“I am completely humbled and grateful beyond words to everyone who gave to NPC Friends and Family on Arizona Gives Day,” said Betsyann Wilson, executive director of the non-profit that raises scholarships to support the students of Northland Pioneer College.

With donations totaling $14,234 at midnight on April 7, NPC Friends and Family raised more than any other small, rural non-profit in the State of Arizona. More than that, it ranked 27th out of more than 650 non-profits that participated in the statewide online giving initiative.

“We held our own on the Top 10 Leader Board for Small Non-Profits the entire day, and all but one on that board were from urban areas. I am just astonished,” added Wilson.

This would be a significant achievement for any non-profit, but NPC serves Navajo and Apache counties, two of the poorest counties in the state, and among the poorest one percent of all counties in the United States. “We just don’t have the number of donors here that they have in the Valley or in Tucson,” remarked Wilson.

“Our Arizona Gives Day is a testament to our people and their spirit of giving and their willingness to help their own.”

Wilson noted that many of the donations came from the faculty, staff and administration of the college. “I tell everyone, we are the Little College that Can. If this doesn’t prove it, I don’t know what does,” Wilson remarked. “I am so proud of Northland Pioneer College; there are no words to express it.”

Wilson extended her thanks to all who gave, and to those who helped spread the word. These included local radio personalities, Brandon Todd of KTHQ, Aaron Casey of KVSL, Jean Barton of KVWM and Jack Jacobs of White Mountain Radio. A grant from First Bank and the Alliance of Arizona Non-Profits allowed Wilson to partner with four other non-profits, Summit Healthcare Foundation, Books for Kids AZ, White Mountain Nature Center and Friends of Navajo County Anti-Drug Coalition, to purchase ads in the White Mountain Independent, The Tribune-News and the Silver Creek Herald. The latter two papers donated the cost of color printing, which enhanced the appearance of the ad, and the Independent gave a reduced rate for running it in its Friday and Tuesday editions.

Wilson added, “So many people got on their social media and really spread the word. To everyone who helped, ‘Thank You’ seems so inadequate. You have changed lives.”

To learn more about NPC Friends and Family, you can visit the website at www.npcfriendsfamily.org.