September 2019
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Welcoming Our New President – Terri Bullock
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Terri Bullock, our new WRWF President
Terri moved to the Wood River Valley in 2015, and became a member of the Wood River Women’s Foundation in 2016. After a 34-year career with Chevron in management, development and compliance, she easily transferred her talents to the nonprofit sector. Terri has served as Social Media Chair, Vice President and now President of the WRWF. She feels that connecting with nonprofits and volunteering her time for their causes elevates her personal giving strategy, and serving on the Board of Directors leverages her skills in continuing to advance the WRWF Mission and Vision. Welcome, Terri!
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Grantee Spotlight: Blaine County Education Foundation
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Bellevue Elementary School students in BCEF after-school program partially funded by WRWF grants
The Blaine County Education Foundation (BCEF) was established to provide critical resources to students, teachers and schools beyond what Blaine County School District (BCSD) funding covers. WRWF granted the Blaine County Education Foundation $35,000 in 2019 to increase awareness of local college scholarship opportunities by developing a scholarship database available to all Blaine County students and through a scholarship fair. The grant will also provide for teacher grants, high-needs support for at-risk students, and funding for a capacity building project to broaden community financial support.
Awesome Volunteer Opportunity!
This year’s WRWF grant to the BCEF is helping to launch a never-been-done-before Blaine County scholarship fair on Oct. 23 from 4-7:00 PM at theCommunity Campus (old high school),1050 Fox Acres Road in Hailey, and the WRWF has been offered the wonderful opportunity to “woman” the scholarship tables at the event! There are more than 60 scholarships offered so plenty of room for all who would like to participate in this exciting afternoon. All information will be provided for you; all you need to do is show up and talk with the families and students who stop by your table. This is a fantastic opportunity to see our grant in action! Grab a friend and contact Kristy Heitzman at:
kristy@supportbcef.org or (208) 578-5449 to sign up.
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Grantee Spotlight: Idaho Association for the Education of
Young Children
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READY! for Kindergarten Participants
Children learn best through active learning and play is one of the best ways to offer active learning to them. When parents join their children in play, the learning that occurs can be endless. WRWF granted the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children $11,895 to conduct READY! for Kindergarten, a series of parent education workshops designed to teach parents how playing with their child is a good way to prepare children for kindergarten. The program, which has reached 40 families in Blaine County, is designed for parents and caregivers of 3 and 4-year-olds to enable them to engage their children in purposeful play that prepares them to enter kindergarten with grade school readiness skills.
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Grantee Spotlight: Idaho BaseCamp
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Idaho BaseCamp Outdoor Free Play
Idaho BaseCamp designed a dynamic after school enrichment program for Bellevue and Alturas 3rd through 5th graders. The three-hour, comprehensive program, which includes transportation from school, provides a healthy, positive environment for these students, filling the current critical gap in south valley after-school programming. Students engage in outdoor free play, and then spend the rest of the afternoon on theme-based enrichment activities that incorporate creativity, sustainability, science, language skills, math, reading, writing, and technology. WRWF granted $20,000 for student scholarships and compensation for a Lead Educator.
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August – Charitable Giving Forum
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Panelists at Forum on Charitable Giving for Maximum Benefit
On August 21, approximately 100 people from the WRWF and community participated in our Forum on Charitable Giving for Maximum Benefit. Jenni Riley moderated the event, which included panelists Terri Bullock, WRWF President, Cate Cox, Family Therapist, Suzanne Hazlett, Wealth Management Advisor, and Sandra Clapp, Attorney. The wide-ranging discussion addressed the personal and psychological benefits of giving back to the community; various options for charitable giving; ways that employers can support their employees’ involvement in charitable giving, and prioritizing what and how to give. The newly published Giving Guide of the Wood River Valley was distributed to all attendees, with information about 67 deserving nonprofits in the Wood River Valley.
