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Idaho Community Foundation July 2010 E-Bulletin
President’s Corner ICF Board members as well as others across the state are calling upon Idaho’s millionaires to heed the Gates-Buffett challenge as well. I don’t recall anything similar in my lifetime as extraordinary as this challenge and if it is successful it will improve the quality of life for Americans and Idahoans.
During my first year at ICF I have been across the state many times and have met with hundreds of nonprofits and have seen the impact of this financial crisis on Idaho’s emergency and social services, educational institutions, health and medical activities, and arts and culture. The damage has been immense and in many cases Idaho’s nonprofits have become Idaho’s safety net. Our resources do not match the dislocation that has taken place. A call to Idaho’s millionaires and others to match the Gates and Buffett commitment would begin to address the dislocation in these fields and raise the quality of life throughout Idaho.
Our lead e-bulletin article this month looks at the Gates and Buffett challenge and its potential effect on Idaho. We also have feature stories about fund creator Betty Weston and Ride for Joy, one of the nonprofits to which her donor advised fund provides grants; and Camp Magical Moments in Swan Valley, which receives grants from the Ralph and Mary Lynn Hartwell Family Fund, and where Leslee and I spent a wonderfully moving evening with the Hartwells; a report on our grant recipient recognition events in North Idaho last week; and a summary of the Idaho Nonprofit Center Forums in Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls.
In other news, ICF was a presenting sponsor of the Idaho Nonprofit Center Forums in Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls. Over 200 of Idaho’s nonprofits attended these events and the conference panelists in addition to ICF included Inland Northwest Community Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the Steele-Reese Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Northwest Area Foundation. The panelists discussed the changing character and continuity in the funding landscape of Idaho in this era of scarce financial resources. I have attended a lot of conferences over the years but this was clearly one of the most successful endeavors with which I was ever associated.
Late in the month, former ICF Director Ralph Hartwell and current ICF Director Mary Lynn Hartwell invited Leslee and me to attend a special evening to honor donors and sponsors of Camp Magical Moments in Swan Valley. The Ralph and Mary Lynn Hartwell Family Fund is one of those sponsors. Camp Magical Moments is a free camp for kids who have had or currently have cancer. It gives kids the opportunity to get away from their disease to enjoy an environment of fun and friendship in a medically supervised atmosphere where their medical needs are met.
The Camp Magical Moments’ kids were without a doubt the most inspiring group with whom we have ever spent an evening, and Ann Walsh, the founder and executive director of Camp Magical Moments, her staff and the donors who support this extraordinary camp have created something that is truly magical. It was an evening Leslee and I are never likely to forget.
Last week, our staff, Leslee and I attended ICF receptions in North Idaho (Lewiston, Weippe, Moscow, St. Maries, Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint) that recognized the region’s nonprofits which were awarded $111,000 through the ICF competitive grant cycle this year. It was again exciting to learn how North Idaho’s nonprofits are managing their scarce funds and how these grant dollars support the populations they serve. With the assistance of Dennis O’Brien and Joe Grismer, we also hosted an ICF reception for the Silver Valley on a beautiful late June evening in Wallace.
All in all, it was a most rewarding month to be associated with the Idaho Community Foundation.
The richest people in America issue challenge to billionaires
In a story reported last month by FORTUNE magazine on CNNMoney.com, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett have been meeting privately since May 2009 to discuss what could be the biggest philanthropic challenge in U.S. history. They are asking the nation’s billionaires to pledge at least half their net worth to charity, in their lifetimes or upon their death.
The article reads: “…Buffett and Gates and his wife, Melinda, set the goal: They are driving to get the super-rich, starting with the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, to pledge – literally pledge – at least 50% of their net worth to charity during their lifetimes or at death.”
The Gates’ and Buffett challenge sparked a discussion between ICF President and CEO Bob Hoover and members of the Board of Directors.
“In my travels throughout Idaho for ICF, it is wonderful to hear how the hundreds of nonprofits who receive grants from ICF stretch those dollars to benefit Idahoans, but the need is far greater than the available dollars,” said Hoover. “If wealthy Idahoans were willing to pledge a portion of their income to provide grants to Idaho nonprofits and agencies, it would make a huge difference in the lives of people in our state.”
Director Ron Sali acknowledged that Idaho may not have the kind of wealth being discussed by the Gates’ and Buffett, but he said Idahoans could do more for those in the state.
“I commend Buffet and Gates for their challenge to their fellow billionaires, however I do believe that it is incumbent upon all of us to do our share by making appropriate contributions,” Sali said. “This can easily be accomplished by utilizing the Legacy Society within the Idaho Community Foundation.”
Diane Plastino Graves, who serves as secretary of the Board of Directors, said it’s possible for all Idahoans to pursue philanthropic goals to improve their communities.
“We all can be philanthropists in our own way, by supporting the causes we hold most dear now or through our estate planning,” she said. “Idaho nonprofits achieve a great deal with modest contributions, and all Idahoans should know that the smallest charitable donation can implement very positive opportunities for others. Further, by contributing to an organization like the Idaho Community Foundation, small donations can be pooled together to create larger contributions to the nonprofits that meet the needs of our state every day. ICF welcomes and applauds every donation, regardless of size.”
