Helping Paws Stands Out on Give to the Max Day

led the way among Hopkins nonprofits in Give to the Max Day fundraising, according to GiveMN.org.

The $42,973 the organization raised ranked it 27th in the state, excluding higher education institutions, for the amount of money raised.

The organization provides service dogs to people with physical disabilities—such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy or Lou Gehrig's disease. The dogs help their owners with the daily tasks of life.

Specific Helping Paws programs also benefitted from the annual statewide fundraising drive. The Alpha/Gator Fund, which helps pay for veterinary costs and other service dog essentials, raised $2,036 through 13 donors. Four donors also donated $200 to sponsor future service dog “Tate,” and two donors contributed $140 to sponsor “Cricket.”

Local organizations that help Hopkins, but are headquartered in neighboring communities, also finished strong. Opportunity Partners brought in $28,695 from 137 donors—ranking it 48th on the statewide list.

In statewide giving, 47,500 people donated about $13.6 million to nearly 4,000 nonprofits.

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Number of donors*

• Helping Paws of Minnesota: 1,018 donors (also includes $10,000 matched by a $10,000 matching grant)
• Intercongregation Communities Association: 408 donors
• Blake School: 169 donors
• Opportunity Partners: 137 donors (also includes $10,000 matched by a $10,000 matching grant)
• Hopkins Education Foundation: 135 donors
• Main Street School of Performing Arts: 102 donors
• ResourceWest: 88 donors
• West Suburban Teen Clinic: 85 donors (also includes $3,600 matched by a $3,600 matching grant)
• Teens Alone: 72 donors
• Stages Theatre Co.: 59 donors
• Vail Place: 58 donors
• Sojourner Project: 52 donors
• Minnesotans Against Terrorism: 40 donors
• Hopkins Center for the Arts: 32 donors (also includes $1,000 matched by a $1,000 matching grant)
• Hopkins Early Learning Center: 24 donors
• Bodhicitta Sangha Heart of Enlightenment Institute Inc.: 12 donors
• West Wind Concert Band of Hopkins Minnesota: 8 donors
• Blair’s Tree of Hope: 7 donors
• Kenya Children’s Fund: 7 donors
• Mentoring Peace Through Art: 7 donors (also includes $200 matched by a $200 matching grant)
• Minnesota Waterfowl Association: 6 donors
• Mama Ada Foundation: 4 donors
• Charis of Minnesota: 3 donors
• Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin: 2 donors
• Hopkins Historical Society: 2 donors
• Veterans Airlift Command: 2 donors
• Common Ground Consultants: 1 donor
• Freedom Firm USA: 1 donor
• Hopkins Rotary Foundation: 1 donor
• Living India: 1 donor
• Minnesota Apple Computer Users Group: 1 donor
• Prevention Health Care Agency: 1 donor
• Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church: 1 donor

*Dollar amounts were only available for organizations ranked in the top 100 for donations.