Floral
So tell us a little bit about your organization and
how the Great Community Give is going to benefit.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yes, Hi, good morning.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Friendly City Florals is a nonprofit in Harrisonburg and our
mission is to spread joy and kindness by donating repurposed
even flowers.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
So how it works, for.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Example, at a wedding and we would go and pick
up the flowers after a reception, bring them back, and
we'd redesign them into new bouquets that we then donate
to the hospital, nursing homes, mental health center, schools, any
kind of organization in Harrisonburg or Rockenham County that is
serving our community.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
The Great Community Give is so helpful to us in
raising funds. Our funds just went towards purchasing a cooler
to help give us extra time in between receiving donations
and giving them back out to the community. It also
helps us connect with more organizations and helps us have
more volunteers be involved.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
I love that you guys are doing this. I just
my birthday was last week and flowers showed up. And
flowers have that ability to just put that smile on
your face. And I love that your organization isn't allowing
flowers to go to waste. That's the one thing is
you spend all this money to buy flowers, and then
you use them for the event, and then what do
(08:20):
you do with them? You mentioned you're going to be
able to purchase a cooler to help store the flowers
so that you repurpose them. If you're not able to
receive these funds, what happens? Are flowers going to waste?
Are we having to use them quicker than you'd like to?
Rebecca to tell us a little bit about how that
(08:41):
operation works.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Yeah, So at Friendly City Florals, we are really big
on environmental sustainability. So when we receive flowers that can't
be used, say they're a little too wilted from time
in the sun or they got a little smushed, we
are able to repurpose those by putting them in our compost.
Laura and I are both avid gardeners, so that compost
(09:05):
turns back into excellent soil amendments for us to grow
flowers and then we donate those flowers mixed in with
the event flowers. So we really try to use every
little bit of items that we receive from weddings.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And I'll add Chris that if we the funding really
allows us to reach more people by being able.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
To accept more flowers.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
So with the without our funding throughout the year and
the great community to give is our primary fundraiser. Last year,
we were able to raise our entire year's operation budget
with it, so we're hoping to do the same this year.
And we just it's the principle that the more we raise,
the more people we can reach. So it really affects
(09:52):
every part of our operations.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
House has decision made where the flowers go. Are people
reaching out to you asking for your help or are
you visiting the hospital every Saturday and delivering flowers? How
does that work?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
We have like a.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
List that we rotate through, but we try to target
individuals who might not be receiving flowers or have access
to their own green spaces, people who are going through
health challenges or perhaps don't have a strong support system.
Really trying to make an impact on those individuals, and
so we kind of just rotate through a list of
(10:29):
donation sites and its ebbs and flows based on the
donations that we get.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
As our listeners are hearing about your organization and they
want to help out, what's the easiest way for them
to help during the Great Community Give or any other
time throughout the year.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Yeah, we are doing a seven am Power hour during
the Great Community Give this year. We are really hoping
to have the most amount of unique donors during the
seven to eight am Power Hour and throughout the year.
People can sign up at our website to volunteer or
donate jars and vases. Our website is Friendlycityflorals dot com
(11:10):
and you can always send us an email at Friendlycityflorals
at gmail dot com.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
This is iHeart Communities. This weekend, we are speaking with
local organizations that are participating during the Great Community Give,
which is a day of giving which is coming up
on April twenty second. We were just speaking with Laura
and Rebecca from Friendly Cityfloral So I want to bring
in Liann Shephard, the assistant director from Second Home Learning
(11:37):
Center and Leanne tell us a little bit about what
your organization does Hey Chris.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Good morning, Good morning everyone. My name is Lianne Shephard.
I'm the assistant director of Second Home Learning Center.
Speaker 6 (11:48):
We are a childcare facility here in Harrisonburg. We offer
before and after school care for Spotswood, Smithlin, and Waterman
elementary schools. We are a low call, slow barrier facility,
so that means that the whole burden of tuition isn't
put onto our parents, and we want to make sure
that as many kids as possible get the opportunity to
(12:10):
have the same place to be before and after school.
We specifically support some of the most marginalized communities in
Harrisonburg and we are excited to once again be part
of the great community give.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
This sounds like an easy one day of giving. You
pick your local organization. Why should we choose your organization
over another, or why should we include you in choosing
multiple organizations on the day?
