Charities in East Texas benefited from the generosity of more than 5,746 donors during East Texas Giving Day, the region’s recognized day of giving to support local nonprofits.
The online fundraising effort began at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28th, and ended at midnight. Based on preliminary results, donors contributed $2,143,232 to support the causes they care about in 32 East Texas counties.

“East Texas residents stepped up in this unprecedented time of need,” said Kyle Penney, President of East Texas Communities Foundation, which host this year’s event. “Nonprofit organizations spent countless hours getting the word out about the needs facing our region, especially related to how they are responding to the pandemic. It’s a community effort we can all be proud of.”

During East Texas Giving Day, nonprofit organizations encouraged their donors and the public to make charitable donations online at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org. Donors could choose among 195 participating charities, and make donations starting at just $10. Throughout the day, some donations were eligible to be matched by donations already pledged by individuals to select nonprofits. 

East Texas Giving Day benefited nonprofits of all sizes. Preliminary results show, a Smith County charity leading the charge with The Mentoring Alliance receiving the most overall contributions for a total of $189,017, followed by Texas A&M University Texarkana Foundation in Bowie County raising $94,585 and East Texas Food Bank, based in Smith County with $84,328. 
Media sponsors for East Texas Giving Day include: KYTX CBS19, KETK NBC 56 and KFXK Fox 51, ArkLaTex.com NBC 6, KLTV ABC 7, KTRE ABC 9 serving Lufkin, Jack FM 106.5, KYKX 105.7 of Longview, KVNE 89.5 and KGLY 93.1, Mix 107.7 and KOYN 93.9 of Paris Texas, KALK 97.7 and KSCN 96.9 of Mt. Pleasant, KISS FM 92.7 Paris, KICKS 105.1 in Lufkin and, Townsquare Media in Texarkana, Tyler Today Magazine, 4 States Living, Texarkana Today and M Roberts Digital. Media sponsors helped publicize giving day with online public service announcements and live broadcasts throughout the day.

About ETCF
East Texas East Texas Communities Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving 32 counties in East Texas. The Foundation distributed $12 million in grants in 2019 and currently manages over $110 million in over 374 unique charitable funds which support non-profit organizations and student scholarships. The Foundatio¬¬n, which was formed in 1989, has awarded almost $100 million in grants and scholarships since its inception. Philanthropy builds community and changes lives. East Texas Communities Foundation supports philanthropy by offering simple ways for donors to achieve their charitable goals.