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September – Lunchtime Discussion with Beth Oppenheimer
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Participants at Lunchtime Discussion with Beth Oppenheimer
Beth Oppenheimer, Executive Director of the Idaho chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children, met with interested WRWF members on September 5. Beth is an outstanding advocate for state funded and/or locally funded preschool programs in Idaho. Idaho is one of just a handful of states that provide no funding for preschool education. Blaine County does have room for 120 four-year-olds in its preschool classrooms, but those spots are paid for by parents and local taxes. Idaho AEYC is the sole provider of professional development for preschool teachers and care-givers. The Idaho AEYC also developed the Ready! for Kindergarten kits, now being used by forty families in our valley, with help from the school district. Beth said that for the first time she has been able to engage state political leaders and government agencies in a serious discussion about the dire need for early childhood programs in our state. Business leaders have also recognized that the lack of programs and services has an adverse economic impact on their employees, given that about 60% of families have both parents working outside the home and quality child care expenses exceed the budgets of many families.
To view a fact sheet about the children of Blaine County, click here.
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September – Kiwanis Park Celebration
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New Pavilion at Kiwanis Park
A donor-appreciation celebration featuring food and festivities was held on September 4 at the lovely, newly renovated Kiwanis Park in Hailey. Formerly known as Balmoral Park, the $200,000 park improvements include a new pavilion, new playground equipment and newly planted shade trees. Soccer fields, a basketball court, disability access and a restroom add to the overall quality of the park. A 2017 WRWF grant of $10,000 supported construction of the new pavilion.
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September Meet and Mingle – Café Della
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Café Della in Hailey was the location of our no-host, September Meet and Mingle. We were greeted by Liza and Ashley, the women behind this lovely new café. About 50 members and guests enjoyed complimentary nibbles, including decadent triple chocolate cookies, while getting better acquainted with each other.
Liza and Ashley at Café Della
The café was named for Della Mountain and Carrie Adell Strahorn. Carrie was known as the “Mother of the West” and the “Queen of the Pioneers.” She and her husband Robert are credited with bringing the railroad to the Wood River Valley.
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Advancing Mission – Building Sustainability:
Strategic Plan Update
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The three teams—Governance, Operations and Leadership Development—are continuing to gather data and information, and are on track with the Strategic Plan timeline. News Brief updates on their progress will move from monthly to quarterly and/or when milestones are reached. This is a deep dive into documenting how the Foundation operates and we are grateful for all the volunteers who have stepped up to this detail-oriented work.
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Impact Focus Groups Update
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WRWF Members at August Focus Group
In an effort to take a fresh look at the impact component of our grant process, the WRWF Grants Committee created the Impact Team Task Force (ImpactTTF), to study how we can continue to deliver outstanding stewardship in the Wood River Valley. The committee sponsored three Focus Groups to gather impact experiences, impressions and recommendations from WRWF members. The Focus Groups met on August 14, August 22, and August 29 at Ketchum Works. We thank all those who participated for taking the opportunity to share their voices on the important work the WRWF is doing.
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New Sponsor – Little Caesar’s Pizza
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Welcome Little Caesar’s Pizza!
Thank you to Charlotta and Scott Harris for bringing in Little Caesar’s Pizza as our newest sponsor! Even though Little Caesar’s doesn’t operate in Blaine County, they wanted to support the work of the WRWF. We are grateful!
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2020 Membership Renewal Update
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This year has gone by faster than ever kicking off with our grants process in January/February, the Winter Education Forum with Teresa Younger from the Ms. Foundation for Women, our sold-out Annual Meeting and Grants Celebration in August, education panels that have furthered our philanthropic knowledge, new member orientations, the Strategic Planning launch, welcoming a new WRWF President and more. We are now at Membership renewal time and look forward to your continuing support of the WRWF’s mission and the investments we are making in nonprofits throughout Blaine County. Next year we will be celebrating our 15th Anniversary and expect an even busier year of mission-driven work—your renewal will help make that happen. Thank you for joining in with 350+ women to make an impact in our community!
* Renewals for 2020 are due November 15, 2019. If your Membership is up for renewal, you will automatically receive an email on October 1 with information on how to renew. Why the change in renewal date? Last year many members renewed their membership after the deadline and as a result there was less money in the pool to grant to our nonprofits in 2019. This year’s cut-off for renewals is December 10; renewals received after that date will apply to 2021 grants.
* All contributions from new members, those who joined the WRWF during calendar year 2019, will go towards 2020 grants. If you are a new member who joined in 2019, you do not need to renew at this time.
