By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
As Jessica Martin sees it, the Greater Salina Community Foundation's Match Madness is a team effort.
From her staff, which begins planning the event in October, to the representatives of the 92 charities to the business who match their employees' donations, to the donors themselves, all help make Salina's largest fundraising event a success.
And this year, more than 400 fifth graders joined the team.
Martin, who is president and executive director of the Greater Salina Community Foundation, said that by the event's end, 400 to 450 Salina USD 305 fifth graders will have been on-site at the Salina Fieldhouse, 140 N. Fifth Street.
Thanks to a donation from Ken and Karen Ebert, each fifth grader received $10 to give to one of the 92 charities represented at this year's Match Madness event. The students toured all of the charity booths at the event and then decided to which charity they wanted to donate.
"The kids asked great questions. They've talked about how much fun they've had. They didn't know the different charities in Salina and what they did," Martin said. "It's just been fun and rewarding to watch them get excited about giving."
Martin said the goal of the project was to get the students thinking about charities and what it means to give back.
When it comes to charities, this year is the largest for Match Madness.
"We had 92 participate. That's the most we've ever had," Martin said. "And then we have six businesses that are sponsoring all of their employee donations at a dollar-to-dollar match, so that's increased. It just seems like every year, we have more and more charities or community members stepping up to participate."
Martin said that including the money raised during Thursday's event, Match Madness' 12-year run will have an estimated impact in Saline County of close to $4 million.
"We are just so thankful for the donors in the area who support all these charities," she said.
If you would like to participate in Match Madness, you have until 7 p.m. Thursday to go in person to the event in the Salina Fieldhouse, 140 N. Fifth Street.
You also can donate online until 11:59 p.m. Thursday at www.matchmadnessgscf.org.
Mail donations also will count, but only if the envelope is postmarked on March 23, 2023.
Why is it important to make donations to your favorite local charities on Thursday?
All donations made during Match Madness 2023 will go to each charity’s permanent endowed fund held at the Greater Salina Community Foundation. These funds are permanently invested to produce a steady stream of income that charities can count on every year, which eases the pressure to raise annual funds, according to information from Greater Salina Community Foundation.
Additionally, thanks to a group of private donors, Match Madness also will have $300,000 in matching funds. Those funds will be used to match proportionally up to 50 percent of each donation made to one of the 92 participating charities. Those funds can be accessed instantly by the charities to help meet immediate needs.
