Beginning Tuesday, 20 local nonprofits will spend a week garnering online donations in the eighth annual GoodGiving Challenge.

The Challenge is a partnership between Blue Grass Community Foundation and Smiley Pete Publishing and has raised more than $8.5 million for charities since 2011, including $1.4 million raised in 2017.

This year, the challenge will run from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 11:59 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3.

Last year, 18 Clark County nonprofits participated and raised more than $366,000, with organizations like the Clark County Homeless Coalition, STRIDE and St. Agatha Academy garnering donations of more than $20,000 each, including donations garnered through the challenge and matching grants.

Once again the Clark County Community Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar funds raised by local nonprofits up to $10,000 per organization.

Additional matches and prizes will be offered throughout the seven-day challenge.

This year, the following nonprofits are participating in the challenge:

— Achieving Recovery Together (ART): ART is an independent, private nonprofit Recovery CommunityOrganization led and governed by representatives of local communities of recovery. It is a recovery focused prevention, education, advocacy, intervention and support organization serving Clark County. For more information, visit achievingrecoverytogether.org or email info@achievingrecoverytogether.org.

— BCTC Winchester Campus: As a regional campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, the Winchester-Clark County Campus provides academic and technical coursework, workforce training and GED programs. Students take high school dual enrollment classes, complete workforce certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees and/or transfer on to a four-year college or university. To learn more, visit bluegrass.kctcs.edu or email bruce.manley@kctcs.edu.

— Bluegrass Heritage Museum: The Bluegrass Heritage Museum brings the history of the area to life by collecting, preserving, interpreting and exhibiting objects valuable to the history of Winchester, Clark County and the region. There are three floors filled with continually-evolving galleries focusing on agriculture, Civil War and other military history, instrument-maker Homer Ledford and more. For more information, visit bgheritage.org or email bgheritage@bellsouth.net.

— Clark County Community Services: The mission of Clark County Community Services is to provide a central location where individuals and families can receive assistance in time of crises, and to empower responsive families toward self-sufficiency. For more information, visit clarkcountycommunityservices.org or email kristyweckwert@clarkcountycommuintyservices.com.

— Clark County Homeless Coalition: CCHC empowers the homeless through crisis housing, comprehensive case management, professional counseling, life skills, employment skills and housing assistance. Each year CCHC serves more than 225 homeless men, women and families providing the skills and encouragement to achieve and maintain stable housing. For more information, visit cchcky.org or email terry@cchcky.org.

— Friends of Hemp: Friends of Hemp is growing the U.S. agricultural hemp industry through education and opportunity. The group focuses on building market demand which directly benefits the American farmer and collaborates with local and national organizations to enhance market development of the re-emerging hemp industry. For more information, visit friendsofhemp.org or email wearefriendsofhemp@gmail.com.

— Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties: Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties partners with homeowners to build or improve a place they call home. Habitat homeowners work alongside community volunteers to build a safe, decent, affordable home that is energy efficient. Habitat also performs exterior home repairs to help low income neighbors maintain housing stability. Many homeowners don’t have the necessary resources to perform critical repairs. These repairs restore a good, overall quality of life.

— Holly Rood: Holly Rood is a 200-year-old house which belongs to the people of Clark County and Kentucky. It was built as a home for James and Susan Clark with construction beginning in 1812 and completed in 1814. James later became the governor of Kentucky. Holly Rood is used to promote the understanding of our local history, while being actively involved in the present. For more information, visit hollyroodevents.com or email debbiebarnesflowers@gmail.com.

— Hospice East: Hospice East is a nonprofit community-based organization dedicated to serving terminally-ill patients and their families in Clark and Powell counties. The professional staff provides physical, social, psychological and spiritual care, along with bereavement counseling that is open to anyone in the community. For more information, visit hospiceeast.com.

— Lady Veterans Connect: LVC provides a transitional housing program for homeless women veterans where they can live for one year while receiving programs and counseling for healing and becoming productive citizens again. For more information, visit ladveteransconnect.org or email pabbott@ladyveteransconnect.org.

— Leeds Center for the Arts: Leeds Center for the Arts has been used by the community in Clark County for moer than 90 years. What started as a movie theater was converted to a community arts venue in the 1980s and strives to energize the community through the beauty and emotional power of the arts. For more information, visit leedscenter.org or email contact@leedscenter.org.

— Life for Pets: Life for Pets works in the Central Kentucky area to eliminate the need for euthanasia of adoptable cats and dogs and feral cats. This is done through a low cost spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return programs. The group also works to educate the public on the importance of spay/neuter of their pets and how this helps to prevent countless litters of unwanted kittens and puppies from ending up in the shelters each year. Life for Pets has been doing low cost spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return for 18 years in Clark County. For more information, visit facebook.com/lifeforpets or email lifeforpets@gmail.com.

