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PHF set to raise more than $200K from Giving Tuesday

HANCOCK — Throughout Giving Tuesday, Michael Babcock saw the alerts on his phone signifying new donations to the Portage Health Foundation.

By the time he watched the last of 778 online donations come in at 11:58 p.m, PHF had raised $197,023 for its fourth annual Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is campaign. That money goes to 18 non-profits in the four-county area.

“To have this money coming in will be extremely meaningful to all of them,” Babcock said. “It really makes me proud to call this place home, because most of the donations this year were from our local community.”

And that doesn’t count the donations coming through checks, which count those postmarked by Tuesday. Though still being tabulated, the stack seen Tuesday was large, Babcock said.

The online giving was enough to put Portage Health Foundation over the $1 million mark for the campaign’s four years.

Portage Health Foundation matches every dollar up to $200,000, split proportionally among the designated organizations. Close to half of the donations specified multiple groups, Babcock said.

“For some people, they want to support the trail systems up here,” he said. “For others, the women’s shelters are what they want to support. Some have had loved ones at Omega House pass away, so they want the money to go there because of the amazing care they received there.”

Though donations came from 26 states, about 75% came from the four-county area, Babcock said.

Leading up to Giving Tuesday, the Portage Health Foundation also hosted a 14-episode podcast series featuring interviews with people from the organizations about their work. The 25- to 35-minute episodes of PHF Podcast are available at phfgive.org and wherever podcasts are available.

Donations went to Swedetown Trails Club, Superior Search & Rescue, Simple Kindness for Youth (SKY), Ontonagon County Cancer Association, Omega House, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Keweenaw Random Acts of Community Kindness, Keweenaw Family Resource Center, Friends of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Dial Help, Dan Schmitt Gift of Music, Copper Harbor Trails Club, Copper Country Senior Meals, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home for Abused Women, Baraga County Shelter Home, Ahmeek Village Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department and 31 Backpacks.

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