Quality of life in the Wood River Valley depends to a large extent on the hard-working members of its nonprofit community. Blaine County has a reputation for deep pockets, but with the current economic downturn gripping the country, many of those organizations are fighting to survive.
There are about 140 nonprofits, or 501c3 organizations, active in Blaine County, providing a wide range of services that include safe houses, animal shelters, recycling programs, conservation easements, ski education and summer symphonies. They depend on grants, government revenues, private contributions and teams of volunteers.
"Right now we are just going month to month," said Betsy Castle, executive director of the Council Circle Foundation, which provides free after-school programs for school children in the valley. "We are at our best right now, but we lack the funds to support our programs. This is forcing us to be creative with our fundraising."
Council Circle will forego its annual dinner-auction gala event this summer in favor of a monthly telethon and kids' bike-a-thon.
The Wood River Land Trust secures open space in Blaine County by establishing tax-deductible conservation easements with wealthy donors. Executive Director Scott Boettger said the organization had its most successful year ever in 2008, completing the Sheep Bridge Canyon project, which protected 306 acres four miles west of Timmerman junction.
"But we definitely felt the economic downturn at the end of last year," said Boettger, who recently eliminated 1.5 staff positions and left one vacancy unfilled at the Land Trust office. "People are not coming forward as much with donations because they don't need tax exemptions as much."
Boettger said during the next year, the organization will focus less on acquisitions and more on grant writing and project maintenance.
Like many of the nonprofits in Blaine County, Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley lacks an endowment and depends on charitable donations, grants and a network of volunteers. The hospice provides free end-of-life care and bereavement services.
"We have been taking money from our savings account to balance our budget," Executive Director Carolyn Nystrom said.
She said the organization will add a suicide survivors support group to her program this year.
"There has been a higher incidence of suicides in the valley since last fall," she said.
Tami Olson, resource development coordinator for the Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, said the number of people seeking safety from domestic abuse has "sky-rocketed" in the last six months, due to the increased stress placed on families.
"As economic troubles increase, so does the incidence of domestic violence," she said.
The Advocates will hold its annual golf tournament and Sun Valley auction dinner this summer, but Olson has already come to expect little in the way of donations based on the number of reservations placed for the events. Despite the increased need for services, the organization had to dip into its endowment fund to avoid laying off personnel.
"Going forward, it's looking pretty grim," she said. "I'm really worried."
The Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum is facing a 25 percent drop in "undesignated donations" in its $250,000 yearly budget, the money the organization uses to keep its doors open and pay day-to-day expenses.
Executive Director Craig Barry said he has cut one full-time employee from the payroll and will trim the hours of others to make ends meet. Instead of extended outreach and education efforts, Barry said, the ERC will focus resources on a major re-vamping of its Web site, which contains information on its effort to cut greenhouse gases countywide.
"This is the most cost-effective thing we can do," Barry said.
Rather than shrinking, the Hunger Coalition expanded operations with a mobile food bank and hired a part-time employee to provide basic food needs in Blaine County. Executive Director Jeanne Liston said the food she is collecting is "flying off the shelves."
The Blaine County Commissioners recently voted to increase annual funding for the coalition from $3,500 to $5,000.
"We are getting more volunteers because of the publicity we have gotten in the local press," Liston said. "Maybe it's also because there are more people out of work with more time on their hands."
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
The Council Circle Foundation of Blaine County, which provides after-school programs for kids, is one of many nonprofit organizations in the valley facing tough choices. Many are faced with cutting programs due to dwindling funds. (From left: Penny Eagan, Chrissy Powers, Jessica Clark, Spenser Pfau, Esta Hornstein) Photo by Willy Cook
