This GivingTuesday, Friends of Extension and 4H in Douglas and Sarpy Counties will inspire generosity through their annual giving campaign. 
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesday will kick off the generosity season this year by inspiring people to give back on November 30, 2021, and throughout the year.
The Friends of Extension Foundation makes a difference in the lives of individuals and families in our community by supporting the good works of extension programs in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.  The Foundation also hosts the Douglas County Fair. 
Donations have made possible the financial support to the following:

• Support of all the Master Gardener’s horticultural demonstration gardens in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
• Early Childhood Outdoor Education Efforts
• STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Agricultural, & Math programs for youth
• 4-H Youth in Douglas and Sarpy Counties
• Vegetable Garden Insect Publications available at the Extension Office
• Food Safety/Science Programing
• Urban Agricultural Initiatives

GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
People demonstrate generosity in many ways on GivingTuesday. Whether it’s helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving to causes we care about, every act of generosity counts. GivingTuesday has raised billions of dollars for critical causes around the world and gets billions of impressions on social media from people and organizations speaking up for the causes that matter to them and encouraging others to get involved in their communities.
“GivingTuesday inspires people all around the world to embrace their power to drive progress around the causes they care about, not just on one day but throughout the year.” said Asha Curran, GivingTuesday’s CEO, and co-founder. “With country and community leaders, millions of organizations, and countless givers of all kinds, GivingTuesday is creating a shared space where we can see the radical implications of a more generous world.”   
Those who are interested in joining The Friends of Extension Foundation’s GivingTuesday initiative can visit www.friendsofextension.org. For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit the GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesday on Twitter.

Last year, 2020, marked the end of Omaha Gives –thank you for your past support! Mark your calendars for a new way to support our needs.  Join in SHARE Omaha’s Do Good Week, April 19-21, presented by FNBO. This week is focused on all forms of support for local causes and we can’t wait to see what the Omaha metro can do when we give together for more than one day. Do Good Week makes it easy to support us with your dollars –and more! 

As we are focused on supporting extension and 4H in Douglas/Sarpy Counties this year, all of your forms of support are needed –your dollars, your time and your items. SHARE Omaha’s Do Good Week is the time to make our mission happen.

Save the date for SHARE Omaha’s Do Good Week, April 19-24, 2021 -Five days dedicated to helping us meet our needs, followed by a day of celebration. 

• April 19: Mission Monday + Learn more about our work and needs
• April 20: New Donor Tuesday + If you’ve never given a gift to our organization, now’s the time! Your gift could help us unlock a cash prize.
• April 21: Wish List Wednesday + Buy items from our wish list to support our work
• April 22: Volun-Thursday + Join our volunteer team
• April 23: Fund It Friday + Help us meet our fundraising goal!
• April 24: Celebration Saturday + Time to celebrate your generosity!

Cheer for us as we hope to a win cash prize from FNBO, Omaha Steaks and Pottawattamie County Community Foundation.  Learn more about Do Good Week presented by FNBO at SHAREomaha.org/dogoodweekand see how you can support us at our SHARE Omaha profile here: https://shareomaha.org/nonprofit/friends-extension-4h-foundation

Show your support for Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties by donating to #GivingTuesday402 powered by SHARE Omaha taking place on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. The global initiative provides support for people and organizations to make a difference in their communities around the world. Despite the challenges of this past year, extension here at home continues to serve a diverse audience with a multitude of educational programs and activities. Through your involvement and volunteer efforts, we continue to make a difference in the lives of individuals and families. 

Donations made possible the financial support to the following in 2020:
4-H -

• Urban Agriculture initiative.
• Learning Child – Early Childhood education.
• Gardening to provide produce for shelters.
• Leadership education.

Natural Resources & Environment –    

• The Weather Station, housed at the extension office, continues to provide horticulture weather information to the community. 
• The demonstration gardens in Douglas and Sarpy Counties; Blanchard Garden at the extension office, Veterans Home, Hospice House Garden, Walnut Creek, Health Center, Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, the Bee Garden and the Hope Garden.

Thank you for making Omaha Gives 2020 a huge success! We are so thankful for your generosity as we work to support Nebraska Extension in Douglas and Sarpy counties.

As we move forward in these new times your support allows us to provide continued support of extension programming in the following areas:

• 4-H Youth Development and Families
• Food, Nutrition & Health
• Water, Natural Resources and the Environment

Thank you to the day’s 36 generous donors. We raised $4245. For the entire Omaha Metro community over $8.5M was raised.

The COVID-19 pandemic is touching the lives of each of us and putting a greater emphasis on the economic and social gaps affecting our neighbors and our communities.

That's why donating to the Friends of Extension Foundation is more critical than ever. Your support will help Douglas and Sarpy county youth and adults continue to make the best better in their own backyards.

In the past year, thanks to your support, we've been able to make an impact in the following ways: 

4-H:

• Urban Agriculture initiative, focused on new plant starts for educational gardening.
• Early childhood education called Learning with Nature.
• Stephen’s Center 4-H garden project.
• Leadership education for the 4-H ambassador program.

Natural Resources and the Environment:    

• Weather Station, housed at the extension office, provides up-to-date horticulture weather information to the community.
• Chuck Blanchard Demonstration Garden support, located at the extension office.
• Support for all the horticulture demonstration gardens in Douglas and Sarpy Counties including: Veterans Home, Hospice House garden, Walnut Creek, Health Center, Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, the Bee garden and the Hope garden.
• Production of a new garden journal for the community.

Other:        

• Douglas County Fair support for Extension Educational presentations teaching food safety, using a blender bike to teach nutrition and ask the Master Gardener.
• Extension office general support.

 
May 20, 2020 marks Omaha Gives!, a 24-hour online fundraising event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation. The goal is to raise support for nonprofits in Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie Counties. It is a community-wide event to show off the area’s spirit of giving, raise awareness about local nonprofits, and celebrate the collective effort it takes to make this community great. Since 2013, this community give-together has raised $49 million for more than 1,000 nonprofits
 
You can help us continue to make a difference in our community by scheduling your gift beginning May 1 or making a donation on May 20. Have more fun–give both ways!
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