May 2019 News Brief
Focus Forum Report: St. Luke’s Community Needs Health Assessment
Did you know that lack of access to dental care is one of the most pressing health-related needs in our valley? Or that about 50% of adults are overweight or obese and that obesity is the most urgent health concern facing St. Luke’s and partners? Or that mental illness is more prevalent in Idaho than in most other states, and suicide attempts are more numerous?
Erin Pfaeffle, Community Outreach Coordinator for St. Luke’s Community Health, shared these and many other facts at our March Focus Forum from the findings of the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Importantly, she emphasized that many of the health-related problems reflected in these data points are co-existing and interconnected. Even more importantly, such outcomes can be changed with preventive action. Interventions that address education, health care, economic stability, food, community and social context, and the environment can reduce serious physical, mental, and social consequences from adverse childhood experiences.
Grant-making by the WRWF has been prioritizing and can continue to address many of these identified community needs. The Education Committee will be working through the next year to sponsor more forums in which the CHNA data and its implications will be shared and discussed with the membership. In this way, we hope to bolster awareness of where our collective power can have the most impact.
— Louisa Moats, Chair, Education Committee
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Impact Committee Refresh
Our Impact Committee is a key component of the broader WRWF Grants Committee: after grants are awarded, Impact volunteers engage with our non-profit partners in support of their work and our funding. Across today’s philanthropic landscape, there are emerging, innovative practices in this area that may be beneficial to the WRWF. Over the balance of 2019, the Grants Committee will be taking a fresh look at this important part of our process and exploring these evolving ideas with the goal of ensuring we continue to deliver outstanding stewardship.
Here is the Grants Committee plan:
1. Form an Impact Task Force comprised of volunteers from our Grant and Impact Committees along with local non-profit professionals. This Task Force will seek feedback from non-profits and others with grant experience, examine relevant best practices from across the country, and share the results of this study with the WRWF membership.
2. Implement an updated plan and Impact Committee charter that utilizes current best practices to support the work of our local non-profit partners, and provide outstanding stewardship of our Grant funds.
While this study is being conducted, the Grants Committee will be using a report- based Impact system rather than holding formal meetings with current grantees in order to encourage open, candid conversations with our non-profit partners. This short break in our traditional Impact cycle will allow the WRWF Impact process to assess, innovate and evolve.
Thank you for your interest as the Impact Task Force moves forward with this important work.
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Grant Recipient in 2017 and 2018
2018 Grantee in the Spotlight: Lava Lakes Institute – Corridors for Coexistence
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Wolf caught on motion-sensing camera
The Corridors for Coexistence project is a collaborative effort between the Lava Lake Institute and Boise State University to gather baseline data on wildlife diversity, abundance, and movement patterns in the Wood River Valley. Last year the project deployed 45 motion-triggered cameras to monitor wildlife around the valley, and plans on increasing that number to 60 this year starting in late May. We hope the data gathered from this project can help us better understand how human activity and different types of outdoor recreation impact wildlife in the WRV, and how we may be able to mitigate potential human-wildlife conflict in certain areas. The project has provided education opportunities and filed research experience for 1 undergrad intern, 2 graduate students, and 7 volunteers.
— Greg Hill, Project Coordinator
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Board of Directors Welcomes Carrie Morrow to the Board!
Carrie Morrow was unanimously elected to serve on the WRWF Board of Directors at the May board meeting and will begin her term in June. Board members typically serve two three-year terms. Candidates are vetted through the Nominating Committee before coming to the board for a vote.
Carrie Morrow joined the Wood River Women’s Foundation in August 2016 seeking an opportunity to better understand the philanthropic needs of Blaine County. Since joining, she has served on the Membership and Impact Committees during 2016-2018. Carrie joined the Social Media Committee in May 2018 and became the sub-committee chair in January 2019. In 2019, she was a member of a Grants sub-committee. She is excited to join the WRWF Board of Directors and looks forward to working with the other Board members to fulfill the foundation’s mission.
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Advancing Mission – Building Sustainability
Strategic Plan Update – Sub-committee Chairs Named
Last month, the Steering Committee was announced; this month, leaders for the sub-committees that are tasked with addressing the three initiatives have been named and they are now at work putting their teams together.
Initiative #1: Leadership Development
Kat Vanden Heuvel will lead the design of a program to identify, recruit and prepare new leaders from within our membership to meet the increasing demand for WRWF-qualified leaders.