— New Beginnings of Winchester: New Beginnings’ mission is to equip women and men to make life-affirming choices regarding sexual integrity, pregnancy and parenting to age 3. The staff and volunteers value unborn human life and are one of the first resources for women facing untimely pregnancies and parenting challenges in Clark and surrounding counties. All services provided for families at New Beginnings are free, including pregnancy tests, limited ultrasound services, prenatal education, diapers, formula, maternity and baby clothes up to 5T, parenting classes for all ages, counseling, referrals, Bible Study, Dad’s Program and “Choosing the Best” character education in the middle schools. For more information, visit newbeginningsofwinchester.org or email becki@newbeginningsofwinchester.org.

— Partners in Education: PIE’s mission is to enhance the quality of instructional services provided to students through the use of school volunteers and business partners. PIE has 26 partners with 170 volunteers serving more than 2,500 students in the Clark County School System. For more information, visit teach.clarkschools.net/depts/partnersineducation or email greg.yates@clark.kyschools.us.

— Rowland Arts Center (RAC): The RAC’s goal is to encourage the young people in our community to dream big and prepare them for success in their middle and high school years. The staff invests their time and energy as mentors, seeking first to offer an environment of safety and trust, then working intentionally to have meaningful conversations with the students. Mentors identify areas of need for the students — physical, emotional, academic and work to develop plans and programs to help meet these needs. For more information, visit rowlandartscenter.com or email joseph@rowlandartscenter.com.

— Rose Mary C Brooks Place: Brooks Place provides independent and assisted living to seniors in the Clark County and surrounding areas. We provide a safe, comfortable community for independent seniors who do not require assistance with daily living and assisted living for those who require assistance with activities of daily living. For more information, visit brooksplace.org or email carolbennett@brooksplace.org.

— St. Agatha Academy: St. Agatha Academy is a vibrant learning community anchored in Christ. It is a Catholic school within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington offering a classical liberal arts education program beginning with Montessori preschool, Montessori kindergarten, elementary program (grades 1 to 5), and middle school program (grades 6 to 8). For more information, visit saintagathaacademy.org or email rallen@cdlex.org.

— STRIDE: STRIDE works with children and adults with disabilities and developmental delays and their families providing therapy services, a day training program, one-on-one community living supports, respite, summer camps, Special Olympics and more. For more information, visit strideky.org or email kystride@aol.com.

— Winchester Clark County Farmers’ Market: Winchester-Clark County Farmers’ Market is the only Kentucky Proud Farmers Market serving Winchester and Clark County. The market provides the community with locally-grown produce, meats, honey, baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, flower and crafts. For more information, email wccfarmersmarket@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/WinchesterClarkCountyFarmersMarket.

— Winchester Youth Soccer League: WYSL is a recreational sports program that allows kids in the community to learn and grow physically, mentally and socially while playing soccer. The goal is to provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for children of all backgrounds and abilities. The league ensures each child plays at least half of the game and offers fall and spring seasons to keep kids active and interested in this ever-growing sport. For more information, visit winchesterysl.com or email aymieoliver@gmail.com.

The GoodGiving Guide will be printed and distributed in all Smiley Pete publications. In addition, there will be a vigorous social media campaign to promote the Challenge and the participating nonprofits.

“The Clark County Community Foundation is excited to once again provide some matching dollars for our local nonprofits,” says Alex Rowady, Chair of the Clark County Community Foundation. “The Challenge is a great way for people to learn about the work of 20 different organizations in Clark County and to have their donations doubled by the CCCF match. We are always proud of the excellent turnout from Clark County donors, and we hope this year is our biggest year yet.” 

The Clark County Community Foundation, a component fund of Blue Grass Community Foundation, has been doing good in Clark County since 1998. For additional information about the Clark County Community Foundation, please contact Halee Cunningham halee@bgcf.org.

The Clark County Community Foundation will host the third annual chili cook-off from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at College Park Gym. Each of the 20 nonprofits have partnered with a local restaurant to make chili samples. WinFirst Bank and the Clark County Community Foundation will each provide $1 tokens to all attendees to donate to the participating nonprofit of their choice. Attendees will get to vote on their favorite chili, and prizes will be awarded. The event is free and open to the public.

Throughout the week, there will be challenges each day enabling donors to enhance the impact of their dollars. For the complete list of matching challenges, visit bggives.org/prizes.

Secure contributions via credit card or ACH checking can be made at BGgives.org.