To join the fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 and support the local community, the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, a Wellington-based show jumping competition that blends equestrian sports and philanthropy, has created the Palm Beach County Emergency Giving Guide featuring 83 local organizations that are currently assisting the most vulnerable populations.
The evolution of COVID-19, globally, nationally and locally, has affected each of us in ways we couldn’t have previously imagined.
As noted by West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James: “The economic effects of COVID-19 are catastrophic. Therefore, we must do what we can to support our citizens, including our most vulnerable.”
Recognizing that these unprecedented times call for an unprecedented approach to community support, the GCC realized that it is crucial to connect donors and supporters with nonprofit organizations who are providing critical support during the COVID-19 epidemic.
From child welfare, emergency educational support, homelessness support, medical support and more, donors and supporters can easily view what organizations are doing, the challenges they are facing and see what their immediate needs are.
“Our hope is for individuals to utilize this tool to better understand emerging need and see how they can create the biggest impact in their communities,” GCC co-founder Paige Bellissimo said. “Many of us want to help and are overwhelmed as to where to start; this guide is a local road map.”
Having worked with more than 255 Palm Beach County nonprofit organizations, distributing $14.8 million locally over the last 11 years, the GCC has seen how charities create lasting change and impact.
“We were in a unique position,” GCC Executive Director Anne Caroline Valtin said. “In partnership with Bank of America, we perform rigorous due diligence on organizations that apply to participate in our annual event. Through this process, we strive to identify organizations that will create the most influential impact locally.”
In order to get this Emergency Giving Guide out in a timely fashion, all but a few entries marked with an asterisk as well as an accompanying note have been reviewed through the GCC’s earlier efforts, in association with the event’s 2020 edition, held on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. This is done to promote transparency, but in no way should it be a seen as a red flag; due diligence is encouraged on behalf of potential donors.
In an effort to make this Emergency Giving Guide as user friendly and functional as possible, donors and supporters have two distinct ways to search for nonprofits organizations:
Option 1: the Alphabetical Index by Organizations. If you are looking for a particular organization, this is a great avenue to quickly locate them in this Guide.
Option 2: the Alphabetical Index by Categories. Nonprofits are proving to be nimble and are quickly reacting to the needs they are seeing in the community. These categories directly reflect the work that they are currently doing, rather than what they were doing up until the COVID-19 crisis.
The public is invited to access the report by visiting https://bit.ly/3bJw6Ju.
For additional information about the GCC, visit www.greatcharitychallenge.com.
