The Douglas Art Gallery hosted the Douglas Area Community Fund on Friday, April 1 to recognize and thank all the advisor and board members with an appreciation dinner for their effort in creating an organization that works for the good of the local activities and people.

Francisco Barrios/Douglas Dispatch Gerry Gonzalez and Mike Ortega explains to special guests about the importance of the contribution they make as donors and the difference they create in behalf of the community.

The Douglas Area Community Fund started four years ago, in April 2007, with the idea of making a difference by promising that the money donated to the organizations will stay in the Douglas Community and to show everybody that Douglas will keep growing no matter what the economic situation is.

With 80 donors so far, the Douglas Area Community Fund has been able to bring to Douglas up to $100,000 and use it to help good causes in behalf of the community. But, Gerry Gonzalez said “We are realizing that we can make a difference in Douglas. The money that you donate stays in Douglas and let me point out that this little celebration is to appreciate you all for your efforts. The money you provide goes into a permanent fund that keeps growing. Now, after four years and thanks to you we have now $109,000.”

Gonzalez also gave some examples of what the Douglas Area Community Fund has been done to help several local organizations: “We gave $600 to Frontera de Cristo for the Bi-National Community Guardian; we gave $900 to the Sociedad Mutualista de Obreros Mexicanos; we gave $400 to the Douglas Unified School District; $2,000 for the summer camp to help High School students to explore medical professions; $2,500 to the Girl Scouts; and $800 to the Boy Scouts.”

He also, mentioned that the Douglas Area Community Fund has helped several other organizations to leverage its operations, such as the High School, the Douglas Association for Retarded Citizens, parent-children programs, youth art programs from the Art Gallery, and other.

To conclude the event, some of the guests spoke about the importance of this Community Fund and explained the advantages that a program like this provides to the local organizations that need help sometimes. Gonzalez said the Douglas Area Community Fund will keep working to increase the funding to help in better ways the Douglas Community.