Brainerd, Minn. – The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation’s (BLACF) Board of Directors announced this year’s Award in Philanthropy recipients are Dutch and Irma Cragun. The Craguns have displayed a passion for helping others and bettering our community. They have been involved in numerous community fundraisers and assisted with the growth and development of the Brainerd Lakes Area and our tourism industry.
Craguns Resort was founded in the 1940’s and has been operating in the family for more than 75 years, employing thousands of people over that time.
Dutch & Irma have supported many organizations over the years through many different avenues. They have generously given cash donations, gift certificates, and free or reduced pricing for charity events and fund raisers.
A favorite program of the Craguns is “Free Golf For Veterans” that began when they built The Legacy Golf Course. Every year on Memorial Day and that Tuesday, any military veteran gets complementary golf at The Legacy and can bring a non-veteran guest for a greatly reduced rate. Over 15,000 green fees have been given away in the past 20 years. Many veterans have made new friends and they look forward to coming back every year.
The Craguns have also been huge supporters of local performing arts. The CLC Theater, Lakes Area Music Festival, and Heartland Symphony have all received generous donations that have helped make performances available to everyone in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
Karl Samp, executive director of BLACF, said, “There are too many charities to mention that have benefited from Dutch and Irma’s generosity. The Brainerd Lakes Area is a better place because of their philanthropic giving. We are honored to have them as our 2019 recipients of the Award in Philanthropy.”
The Award in Philanthropy will be presented to the Craguns on Thursday, July 11, at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa during the BLACF Annual Dinner.
To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, and give Dutch a fist-bump, please go to www.communitygiving.org/events and click on this event. For assistance, contact [email protected] or call 320-257-9742.
The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (BLACF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local Brainerd area. Since 1998, BLACF has grown to over $12 million in assets and awarded over $5 million in grants to nonprofits. BLACF is a partner of CommunityGiving, a collaborative of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies while maximizing the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers nearly 800 funds totaling more than $140 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Brainerd.