The Fairmont Area Foundation literally put the pedal to the metal to help raise funds. The inaugural “Fairmont Area Foundation 500” was held on June 9th to raise the foundation’s profile in the community.

The event was the foundation’s first large-scale fundraiser. “It’s hard to go knock on the same door twice asking for support. We thought this would be a great way to introduce more people to our mission,” says Dick Gerhardt, a foundation board member.

The foundation recruited 49 five-person teams to race on a professionally designed course at a local mall. “People loved the concept. The turnout far exceeded our expectations,” says Dick. “It was nice to see more people learn, through a fun event like this, that we are all about helping the community.”

The “500” raised more than $35,000 to help enrich the lives of residents in the Fairmont area. Since its inception in 1993, the foundation has distributed more than $570,000 in grants and has an endowment of nearly $1.6 million.

To see the impact of the foundation, racers and spectators didn’t have to look too far. At the starting line stood honorary starter, Dick Paplinski, whose life was recently saved by a heart defibrillator the foundation funded. “It’s a great feeling to be able to put a face to our work,” says Dick Gerhardt.

Plans are already underway for next year’s “500.” “The community embraced this event and we introduced more people to our work and mission,” says Dick. “We had a great time. But more importantly, the whole community banded together.”

Reprinted from the Minnesota Community Foundation's Perspectives Newsletter