The Idaho Community Foundation put a smile on many folks' faces this week as news of more than $23,000 in grants was released to organizations in Blaine County. The funds are a portion of the $243,048 total awarded to 122 nonprofit organizations or projects in the foundation's southwestern region.
The Idaho Community Foundation is one of 500 such organizations in the United States. Composed of many individual funds, the foundation pools the funds for efficient management of the assets.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Idaho in Boise will receive $1,000 as an initial contribution to fund a satellite office in Blaine County.
The Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Hailey will receive $1,500 to fund supplies, educational materials, public relations and activities related to its community education program on domestic and dating violence and sexual assault prevention.
The Blaine County Recreation District will get $1,000 to provide scholarships for the district's many activities.
Blaine County Senior Council will have $2,000 to purchase resource material for a new library for families, seniors and in-home caregivers working in its Outreach Program.
Three of the libraries in the county each received funds worth $1,000. The Community Library will professionally transfer 470 oral history cassette tapes to CDs. The Hailey Public Library will purchase databases to be available through its Web site, and the Little Wood River Library in Carey will renovate and upgrade its adult section.
The Council Circle Foundation will receive the largest grant, worth $3,000, to help add diversity lessons to its curriculum, provide a bilingual adult facilitator for two primarily Latino youth Circles and create a diversity troupe to educate students.
Crisis Hot Line will use its $1,500 grant for general operating expenses, including insurance, utilities and public outreach.
In order to educate all Wood River Valley residents about the long-term value of eating nutritiously and of local food, and to support a strong, viable, sustainable, foodshed, Hagerman IDEA will receive $2,500.
The Ketchum-Sun Valley Historical Society will use a grant of $1,500 to capture and catalog the museum archives into digital format.
Sun Valley Adaptive Sports will receive $952 to provide opportunities for children and teens with disabilities to attend summer day camp.
Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities will use its grant award of $1,000 to bring Spanish singer Perla Batalla into the Blaine County School District for a residency program in early December.
A $1,000 grant to Sun Valley Summer Symphony will be used to expand its residency program, which brings high-caliber professional musicians to the valley to perform for and work with local music students.
Trailing of the Sheep Cultural Heritage Center will receive $2,000 to provide support for a three-day family festival, through advertising, supporting presenters and performers, and venue rental and equipment.
Wood River Community YMCA will use its $1,000 grant to help with the "YMCA on Wheels" program, which serves more than 100 students at Woodside Elementary and 30 students at Carey Elementary.
To partially finance six educational films to be used in schools about the valley's local wildlife, waters, environmental issues, recreational opportunities and the work of the Wood River Land Trust, the organization will receive $500.
For more information visit idcomfdn.org.
