August 2024 News Brief

President’s message

Dear WRWF friends,

Jeannie Shroads| Wood River Womens Foundation"| Sun Valley IdahoI am so happy to share with you my first President’s Message! Thank you for such a warm welcome at our Annual Members Meeting and Grantee Celebration on August 8. The business of electing leaders at our annual meeting is important, but celebrating WRWF accomplishments, our members, and our amazing grantees provide the true joy of the meeting.

Speaking of the Annual Meeting, we have many people to thank for such a lovely event. Many thanks to Jori Potiker for graciously hosting us, to Jenni Riley, Kathleen Eder and Toni Damalas and everyone on the Membership Committee for all the planning, all our grantee attendees for their inspiration, and to Board member Karissa Price-Rico for reminding us to cultivate a sense of purpose in all our work. As always, our volunteer work would not be possible without the dedication and positive attitude of WRWF staff members Noe Garing and Lindsey Larrivee!

You will be hearing more from us in the coming months about our plans for 2025. We are already laying the groundwork for another successful Grants Season and thinking about how to celebrate the 20 th anniversary of the Foundation. It’s a great year to get involved!

As I write my message the Wapiti fire continues to threaten Stanley. Please consider extending your philanthropy and generosity to our neighbors up north. A GoFundMe has been established for the all-volunteer Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department to support Stanley firefighters and their families, many of whom have been displaced because of the fire. You can support them by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-stanley-fire-and-stanley-ambulance-volunteers or mailing donations to PO Box 29, Stanley, Idaho 83278. WRWF supports your bravery and commitment; please stay safe out there.

With gratitude and joy,
Jeannie

Grantee Spotlight

Wood River Early Learning Collaborative

As we envisioned, the work WRWF seeded with our Focus Grant to create positive change in our Valley around early learning has already begun to bear fruit. This month, we received news from our friends at Spur Foundation about an immediate funding opportunity to fill in a critical gap in infant care. Growing Garden in Ketchum is closing and many working families are now scrambling for day care. The Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood is seeking to fill this gap by adding infant care to their existing preschool. This will require some renovations to get going but they have a contractor lined up and ready if they can get funding.

Spur Foundation provided the following information on the need:
Growing Garden was one of the only businesses that accepted infants ages 0-18 months. Even before it closed, there were multiple waitlists around the Valley for infant care spots. At least sixteen families with infants have been displaced due to the closure. The Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood, which has been one of the most desirable and respected preschools in the Valley serving ages 18-mos – 5 yrs. for decades, is jumping into the breach by offering to create a 0–18-month infant care center in underutilized space at the church. With some basic improvements to their choir room, they can start a program that could accommodate up to 25 infants with a staffing ratio of 5:1. If $100,000 can be raised in the next 3-4 weeks (ideally by Sept 9th), They anticipate being able to open in October.

If you are interested in helping, feel free to reach out to either Church of the Big Wood or the Spur Foundation. All funds raised by Spur will go directly to Big Wood.

Church of the Big Wood can be reached at (208) 726-9053. Or Sally Gillespie (sally@spurfoundation.org)

Grantee in the news

Far + Wise AI Camp

Alexis Crowdson could have spent the summer hanging out by the river. But, instead, she spent two weeks at “camp” learning how to use artificial intelligence to determine the possibility of life on other planets.

Crowdson, a senior at Wood River High School, joined 13 other teens in the camp organized by Far+Wise as part of its new mission to expose Blaine County School students to trades like welding, firefighting, airport management and entrepreneurship.

“They showed us what AI is, how you can apply it in everything from Google Search to coding to using special key words for images,” said Crowdson. “I didn’t know anything about AI but we used it to figure out whether a planet might be an exoplanet. It was a fun and incredibly useful tool. And I learned that maybe people shouldn’t be as fearful about it as they are.” 

Students in the Far+Wise Artificial Intelligence Camp make a presentation to a small crowd of parents and Far+Wise board members.
Students in the Far+Wise Artificial Intelligence Camp make a presentation to a small crowd of parents and Far+Wise board members.

The opportunity for an AI summer camp had its genesis in efforts by MIT and Stanford University graduate students to teach about AI to high school students around the country. Far +Wise was able to be nimble enough to take advantage of the course, figuring it dovetailed with its new trade camp program started last summer.

The Center for Career Exploration, as it’s called, exposes local students to a variety of trades and professions, such as airport management, the hospitality business, welding and entrepreneurship.