Speaker 6 (12:41):
Sure, I'd say you know, Harrisonburg has a robust network
of nonprofits and we are one of the only community
organizations that offer before school care for children. So this
is really an opportunity needed to make sure that our
(13:01):
kids in Harrisonburg have the opportunity to get to school
on time, they get a snack so they're fed getting
into school, they get some academic support before school, they're
reading a book, and they have the opportunity to be
around people that love them and that they love even
before their school day starts. So we're really setting up
(13:22):
the children of Harrisonburg to have a good start for
their day, and then they know where they're coming after school,
so there's no worry about parents are working, so they
have to go home to an empty house or they
forgot their house key or things like that. They come
back to us and then the parents are able to
(13:42):
finish out their workday knowing that their kids are in
a safe place with us and that they're getting that
homework help. Lots of great benefits to our Harrisonburg wor
getting parents community.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
We're speaking with Liam Shepherd.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
She is thessistant director for Second Home Learning Center Leanne.
How many children are you helping here in the valley
on a daily basis?
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Yeah, we have about one hundred kids with us every day,
So before school we have between fifty and sixty kids
and then after school we have between eighty and one
hundred kids here every day, so we are we serve
three elementary schools and two middle schools, and we are
a licensed child care facility, but we're also an academic location,
(14:33):
So this is we're offering that support not just for
them to have that safe place, but we're also offering
the ability for them to have extra academic support, extra
time for them to be reading books or doing some
math or stem And we really are hands on and
making sure the kids get that chance to have fun,
(14:55):
play outside and get a snack and some work help.
We work with lots of other local organizations to bring
in programming to have the kids have a well rounded
day and really it's for the parents as well.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
I'm assuming support the worth class. Yeah, I assume.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
That that running your organization is not a free affair
and always more money is helpful, especially when we're caring
for our children. What are your plans for the money
that is raised during the Great Community Give? How would
that be used?
Speaker 6 (15:39):
So unfortunately, we know that we've seen some changes in
funding in the federal and state level for childcare, and
so who are feeling that effect as well? There is
no money coming from a federal level grants that we've
been relying on for next school year. Federal funds coming
(16:01):
down through the state level. Those have disappeared for at
least a school year, so we're really relying on the
community and the Great Community Give to help us bridge
that funding gap between the availability of state and federal
level funds.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
If we want to make a contribution to your organization,
how do we find you on the day of the
give Yeah.
Speaker 6 (16:28):
So we are. We're going to be under Second Home
Learning Center. You can find us there and if you'd rather,
if you're not going through the online platform, we're certainly
happy to take paper checks or cash or wherever you
want to. We're in downtown Harrisonburg, so we're right in
(16:51):
the middle of everything.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
And if you want to find any of the organizations
that we're speaking with today or just find out what
organizations are involved in, you to the Great Community give
dot org and you got all the information there as well.
Uh Leanne Shepherd, Assistant director of Second Home Learning Center.
I appreciate you sharing about your organization and we'll speak
(17:15):
here in a second again, but first I want to
bring in Mary Golden Hughes. She is the director of
Advancement at Anna Sarah Vetinary Center, and Mary, uh, we love,
we love our kids, and we love our pets too,
and I love that you are part of the show
as well. Today Mary tell us about Anna Sarah and
(17:37):
what you do.
Speaker 7 (17:38):
Yes, Chris, thank you so much for giving us this
opportunity to talk about our mission.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Anna Sierra is unique.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
It is a veterinary center, so we do comprehensive veterinary care,
everything from wellness to surgery to dentistry procedures, the whole gamut.
But we are a nonprofit veterinary center, which is a
very unique entity. So we are doing as much as
we can to reduce barriers and reduce physical access and
(18:06):
financial access that families might have to ensure that they're
beloved family members who are cats and dogs have access
to high quality, compassionate, comprehensive medicine. We've been in the
valley for twenty years and with a dedication to just
ending animal suffering in any way that we can.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So.
