The race to give is on!

The community room at Ocala Police Department was abuzz with local nonprofit business leaders for lunch this afternoon as they excitedly watched the Give4Marion dashboard go from $340,000 to more than $400,000 in just the hour they stopped for lunch.

Give4Marion allows more than 100 local nonprofits to benefit from 33 hours of giving through an online platform that allows donors to support various causes, projects and nonprofits with a few easy clicks. Each donation the public makes will be disbursed directly to the donor’s chosen organization within 5-7 business days. The event started at 10 a.m. today and runs through 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Anyone can choose from one of the 106 nonprofits participating and donate via credit or debit card. The donations are tax-deductible.

Two nonprofits, Marion Senior Services and Empowered, received $1,000 bonuses to their accounts courtesy of a lunch power hour sponsored by Showcase Properties of Ocala.

Give4Marion, was born of a need to address societal challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the successful fundraising campaign is continuing to help meet new challenges.

Monica Bryant, who takes the lead in coordinating efforts of the Family Violence Prevention Workshop was in attendance. This task force leads the response in meeting the immediate housing needs of those fleeing domestic violence abuse. As previously reported, not only is there an increased need, but the closure of Marion County’s only domestic violence and sexual assault center has made it more challenging.

“Our community averages more than 3,000 reported cases of domestic violence so it’s critical that we are able to provide resources and services to help victims and survivors rebuild their lives. We’re excited about the opportunity to participate in Give4Marion. Public donations will help us meet the needs,” said Bryant.

In 2020, the inaugural year, Give4Marion raised just over $310,000. In 2021, donations grew to $532,000 and to $771,000 in 2022.

During the luncheon, Lauren Deiorio, executive director of the foundation, told the audience she was hoping to raise it to $1 million this year.

Ocala Police Chief Michael Balken popped into the luncheon and echoed Deiorio’s confidence in the community rising to the occasion to meet the $1 million dollar mark this year and thanked the nonprofits for the work they do to care for the community.

During the 33 hours of giving online, there will be Matching Moments and incentive prize opportunities.

At 2 p.m., donations up to $100 were being matched with a $5,000 bonus by Jane Fontaine.

At 4 p.m. today, donations up to $100 will be matched with an angel donor up to $10,000.

At 6 p.m., Angie Lewis State Farm is offering $5,000 in matches of donations made by the public up to $100.

Barbara Fitos, the founding executive director for the foundation, said she was happy to see the community respond to this initiative.

“To see how far we’ve evolved from the Community Foundation’s founding vision to embrace and foster that giving spirit that has been the hallmark of our community is extraordinary.  The Give4Marion initiative, by recognizing, harnessing, and supporting the power of our nonprofits making a real difference in our lives, has indeed created a lasting giving legacy,” she said.