Illustration by Sarah Patton
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Fund Friends 417: Springfield, Missouri's Interactive Scavenger Hunt
Fund Friends 417 is an interactive scavenger hunt in downtown Springfield and on Commercial Street. To help its organizers raise funds for local organizations, all you have to do is play along.
by Jordan Blomquist
Aug 2025
Have you come across a small figurine hiding in downtown Springfield or along Commercial Street? More than likely, it is the work of Fund Friends 417, an initiative run by Chris Upton and his wife, Nicolette Marr, to get more people to the area. “It’s a way to show off not only what these amazing spots in our town have to offer, but to show off what amazing nonprofits we have in our areas as well,” he says.
Upton works in the nonprofit realm himself at the Brightli Foundation as the annual giving manager for the Southwest Region. His love for the downtown community helped spark the idea to start the nonprofit, Fund Friends 417. Here’s how it works: Upton goes on a walk, usually with his wife and their dog, and hides the little figures. He then posts photos of them on Fund Friends 417’s Instagram and Facebook pages and waits patiently. As people stroll through downtown and C-Street, those who find a figurine send a picture to one of the accounts. Upton shares it to the story, and in return, he donates $1 to a rotating local charity.
The $1-per-photo model works well for Upton—it’s a sustainable way to give back while staying within his means. “We had a giving model that we already used in our house, and we like to donate money each month,” he says. “This way, we can still kind of keep track of things and make sure we’re not overextending ourselves.” That model has also inspired others to join in. Some local companies now match the donations. “For these different campaigns, we get different local folks who just want to be a part of it,” he says. “They’re jumping on and matching these as well.”
Fund Friends 417 hides 20 figurines around town for each charity they support, and the nonprofit changes with every round. So far, they have donated to Rescue One, Sculpture Walk Springfield, Fight CRC, High Tide Theatrical and The Glo Center. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Upton says.
At any point in time, there might be between two and 10 figurines in play. If the weather is nice, Upton can anticipate the figurines will be found pretty quickly. However, there are a few in alleyways and other off-the-beaten-path spots that haven’t been found yet. Upton often posts clues on social media. “Sometimes the songs that I put on the posts are also clues,” he says.
Upton was born and raised in 417-land. He created Fund Friends 417 as just a fun way for the community to engage. “Not only with itself and with each other—with the spaces that we take for granted, like downtown and Commercial Street,” Upton says. “I would love to see this continue to grow and become more of that community effort and become a tradition that people look forward to… it makes me proud to be able to do something like this.”
Where should you be looking for these figurines, you might ask? “I really enjoy using the Sculpture Walk sculptures,” Upton hints. “C-Street has been really fun for me just because of all the different nooks and crannies that you don’t always see. Really, it’s just back alleyways and places you don’t always go, but we want to make sure everybody gets the most out of all of these spaces. There’s a lot of beauty in our weird little areas.”
