FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS

This group had raised money for the March of Dimes for nearly 6 years and in 2015 became its own non-profit organization. Team Ivy Rose, led by Nicki Vogt of Sauk Centre, was awarded non-profit status in January. It is now named Ivy’s Legacy Foundation.

Team Ivy Rose formed in 2009 after Nicki and Aaron Vogt’s daughter, Ivy Rose, was stillborn at almost 33 weeks gestation. The couple’s family and friends came together in support of Nicki, who was on a mission to help others by raising money for the March of Dimes.

“I formed Team Ivy Rose because I wanted to help prevent other people from feeling the same loss,” said Vogt. “I needed a place to channel my sadness and still, in some form, be a mother to Ivy.”

Since its inception, the group has raised more than $82,600 for the March of Dimes, whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. The majority of the team’s donations come from local fundraising events.

With that financial milestone on the horizon, the team decided it was time to expand their reach while also helping families on a local level. Creating an autonomous non-profit foundation was the logical next step, a move the members had been considering over the years, according to Vogt.

“The decision to become our own non-profit is something that evolved over time,” she said. “The team wanted to be able to help a wider group of people.”

However, true to the foundation’s namesake, helping babies and pregnant women remains at the heart of its mission.

“Babies will always be at the core of this amazing group.”