“The board approved the AI camp because AI is used in all professions now,” said Laura Rose Lewis, executive director of Far+Wise, formerly known as I Have a Dream Foundation-Idaho. “We saw it as a great opportunity because we don’t have AI instruction in the valley.”

Master’s students from Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley spent two weeks in the valley this month teaching the youngsters.

Celebrate Volunteering

Kathy Edwards, Ph.D. Profile

  1. When did you join WRWF and why did you join?  I joined WRWF in 2010, 14 years ago. That summer I saw a small article in the Mountain Express that mentioned WRWF’s grant award celebration event that was taking place at the Valley Club a few days after the article was published. The article listed the names of some of the grant recipients, including Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest (which includes Boise’s PP office). It also said guests were welcome. At the time, I was a board member of that Planned Parenthood affiliate, so I decided to attend. When I did so, I realized very quickly that WRWF had been modeled after the Washington Women’s Foundation in Seattle. I was a founding member of the WA Women’s Foundation and had been very involved in its growth and development so I was very familiar with the power and impact of women’s collective giving groups. I also had been coming to the Wood River Valley to ski on Bald Mountain since I was 5 years old, so I had a deep love for the community here and this very special part of our country. In addition, my family has had a vacation home in the valley since 1965 when the first condos were developed by the Sun Valley Company. After attending that one grant award celebration in 2010, I knew I wanted to join because it gave me a way to both get to know the community better and to give back to a community that I had loved for many decades. It also gave me an opportunity to get to know so many interesting, smart, involved women who want to give back to this community, whether Blaine County is their year-round home or just their part-time home, as it is for me.
  2. What committees have you participated in over the years you’ve been involved?  I joined WRWF’s Governance Committee the first year it was formed and I have continued to serve on it ever since then-over 7 years. Similarly, I joined the Finance Committee the year it was formed and I have continued serving on that committee since its inception as well.
  3. What drew you to volunteer for WRWF?  Based on my experience serving on several committees and the board of the WA Women’s Foundation, I know that member involvement is critical to the success and sustainability of any collective giving group. In addition to my experience with the WaWF as the board’s Treasurer and Chair of several of its committees, I have a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and I consulted with nonprofits on governance and leadership for 25 years. I knew that my training and experience would be valuable to WRWF as well, particularly as the foundation transitioned to its own 501(c)(3) status, so I was happy to share my knowledge in this area. In doing so, I got to know quite a few of our members who were also volunteering their time. I have found that by volunteering for a cause that I care about, I almost always gain more than I give. It has been a great pleasure for me to volunteer for WRWF and in so doing, to give back to this community that has been part of my life since childhood.
  4. What is the best thing from your perspective in volunteering at WRWF?  In addition to having the satisfaction of knowing that my efforts on behalf of WRWF are supporting many nonprofits in Blaine County, the greatest joy for me has been in getting to know so many interesting, smart, committed women from all over the country who spend at least part of each year in the Wood River Valley and care enough about it to support the Foundation’s work with their time and treasure. I also greatly appreciate all that I have learned about philanthropy from my experiences with both WRWF and the WaWF.
  5. What would you share with new members who are wondering how to get involved?  My first recommendation would be to join a committee; whatever committee you find interesting or that calls to you because you have expertise in the work that it does. You don’t have to live in the valley full time to be a valuable participant on one of the Foundation’s committees. Especially since COVID turned the world upside down, most if not all of the committees hold their meetings on Zoom, so participation isn’t limited to geographic proximity. Some committees function all year long but only meet monthly or less frequently than that, like Finance and Governance. Others, like Grants, have intensive work for a few months of the year, but none at other times of the year, so there are options for whatever suits your schedule. Check out the Foundation’s website to see what committees there are and if you want to learn more, contact committee chairs to find out more about the work each one does.

Event Recap

Annual Meeting and Grantee Celebration Recap

On August 8th, 120+ members and grantees gathered at the home of WRWF member Jori Potiker to celebrate our 2023 grantees, our volunteer leaders and conduct our Annual Meeting.

Sandy McCullough, WRWF Board member since 2017 and President from 2002-2024, passed the leadership torch to Jeannie Shroads. Gail Landis, Board Member since 2017, also retired as Board Secretary passing the torch to Louisa Moats. Sandy will continue to serve the organization as Chair of the President’s Council and Gail will continue to serve on the Finance Committee as head of our Investment Committee. We are all so fortunate to have such dedicated and experienced volunteers serving our mission!

