The Wood River Women’s Charitable Foundation has announced grants totaling $89,500 to seven Wood River Valley nonprofits, ranging from The Hunger Coalition to Habitat for Humanity.
Blaine County Hunger Coalition will receive $25,000; The Advocates, $20,000; Habitat for Humanity Blaine County, $10,000; Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, $10,500; Lee Pesky Learning Center, $15,000; St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, $5,000; and Environmental Resource Center, $4,000.
This is the fifth year of grants from the foundation, formed to help local projects that might otherwise be unfunded. To date it has contributed approximately $416,000 to Blaine County charities.
Grants were awarded for the following purposes:
Blaine County Hunger Coalition will use the funds to support its Mobile Food Bank, which serves 180 to 350 families a month at four locations from Ketchum to Carey. The mobile service allows clients to have a choice of food, preserving their pride and ensuring that no food is wasted.
Habitat for Humanity Blaine County, which builds affordable housing, will use the funds to help match an anonymous challenge grant of $100,000 to build a duplex for two qualified families in the Wood River Valley.
The Advocates will research and start a revenue-generating project that will employ women working to break the cycle of poverty and violence and help them learn job skills needed to gain successful long-term employment.
Planned Parenthood will initiate a pilot, culturally based program to help Latino youth reduce health risks related to sexual behavior, such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The Lee Pesky Learning Center will initiate a program to help students, beginning in the third grade, succeed and go on to college. It will make Blaine County the only community in the country with such a commitment to all students, including youth from low-income families.
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation will offer scholarships for mental health services, addressing a wide range of issues including suicide, parenting, anxiety and depression.
The Environmental Resource Center will use the funds for its Wild Connections environmental education program for children.
Forty-one agencies applied for a total of approximately $454,000 in funds this year, according to Janet DeBard, grants chair. A grants committee reviews all applications, makes site visits, and nominates projects that most closely fit the organization’s goals to the general membership for the final vote. Each member has an equal vote in determining how the grant dollars are allocated.
“Even with the economic downturn, our membership has remained steady,” said Barbara Thrasher, foundation president. “We are pleased that our grants this year have been 85 to 90 percent of the totals in previous years.”
The Foundation’s 100-plus members each donate $1,000 a year plus $50 for administrative expenses. At least half of each donation is pooled for grants that are expected to make a significant impact on community needs. The other $500 also can go to the pooled grant fund or to one or two other nonprofits of the member’s choice.
Women interesting in joining the group can contact the foundation at wrwcf1@gmail.com or call Membership Chair Gayle Stevenson at 578-3904.
Financial administration is provided by the Idaho Community Foundation. The Idaho Community Foundation is Idaho’s only statewide public foundation administering funds on behalf of a variety of donors to support Idaho charitable organizations.
ICF gathers funds from individual donors, groups and foundations across the state. It grows the funds through investments to meet donors’ charitable objectives, and grants and distributes funds for a broad variety of worthwhile and critical projects statewide.
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Jo Murray is a founding member and past president of the Wood River Women's Charitable Foundation.
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