March 22, 2023
Come celebrate the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation’s (CDAF) 30th anniversary and watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 24th! Join us at the Grinnell Athletic Recreation Center at Ahrens Park for games, drinks, fun, and fundraising for CDAF.
Doors open for the March Blowout Bash Fundraiser at 6:30 PM for check-in, drinks by Craft Brewhouse, and food provided by Grinnell College Catering at 7:00 PM, alongside the big game’s tip-off, we’ll begin our silent auction, games, music, and contests. At halftime, special musical guest and local Jake Simon will perform, followed by a live auction. At 9:30 PM, the silent auction will close and the winners will be announced as we look forward to continued growth of the Grinnell community over the next thirty years!
“We are excited to share this milestone with the Grinnell community by celebrating at this fun, unique event. We want to show our appreciation and thanks to our many community partners and donors that have helped in the longevity of the foundation over the past thirty years,” says Julie Gosselink, president and CEO.
Tickets, including one free drink ticket, are 30 dollars per person and can be purchased at www.ahrensfamilyfoundation.org. All funds raised will empower CDAF to continue supporting the development of the Grinnell community and the local area now and in the future through its ten innovative partner programs: Imagine Grinnell, Tiger Packs, S.H.E. Counts, P.O.W.E.R. Kids, Giving Gardens, Poweshiek Housing Assistance Fund, Grinnell Area Mental Health Consortium-JPK Fund, Grinnell Food Coalition, STRONG Foundation, and Vosburg Music Fund. Attire for the event is casual – rep your favorite sports team, even if they did not make it to the final game! This event is for those 21 and older. For more information, call 641-236-5518.
Claude W. Ahrens started CDAF in 1993 by donating four million dollars and 50 acres of land to create Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. Graduating from Grinnell High School and attending Grinnell College, Claude had a successful career in the agriculture and manufacturing industries and married Dorothy “Dolly” Hey in 1937. They had one child, Paul, who shared Claude’s life-long dream of creating the park that now serves as a tribute to his own life and the life of his friend Jim Paschall, both of who passed away mid-life.
Today, Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park spans 80 acres and offers everything from an early learning childcare facility, indoor recreation center, driving range, youth soccer fields, and eight youth softball and baseball fields to community gardens, playground areas, and a one-and-a-half-mile outdoor walking path. The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation is the primary benefactor in providing funds for the operational costs of Ahrens Park. Claude’s grandchildren, staff, and the boards of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation and Ahrens Park Foundation continue his legacy of giving back to the Grinnell community, helping manage both foundations.
The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation is a family foundation that encourages the growth of Grinnell and the local area through work in education, parks and recreation, and health. Acting as an umbrella organization for ten partner programs and funds, CDAF ensures each program can innovatively carry out their missions while keeping individual advisory boards. CDAF also has developed other charitable programs including Community Support Services, providing back-office administrative operations for several local nonprofit organizations; Leave It Better Than You Found It annual award; Dolly Ahrens Achievement Scholarship; and Lend A Hand. For more information on the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, please visit www.ahrensfamilyfoundation.org.
