[Thomsen Homes' COVID-19 Give-Back Initiative]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Micah J. Zimmerman Partner graphic by Shannon Seefeldt  Each year, as part of their ongoing mission, Thomsen Homes dedicates a portion of home sales to their own Give Back Program, a fund that allows their team to help those in need. When the COVID-19 crisis stuck, and ripple effects were felt here locally, their team sprung into action. This year, as one of their initiatives, Thomsen Homes took $50,000 from their Give Back Program to contribute to those businesses, individuals, and organizations that were affected by COVID-19. To make an even larger impact, they challenged other businesses to contribute to the cause. After the generosity of 10 other businesses contributing nearly $60,000 combined, Thomsen Homes matched 50 percent, bringing the total to $139,000. HOMES WITH HEART "Over the past 13 years, Thomsen Homes has been proud to provide quality homes in a variety of price points for individuals and families,” said Chris Thomsen, Founder/CEO of Thomsen Homes. "Part of the reason why we love building houses is that we have a passion to enrich the lives of all those we interact with. During these unprecedented times, we felt the need to help in any way we could. Giving back to the communities we serve has always been a core value of ours. With something like this, that impacts everyone, we, along with the other businesses that contributed, felt this was something we could do to help others when they truly need it." Initially committing to give $50,000, Thomsen Homes' message hit social media and they quickly realized the need was far more than they had anticipated. "After we looked through the responses from Fargo-Moorhead, West Fargo and Grand Forks, we decided to seek out other businesses that wanted to help make a greater impact," said Thomsen. "Through the generous donation of almost $60,000 from 10 other businesses, plus our 50 percent additional match, the total raised reached $139,000."  OVERCOMING LOSSThrough the social media campaign that Thomsen Homes structured, they saw stories from all over the region relaying the pandemic's impact. "We saw small businesses and nonprofits with a passion for what they do, just trying to keep their doors open and retain employees who depended on them. We also had individuals like stay-at-home moms with special needs children who had lost their family's sole income and were struggling to keep up with bills," said Lauren Huff of Thomsen Homes. "We wanted this to be open to everyone and the outpouring of nominations throughout the community was truly amazing." The deadline to submit an individual, business or organization was March 26. Through mid-April, their committee and outreach have since selected and dispersed a range of funds to 30 of the 156 nominees based on the severity of the situation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. "This has been a collaborative effort throughout many of our Thomsen Team members to make this happen. Calling each person to let them know they had been awarded grant money from the fund was one of the most rewarding, emotional aspects of this whole initiative," said Huff. Thomsen Homes partnered with FM Area Foundation to make this initiative a reality. "They have been a pivotal partner in all of this and making this initiative come to life," said Thomsen. "Being able to nearly triple the original $50,000 of the Give-Back Initiative, truly shows the amazing hearts of the people we are surrounded by. We share the same passion with these businesses for our community, especially in times of need.” Special Thanks to the COVID-19 Give-Back Partners:
BUILDING ON FAITH"Our initiative is one of the reasons why we do what we do, so we can give back and make a difference," said Thomsen. "We are fortunate enough that we can work with so many great organizations throughout the years to give back. This is something the world has never seen, and it affects everyone differently; this is just our way of uniting as a community to get through this." "Regarding our own business, we are focusing on what we can control and leaving the rest to faith," said Thomsen. "We may not be able to control the situation and what is happening as a result, but we are able to control how we process and react to the situation." "It’s really humbling to see how something like this can truly bring people together and remind us of what we are grateful for. The support and positivity that came from this is indescribable; we live in a very special place with some really amazing people," said Huff. "We are grateful as we adapt to this new normal and together we will come out stronger than ever."  For more information, contact THOMSEN HOMES
FM AREA FOUNDATION
If your organization or company is interested in supporting locals who have been deeply hurt by the pandemic, through a similar giving fund, please contact Greg Diehl at greg@areafoundation.org.  
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