News Briefs
June 2020 News Brief
Senior Connection Staff and Volunteer Leslie Silva
Grantee Spotlight: The Senior Connection
Leslie delivering Meals on Wheels
Temperature regulation is a key component in the comfort and health of aging adults. They are more vulnerable to thermal conditions outside the generally accepted range; their range of comfort is narrower. Keeping our indoor temperature inside the “senior comfort zone” ensures that our members will continue to come to our building to receive the services and programs they rely on. WRWF granted The Senior Connection $18,600 to replace the existing 30-year-old HVAC equipment located in the original part of the Center facility.
Grantee Spotlight: Blaine County Education Foundation
Scenes from the 2019 BCEF Scholarship Fair
Blaine County Education Foundation (BCEF) had a highly successful first annual Scholarship Fair in the 2019-2020 school year, which was attended by over 300 students and their families. WRWF granted BCEF $1433 to help expand the Fair, which will include bringing in a speaker and extending staff resources.
June ZIP Sessions, WRWF’s Virtual Meeting Space
ZIP Sessions Participants
WRWF launched its newest member information tool, ZoomIntoPhilanthropy (ZIP Sessions), in May with two episodes in the inaugural series “When in a Pandemic—How Nonprofits are Navigating Through the Coronavirus Landscape.” Our June ZIP Sessions featured Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley and The Senior Connection.
Lisa Wild, Executive Director of Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley (HPCWRV), informed the ZIP’s thirteen participants how HPCWRV has been functioning during the pandemic. Although requests for services have dramatically increased, staff has been able to connect on a personal level to support clients and their families. During WRWF’s June 16 ZIP Session, Teresa Beahen Lipman, Executive Director of The Senior Connection, described to sixteen participants how the Center adapted to rapid changes resulting from COVID-19 and Blaine County’s shelter-in-place order. Despite a 400% increase in demand for Meals on Wheels services in just a two-week period, Senior Connection staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that the most basic needs of our seniors are being met.
WRWF member Kat Vanden Heuval moderated the discussion and serves as ZIP Sessions Producer. Many thanks to those who signed up and attended our June sessions.
Keep checking your email and the WRWF calendar for notices of upcoming episodes as well as registration information. The ZIP Sessions page with all relevant information is located on the WRWF website. If you miss any live sessions, you can watch them via our YouTube channel, also located on the website.
Education Series ZIP Sessions Launching June 24!
Beth McCaw, President and CEO of the Washington Women’s Foundation
The first ZIP Session in the Education Series will feature Beth McCaw, President and CEO of the Washington Women’s Foundation, who has been a WRWF member since 2017, and is a member of the Endowment Founders Circle.
Professionally, Beth’s work has focused on social and racial justice for the past ten years. Over the past two years, she has been leading WaWFdn through the process of centering their work on race and gender identity equity. Beth chairs the national YWCA board and is frequently called on by our sister Philanos affiliates to help them navigate and understand the intersection of systemic racism and philanthropy. We are grateful to have Beth as a resource at this critical point in time!
Episode one of the Education Series ZIP Sessions, So how DO I “examine my privilege”?, featuring Beth McCaw will take place on Wednesday, June 24 from 10:00-10:45 AM (MDT). Learn how to engage in “checking your privilege,” how to listen to voices that need to be heard, and how to take actions to become better allies with our communities of color. You may register for this ZIP Session at the WRWF website through this link.
Special Message and Resources
The horrendous killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many others have opened a long-simmering wound in this nation that is forcing us to acknowledge the injustices suffered by generations of Black Americans. WRWF stands with our Philanos affiliate sisters in affirming that Black lives matter and will advocate actively for an end to racial injustice. Click on this link to find out what Philanos is doing to confront systemic racism.
June – Meet and Mingle
Members safely gather at the Draper Preserve
WRWF members and guests gathered on June 11 at the beautiful Draper Preserve in Hailey for our first COVID-inspired Meet & Mingle. Participants brought chairs, blankets, and masks to enjoy some much needed in-person contact, while still maintaining good social distancing. Many thanks to the Membership Committee for arranging this event.
Save the Date – Our Celebratory
Anniversary Tea Goes Virtual!
WRWF is fifteen years old this year! Since July 6, 2005, we have made amazing differences in the lives of the non-profits in our community. Our plans for a celebratory Anniversary Tea to recognize and thank all of the wonderful women who have made our impactful work possible were, however, put on hold when COVID-19 introduced health and safety concerns into our community, making large social gatherings impossible.
Still, we are turning fifteen and we need to celebrate in some way the work that we have accomplished! So, we have modified our plans and are now scheduling a virtual Celebration and Champagne Toast on July 6 at 5:00 PM. Please join us as we celebrate WRWF! This virtual event will recognize the wonderful women who got us started, where we have been, what we have accomplished, and where we are headed in our future. It will also serve as the kick-off for our Sweet Sixteen Party in July 2021, when we can all, once again, gather to celebrate!
Watch your email boxes in the coming weeks for information on how you can participate!
Volunteers Needed
If you have Grant or Impact Committee experience and would like to be on the 2020 Impact Team or would like more information, please contact:
Terri LeFaivre at SVTerri@gmail.com or at 208-720-1719.
Reminder from the WRWF Finance Committee
The WRWF Finance Committee kindly reminds members to write checks out to the WRWF instead of the ICF. We also ask that you send checks directly to our P.O. Box 3686, Ketchum, ID. Please inform your charitable trusts of the change of address.
Support the WRWF by Shopping on AmazonSmile
Shopping through AmazonSmile helps fund WRWF’s operating expenses. Through this program, Amazon donates .05% of eligible purchases to a selected charity. This allows you to donate automatically to the WRWF whenever you shop. To link Wood River Women’s Foundation AmazonSmile to your Amazon account, click here and get signed up. This simple adjustment to your Amazon account will not change anything about the way you currently shop or pay. You will need to use the smile.amazon.com website whenever you shop to generate donations to WRWF.
Now more than ever thank you for participating in this worthwhile opportunity!
Terri Bullock – President of WRWF Closing Message
WRWF President, Terri Bullock
Our August Annual Meeting has always been a special time for us as we gather at beautiful Trail Creek to celebrate with our grantees the important nonprofit work we do within the Wood River Valley. While we would have loved to toast our worthwhile endeavors this year, it has proven just too risky. WRWF has a responsibility to help ensure that Blaine County continues its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 within our community.
We are, therefore, planning the next best thing—a virtual Annual Meeting for our members, which will be held on Monday, August 3, 2020. Although this event is still in the planning stages, we are working to assure adequate technology so that all members will have access to our live as well as recorded presentation. This virtual gathering will allow us to carry on the important business of the WRWF while ensuring the safety of our members. As we work out the details of this year’s virtual event, we will make certain that members are given the opportunity to submit questions in advance of the meeting.
Because we are sensitive to our members’ time in a virtual meeting, we have chosen to separate our grantee celebration from our Annual Meeting. You will hear more from our Grant Chairs during this meeting about future plans to celebrate the grantees. Please watch for emails and updates on our website as we continue to finalize our plans.
While we all miss not being together and the energy that in-person gatherings bring us, we must all do our part and remain vigilant at this time by observing careful social distancing.
Until next month,
Terri Bullock
