November is National Philanthropy Month. Nebraska Community Foundation (www.NebraskaHometown.org) salutes its 1,654 volunteer Fund Advisory Committee members who inspire people across the state to give back to their community. Last year, 8,833 gifts were made through Nebraska Community Foundation to strengthen our hometowns and charitable organizations so that an increasing number of young families can choose to live and work in rural Nebraska.
According to rural sociologists, more and more people in their 30s and 40s are choosing to live in or near our smaller communities. The 30- and 40-year-olds who are settling in rural Nebraska are likely to have higher levels of education and career and leadership experience. They are representative of the 51 percent of Americans who say they would prefer to live in a small town or rural area, according to the Pew Research Center. The same study points out that by a ratio of more than three-to-one, Americans prefer living where the pace of life is slower and where neighbors know each other well.
Millions of charitable dollars are creating the kinds of communities that more than half of young families desire most.
If you would like information about giving back to the future of your hometown, or about Nebraska Community Foundation visit www.NebraskaHometown.org.