During an event at the Wood River Community YMCA in Ketchum on Friday, the Idaho Community Foundation recognized 10 local nonprofit organizations that have received more than $23,000 in grants from it this year.
Grant recipients included:
· The Hunger Coalition, which received $3,375. The Hunger Coalition is the only food bank in the area and provides food three times a week to about 200 families. Jeanne Liston, the organization's executive director, said requests for assistance in 2008 were triple those in 2007. The Hunger Coalition has provided more than 130,000 meals in 2009.
· Blaine County Recreation District, which received $5,000 to increase the Aquatic Center's ability to serve people with physical disabilities. Executive Director Jim Keating said the district would like to buy an aquatic lift to help physically disabled people get to and from the pool as well as in and out of it.
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"Recently the BCRD Aquatic Center has teamed up with Sun Valley Adaptive Sports to coordinate a Special Olympics swim team," Keating said.
· The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, which received $3,600 to pay the salary of two coaches to provide affordable after-school ski programs at Rotarun near Hailey for local second- through fifth-grade students. The project is a partnership with the Blaine County Recreation District. The ski foundation estimates that 44 percent of elementary school students in Blaine County have never skied because of cost and accessibility.
"By using Rotarun ski area, we can reduce the cost of lift access and minimize transportation distances," said Don Wiseman, ski education foundation executive director.
