YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Old Missouri Bank signed on to sponsor a February 2019 fundraiser for new Missouri State University basketball coach Dana Ford’s nonprofit, and a domestic violence shelter is part of the plan.
Ford and his wife Christina operate The Rebound Foundation, and they’re planning an event early next year called The Rebound Challenge. Old Missouri Bank spokeswoman Shanda Trautman said the company’s contribution to the fundraiser will be announced after it’s held during a Feb. 10 Bears men’s basketball game against Illinois State University.
The Rebound Challenge, according to a news release, will raise money for The Rebound Foundation’s newly announced Marda’s House, a transitional housing project for female victims of domestic violence. An Oct. 31 tweet by The Rebound Foundation indicated Marda’s House would open in November in Springfield. Trautman said the location is being kept a secret “because of the sensitivity with housing the women.”
Through The Rebound Challenge, the nonprofit is asking supporters to donate at least $1 for every rebound the Bears make during the Illinois State game. Proceeds will help pay for annual expenses at Marda’s House, according to the release.
“We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to partner with Old Missouri Bank on The Rebound Challenge. Housing continues to be an unmet need in the domestic violence community, and we know partnerships like this will help us give the gift of a safe place, a home,” said Christina Ford, who’s CEO of The Rebound Foundation, in the release. “Our hope is that The Rebound Challenge sparks continued change within the community so that more and more lives are lived violence free.”
The Rebound Foundation also provides housing in Chicago, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Marda’s House, according to the website, provides transitional housing for up to six months via a three-bedroom home.
A safe room and classroom addition at Willard Central Elementary School will be used by the music, arts and athletic programs for a district that had 4,536 students last year, according to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education figures, but school officials say enrollment is projected to grow.
