Chadron State Foundation Fall Fund Drive Is Underway.

        The Chadron State Foundation’s annual Fall Fund Drive had its kickoff luncheon today, starting a 3-week active phase. This year’s theme is Giving Toward Success.

       The drive involves more than 120 volunteers in a friendly competition to see who could bring in the most donations and pledges from businesses and individuals throughout Chadron and Northwest Nebraska.

      Foundation development officer Jake Rissler had coordinated the Fall Drive the last several years, but left late this summer to become development director at Midplains Community College in North Platte.

    His successor, former Chadron Record reporter Brandon Davenport, also assumed the role of Fall Drive coordinator. Davenport says COVID-related changes made last year are over and everyone is looking to return to normal.

Davenport says working face-to-face is important because the Fall Drive has a second goal of keeping CSC supporters up-to-date on what’s happening at the school. That suffered a bit last year, but donations didn’t.

 The Fall Drive volunteers are divided into 10 teams from the campus and 10 from the community with 4 co-chairs with only 2 of them changing every year to provide continuity. Davenport is excited about the co-chairs.

French-Collins is the carryover on the campus side with Martens in her second year for the community.

      Foundation CEO Ben Watson says the money raised will support scholarships, improvements to college facilities, and specific departments and programs.

Davenport says he received Foundation scholarship funds while a CSC student himself, so he knows from “personal experience that gifts to the Fall Fund Drive provide students with the tools and opportunities they need to be successful – both at CSC and later in the professional world.”

He adds that “Whether donations made to the Fall Fund Drive are scholarship based or designated to support specific college programs, they have a real impact.”

     While the volunteers will be contacting many businesses and individuals, anyone who isn’t contacted but wants to make a pledge can contact any of the volunteers or visit the Foundation’s homepage on the CSC website.