Awareness

The Aggie Foundation started as an idea around a campfire over a decade ago by a group of friends simply looking to return a small, yet lasting impact on the Velva community which had given so much to them in their childhood and young adult lives. We built upon that simple idea and are proud of what The Aggie Foundation is today. What started out as a small scholarship to a Velva senior has accelerated to one of the fastest-growing charitable gaming entities in our area. We realized that every small community like ours has a group of people, like us, with a story. Each rural community and the residents who work, learn, serve, and volunteer are what make our state the greatest of them all. Leaving an impact in one community is great but coming together collaboratively makes our communities STRONG!

It hasn’t been easy. What comes with rapid growth are a lot of learning opportunities and the need to continue and prove ourselves within our communities. What hasn’t changed since our inception is the importance of delivering transparency in everything that we do. Our operation and records are public knowledge and you can find them at guidestar.org, firststop.sos.nd.gov, and our website, aggiefoundation.com. We’ve been extremely open and honest with everyone who has questions about The Aggie Foundation. We knew this was a responsibility we would have to take along the way if we were to realize the overall mission of our organization. We stand true to our mission and will continue to hold ourselves accountable for everything The Aggie Foundation has done and will do in the future, good and bad.

Recently, the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office found The Aggie Foundation in violation of several gaming regulations. Specifically, The Aggie Foundation committed 11 violations related to proper requests for donations. The Aggie Foundation was assessed a total fine of $5,000. While these violations have been described as “minor”, it is something we are crushed about. Again, transparency and legitimacy are the most important virtues of our organization. We also think it’s important to emphasize the money collected from gaming was delivered to places that needed funding. The Aggie Foundation did not profit from these violations in any way.

After careful consideration, the Aggie Foundation Board has agreed to accept these violations, pay the fine, and continue with our mission. We have remained in contact with the North Dakota Attorney General’s office to understand what we did wrong and what we can do to implement the correct remedies. We also have offered to work with the Attorney General’s office by reviewing our entire operations to make sure we remain in good standing under their authority.

We have reached out to every one of our accounts and the feedback has been OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE. It’s full steam ahead and our mission will not change. We’ve learned, corrected, and will move on. We can’t thank our accounts and patrons enough for their understanding and support as we move forward.

Onward!!