VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – An anonymous couple who believes in the mission of the Barnes County Historical Society has answered the challenge to support that mission by matching a gift from the Gruman family last December.

Museum curator Wes Anderson said the donors have pledged to meet donations dollar for dollar up to ten thousand dollars. He said this is an opportunity to make your gift of whatever size you choose to work twice as hard in support of BCHS/Museum. The donations to the museum are also eligible as a 501c3 gift.

Funds received through this challenge will be used in support of the following programs:

1. Special projects to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Barnes County by recording and preserving the history of the county over the last fifty years. This will help to bring the recorded history of the county up to date by adding to the history and artifacts documenting the first one hundred years of our history which was published fifty years ago. A lot has happened since then and will include the history updates of communities and townships, as well as the county as a whole.

2. Local costs of developing and conducting activities in collaboration with the Smithsonian called “How We Worked”. This will focus especially on the ways in which workers, business and industry served the Barnes County community, where we started from, and how we got to where we are today. The project will help document the many changes that have taken place and help educate visitors to the museum about how our citizens contributed to that growth.

3. Continuation of the highly acclaimed “Women At War” project and publication of the history of the important contributions women have made to our nation’s military.

Anderson said our Challenge Grant donor will match your gifts of any size. Please join us in Rising to the Challenge by making your donation in any of the following ways: As cash or check to Barnes County Historical Society, Rise to the Challenge, 315 Central Avenue North, Valley City, ND 58072.

For more details call Wes Anderson at the museum in downtown Valley City at 701-845-0966.