Capital Campaign Launch 

8.24.26 $2.6 million Capital Campaign to Build Permanent home 

Where Community Is Built Campaign will create a permanent hub for collaboration, programs and community solutions.

KEARNEY – For nearly 30 years, Buffalo County Community Partners has brought people and organizations together to tackle some of the community’s most complex challenges. Now, the organization is asking the community to come together once again—this time to help Community Partners establish a permanent home. Buffalo County Community Partners has announced the public phase of “Where Community is Built,” a $2.6 million capital campaign to support the purchase, renovation and repurposing of a permanent office and community collaboration center, while also strengthening programs and supporting the organization’s long-term sustainability. Of the campaign goal, $2 million will support the permanent home and $600,000 will support programs, expanded impact and future sustainability. “This is our chance to work together to root our mission in our community permanently so we can flourish for generations to come,” said Denise Zwiener, CEO of Buffalo County Community Partners.
From Free Office Space to a Permanent Home
Since its founding, Community Partners has intentionally kept overhead costs low by relying on generous community partners to provide office space. For the organization’s first 28 years, CHI Health Good Samaritan donated space at Richard Young, providing a stable home as Community Partners built its programs and reputation in the community. When that arrangement ended, the University of Nebraska at Kearney stepped in with donated space on its campus. That model allowed Community Partners to direct resources toward programs and services rather than facilities. But as the organization’s work and community partnerships have grown, relying on donated office space is no longer sustainable. For 30 years, Buffalo County Community Partners has been fortunate to move from one gracious host to another. Now, with its current lease ended and no donated space available, the organization faces a turning point. A permanent facility will allow Community Partners to invest in its own future — ending the cycle of navigating moves and operational transitions — rather than taking on ongoing rental costs with no long-term stability to show for them. “We are incredibly grateful to every organization that has opened its doors to us over the years,” Zwiener said. “Their generosity allowed us to grow our programs and put our resources directly into the community. But our work has grown beyond what temporary and donated office space can support. We need a permanent home designed not just for our staff, but for the hundreds of partners, families, youth and community members who come together through Community Partners.”
A Community Hub Built for Collaboration
The new 6,000-square-foot facility will serve as a visible and welcoming hub for community collaboration. Plans include a youth-centered lobby that welcomes youth to gather to advocate and advise community leaders, along with a café setting for volunteers to stop in for a quick meeting or check emails. The space will accommodate trainings, presentations and community conversations that support collaborative environments designed to support community planning, data-driven decision-making and cross-sector problem solving.
“This building is much more than office space,” Zwiener said. “It will be a place where a parent can connect with resources, where youth can have a voice in decisions that affect them, where community organizations can sit around the same table, and where we can train people and develop solutions together. The building is where the work comes together—but the people are where community is built.” Community Partners currently focuses its collaborative work on issues including childcare, mental health, youth safety and belonging, substance misuse prevention, housing, food security and family support. The need for that work continues to grow. Community Partners coordinates more than 600 partners, helps bring more than $1 million in grant investment into the community annually, and connects families, schools, law enforcement, healthcare organizations, faith communities and other agencies with resources and solutions. “Community Partners has never been about one organization doing everything,” Zwiener said. “Our strength is bringing the right people to the table, looking at the data, identifying gaps and finding solutions together. A permanent home gives that collaboration a place to grow for the next 30 years and beyond.”
Help Build Our Community
Community members, businesses, organizations and foundations are invited to participate in the campaign at a level that is meaningful to them. Gifts of all sizes are welcome, and donors may also consider multi-year pledges spread over two to three years, allowing supporters to make a larger investment over time. Naming opportunities are also available.
Supporters can participate through:
-One-time gifts to the capital campaign.
-Multi-year pledges paid over two or three years.
-Business and corporate gifts supporting the new community hub.
-Foundation and organizational gifts.
-Naming opportunities within the new facility.
-Legacy and planned gifts to support the long-term future of Community Partners.
-In-kind support, where appropriate, to assist with renovation, furnishings and facility needs.
“Every gift represents an investment in Buffalo County,” Zwiener said. “Whether someone gives $5, $50, $500, $5,000 or makes a multi-year commitment, they are helping create a permanent place where people can come together to solve problems, support families and build a stronger community.”
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The campaign comes as Buffalo County Community Partners approaches three decades of collaborative community work. Throughout its history, the organization has helped develop and support initiatives including RYDE public transportation, HelpCare Clinic, the Youth Advisory Board, medication lockbox and substance misuse prevention efforts, childcare initiatives, mental health programs and numerous other collaborative solutions.

About Buffalo County Community Partners
Buffalo County Community Partners builds connections among people who share a passion to measure, promote and strengthen community well-being. The organization serves as a neutral convener, facilitator, data translator and connector, bringing organizations and individuals together to develop lasting solutions to complex community challenges.