Speaker 7 (18:26):
In addition to our veterinary center, we also have a
pet food pantry which operates three days a week and
folks can drop in and get the cat and dog
food that they need for the month, so that no
one ever has to choose between caring for their pets
and caring for themselves. And it's our privilege to be
(18:46):
a part of the great community give among all these
other wonderful nonprofits this year to just kind of highlight
that pets are family members to and that a healthy
family sometimes starts with a really healthy pet.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I love that all three organizations this morning here on
iHeart Communities are organizations that do with care showing love
to our family, our neighbors, and our pets. I will say,
We've got two dogs here in the house and one
of them was treated there at Annasara got us started
(19:23):
on the road to success with a very emaciated little
mutt that was found in the winter time and brought
her back to health and she's doing great. So as
a family, we appreciate exactly what you're talking about. It
we appreciate all that Annasarah has done for us.
Speaker 7 (19:44):
And it's stories like yours that make our mission come alive.
We have three hospital locations. We're founded here in Harrisburg.
We have one on the West coast and one of Analysis.
But here in Harrisonburg, the knees are deep. We have
families coming in every day who are trying to make
it meet and they love their beloved pet family members
(20:04):
and caring for them and then paying an unexpected financial
emergency bill for veterinary care. It's just not something they
had planned on. So when we have donations and support,
we can take those animals from perhaps a poor condition
or an emergency condition to on the road to wellness.
And so it's very fulfilling to see what donor dollars
(20:27):
can do. Last year in Harrisonburg alone, we gifted five
hundred thousand and a half a million dollars in free
care to our pet families, and so every bit helps.
We have a small goal for the Great Community Gift
because we know there's one hundred and fifty other wonderful
nonprofits who need support during this time. But even our
(20:48):
small goal will make a difference for several families and
helping them offset any kind of barriers that unexpectedly arise
when they're trying to care for their pet member.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
What's your like five year goal for Anna, Sarah? Where
would you like to be as we move forward?
Speaker 7 (21:05):
The ideal thing would be to end all pet suffering
and making sure that every family can get access to
high quality care. We're growing, We're adding new staff members
because the volume is so high. We cared for thirty
thousand pet patients in the past year, and we're doing
that across three hospitals, but at a large chunk of those
(21:25):
are here in the valley, and so we would love
to be able to expand one day and have Anishara
locations everywhere where the neeedes are deep, which we're finding
are all across the Commonwealth.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Right now.
Speaker 7 (21:38):
Times are tough, and so when you're making your ends
meet and planning your family budget, sometimes you have to
make decisions over whether you can continue to care for
your pet or not. We would want to get rid
of that situation altogether and never have a family have
to choose between economic euthanasia for their pet and caring
for their pet. And so by bridging the gap with
(22:01):
funds from donors and from grant support as a nonprofit,
we can be there with helping hands to make sure
that families can stay together and that pets can stay
with their families or they belong.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
You said your fundraising goal is small this year, but
I'm sure you have a hopeful earmarked for some project.
What would you like to be able to do with
this money.
Speaker 7 (22:24):
This money will help support unexpected financial emergencies that come forward.
We also received several wonderful grants this year which also
go into that fund. And so this is here to
help folks who really weren't expecting their beloved female pet
to have a piametra, which is an infected uterus, or
(22:45):
they need an amputation for their cat that they weren't
expecting because of an injury, or they have a long
term medical care for their dog and they're going to
need ongoing treatment for diabetes. Those kinds of unexpected emergencies
we reserve in one fund, and the Great Community Give
funds are then allocated to those pet family members.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
As a reminder, the Great Community Give is coming up
on April twenty second. Go to Great Community Give daughter
org if you like information, and I think you can
earmark your contributions in advance. You don't have to wait
until the day of the Great Community Give.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
That's correct, That's correct.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
I believe they start on April seventh, and so the
early giving period is available to all these wonderful nonprofits
at that time.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
We are speaking with Mary Golden Hughes, director of Advancement
at Anna Sarah Vetinary Center. We are looking forward to
the Great community give. This is a it's a powerful
day here in the valley when you consider how many
organizations are asking for help and then how many people
step up to assist in making sure that local community
(23:55):
organizations are able to do the work here in the
Harrisonburg and Rockham County area. And we appreciate what Anna
Sarah Vetinary Center is doing here in Harrisonburg, and it
sounds like around the country as well. So it's fun
to see when local businesses grow and are able to
help people outside the Shinandoah Valley share some of that
rocky Eam County love with people. They might not know
(24:17):
why our valley is so wonderful until they come visit
or we take it to them.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
That's what we've been told.
