Bainbridge Alumni fund wins Foundation donation contest

The Putnam County Community Foundation has announced the winner of the community's first Give Local America Day contest.

The Bainbridge High School Alumni Scholarship fund has won the contest. In just 24 hours on May 6, Bainbridge alums raised $700 in online donations, which earned them an additional $1,000 from the Community Foundation for their scholarship endowment.

In addition, the donations will count toward Bainbridge's Share the Dream Contest totals.

Give Local America Day is a national day of online giving to support local charities. Comunity Founda-tions from all over the country took part in this nationwide campaign to raise money for charitable endowments and nonprofits in their communities.

Give Local America reported on their website that $53,183,723.86 nationally and 306,084 gifts were received on that day.

More than 7,700 nonprofits shared the work of their organizations, gained new supporters, and raised funds for their missions.

"This was the first year Putnam County participated in the program," Elaine Peck, executive director of the Community Founda-tion, said. "We think that next year, more charitable organizations will know about it and want to be involved."

The Putnam County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1985 to help donors establish endowments, award grants and provide leadership, enriching the quality of life and strengthening community in Putnam County.

The Community Foundation has been entrusted with more than 250 funds and endowments for donors, supporting a variety of charitable purposes.