Columbus Charities, Inc. was established in 1974 and funding was originally derived from an annual raffle. The proceeds were used to fulfill requests from 501 c 3 organizations. In the past 20 years, funds in excess of $1,500,000 have been made available through a grant process.
Previous grants made for community, youth programs include organizations such as Special Olympics, ARC, L’Arche, etc. (see below).
In 2011, the Board of Directors of Columbus Charities, Inc., established the Tootsie Roll Program where councils hold drives across the State offing specific tootsie rolls to all without a donation. This program has generated in excess of $1.2 million dollars and continues to be a very strong program to help those with disabilities.
LAMB (Least of All My Brethren) began in 2022 and has generated over $12,000 in the past six months. These funds will benefit those that assist with the hungry, clothing those in need and pro-life education.
The Coats for Kids program was added in 2022. In just one year, 10,000+ coats were issued providing warmth to children in need. Councils and donors contributed Over $98,000 to this very successful program.
Columbus Charities has partnered with Global Wheelchair Program and KCHelp (Knights of Columbus Hospital Lending Program) in providing thousands of wheel chairs in Washington State and beyond.
Download the Columbus Charities Brochure for more information.