Speaker 7 (24:23):
The Southern Hospitality has been spreading from coast to coast
and making sure that pet families feel well supported and
cared for.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I want to bring Laren Ruth and Rebecca Shelley from
Friendly City Florals back into our conversation just as a
reminder of what you do and why it's important that
we help you. During the great Community.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Give Sure, so we really purpose even flowers and donate
them back backed out into the community to the hospital
and uness homes, schools, mental health centers. We're spreading joy
and kindness. It's truly not just about the flowers out
reminding people that they're cared for, and it's making a
(25:03):
huge impact in our community. So donating to us on
great community in the great community to give but will
help us reach more people, accept more flower donations, support
our volunteers and every part of our operations.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
And we want to keep you in mind if we're
having the event where we're going to have flowers, so
that we don't just throw them out at the end
of the event, correct, right.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Yes, please. So many events we have found don't have
plans for their flowers afterwards, so it's really unbelievable how
many end up in the landfills. So we're giving them
a second life. Remember us, and we repurposed Mary's daughter's
wedding and right Mary.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That's right.
Speaker 7 (25:46):
I was so happy to see you all on this
pall as well, because what wonderful way for my daughter
who loves this community and loves the beauty of flowers,
knowing that her wedding flowers while she's on her honeymoon
are off being enjoyed by others. So I can a
test for what a wonderful nonprofit you all have.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
How do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Hi?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
You can go to our website, Friendly Cityflorals dot com.
We have all of our contact information on the website
Friendly Cityflorals at gmail dot com. Our phone number is
on there multiple ways excellent.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
I want to bring back in Leanne Shepherd, assistant director
from Second Home Learning Center and Lianne before we wrap up,
I want to give you an opportunity to share your
story one more time and how we can get in
touch with you.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (26:35):
Second Home we offer before and after school care for
some of our most marginalized families in Arisenburg. We support
Harrisonburg City Schools. We have about one hundred kids here
every day. We provide academic support and just a safe
place for them to be. We really believe that every
child deserves a safe place to be before and after
(26:56):
school and that every working parent, every parent deserves the
chance and deserves to know that their kids are safe
and are well cared forward while they're working.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
We truly thank Harrisonburg. We thank you all for having us.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
And we look forward to continuing to being there for
Harrisonburg's most marginalized kids. We believe that these kids are
going to go off and continue to be part of
the community and know that they were loved here with us,
and so we're grateful to be able to continue that mission.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And how do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Yeah, we have lots of social medias, so find us
on any of the socials and are at our website,
second home via dot org, and then also buy our
email so you can contact us off of our website
and find our emails there, and we'd love to We
take lots of volunteers. So if you've been thinking about
(27:55):
maybe your grandkids are farther away than you'd like, you
want the opportunity to come and sit and read a
book with a kid, we'd love to have you. We
have lots of kids who need that extra a little
bit of love, and so adult volunteers are always welcome.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Mary Golden Hugh's director of Advancement at Anna Sarah Ventnary Center.
How do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 7 (28:18):
You can reach us at Annaseira dot org and you
can reach us by email and our social media. You
can also feel free to pop by our hospital. We're
located at nineteen ninety two Medical Avenue near the Mall.
We're open Mondays through Thursday, seven am to five pm.
We just renovated our hospital to expand access to provide
(28:38):
more surgical care for the thousands and thousands of pets
that we care for, and so we welcome you to
come in and see our new fresh look and how
excited we are to help support the community with high
quality veterinary needs.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
We want to thank all of our guests on iHeart Communities. Today,
we spoke with Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelley, a Friendly
City Florals, Lin Shephard, assistant director at Second Home Learning Center,
and Mary Golden Hughes, director of Advancement for Anasarah Vetnary Center.
As we wrap up, remember the Great Community Give is
your opportunity to help local nonprofits thrive. You can donate
(29:16):
directly with casher checks or give online to help your
favorite organization compete for cash prizes throughout the day. However
you choose to participate, your support matters. Visit Great Community
Give dot org to learn more and get ready to
make an impact. On April twenty second, I'm Chris Carmichael,
I appreciate you joining us this morning for iHeart Communities
(29:37):
here on your favorite iHeartRadio station.
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