In short, DCCF exists to enhance Dodge County together by connecting financial resources with critical gaps identified in our county that do not otherwise have a clear, sustainable solution.

After a multi-year process, we reached the conclusion a charitable community foundation for our county was a necessary tool. This process began in 2018, when the team over at the Dodge County Government was drafting its comprehensive plan. During this process, county staff identified several projects and needs that were outside a governmental scope. This prompted the search for non-governmental solutions and tools to best fit the needs. Eventually county staff found the J.A. Wedum Foundation, which “believes that a community foundation can significantly benefit a community and enhance community life”. With guidance from J.A. Wedum Foundation, county staff began outreach to individual stakeholders across Dodge County, starting with James (Jim) Checkel and Thomas (Tom) Monson. With additional insight and guidance from J.A. Wedum Foundation, Jim and Tom continued the effort to identify a coalition of stakeholders with a passion to enhance Dodge County together. This resulted in our founding board:

• Tom Monson – President & Chair
• Dean Schuette – Vice President & Vice Chair
• Elaine French – Secretary
• Jim Checkel – Treasurer
• Jeremy Ellingson
• Lyle Hoaglund
• Ron Fjerstad

With generous support from J.A. Wedum Foundation, the founding board incorporated and applied for tax exempt status in September of 2023. The board meets the last Friday of the month in the Dodge County Government Services Building from 8:30-9:30 AM.

Over the course of several of these board meetings, critical needs across Dodge County were identified and formulated into Pillars:

• Emergency Response Services
• Parks & Recreation
• Education
• Community Events

At the outset of DCCF, the first priority is our first pillar: emergency response services. Of particular concern is the ongoing challenge in maintaining qualified volunteer support for ambulatory services coupled with persistent financial sustainability concerns. DCCF has worked with ambulatory services in Dodge Center, Hayfield, and West Concord to identify strategies to help alleviate these challenges by supporting local training and certification efforts. Ultimately, DCCF believes a first step in enhancing Dodge County together is assuring trained emergency responders are equipped to arrive quickly when needed. Governmental solutions appear to be long term and will likely be best suited for capital and operational needs.

This leaves gaps in shorter term capital support and building a qualified local talent pool to secure emergency response volunteers and staff. These two areas are where DCCF fits in. First, as a fiscal conduit for ambulatory services that can be organized and funded more quickly than passing complex and major policy decisions at local, state, and federal levels. DCCF seeks donations and support to provide funding for the most urgent, smaller capital investments required by ambulatory services located in Dodge County, to act as a stop-gap solution while the larger, more complex policy processes can take place at the various governmental levels. Second, governmental policies do not necessarily resolve the challenge in building a sustainable and qualified talent pool for emergency response. EMR and EMT certifications are costly and timely efforts, so that most first responders can only then volunteer their time and talent. DCCF seeks to partner with local emergency response trainers to offer public, in-school, and employer-sponsored emergency response training opportunities along with offering scholarships to reduce the cost of EMR and EMT certifications to more affordable levels.

If you’re interested in supporting DCCF’s efforts around our Emergency Response Services pillar, visit our donations page.