WRFA Public Affairs Director Jason Sample, Public Affairs Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley, Arts & Entertainment Correspondent Anthony Merchant, and Programming Coordinator Gavin Paterniti.

JAMESTOWN, NY – WRFA-LP, Jamestown’s only noncommercial, nonreligious community radio station, was able to raise over $900 as part of the #GiveBigCHQ annual day of giving on Thursday, Jan. 9.

In all, the radio station received $799 from 25 donors. In addition, another $135 in bonus funding was raised through GiveBigCHQ’s “Rise and Shine Hour and and the $25 Match Hour. In all, $934 was raised. Additional bonus funding could also come by way of the GiveBigCHQ Stretch Pool.

“Thank you to all those who chose to give to WRFA-LP during the GiveBigCHQ campaign,” said WRFA-LP station manager Jason Sample. “It was great to see the community come out and support so many worthwhile organizations, including WRFA.”

WRFA’s parent organization, Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, also benefited from GiveBigCHQ, raising $2,270 from the community. In all, nearly $313,000 was raised for over 112 organization. The GiveBigCHQ campaign is organized annual by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation.

For those who were unable to give to WRFA-LP during GiveBigCHQ, there will be other opportunities to help the radio station, including later this month with WRFA holds its 2022 Great American Picnic at Southern Tier Brewing Co. in Lakewood. In addition, WRFA will hold its annual pledge drive in September, when the station celebrates its 18th year on the local airwaves.

WRFA-LP has three full-time and one part time staff positions – all of whom reside in the city of Jamestown – and all donations from the community go toward covering the cost of those positions. In addition, local contributions are used to leverage additional funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“GiveBigCHQ has played a significant role in helping us raise money for the radio station and working to reach this year’s goal of $15,000 in individual contributions from our listening area,” Sample said. “A Community Radio Station can only be successful if it has support from the community it serves, and fundraisers like this help to show that we are appreciated and supported.”

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Community Impact Director Liz Jones said the CRCF and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation are again co-sponsoring the philanthropic day, “Once again, non-profit organizations across Chautauqua County have registered, creating a fundraising page where they can accept direct donations the day of. So we encourage people to follow their favorite non-profits and listen for instructions and ways they can help support them on June 9.”

CRCF Executive Director Tory Irgang said a record number of organizations from across Chautauqua County are taking part this year with over 100 non-profits signed up, including WRFA and the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.

The Give Big CHQ day has raised over $1 million in the last four years for local non-profits.

Jones said the “716 Stretch Pool” is returning again with $25,000 sponsored by the CRCF and Northern Chautauqua Community foundation, “And so, organizations that are participating and registered can qualify to receive a portion of that $25,000. And the way that they qualify is that they receive 10 unique donors, that would be 10 different individual donors, and that is between the hours of 7:16 a.m. and 7:16 p.m.”

To take part in Give Big C-H-Q and to find more information about organizations taking part, including who is doing special match fundraising, visit givebigchq.org

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Chautauqua Region Community Foundation‘s Tory Irgang and Liz Jones about the upcoming Give Big CHQ day of giving.

In addition to dollars raised by individuals, the Chautauqua Region and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundations sponsored The 716 Stretch, a pool of $45,000 that was awarded to 84 qualifying non-profits.

Give Big CHQ is a 24-hour online fundraising event hosted by the Chautauqua Region and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundations to raise dollars and awareness for nonprofit organizations in Chautauqua County. Both the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts and WRFA participated in this year’s fundraiser

CRCF Executive Director Tory Irgang said nearly half a million dollars has been raised locally under Give Big CHQ, with over 75% of donations being under $50.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation are sponsoring a $30,000 dollar pool of stretch dollars to help support participating nonprofits’ fundraising efforts. The Stretch Pool funds are shared by all qualifying nonprofits that receive online donations between now and 7:16 pm today.

You can donate to WRFA and other local organizations by visiting GiveBigCHQ.com.

Irgang said 75% of donations made through Give Big CHQ are under $50. She said almost half a million dollars have been raised locally over the last 4 years.

