Howells Community Fund

06/02/2026

Our current class standings are:
1st - 1961
2nd - 1991
3rd - 1976
May the best class win!!!

Alumni Weekend is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for our Annual Alumni Class Challenge!

What started with a $250 gift from the Class of 1983 has grown into a meaningful tradition of giving back to the community that helped shape us. Today, each honored class is invited to participate by matching or exceeding that original gift while competing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

This year, all funds raised will go toward a new swingset down by the pool, creating a place for the next generation to play, gather, and make memories for years to come.

More than just a friendly competition, this challenge is about coming together as classmates, giving back, and continuing to invest in the future of Howells.

Be sure to share with your class as the challenge runs through June 13th. Let’s see what we can accomplish together and continue growing something special in Howells! 🌱

Message us or reach out to a Howells Community Fund member to help your class make an impact!

05/28/2026

You may have noticed the beautiful hanging flower pots brightening up downtown lately!

Thanks to the partnership and generosity of Siffring Landscaping and Garden Center, our community is blooming beautifully this season. We’re grateful for businesses and volunteers who help make downtown such a welcoming and vibrant place for everyone to enjoy!

05/26/2026

Don’t forget to sign up for the Howells Community Fund Alumni Golf Tournament next weekend!

Pre-register your team by calling Gary Baumert at 402-649-7087

Check out last years 1st place team: Dax VanLengen, Mekenna VanLengen, Luke Rocheford, and Darrin Pokorny

05/20/2026

Alumni Weekend is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for our Annual Alumni Class Challenge!

What started with a $250 gift from the Class of 1983 has grown into a meaningful tradition of giving back to the community that helped shape us. Today, each honored class is invited to participate by matching or exceeding that original gift while competing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

This year, all funds raised will go toward a new swingset down by the pool, creating a place for the next generation to play, gather, and make memories for years to come.

More than just a friendly competition, this challenge is about coming together as classmates, giving back, and continuing to invest in the future of Howells.

Be sure to share with your class as the challenge runs through June 13th. Let’s see what we can accomplish together and continue growing something special in Howells! 🌱

Message us or reach out to a Howells Community Fund member to help your class make an impact!

05/13/2026

Congratulations, Howells-Dodge Class of 2026!

This year we asked the class: What makes Howells and Dodge feel like home?

Amongst all the answers, the ones that kept coming up were their teachers, their coaches, their families, and that they feel safe here. Safe in their community. And that sense of safety? That’s what a community like this is built on. It makes it home!

It was about more than a mailbox. It was about recognizing what a small town can do for the people who come from it.

Go chase big dreams. Lead boldly. Stay connected. And remember, home will always be here!

Even big dreams start with strong roots!

05/01/2026

“You can feel the energy in this town.”
In Howells, it shows.
In the people, the passion, and the way everyone gets involved.
That’s what makes it feel like home.

04/28/2026

On a recent podcast episode, Rural Radio Network's Scott Foster talks with Marti Brichacek and Trent Mastny with Howells Community Fund about investing in their people.

Listen to this episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNXWlwvk8Hw&list=PLt9IhbyCATVY5YhJAM2k-bnIqg87BLM-K&index=7

Find all podcasts episodes at https://www.nebcommfound.org/podcast/

04/14/2026

What Makes Howells Home | Josh Brester & Lilly Thompson

“I always knew Howells was a special place to grow up,” Josh said. “People here are always pushing each other to be better. I wanted to come back and be part of that.”

Coming back meant more than just moving home. It meant building something here!

Josh came back to work, to invest in the community that raised him.
Together, he and Lilly made the decision to buy a house here.
And this year, they’ll get married and start their next chapter in the same place it all began.

For Lilly, saying yes to Howells looked different!

“It was nerve-wracking at first,” she said. “I had never lived somewhere where everybody knows everybody. Walking into a place where people already had such deep roots… it felt intimidating.”

But that feeling didn’t last.

“It didn’t take long to realize being known isn’t a bad thing. It means people care. Whether it was at games or just around town, people made me feel like I belonged.”

Still, choosing this life came with sacrifice!

“I’m farther from my family than I’d like to be,” she said. “We can’t just hop in the car and go see them on a random night anymore. That’s been hard.”

And yet, even that has taken on new meaning.

“Now I get to share this place with them. When they visit, they see it too. The people, the feeling… how special it really is!”

For both of them, home didn’t arrive all at once.

It came quietly.
In the middle of ordinary moments.

Walking around town, running into familiar faces, weeknight suppers at Eighty8, Friday nights spent cheering alongside a community that shows up.

“It wasn’t one big moment,” they said. “It was a collection of little ones.”

Somewhere along the way, Howells stopped being the place Josh was from and became the place they were building together.

“People might see a small town,” they said.
“But it’s more than that. It’s a place where people truly care. Where you’re known. Where you belong.”

They didn’t just choose Howells.
They chose to put down roots here.

And for this season of their life, that’s everything!

A place to begin.
A place to build.
A place to grow.

“We love what we’re building here!”

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Howells Community Fund!

As we celebrate, we want to give a very special shoutout to the students of the Howells Community Catholic School for sharing their creativity and kindness. The beautiful handmade valentines included in our Soup for Seniors boxes were all created by these thoughtful students.

Each card added a personal touch to the meals delivered this past weekend, bringing extra smiles to our seniors and reminding them they are loved and remembered!

It’s moments like this, when generations connect through simple acts of kindness, that show what makes our community so special!

02/13/2026

Last year, the Howells Community Fund was proud to grant $25,000 to the Howells Community Catholic School in support of their school addition project!

Strong schools are essential to our strong community. They shape young leaders, support families, and help ensure that Howells continues to grow and thrive for generations to come.

When a community believes in its future, it shows. We are grateful to everyone who supports projects that invest in the future of our town!

To donate and support HCCS please visit: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/howells-community-catholic-school-2025-capital-campaign?fbclid=IwY2xjawP8TkNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJvUU1jQzFnc3ZOVTdCRU1nc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnhZLRrTPZiYTrN2yCatzHQ7uPyclXGKp6w3Nkhh7_EMG5bwN8K-xJ_wwG3f_aem_GWXnInOFdnlEaz5S0AwKAg