Help our nonprofits by supporting Tri-City Strong | Guest Opinion

When the Gesa Carousel of Dreams temporarily paused its operation on March 15, we knew it would have a tremendous impact on our organization. We also knew we weren’t alone.

The Tri-Cities is full of amazing non-profits which make the community a better place to live, work and play. Each fills an important role and a need the community has. Some help fill our basic needs, such as shelter and food, while others, such as the Gesa Carousel of Dreams, help to provide family fun and lasting memories.

We felt the impact right away. March and April are two of the busiest months of the year for us. Our March revenue declined 76% compared to 2019 and the final two weeks of the month, we saw a 92% drop compared to the prior year. Similar stories started to emerge from other non-profits as well.

Because we consider our facility a community treasure supported by our friends and neighbors, we felt a responsibility to help those vital non-profits while helping ourselves.

The Carousel came up with the concept of Tri-City Strong.

Tri-City Strong will help 12 non-profits raise much needed funds, goods and services for their organizations during this critical time. While fundraisers have been canceled and donations have slowed to a trickle, the need for the basic services many of these organizations provide has never been greater.

But the Tri-Cities can help.

Townsquare Media radio stations and KVEW42 will help us by broadcasting for a combined 20 hours on April 9 and 10 from 6am-4pm each day as we host a TV/Radio telethon to collect monetary donations, goods and services for our partners. We’re encouraging you to donate what you can to help this important cause. You can give using your credit card online at tricitystrong.com or give us a call at 509-378-3943 during the telethon hours to speak to someone who can help with donations of goods and services.

All funds raised stay local and will be dispersed by April 20, so your donation will make an immediate impact in our community. You can view a complete list of our non-profit partners at tricitystrong.com.

The early support for this grassroots effort has been tremendous. We offer a special thanks to our cornerstone partners, Gesa Credit Union and Toyota of Tri-Cities.

We knew we weren’t alone when we faced that tough decision in March. We live in a community that rallies around each other in times of need. The need has never been greater and I know Tri-City Strong will show what this community can accomplish together.

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Help our nonprofits by supporting Tri-City Strong | Guest Opinion."