In 2001, Dick & Barbara Schmidt had a holiday party and asked the guests to bring a toy for a deprived child, this resulted in over 600 gifts. They decided that they needed to determine what organizations were in need of these toys. In order to better understand the non-profits in the community and find out their missions and who they serve, the Schmidt Family Foundation called a meeting of nonprofits in the area. After bringing these organizations together, many were reluctant to share their resources, afraid they might lose some of their support. However, each month, the group would meet and share ideas. Before long, the non-profits started to believe that they could actually accomplish more as a group, making a greater impact and more easily achieving their goals. Over the next few years, the group continued to meet to share ideas and resources and determine what other areas they could address. As a result, the question, “So, where do we go from here?” was posed. In 2007, the group had a strategic planning meeting to develop a mission statement and a plan to expand their efforts. The mission & vision from that meeting is the Spirit of Giving Network – Innovative Community Collaboration.