The Beginning—To create a
legacy of pride and partnership

It started with an idea! Community members from Heron Lake
and Okabena founded the Heron Lake-Okabena Community  Foundation
(HLOCF) in 2001. Under the leadership of the  Southwest Minnesota
Foundation (SWMF), the HLOCF developed a mission statement and
organized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. “The SWMF is an independent,
non-profit organization whose mission is to be a catalyst facilitating
opportunities for economic, social, and cultural growth by promotion of
philanthropy, leadership, innovation and collaboration in southwest Minnesota.”

            The exclusive purpose of the HLOCF is to solicit funds and
award grants to organizations that promote education and opportunities
that enrich the communities of Heron Lake and Okabena. Funds are
raised through fundraisers, donations, mass mailings, memorials and
charitable gifting.

            The  evolution of the Foundation Board has brought about an
evolution of the original mission statement. We did some brainstorming
and clarified the goals and objectives of the Foundation, while still keeping
the original focus of our mission in tact.

"Our mission statement is to enrich the community by
promoting education and opportunities in the hope of creating
a legacy of pride and partnership."

Reaching the Goal of $25,000

Matching funds of $25,000 from the SWMF was incentive enough to get the fundraising ball rolling.

            After a lot of brainstorming, we sponsored our first dinner and silent auction in March, 2003. With tremendous support from the community, we raised $5,800. We were amazed at our success, and quickly decided
to sponsor a second dinner and silent auction in March, 2004. Again, the strong support of our communities made
the event a huge success. Sales of dinner tickets and auction items ranging from the “Okabena” fireplace, to theme baskets, to homemade quilts, to plane rides, to backhoe work, to sports memorabilia raised $7,000.

            The love of the game by some board members resulted in a Best Shot Golf Tournament in September, 2004 at Emerald Valley. Nineteen sponsors paid $100 each to sponsor a hole, and 50 golfers enjoyed the warm September afternoon playing golf. The tournament netted another $2,711. Combining those funds with the memorials and donations received, we met our goal of raising $25,000. With matching funds from SWMF, we have $50,000 in our endowment fund.

            By working together, we have been successful. We are thankful for the support and trust that the people of the Heron Lake-Okabena communities have given us.

The Funds

The HLOCF is a related component fund of the SWMF.  The SWMF is an independent, nonprofit foundation servicing 18 counties in southwest Minnesota, and its 501(c)3 public charity status extends to the HLOCF, which allows gifts to be tax-deductible. 

            The SWMF owns and manages the asset, provides investment expertise and administrative support, and technical assistance around fundraising, marketing, and grant making to our local board.  All funds raised by the HLOCF will exclusively benefit our community forever!

            The HLOCF has two funds.  The first is its endowment fund, which is a fund that is kept in perpetuity to provide an ongoing stream of revenue generated by the investment of principal.  That may seem confusing, so more simply put, an endowment is like a savings account.  The principal is invested and never spent – only the income is used to distribute to qualifying projects within the community.  The stronger our endowment fund, the more resources we have available to invest back into the community now and in the future.

            The second fund is our project fund, which is a fund established for a specific capital project.  All gifts that are given to our project fund are spent in their entirety for immediate needs in the community. At present, we have not utilized the project fund.

            Our endowment fund is a long-term strategy…it provides dollars now and in the future to invest back into the community.  And our project fund helps meet current needs because the entire dollar is used for immediate needs.  Whatever your preference, the need is now and the opportunity is within your reach!  Gifts of all sizes are welcome and truly appreciated!
 

First Grants Awarded

"We were very impressed with the quality of all the proposed initiatives and their potential for providing opportunities..."

We received a total of five grant proposals, all of which were very worthwhile projects. Unfortunately, the available funds allowed us to grant only $1,200. We were very impressed with the quality of all the proposed initiatives and their potential for providing opportunities to the people of our communities. Each applicant should be proud of the work put into developing the proposals.

            The Narrow Path Youth Ministry was awarded $600 toward its holistic outreach to teenagers in the communities. Jeff Frodermann, youth director, states “the new outreach is based in a mentor, small-group model, with specific focus on helping teenagers discover their purpose and giftings. We are establishing relationships between a team of adult volunteers (known as the “Timothy Team”) and the teenagers within our ministry.”

            The North Heron Lake Game Producers Association, Inc. was also awarded $600 to purchase 60 books for the SSC High School library’s natural resource/environmental collection. On recommendation of several agencies, these books will be made available to students, interns, educators, and the general public to use as reference materials. “The purpose of making these books available is to further educate the residents of the communities within the Heron Lake watershed about the natural resources of their local environment, and the part they can play in protecting it.”

Where Can You Find Us?

            The current Foundation Board includes Mitz Diemer, Collette Diemer, Cindy Owen, Jim Schneider, Jackie Baumgard, Bob Hartman, Becky Cselovszki and Harvey Kruger.  To visit our website click on the Heron Lake-Okabena Foundation link at www.heronlakecity.org or www.okabena.org.  The SWMF website is www.swmnfoundation.org.

            What are your ideas? Let’s put them in motion. Let’s work together to build stronger communities. If you have an idea, let us know. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Board, contact us.

HLOCF Silent Auction - March 1, 2008
HLOCF History
Community Foundation Program
HLOCF
Heron Lake-Okabena Community Foundation Grant Guidelines and Application For