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I love a lot of things about Bertran,
[0:04] but probably most importantly, I love
the community support.
[0:07] » It's a just a great community. I love
the small town atmosphere. I love the
[0:11] environment to raise kids in, and I love
all the activities that we have.
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What is the Bertrand Area Community
[0:34] Fund? It's an organization that goes out
and looks for opportunities to grow
[0:39] Bertrand and be able to invest in the
community for the future. You know, for
[0:43] a small town, I feel like Bertrand has a
lot going for it. And the Bertrand area
[0:48] community fund puts a lot into the
community to build those activities.
[0:52] One of the benefits of the unrestricted
endowment is a portion of the earnings
[0:57] are made available in the form of
payouts and then that is the funds that
[1:01] we use to make grants to all the
different projects and needs in the
[1:06] community.
>> I think we're up over a4 million dollars
[1:09] that we've invested in the Bertrand area
in the last 15 years. So that's made
[1:15] very big impact on things in the
community.
[1:19] One entity that we've been very involved
with is the Bertran swimming pool and
[1:23] the Bertran area community fund was able
to kind of get it kickstarted with a
[1:27] survey um for the pool. So
>> the pool has been a huge one just
[1:31] attracts a crowd and it's a huge
addition to the community. Bertran 991
[1:36] Holdage PD
>> Bertrand area community fund has also
[1:41] granted money to the Bertran Volunteer
Fire Department. Uh the grant that we
[1:45] received from the Bran Community Fund is
went to digital radios that we purchased
[1:49] for our vehicles and also we had got new
digital radios for our handhelds so that
[1:54] we can have some communication between
amongst our department members and then
[1:58] plus countywide.
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>> One of the most recent grants that we've
[2:06] made is for the Roy Gardin Arena. It is
bleachers which have been long due for
[2:12] that arena. The rodeo is one of the best
little rodeos in Nebraska. So having a
[2:17] new set of bleachers is really important
to continue the legacy at the arena.
[2:22] The ball fields at Bertran have been a a
landmark here for for years. Um going
[2:26] way back to when I played ball, they're
still there. And uh recently we've been
[2:30] able to grant money to help with the
batting cages. We've put up some uh
[2:34] covers over some of the picnic tables
and stuff uh within the park. And it
[2:37] really makes a a great community in
Bertrand when we have those those things
[2:41] for everybody to to utilize.
We got the grant for a lot for the
[2:47] senior center. We've helped them out
tremendously. And a senior center is
[2:51] huge in a small community. I mean, you
got the people that have built your
[2:54] community over years and the grants on
the nursing home that's been great as
[3:00] well. Uh just recently we helped out
with the air conditioning. We've done
[3:04] some of the outside landscaping for the
nursing home and
[3:07] » a lot of the residents have been
longtime residents of the community. So,
[3:12] it's nice to see them um put the money
and the effort into this community, the
[3:16] small family that they have here at the
nursing home.
[3:20] » One thing the Bertrand Area Community
Fund has been involved with is bringing
[3:23] back uh interns to our community. Um we
had one young lady, Johanna Ford, that
[3:28] has been pretty impactful in making a
alumni list for Bertrand. Um, and that's
[3:33] really important to reach out to
everybody that's been involved with
[3:36] Bertrand.
>> My hometown internship experience has
[3:39] definitely, you know, changed my
perspective and changed how I view my
[3:44] hometown. And I want to give back to the
community that has given me so much.
[3:49] Several years ago, we recognized that
there were over 15 business people in
[3:55] the Bertrand area that were within
retirement and we felt it was very
[3:59] important to try and not lose those
opportunities in Bertran.
[4:04] » We've started a new career pathways
program.
[4:07] » We went to the Bertrand area community
foundation career pathways event and
[4:12] Ella was kind of looking for something
to do this summer and it was a natural
[4:15] fit. So,
>> and she is going on to school in
[4:19] international culinary field. And those
are the kind of things that we think are
[4:24] really proud of that can help portray
it. We want these talented young people
[4:28] to come back, right? Cuz otherwise our
small towns are not going to make it.
[4:31] And so what I see is that we build more
and more of these partnerships. Kids see
[4:35] that they can make a difference in their
hometown, that they can be doing
[4:38] something that they're going to enjoy
and they're going to want to come back
[4:40] to their hometown areas. The Bertrand
area community fund is cause that I
[4:44] believe in because everybody on the FAC
is very passionate about Bertrand and
[4:51] about giving back to our community.
>> The Bertrand area fund. I feel like
[4:57] we're making a huge difference. We are
here to better the community, give back
[5:02] the best way that we can, and I feel
like we're just kind of leading that in
[5:06] the right direction right now.
[5:11] A homegrown challenge is one of the most
effective ways to substantially grow our
[5:16] unrestricted endowment. And fortunately,
two generous individuals have ensured
[5:20] their legacy will be felt in the
Bertrand area forever.
[5:24] » The Gary and Marlene Doin Challenge
provides an incredible opportunity to
[5:29] build our unrestricted endowment. Their
challenge gift of $100,000 will be
[5:35] further capitalized by $50,000 from
Nebraska Community Foundation. In order
[5:41] to receive the entire $150,000, however,
we must raise $300,000 in contributions
[5:47] from those who love our community. We
have until December 31st, 2027 to
[5:53] achieve our goal and take advantage of
this transformational and historical
[5:57] opportunity. If we succeed, we will grow
our community unrestricted endowment by
[6:02] $450,000,
>> significantly increasing our resources
[6:07] to empower people of all ages to build
the good life right here in the Bertrand
[6:12] area for generations to come.
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