Golden Heart Giving

For Explore Fairbanks, our success as a destination organization is rooted in the vibrancy and the well-being of our community. We believe that by investing in local partnerships and community initiatives, we can enhance the quality of life for residents as well as visitors. Key to those efforts are the close alliances we have with stakeholders to include local government, the university, the military, and more.

Started in 2022 as a replacement to our longstanding Visitor Industry Walk For Charity, our Golden Heart Giving program was designed to support local nonprofits and other community entities whose missions align with our goal of making Fairbanks a better place. The program symbolizes our commitment to giving back and making a positive impact across sectors, ensuring that our community grows stronger through collaboration.

Since its inception, Golden Heart Giving has:

• Raised more than $3,000 for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. A warm clothing driving was held in conjunction with event with many hats, mittens, socks and coats being donated from local visitor industry businesses. 
• Hosted a trivia night in conjunction with Fountainhead Hotels that raised $4,530 for Bread Line Inc/Stone Soup Café.
• Donated $4,000 to the City of Fairbanks Crisis Now program through fundraising efforts during the Alaska Travel Industry Association Annual Conference held in Fairbanks in October 2023.
• Launched the Golden Heart Giving “Feed the Helpers” program in partnership with a local food truck to feed more than 350 emergency responders at 11 different fire stations across the borough as a way of thanking them for keeping our residents and visitors safe.
• Provided funding support for different community projects to include restoration of the S.S. Nenana, the North Pole Welcome Center, the Irene Sherman Statue, and a trail project at the UA Museum of the North for the forthcoming Bus 142 exhibit.
• Partnered with locally owned Golden Heart Waste Management (GHWM) to provide recycling outreach programs in the school district. EF’s $7,500 support largely came from board-approved funds remaining from the 2014 Arctic Winter Games recycling program that was restricted to recycling purposes only. The funds are also being used to support the GHWM second annual Recycling Symposium and for outreach efforts to local businesses about recycling in the Interior.

2025 initiatives for Golden Heart Giving include:

• Working to combat food insecurity in the Fairbanks area through the "Feed Fairbanks" campaign which allows Explore Fairbanks partners to allocate $25 of their yearly dues to a local nutrition assistance program including the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District's Nutrition Services, Fairbanks Senior Center Meals on Wheels, Bread Line Inc. and the Fairbanks Community Food Bank.
• Supporting the Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation's Imaging for Impact drive to bring a PET-CT Scanner to Fairbanks. Bringing this technology to Fairbanks will reduce the need for patients to travel to Anchorage or beyond for images and instead allowing them to travel for joy.
• Creating the Golden Heart Giving Sponsorship Program that allows nonprofits, businesses and individuals within the Fairbanks North Star Borough to apply for funding for projects, events and activities that align with program objectives.