The Giant Check Season!

Do you have a season of giving? For many of us, it's the last few months of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas inspire generosity, and the December 31 tax deadline often motivates us to turn good intentions into charitable gifts.

At the Faribault Foundation, our season of giving looks a little different.

Each spring, we determine how much our endowed funds can responsibly distribute in grants. Once those decisions are made, something wonderful happens—the giving begins. Designated funds support the charities their donors chose years ago. Field of Interest Funds invest in causes that strengthen our community. The Distinguished Alumni Fund recently presented Faribault Public Schools with one of my favorite traditions: a giant check.

It's impossible not to smile when that oversized check comes out. There's something about it that transforms an ordinary grant presentation into a celebration. The amount may fit on a regular piece of paper, but somehow seeing it printed three feet wide says, "What you're doing matters, and our community believes in you."

Scholarship recipients don't receive a giant check—can you imagine trying to fit one into a dorm room? Instead, they receive certificates representing scholarships that will help launch the next chapter of their lives. Different package, same life-changing opportunity.

In May, Women Who Care presented Rescue 55021 with a giant check after another successful fundraiser benefiting their endowment. I love the spirit behind that gift. While building a permanent source of support for the future, they continue making a difference today.

Summer, though, is when giant check season really hits its stride.

In June, five CommUnity Grants found their way into our community. One project provided 150 area children with free life jackets to help families enjoy our lakes safely. Another grant will help students at the Faribault Area Learning Center plant and care for an orchard on the McKinley School grounds—one that will someday bear fruit for everyone to enjoy. Other grants will provide personal care supplies through St. Vincent de Paul, support Recovery in the Park as it celebrates sobriety and healthy families this September and ensure every student in Faribault Public Schools has the supplies needed to begin the school year ready to learn.

This month, we'll gather again for one of my favorite parts of the job. Board members will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with nonprofit leaders, smiling behind one oversized check after another. The check itself is reusable (yes, it's the very same one each time!), but the excitement never is.

This year's Founders Fund grants will support several outstanding local organizations.

Hope Center continues its nearly two decades of work creating a community with zero tolerance for sexual and domestic violence through healing, prevention, education, and outreach. Recently recognized by the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce as Nonprofit of the Year, Hope Center serves victims and families while working to break the cycle of abuse.

The Falcon Educational Enrichment Program (FEEP) will continue expanding educational opportunities by funding innovative classroom projects, technology, and learning experiences beyond traditional school budgets. Additional Founders Fund grants will support FCTV, Meals on Wheels, and Knitted Together, a new local nonprofit providing housing and coordinated support for women experiencing crisis pregnancies during pregnancy and throughout their baby's first year.

If you happen to see photos in the Faribault Daily

News, on FCTV, on Facebook, or on our website, you'll probably notice a familiar oversized check making another appearance. Behind every photo is a story of dedicated volunteers, nonprofit leaders, generous donors, and community members working together to make Faribault stronger.

Come fall, Women Who Care and Men with a Mission will gather once again for fellowship, food, and funding. Each group will vote to award up to $5,000 to a local nonprofit advancing important work in our community. In November, we'll celebrate our donors at the Foundation's annual appreciation event. Then, during Winterfest in December, our giant check will make a few more appearances as additional CommUnity Grants are awarded.

I've come to realize that those giant checks represent something much bigger than dollars. They represent neighbors believing in neighbors. They celebrate teachers, volunteers, nonprofit leaders, students, and community members who quietly make Faribault a better place every single day.

I hope this summer's giant checks remind all of us that generosity doesn't have a season. Whether your gift is made in December, July, or any month in between, every act of giving h

as the power to strengthen our community and create opportunities for generations to come.

Sarah Beckmann serves as a Director on the Board of the Faribault Foundation.