Irgang said people looking to give should start research now by going to GiveBigCHQ.org, “Every organization has customized their page, so it’s not the Community Foundation or a standard page, they all customize it. If you have a long standing relationship with an organization, the giving levels they’ve chosen or the names they’ve given them might ring true to something in your history, it might bring a smile to your face. So I would tell people it’s never too soon to start planning your strategy for the day.”

WRFA and the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts are both taking part in Give Big CHQ.

Last year’s Give Big CHQ event raised more than $180,000 from 1,626 donors to support 97 local nonprofit organizations.

JAMESTOWN – (MEDIA RELEASE) – Recently, the Chautauqua Region and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundations announced Give Big CHQ 2020 will take place once again this year from June 1 to June 11. Give Big CHQ is an online fundraising event to raise awareness and funds to support local nonprofits.

“The goal of Give Big CHQ is to inspire people to work together, show pride in their community and help support local causes they care about,” said Tory Irgang, CRCF executive director. “This year we are extending the dates to more than just a 24-hour event. We hope to encourage more people to come together to celebrate Chautauqua County virtually.”

Last year, the online fundraising event generated over $180,000 from 1,626 donors to support 97 local organizations.

In the two months since the COVID-19 outbreak reached Chautauqua County, many nonprofit organizations have found themselves in difficult positions. Service-based nonprofits have stepped onto the front lines assisting vulnerable populations in our community. In contrast, other organizations have had to adapt and change their programs and service delivery quickly. Nonprofits in the arts, culture, and attraction sector have been forced to close their doors during this time.

“The need is great; nonprofits, like many organizations across our community, are struggling right now,” explained Diane Hannum, NCCF executive director. “This event is an opportunity for individuals to connect with our nonprofit organizations to show their support for the important work they do every day.”

Nonprofit 501c3 organizations in Chautauqua County are invited to visit the Give Big CHQ website, givebigchq.org, to register and create a fundraising page to share their current needs. Starting on June 1, interested donors can make a gift of any size to nonprofits of their choice with each donation going directly to support those organizations.

To guarantee that every dollar that is given benefits the organizations directly, the Community Foundations will cover the usual 2% platform fee on the website for all donations during June 1-11; standard credit card fees will still apply for each transaction.

As our community looks towards re-opening and entering the recovery phase of this crisis, our nonprofits are needed now more than ever. These partners will ensure that our region is a strong and vibrant community for all, far into the future. The public can help by giving back during Give Big CHQ by following and sharing posts about causes and nonprofits they care about and donating to support their work.

For more information, visit www.givebigchq.org and follow Give Big CHQ on Facebook. Registration for nonprofits to participate in this year’s event will remain open until May 22.

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WRFA’s Jason Sample and Liz Jones stand with the GiveBigCHQ sign following the June 6 interview on WRFA.

The Give Big CHQ fundraiser is returning to Chautauqua County.

On Thursday CRCF Executive Director Tory Irgang and project coordinator Liz Jones from Chautauqua Region Community Foundation stop by and talk with Jason Sample about #GiveBigCHQ – a county-wide fundraising promotion taking place Thursday, June 13.

The region’s only 24-hour online fundraising event will take place Thursday, June 13 and hopes to raise as many dollars as possible for over 90 local, nonprofit organizations across the county. This year, nonprofit organizations located in, or who serve communities throughout, Chautauqua County are eligible to participate.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with our friends at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation to make this year’s event a county-wide fundraising effort,” said Tory Irgang, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation executive director.

The foundations will once again be working with GiveGab, a leading expert in giving days, to develop and support its online platform. Nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity to build a fundraising page and campaign to spread their message through email and fun, creative social media posts.

Last year’s event generated nearly $90,000 to help support over 60 organizations throughout Southern Chautauqua County.

To preview all the organizations taking part this year, visit GiveBigCHQ.org.

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is announcing the results of its first ever #GiveBigCHQ promotion.

According to the foundation, 855 individuals donated over $88,800 to 66 nonprofit organizations throughout the community, including WRFA/Reg Lenna Center for teh Arts  – which brought in $1,565 through the generosity of 25 donors. The 24-hour online giving promotion ran on Thursday, June 14.

Thanks to all our supporters who donated!