COTTAGE GROVE – Kyle Riege is busy preparing for the “Blooming Brighter Futures” Family Relief Nursery (FRN) Spring Gala next weekend in Cottage Grove.
“It’s our biggest year yet,” Riege said as he prepared for the first FRN gala as executive director. “It’s a huge endeavor for us, and it’s definitely something that is going to be, hopefully, a really awesome event.”
On Saturday, April 5, the nursery will celebrate more than 30 years of providing support and early intervention for families and children in the community.
The nonprofit aims to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing therapeutic early childhood programs, respite care, and other support services in English and Spanish.
Riege took an interim position in November 2024 before the role became official in March this year. He and his wife relocated to Oregon from Indiana nearly four years ago when his wife was accepted into the University of Oregon’s Law School.
With a background working with troubled youth, Riege joined the FRN as a program director in 2022 before working his way up in leadership.
Under his direction, the organization has increased its social media presence with the help of Simon Luedtke, a development associate.
Luedtke “started in the fall and has really hit his stride in the new year … and he’s really increasing our presence in the community,” Riege said.
Reige grabs a sweet treat for his table at last year’s FRN Gala. PHOTO PROVIDED
“It’s been a blast wearing many hats for the nursery as our lead grant writer, social media manager, and data analyst,” Luedtke said. “We’ve relied on print and word-of-mouth to spread awareness about our services for a long time. Under Kyle’s direction, we’re now trying to ramp up our online presence to reach new families and community supporters.”
What to expect
At the gala, guests can expect a DJ, a dance party, and a fully stocked bar featuring products from Saginaw Vineyard, Ninkasi Brewing, and Tito’s.
Guests can also expect dinner, auction events with over 60 prizes, a dessert dash with 27 different donated sweet treats, and other fundraising opportunities.
But tickets are going fast. As of March 24, only 50 of the 216 total remained.
“We are continuing to grow the event,” Riege said. “I’m open to selling every ticket this year. I know that’s not always feasible for a small town, but we do have a lot of support from the community, and it’s such a giving community that I think we will get very close to that 216.”
Riege said there has been an influx of sponsorships this year, likely due to increased community outreach.
“Seeing a little bit of return on that (outreach) is great. We’re getting these new sponsors in that haven’t seen the event before and haven’t really heard of us before, that are getting the chance to see what we’re all about,” he said.
Online donation option
FRN will host an online auction on Friday, March 28, in advance of the gala, for those who might not be able to attend.
The online auction is available at auctria.events/FamilyReliefNurserySpringGala.
“We’re really trying to make everything as inclusive as possible,” Riege said. “It’s $100 a plate. We know it’s a bit cost-prohibitive for some people, and they still might want to support us.”
If a gala is too formal of an event, Reige said that FRN is also hosting a Diaper Dash in Drain in September.
“We’re trying to make sure that we’re as engaged as possible, but also recognize that not everybody is going to enjoy a gala-type event,” he said.
“I haven’t done as much fundraising work in the past, so I wasn’t sure that it would be this successful,” Riege said. “I’m really thrilled that it’s taken off.”
More info: frncg.org
This reporting is supported by the Catalyst Journalism Project at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
