SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY FOUNDATION

2021 Toss For Troops Update

Toss For Troops Community,

We’d like to announce that the Susquehanna Valley Foundation will no longer be holding our annual Toss For Troops fundraiser. We are happy to share that the event will continue with a new host – the ACL Keystone State Cornhole Association.

Toss For Troops started six years ago when a small group decided to support a cause that was close to our hearts – Pennsylvania Veterans. It was clear that the resources available to Veterans were not adequate to address the issues of mental health, drug and alcohol dependency, financial stress, and suicide.

Military service is something that links many of our friends and family. The recognition that a crisis was unfolding in front of our eyes became a unifying cause. There was a feeling that there was nothing any of us could do – but also a feeling that we couldn’t just do nothing.

With that in mind, we held a small cornhole tournament in 2015 with about 40 attendees that raised $1,250 for a Veteran’s charity. We called it Toss For Troops! It wasn’t much, and it sure wasn’t going to fix the issues facing every Veteran community across the country. But it was better than doing nothing.

Over the next 5 years, we continued to grow and expand Toss For Troops. We found incredible volunteers and partners, such as our venue at Columbia Kettle Works, corn hole expert Joe Harsh, and returning sponsors UnCommon Pizza, Credit Bureau of Lancaster, and the Musso Family. Most importantly, we discovered an unbelievable charity called the Pennsylvania Veterans Foundation that inspired our attendees each year with stories of how they were making an impact in communities across Pennsylvania.

Over the years, over 500 people attended Toss For Troops – raising over $35,000 for Pennsylvania Veterans. Our team is so proud of all of the work we did for this cause and the support we had from so many across central PA.

This year, our team learned that the PA Veterans Foundation would cease operations. They were an integral partner for us and supporting them through Toss For Troops was a major motivator for our volunteers and sponsors. Additionally, a number of life events were occurring amongst our team that would’ve limited our ability to successfully host Toss For Troops this year – we wouldn’t have been able to give it our all.

It is for those reasons that we decided not to no longer host the event. Thankfully, however, the story of Toss For Troops continues. The ACL Keystone State Cornhole Association is picking up the torch and hosting Toss For Troops at Columbia Kettle Works on November 14th – all proceeds go to VetSports of PA. We are thrilled that Toss For Troops will continue on and continue to support Pennsylvania Veterans.

As for our team at the Susquehanna Valley Foundation, we will be back! We formed this foundation to improve communities in central PA – and we will continue to do so. Toss For Troops was the foundation of SVF, and the spirit and effort that made it a success will continue as we take on our next challenge. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,

The Susquehanna Valley Foundation

Mission

The Susquehanna Valley Foundation was created to provide a platform for citizens, businesses, governments, and nonprofits to come together to solve challenging problems that are important to our communities. Our public charity focuses on improving the communities in the central Pennsylvania region primarily, PA Veterans, as well as other educational, healthcare, or environmental issues that impact the area.

Goals

01. Toss for troops
–

Our primary goal right now is to build out Toss For Troops into a multi-event fundraising program. We are looking to include other events, such as a 5k race, that will be tested as things grow. Additionally, we want to increase participation from our current volunteer team as well as grow the team as a whole to add capacity and new skill sets. We’ve raised over $35,000 in the first six years, we aim to raise even more going forward!

02. foundation expansion
–

We want to continue to slowly build a solid base for SVF to grow on. Included in that is recruiting additional people to the Board, refining our focus and goals, and creating excellent digital platforms. After growing both Toss For Troops and the foundation for SVF, we will want to expand our programs. Based on areas of need or potential new opportunities, the Board will identify new programs, partnerships, or events that will be within our capacity and will provide a benefit to the community.

“Because of the team’s efforts and commitment to this event and all that it represents, we decided to offer our support. It is a well-organized and fun event with the proceeds benefiting those who are most deserving.”

Debbie musso | event sponsor

History

The Susquehanna Valley Foundation began as an idea on a pontoon boat in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Unsatisfied with sporadic and informal fundraising activities, we wanted to create something that provided not only us, but other people, a platform to better the Central Pennsylvania region.

Eventually, we formalized our effort in the form of a 501(c)(3) public charity called The Susquehanna Valley Foundation on March 9th, 2017.

Since then, the SVF Board has grown to five members and has met at least annually. We’ve planned and discussed opportunities to work with businesses, other non-profits, and individuals in the area to raise funds and awareness about issues impacting the Susquehanna Valley. In recent years, we've raised thousands of dollars for PA Veterans through our annual corn hole tournament called "Toss For Troops".

In coming years, we intend to grow our annual event, develop our staff and board, while also expanding our operations through new events and programs.