We now offer the option to pay for your membership online. Please visit our website woodriverwomensfoundation.org to fill out the renewal form online and pay with a credit card (excluding American Express), or download the form, fill it out by hand, and mail your check. If you have any questions, please contact Christina Bauer, WRWF Executive Assistant (208) 309-2530, or one of our Membership Chairs: Terri LeFaivre (208) 720-1719; Kathleen Eder (208) 720-3651.
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New Looks at the WRWF
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We are delighted to share the news that the Wood River Women’s Foundation website has undergone a renovation and that the “new” site is now up and live. More than two dozen WRWF members were involved in bringing this fresh look to our growing Foundation, which includes a stronger emphasis on WRWF grantees, an easier-to-navigate website, online membership forms and the option to pay online. Hello 21st century! Visit us at woodriverwomensfoundation.org.
You may have also noticed that we have a new News Brief format, which is designed to be more reader friendly. The new News Brief is cleaner and less cluttered: its horizontal design allows for quick scrolling, so that you won’t miss out on news or any of the many events that are happening at the WRWF.
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Save the Date – Upcoming Education Events
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Education Forum with Shawna Wasko
Expert on Aging and Elder Care
in South Central Idaho
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
4:00-5:30 PM
Senior Connection, Hailey
Winter Forum – “State of Our Valley”
Panel of local experts
Monday, January 13, 2020
3:00-5:30 PM
Community Library Lecture Hall, Ketchum
Catalist – PowerUp 2020 Conference
Hosted by Washington Women’s Foundation
February 23 to 25, 2020
Motif Hotel
Seattle, Washington
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Looking Ahead – Member Events
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WRWF Orientation Brunch
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
10:00-12:00 PM
At the home of Mindy Meads
225 Gem Street, Ketchum
*Upcoming events are also posted on our website’s calendar page*
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Welcome New Members!
Linda Cade – Mercer Island, WA
Kingsley Croul – Corona Del Mar, CA
Kelly Forslund – Seattle, WA
Kathleen Magee – Ketchum, ID
Jill Pollock – Sun Valley, ID
Janet Schaumburg – Ketchum, ID
Chloe McNichols – Seattle, WA
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Terri Bullock – President of WRWF
Closing Message
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Terri Bullock and Past WRWF Presidents
September 21 was World Gratitude Day, and since becoming a member of the WRWF, I have experienced small and large blessings every day. I am grateful for health, the love of family and friends, and the ability to experience all that is wonderful and magical in our small community.
As I look back on my first month as President, I would like to extend my appreciation to members who volunteer their time and talent in pursuit of our Mission. Louisa Moats, Education Chair and her committee are bringing leaders and community experts like Beth Oppenheimer of the Idaho Chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children to help us better understand the current state of community issues and heighten our awareness so that we become better informed grant voters. Sandy McCullough, Communications Chair, and her website design team worked tirelessly over the past 8 months to redesign our website with up-to-date technology, relevant information and user friendliness. Check out our new online join/renew process; it’s simple to use and there is now a pay by credit card option. And what about the new News Brief format? Thank you, Stephanie Chamberlain, News Brief Editor, and Christina Bauer, Executive Assistant for this fantastic new look. I am so grateful for our Board of Directors who always challenge the status quo and continue to bring creative ideas and solutions into discussions involving continual improvement to achieve our mission.
Leading an organization takes a village, and I am thankful for each past president who helps keep me grounded in history, in the WHY of WRWF, and sometimes when I just want to chat over coffee or lunch to discuss shared experiences.
It’s been a whirlwind of a month, and I know that my gratitude bucket is overflowing. It’s great that there is a day that the world can celebrate “Gratitude,” but we don’t need to save up to celebrate. We just have to stop, take a minute, and recognize all that is meaningful and what brings us gratitude every day.
— Terri Bullock, WRWF President
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Our Mission:
Wood River Women’s Foundation inspires and educates women to become leaders in philanthropy. We encourage and create significant positive change in our community through pooled grant-making.
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Office Phone: 208-309-2530
Address: P.O. Box 3686, Ketchum, ID 83340