Initiative #2: Governance Standards
Gail Landis, current Chair of the WRWF Governance Committee, will lead the team tasked with establishing a set of standards to ensure sound governance within a volunteer community. This will provide guidance to the board in its fiduciary, strategic and generative roles.
Initiative #3: Operational Standards
To ensure operational consistency and accountability, Carrie Morrow will take the lead in creating a WRWF “operations manual” – a necessary detail in a volunteer-driven organization.
“Carrie, Kat and Gail deserve a big round of appreciation for their willingness to step up to a heavy lift on behalf of our Foundation,” Steering Committee Chair Terri Bullock said. “This work may not be flashy, but ensuring that we have a solid organizational structure in place is critical to the longevity of our mission and future effectiveness.”
Updates on the Strategic Plan work will be shared monthly through the News Brief and periodically via email. Please reach out to the Steering Committee if you have any questions.
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MEMBER EVENTS
There were plenty of smiles at the April Meet & Mingle at the Ram Bar in Sun Valley!
Coffee Talk: Please join us on Tuesday May 21st for an informal coffee talk hosted by the Membership Committee. These talks are open to all members. Bring your questions and ideas!
Membership Coffee Talk
Tuesday, May 21st, 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Ketchum Works Building, 191 Sun Valley Road
Be sure to save the date for these exciting WRWF summer events:
**Invitation and registration to be
sent out prior to each event**
New Member ‘Tini Orientation
Wednesday, June 19th, 4:30 – 6:30
At the home of Cynthia Hull
126 River Road, Ketchum
Members and Guests
Summer Social
Wednesday, July 24th, 4-6 PM
At Mountain Humane, overlooking the prairie & mountains!
Members and Guests
Celebration of WRWF Grantees & Annual Meeting Luncheon
Wednesday, August 7th
Trail Creek Cabin, Under the Tent
Members, guests, non profits, and press invited!
**Upcoming events are posted on our website’s calendar page here.**
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President’s Closing Message
Flowers and fishing! Signs of spring have finally arrived. (Note the antique fishing creel belonging to WRWF member and Grants volunteer Melinda Springs!) Not only are the tulips and willows bursting forth, but also the woven wicker making up the creel is a great metaphor for the inter-weaving of our members with each other, with our non-profits who receive our grant funding each year, and also with our community. We are going into this spring season knowing we will have fresh ideas for all of us ahead.
My thesaurus mentions the history and word origins of inter-weaving, a word that comes from the old 1570’s hybrid from inter and weave . Here is an example of a short saying that matches this thought….“Often enough we see the best ideas become apparent in our lives in the inter-weaving of the new with an old idea.” And that describes us perfectly – new WRWF faces will be heading up our new task forces to study more unique ways in which to weave innovate ideas into our WRWF experience; our community non-profit ED’s will be invited to participate in many of our new inquiries; and new educational opportunities are beginning to unfold where all members are invited to participate with their ideas to change our world.
Inspire, Educate, Collaborate – words making up our motto. This spring we will inspire you, educate you, and as well, we will collaborate with each other in our organization and with our own community. We are like the fishing creel and flowers – inter-woven with each other and showing signs of a new spring coming.
Peggy Grove, Ph.D.
WRWF President
Peggy Grove, President
Our Mission Statement
The WRWF inspires and educates women to become leaders in philanthropy and brings significant, positive change to the community by pooling and distributing its members’ resources.
PO Box 3686
Ketchum, ID 83340
(208) 309-2530
Mark Your Calendar:
Tuesday, May 21st
10am-11:30am
Membership Coffee Talk
Ketchum Works Building Conference Room (191 Sun Valley Road)
Wednesday, June 19th
4:30-6:30pm
New member ‘Tini Orientation
At the home of Cynthia Hull (126 River Road, Ketchum)
Wednesday, July 24th
4pm-6pm
Summer Social
Mountain Humane (100 Croy Creek Road, Hailey)
Wednesday, August 7th
11am – 2pm
Celebration of WRWF Grantees & Annual Meeting Luncheon
Trail Creek Cabin
Wednesday, October 23rd
10am-12pm
WRWF Orientation Brunch
At the home of Mindy Meads (223 Gem Street, Ketchum)
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Welcome New Members
Suzy Carter Orb
Ketchum, ID
Patsy Nickum
Hailey, ID
Stephanie Chamberlain
Hailey, ID
Patricia Bruder
Sun Valley, ID
Debbie O’Brien
Bellevue, ID
Jo Harmon
Sun Valley, ID
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News Brief Team:
Louisa Moats
Sandy Shaw
Sandy McCullough
Photographers:
Judy Cahill
Charlotta Harris
