From October 13 - October 23, vote for one of the nonprofit organizations below, one vote per email address.

The winner will be awarded $10,000!

Name and email must be entered below to lock in your vote! Scroll down to the end of the page, enter your name and email and to read more about each nonprofit organization, and how they help our community.

Any irregular or fraudulent votes, including but not limited to multiple votes from the same user, or those generated by robotic, programmed, scripted, macro, or other automated methods, will be disqualified. Organizations may not incentivize or "buy" votes by offering compensation, prizes, or through the use of paid social posts to encourage voting.

For more information about each nonprofit, see here:

Able Group Home (MN) - (A Brighter Living Experience) has served individuals with developmental disabilities in Southeast Minnesota for more than 45 years, providing safe housing, individualized support, and opportunities for greater independence and community involvement. Today, ABLE serves more than 50 individuals, ages 17 to 68, through 10 community homes and an Intermediate Care Facility, supporting people with a wide range of abilities and needs. Its mission is to help each person live a meaningful, fulfilling life while promoting dignity, choice, independence, and belonging. A $10,000 award would help maintain and improve ABLE’s aging community homes, supporting needs such as roof replacements, accessibility modifications, heating and air conditioning upgrades, appliances, and other major repairs. These investments help ensure residents can remain safely in the homes and communities they know rather than needing to move because their home can no longer meet their needs.

Friends of the Blufflands (WI) - Works to conserve, restore, and protect the blufflands of La Crosse and surrounding communities through prairie and oak savanna restoration, reforestation, invasive species management, threatened species protection, environmental education, and volunteer stewardship. Its work helps preserve rare habitats, support pollinators and threatened species, maintain scenic natural areas, and provide opportunities for people of all abilities to enjoy and learn about the blufflands. Community involvement is a significant part of its work, with hundreds of volunteers contributing 2,200 hours of restoration work in 2025. A $10,000 award would support a reforestation project on a 10-acre former horse pasture in Hixon Forest while also continuing the restoration of Birch Point Prairie and a former Hixon Forest viewpoint, helping protect and improve these natural areas for the community and future generations.

GearUP Inc. (WI) - Helps lower-income and first-generation students graduating from La Crosse-area high schools overcome the financial barriers of starting college or a skilled training program. In addition to providing essential items such as laptops, school supplies, books, and dorm or apartment necessities, GearUp offers one-on-one guidance, ongoing support, and care packages to help students successfully transition to post-secondary education. Approximately 86% of its award recipients come from households earning less than $40,000 annually and 73% are first-generation college students, with more than 90% of participants returning for a second year. A $10,000 award would be dedicated to supplies for the Class of 2027, helping approximately 15-20 students with laptops, dorm or apartment essentials, general school supplies, and, if funding remains, care packages to provide encouragement throughout their first year. 

Good Samaritan Ministries (TN) - Has served Clarksville, TN and surrounding communities for 44 years, providing free medical and dental care to low-income and uninsured individuals, including veterans without dental coverage. Volunteer providers offer care for chronic health conditions, medications, dental extractions and pain relief, while the organization also distributes personal hygiene and over-the-counter health items and connects patients with additional community resources when needed. By removing financial barriers to essential healthcare, Good Samaritan Ministry helps individuals improve their health, stability, and quality of life. A $10,000 award would fund the organization’s annual medical supplies and medication inventory while also allowing it to begin replacing outdated medical equipment.

Home and Community Options (MN) - Has served people with developmental disabilities for more than 50 years and currently supports 130 children and adults in Winona County through residential care, in-home and community support, planned respite, emergency crisis services, and affordable housing. HCO helps individuals live with greater dignity, independence, safety, and connection while also providing important support for their families and caregivers. Planned respite gives caregivers needed time to recharge while their loved ones receive individualized care, while emergency crisis services provide immediate short-term support when a caregiver becomes unavailable, a health crisis occurs, or a living situation becomes unsafe. A $10,000 award would expand HCO’s respite and emergency crisis capacity, providing flexible funding to help the organization respond quickly when needs arise and ensure individuals and families have access to safe, timely care during both planned and unexpected circumstances.

HorseSense (WI) - Provides inclusive equine-assisted services to youth and adults throughout the greater La Crosse area, including individuals with and without disabilities, Veterans, active-duty military members, dependents, and Gold Star families. Through adaptive riding and horsemanship, participants build physical skills, confidence, communication, emotional regulation, and independence. Following an unexpected relocation that paused programming during its busiest season and resulted in nearly $40,000 in lost revenue, HorseSense is working to rebuild programming and regain financial stability. A $10,000 award would cover approximately four months of winter board for all 10 program horses, helping offset essential horse care during the winter months when programming and earned income are limited.

Mississippi Valley Conservancy (WI) - Is a nationally accredited land trust based in La Crosse that protects the forests, prairies, wetlands, bluffs, streams, and family farms of the Driftless Area. Since 1997, the Conservancy has protected more than 27,000 acres across nine southwest Wisconsin counties, including more than 7,400 acres open to the public for recreation and education. Through habitat restoration, volunteer stewardship, and free programs such as Linked to the Land and the Trail Trek Challenge, the organization connects people of all ages and backgrounds with nature while protecting wildlife habitat and clean water. A $10,000 award would expand restoration and volunteer efforts at preserves that receive less attention, while also supporting outreach, restoration materials and tools, educational programming, community events, and partnerships. The funding would help strengthen rare plant communities, grow the volunteer network, and extend the Conservancy’s conservation work into more rural communities.

School of Technology and Arts 1 Steering Communities Incorporated (WI) - Supports approximately 110 K-5 students at SOTA 1, a public charter school in the School District of La Crosse that integrates arts and technology into its core curriculum through music, drama, visual arts, strings, project-based learning, and multi-age experiences. The committee provides funding for classroom resources, field trips, performances, and hands-on arts programming that might otherwise not be possible. A $10,000 award would support an Artist in Residence and art supplies; the school’s year-end “Informance,” including venue, transportation, sound and lighting; educational field trips; student technology upgrades; and the creation of a dance ensemble open to all students, along with supplies for clubs such as art, cribbage, Lego, and newsletter. The funding would expand opportunities for students to explore their creativity, build confidence, develop new skills, and participate regardless of their family’s ability to pay for similar experiences outside of school.

Storm Sporting Events (MN) - Promotes physical and mental well-being through inclusive trail races and triathlons for children, adults, families, and athletes of all experience levels throughout Winona County and the surrounding region. Its events encourage physical activity, confidence, connection, and belonging while also raising funds for youth mental health programs and scholarships for students pursuing mental-health-related careers. In 2025, Storm established a scholarship fund through the Winona Community Foundation to further support this work. A $10,000 award could help strengthen the organization’s long-term event infrastructure, including improved transportation for race equipment, volunteer recruitment, participant outreach, safety equipment, and other reusable resources that support continued growth and community impact.

YAIPAK (TN) - (You Are Important - People Administering Kindness) supports children and families in foster care, veterans facing housing instability, survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, families affected by disasters, and individuals experiencing basic-needs crises. Through five programs and more than 560 partner organizations, YAIPAK provides practical support focused on safety, stability, dignity, and helping people rebuild after difficult circumstances. Its work includes providing essential items for foster children, helping veterans move toward stable housing, supporting survivors, and responding to communities following disasters. A $10,000 award would pre-stage a complete disaster response kit through its Rebuild Hope program, including mobile hygiene access, cleanup tools, and essential supplies that could be deployed following a qualifying disaster across its service area.