Hortop assumes permanent role at Exchange Center

After more than a year on the job as the interim director at the Exchange Club Center for Family Unity, Beth Hortop has assumed the permanent role.

It has been kind of baptism by fire since Hortop first became involved with the Exchange Club by joining its board of directors in 2018.

“I had no clue what the Exchange Club was,” Hortop admitted. “I did not know anything about the center.”

And now five years later, she’s taking on the lead role.

The center is focused on putting an end to child abuse and serves Steele, Dodge, Freeborn, Rice and Waseca counties. The center moved to a permanent location at 1820 Hartle Ave. in Owatonna within the past year.

Hortop’s primary job will focus on a capital campaign of $550,000 to raise funds for the center’s mortgage, expanding programming and modify the building. So far, the Center has raised about $150,000.

But Hortop has even bigger dreams for the Center.

“I would love to raise $5 million for an endowment,” she said. “I like to fundraise.”

While Hortop admitted the capital campaign has been in the “quiet phase” over the past year, she said things will be ramping up going within the next month and going into 2024. She will be focused on soliciting corporate donations, private donations and sending out letters to community landowners.  

She expects to start calling people directly this month and then going door-to-door in December.

One of the Center’s major fundraisers, Santa Bowl, will take place Dec. 2 at SpareTime in Owatonna. The Center also has a golf fundraiser every June.

Some of the Center’s funding comes from various Exchange Clubs in Owatonna where there are three of them, Rice County, Mankato, Freeborn County and Waseca.

The Center’s annual budget is currently at about $254,000, according to Hortop.

She said her job isn’t the easiest, but necessary in educating and supporting families and communities in the prevention of child abuse.

“Nobody likes to talk about child abuse,” Hortop says, noting so many cases go unreported every year. “Our vision is to provide parents with the skills they need to be successful, loving and nurturing parents while putting an end to the cycle of abuse,” she said. “We want to be proactive to prevent child abuse.”

If the cycle of abuse stops, Hortop said people will be transformed into better community members and it will save taxpayers money from court associated costs.

The Center, which has been operating for 40 years, offers a staff of nine, mostly part-time workers who deal directly with families in need for parenting mentoring, supervised visitation and parenting circles. Since 2012, the Center has averaged helping 100 families per year.

“We try to do everything in our power to help families so they don’t become an abuse case,” Hortop said. “We build stronger relationships and skills to help families,” she added.

“It’s amazing it has been there that long,” Hortop said of the Center. “It’s the best kept secret in town.”

While Hortop may not have a master’s degree, she brings 15 years of business experience from the insurance industry as well as retail experience.

Hortop lives with her husband in Wabasha and has two adult children and seven grandchildren.