During their lives, Elsie Raer and her sisters Charlotte and Gertrude displayed sincere passions and deep concerns for a variety of charitable causes. These passions shared no common link, other than a prominent place in the heart and soul of the Raer family.

In August of 2006, Elsie Raer passed away and left $1.85 million to the FM Area Foundation to establish the Raer Family Fund and the Raer Scholarship Fund, which are dedicated to the family’s distinct and unique charitable causes.  

"The story of Elsie Raer and her family is truly unique and a wonderful example of philanthropy here in the Red River Valley,” said Eric Wilkie, Executive Director of the FM Area Foundation. 

The children of German immigrants, Elise and her sisters lived together their entire lives, mostly in Fargo and the Detroit Lakes area.  Her sisters maintained and cared for the household while Elsie pursued an education, first with her undergraduate degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead and then with her master's degree at the University of Southern California. Elsie returned to Fargo where she taught physical education at NDSU.

Elsie and her sisters cared deeply for each other and for several distinct and unique charitable causes:  their church; their German heritage; the care of animals, and the preservation of regional history. As they grew older, they researched, studied and developed a passion for elder care education and the concept of “care for the caregiver.”

Grants from the Raer Family Fund help support a variety of causes important to the Raer sisters, including their church, humane societies and local historical societies, including the care and upkeep of the Raer Family American Pressed Glass Collection at Bonanzaville. The Raer Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to nursing students and students attending the Concordia College German Language Village camp. 

Elsie’s sisters predeceased her, and she left no heirs. Elsie fulfilled her wishes, and those of her sisters, by creating these endowment funds in the family name. The $1.85 million distribution from Elsie Raer’s estate is one of the largest bequests in the Foundation's history. 

"The Foundation and this fund became increasingly important to Elsie" Wilkie said. "She had a very clear vision of what she wanted to do with her estate and an equally powerful sense of compassion. We are honored to keep her causes and her legacy alive."