Jefferson Matters is in the midst of its 2025 Contribution Drive.
Executive Director Matt Wetrich appreciates everyone and the businesses and organizations that have given their financial support and Jefferson Matters is looking forward to even more as the group has some goals in mind for the year. He details that one part of the non-profit organization is economic development with programs and supporting local businesses with various grant opportunities, both local and statewide. Wetrich notes that for this year, Jefferson Matters is focusing on business recruitment to the downtown area, with some of that being impacted from the previous community feedback survey that happened late last year.
Wetrich points out another aspect of Jefferson Matters is through tourism.
“You know locally, we sort of forget how much tourism actually happens here in Jefferson and in Greene County. There’s a lot of people who come to Greene County to have fun and have neat experiences that we offer here. So we’re really wanting to grow our experiences here and so ‘A’ for people who live here, but also that’s the kind of thing that will bring people to a county our size.”
According to Jefferson Matters, there were ten bus tours last year, along with 30 events that they held and Wetrich notes that while developing tourism is a key, storytelling to reach even more people is just as critical. Wetrich says the major highlight was being named a semi-finalist for the Great American Main Street Award, which the three finalists will be selected in April.
Wetrich adds another scope that Jefferson Matters thrives on is volunteers. The non-profit organization had over 5,000 volunteer hours last year and Wetrich encourages anyone who would like to contribute as a volunteer, to contact the Welcome Center at 515-386-2155. For anyone wanting to make a tax deduction donation, there are several ways that are listed below.
Checks payable to:
Jefferson Matters
201 East Lincoln Way
Jefferson, IA 50129
Automatic debt by contacting your local bank
Pay online by clicking below
https://www.experiencejeffersoniowa.com/donate
Making Jefferson Matters a beneficiary