We also celebrated our 2023 Grantees and added a bit of fun to our celebration by giving out a variety of fun gift certificates to our grantees – from coffee cards to massages and restaurant certificates, the energy that new WRWF leaders Carolyn Larsen and Susie Zachman brought to the recognition portion of the agenda was delightful to all.

This year’s speaker was none other then our own Communications Committee Chair and Board Member, Karissa Price Rico, who shared her thoughts on how collective giving and volunteering in our community helps us feel our purpose more deeply.

We also recognized our first two Wowies recipients, Linda Segre and Leslie Silva. Both Leslie and Linda have given and continue to give so much to our organization through their work on the Grants Committee and Communications Committee.

As with every event, a big thank you goes out to all of our staff and Membership Committee as well as WRWF spouses for all the work you did to organize and put on this amazing event and to Jori and her husband for opening their home to us.

upcoming grantee community events

  • Circle Up Idaho: A Celebration of Collective Giving Circles in Idaho

    Thursday, September 12, 5:30 to 8:00 pm in Boise
    Join giving circles from across Idaho for learning and social connection. Sandy McCullough, Chair, WRWF Presidents Council, will be speaking on a panel. For more information click the "thumbs up" icon on the left.

  • Girls on the Run Fall Program Dates: Volunteers Needed

    Sept 5-Nov 1
    5K Saturday, November 2
    If you would like to learn more about volunteer coaching or enrolling your girl in a confidence boosting program please reach out to us today. Click the "thumbs up" icon to email Teressa Johnson for more information.

WRWF Calendar

Field Trip to Idaho BaseCamp

09/10/2024 10:00 AM - 01:30 PM MT

  • Free

Meet at Hemingway Memorial parking lot on Sun Valley Road
Sun Valley, ID 83353
Registration required.

RegisterSeptember

September Meet & Mingle - Meet us at Bigwood Bar

09/12/2024 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM MT

  • Free

Bigwood Bar at Bigwood Golf Course
115 Thunder Trail
Ketchum, ID 83340
More details to follow!

More Information

Circle Up!

09/12/2024 05:30 PM - 08:30 PM MT

  • Free

Treasure Valley Institute for Children's Arts
1406 W. Eastman St.
Boise, ID 83702
Please visit the Circle Up! event website for further details or to RSVP.

More Information

Future Forward: Fall Fellowship Hike

09/25/2024 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM MT

  • Free

Hiking Trail (TBD)
Save The Date for the Future Forward Fall Fellowship Hike! Specific hike location details to come in late-August/early-September.
More details to follow!
Registration will not be required.

More Information

Field Trip to Liberty Theatre

10/16/2024 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM MT

  • Free

The Liberty Theatre
110 N Main St
Hailey, ID 83333
Details are being finalized to tour backstage, have dinner nearby, and attend the performance.
Check back for registration link!
Registration required.

More InformationOctober

new members

We are delighted to extend a warm WRWF welcome this month to:

  • Kim Seely
  • Toby Arnett
  • Cindy Valk

New WRWF members are invited to provide photos and a bit of information about themselves to share in the News Brief. We have so many interesting members and it is fun to read about everyone’s background. Thanks so much and we look forward to meeting you soon. Welcome!

New Member Spotlight

Toby Arnett joined the WRWF at our Annual Meeting this month. Toby is a long-time local, having grown up in the Wood River Valley, graduating from Wood River High School, and then returning to the Valley with a degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1989.

Toby is an accomplished Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and proud mother of two children, Larsen who is currently a Junior at UCLA and Langley, who just began college at Pepperdine University. When she is not showing property, Toby can be found on the slopes or trails of our beautiful Valley.

BFF! Membership Initiative

Calling all WRWF members! We’re here to remind you about our membership initiative program “BFF! – Bring Forth Friends!”

If two new members join WRWF under your encouragement, you will be thanked for your recruitment efforts with either a $25 coffee card or a bottle of wine. This is an opportunity to continue growing and strengthening our collective membership through your personal and unique networks. Remember, there is no limit to how many rewards you can receive in a year. Be sure your BFFs give you credit when they join so we can track your success towards a reward!

Keep spreading the word about WRWF and our mission!

This reward is being underwritten by a generous WRWF member.

THANK YOU, Sponsors!

We are grateful for our sponsors and extend a hearty WRWF thank you to Graybird Foundation, and Zions Bank!

THANK YOU TO OUR contributors

Thank you to this month’s News Brief contributors:

  • Jeannie Shroads
  • Karissa Price Rico
  • Sarah Shepard
  • Karyna Veisberg
  • Susie Zachman
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