Alabama Gives Day, the statewide charity event held on Feb. 2, raised money for nonprofit groups from all 67 counties in the state.

Gives Day raised over $700,000 in all, according to the event’s website. There were 8,463 donors that gave to the event. Over a thousand nonprofit organizations took part.

It was the first of the Gives Day effort in Alabama. The original event was held in Minnesota, Colorado and others in the northern United States. So far, $82,000,000 in donations has been raised nationally.

The Jefferson County Library Cooperative was among the top five in the amount of funds given by donors, raising over $10,000 for libraries.

Others in the top five included Restoration Academy Inc., a private school in Fairfield primarily for minority students; the Marion Military Institute foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and Methodist Home for the Aging.

The Jefferson County Library Cooperative was also in the top place for people’s choice of nonprofit groups on the Alabama Gives Day website.  

Funding for the Martha Moore Gardendale Public Library was affected when they were cut out by the Jefferson County budget and were forced to look elsewhere. The library was able to benefit from Gives Day.

“I think it was terrific,” said Connie Smith, head librarian. “It brought awareness to our cooperative. Our original goal was $3,000 but we raised $10,773.”

The Gardendale Library was not the only one cut out. The cut included all libraries in Jefferson County.

A large part of funding comes from the locals in the towns or cities that each library is located in. But sometimes an extra effort to fund them is necessary.

“JCLC provides our internet and transit for books,” said Cassie Johnson, head librarian of the Evelyn Thorton Warrior Public Library. “Services like that are crucial for us. The money [from donations] allows us to keep our services.”

Alabama Gives Day was made possible by the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Razoo Foundation. For more information on how to donate, visit www.alabamagivesday.com.