Our Blaine County nonprofits need us more than ever. The Membership Committee is reaching out to all WRWF members who have not renewed their membership and encourage you to renew as soon as possible. To have as many dollars in our 2021 Grant pool as possible, we are asking you to complete your membership renewal before December 15, 2020. This is without a doubt the most important time in our fifteen-year history to generate grant funds for our local nonprofits. Click this link to access the Member Renewal form.

The WRWF Finance Committee kindly reminds members to write renewal checks out to the WRWF instead of the ICF. We also ask that you send checks directly to our P.O. Box. Please inform your charitable trusts of the change of address.

The Wood River Women’s Foundation (WRWF) is pleased to announce that it began accepting applications for its 2021 Grants program on Monday, November 2, 2020.

“We look forward to continuing WRWF’s support of the important work local nonprofits are doing at this critical time,” Gina Wolcott, Grants Committee Co-Chair said. “This year, in addition to reviewing project-based requests, we will also be focused on organizational support and sustainability.”
Over its fifteen-year history, WRWF’s pooled fund has granted nearly $2.5 million in more than 150 grants to local nonprofits. In 2020, more than $300,000 was awarded to seventeen organizations in grants ranging from $75,000 to $1,433. The amount of funding available each year depends on the number of women who collectively contribute into the pool.

“We are a group of women who pool our resources to achieve greater impact in Blaine County,” said Terri Bullock, WRWF President. “The deadline for contributing towards the 2021 pool is December 15, 2020, and we welcome all women to join us in working towards positive change in our community.”

The completed application, including required attachments, is due on or before midnight on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. WRWF accepts grant applications in a variety of areas including Arts, Education, Environment, Health and Recreation, and Social Services, with grants awarded in amounts from $5,000 to $25,000. Awarded grants will be distributed in July of 2021.

Full details and instructions for the online grant application can be found under the “Apply for a Grant” tab on the WRWF website.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Idaho Community Foundation no longer requires our members’ donations to be on deposit for six months prior to grant payout. This allows us more flexibility to issue grants sooner, putting your donation dollars to work faster.

Our November 12 Zoom into Philanthropy (ZIP) Session, “Addressing the Educational Equity Gap in the Time of Pandemic,” was presented by the Executive Director of The Space, Tamar Dolgen, and its three founding members, Naomi Runkel, Kate Ristow, and Millie Reidy. This group works with under-resourced middle and high school students who have become even more marginalized during our current virtual learning. The presenters described the enormous and growing gaps in academic achievement, college and career preparedness, and external supports that many of our lower income students face. Fortunately, The Space’s professionals can provide tutoring, college counseling, and general mentoring for individual students and their families thanks to grant support from entities such as the Blaine County Education Foundation, and referrals from several other nonprofits that the WRWF has funded in the past. This is one of many Blaine County organizations working hard to diminish the equity gap, one student at a time.

Listening to Kristy Heitzman, Executive Director of the Blaine County Education Foundation, speak during our most recent ZIP Session, we could hear her passion for working to meet the needs of students in our valley. The BCEF primarily serves the students of the Blaine County School District, though its reach has extended to other schools in the valley as well. Consistently reliable programs like the Backpacks, Teacher Mini Grants, Can Do Fun and Afterschool Study Programs have been essential during the opening of schools amidst the pandemic. New offerings include the Academic Tutor Scholarships as well as finding ways to get reliable internet to homes of students as they navigate the challenges of learning using a hybrid and/or fully remote model. These times have been especially difficult for our friends in the Hispanic community. While events like the first ever Scholarship Fair that was held last year have been put on hold, it doesn’t stop Kristy from thinking about what our students need next. She is currently in talks with Ford Motor Company about starting an Automotive Technology Program with the Wood River High School. We can’t wait to see where it goes!

The challenges of COVID-19 haven’t stopped good work from happening at the Advocates, a 2020 WRWF grantee. Diana Tellez-Munoz, an Every Teen Counts intern with the Advocates, recently helped organize a virtual conference for middle and high school students. The purpose of the conference was to empower teens to become catalysts for change within their communities.

Read Eye on Sun Valley’s report on this virtual conference.

On Wednesday, November 18, nine WRWF members braved the chilly, wet weather to take a tour of Swiftsure Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center. Executive Director Paul Bennet, along with Office Manager, Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Comstock led the tour.

Our group observed a session in the arena involving two skilled instructors and three young boys on horses. Watching the lesson was very inspirational, given all the skills required in following directions to improve communication. We were shown a very special saddle made for a woman who became a quadriplegic after a car accident. It took her five years to overcome depression, but being able to ride with assistance allowed her to recover a measure of confidence.

WRWF has previously funded the purchase of a number of horses for use by the ranch’s participants. We have also provided grants for the purchase of a Polaris machine used to till the sand and fiber surface of the arena.

Overall, the Swiftsure Ranch Tour provided an excellent opportunity to witness how WRWF grant funds benefit our community.

The Membership Committee held their annual New Member Fall Orientation on November 17, 2020. Usually this would be a brunch event at one of our member’s beautiful homes with all WRWF members invited to attend. This year due to COVID-19, it was necessary to hold a virtual event with new members. Thirty attendees joined in on this virtual session, including fourteen new members, nine Committee Chairs, WRWF President Terri Bullock, WRWF Founder Barbara Thrasher, Past President and Incoming Nominating Committee Chair Peggy Grove, and three guests. Each committee chair provided a short presentation on her own journey with WRWF, a description of the purpose and work assigned to her committee and, of course, made a pitch to new members to join her committee. Following presentations by committee chairs, each new member in attendance gave a short introduction about her time in the Wood River Valley, how she came to join WRWF, her professional background and personal interests. There has been great feedback to this format and everyone came away with a better knowledge of the Wood River Women’s Foundation.

Click on this link to watch a video recording of the WRWF New Member Fall Orientation.

Blaine County continues to see daily records of new COVID cases, and given that the state has rolled back to Stage 2, we regretfully need to cancel our annual Holiday Celebration.

This year-end celebration of our membership and our work is always a December highlight, at least in a normal year! We love our membership and will continue to exercise the care necessary to ensure we are doing our part to keep you, our families and our friends safe and healthy. Enjoy this photo from last year’s event where we were honoring 2019’s new members and look forward to seeing our 2020’s members in December’s News Brief.
Thank you all for your understanding, and we hope to see you in 2021!

State of the Valley—2021

Tuesday, January 12, 2021
6:00 PM
Livestream from The Community Library
Watch for more details.

As an active member of the WRWF, you may now enjoy the many benefits available to Philanos affiliates. One of those benefits is access to Philanos webinars, which cover important philanthropic topics. Click here to access the Philanos webinar calendar. The next webinar is scheduled for January 12, 2021 at 9:00 AM PST. Click here to register.

If you haven’t already done so, please contact Christina Bauer, WRWF Executive Assistant (wrwcf1@gmail.com) and give her your email address. She will help you set up a member account with Philanos.

The Social Media Committee is seeking new team members. The committee is an active part of the Communications Committee, which oversees the Website, News Brief, Marketing, Sponsorship, Advertising, Media Relations, Photography, Publicity and ZIP Sessions. As a member of the Social Media Committee, you will learn more about WRWF communications, becoming part of a savvy group of women working to coordinate our mission-driven communications.

The Social Media Committee is a standing committee that oversees WRWF mission-centric communications via Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Using these platforms, the team shares timely information about our community engagement, interaction with our grantees, our educational forums and our member activities with our membership and the public at large.

If you are interested in joining this amazing team or would like to hear more about the Social Media Committee, please contact Carrie Morrow at cmorrow1314@gmail.com or 858-922-8857.

Just a reminder that every little bit adds up. Each purchase you make on AmazonSmile generates much needed and much appreciated funds for WRWF’s operating expenses.

Amy Anderson- Ketchum, ID

Diana Citret – Ketchum, ID

Susan Countner – Glenbrook, NV

Cathy Dobbs Goldstein – Ketchum, ID

Jill Grossman – Ketchum, ID

Trish Wilson – Ketchum, ID