Hoover agreed with Plastino Graves that Idaho nonprofits could provide more extensive services with modest increases in grants. He has visited or heard from hundreds of ICF grant recipients in his year as president and CEO and said the stories of the work that is being accomplished by Idaho nonprofits never fails to move him.
He invited anyone who would like to become involved in Idaho philanthropy to contact ICF to learn more about how to set up a fund that would benefit specific nonprofits, geographic areas, causes or fields of interest.
“Setting up a fund at ICF is a great option for people interested in Idaho-specific philanthropy, because we have information about hundreds of credible Idaho nonprofits,” Hoover said. “It’s free to set up funds, gifts to the fund are tax deductible and there are no administrative responsibilities to fund creators other than choosing grant recipients and even that can be the responsibility of our Regional Grants Panels.”
North Idaho grant recipients recognized at events
COEUR D’ALENE – ICF hosted six events
throughout North Idaho last week to recognize and thank the
nonprofits that received grants through the Northern Region
Competitive Grant Cycle. More than $111,000 was given to
77 organizations in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater,
Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce and Shoshone counties.
ICF representatives hosted events in Lewiston, Weippe, Moscow, St. Maries, Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene. A donor appreciation event was hosted in Wallace with assistance from former North Idaho grants panel members Dennis O’Brien and current North Idaho grants panel member and fund creator Joe Grismer (Joe Grismer MD Greatest Need Fund for North Idaho).
Melissa Mayberry of the Clearwater County Free Library District received an ICF grant for First Lego League (FLL), an international program she brought to the library two years ago to encourage more boys to use the library.
Through FLL, teams of three to 10 children have eight weeks to build an autonomous robot to carry out pre-designed missions in two minutes and 30 seconds, and analyze, research and invent a solution to a real world problem. They are guided by at least one adult coach.
Last year, Mayberry took Weippe’s team to Post Falls for an FLL competition with more than 500 students, and they came in 26th place.
“Parents were amazed at how far their kids had come in two short months,” she said. “This is something our students can put on a college application and a job resume.”
Charlotte Ash of the Snake River Community Clinic in Lewiston has received several grants over the years through the competitive grant cycle as well as from the Kissler Family Foundation Philanthropic Gift Fund and the Steele-Reese Foundation Special Project Fund.
This year’s grant meant they were able to provide much-needed tooth extractions to area residents. Ash thought the clinic would see 200 patients the first year, but they saw almost 250 in the first 10 months.
“It has been an incredible success and we’re so proud to offer this service to people in need,” Ash said. “We thank ICF for helping us so much over the years. We would not be as successful without your assistance.”
Money for the grants come from ICF’s Northern Region Greatest Need Fund, as well as other greatest need funds and field of interest funds established by donors. Nonprofit organizations can apply for grants of up to $5,000 through the competitive grant cycle. The Northern Regional Grants Panel, which includes volunteer representatives from each North Idaho county, meets every April to review the applications and make recommendations. The ICF Board of Directors makes the final decision about the grants.
This year’s grant recipients were:
Arts & Culture Community Building Partners, Inc. (Kootenai) – $1,000 Festival Dance and Performing Arts Association, Inc. (Latah) – $1,000 Ilo-Vollmer Historical Society (Lewis) – $1,000 Two Degrees Northwest: Where Art Meets the Land (Latah) – $1,000 University of Idaho Foundation, Inc. (Latah) – $1,000
Education Arts Alliance, Inc. (Bonner) – $500 Boundary County 4H (Boundary) – $1,000 Boundary County Historical Society (Boundary) – $1,000 Camas Prairie Pre-School (Idaho) – $730 Camp Fire Inland Northwest Council (Kootenai) – $4,000 Clearwater Youth Alliance (Clearwater) – $600 Festival at Sandpoint (Bonner) – $1,000 First Book – Kootenai County (Kootenai) – $5,000 First Presbyterian Church (Kootenai) – $4,185 Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho (Kootenai) – $3,477 Highland Joint School District #305 (Lewis) – $500 Idaho Youth Ranch/Anchor House (Kootenai) – $1,723 Junior Achievement of the Inland Northwest (Kootenai) – $3,000 Juvenile Corrections Center – Lewiston (Nez Perce) – $1,000 Kamiah Joint School District #304 (Lewis) – $792 Lakes Middle School (Kootenai) – $4,139 Lewiston Day Treatment Program (Nez Perce) – $1,000 National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (Kootenai) – $5,000 Northstar Child Development Center (Kootenai) – $4,450 Orofino High School (Clearwater) – $1,500 Palouse Suzuki Strings (Latah) – $470 Shoshone County Fire Cooperative (Shoshone) – $800 St. Maries Joint School District #41 (Benewah) – $1,000 TESH, Inc. (Kootenai) – $3,000 West Ridge Elementary (Kootenai) – $4,139
Emergency Services Glenwood Caribel Volunteer Fire District, Inc. (Idaho) – $1,200 Idaho County Food Bank (Idaho) – $500 North Idaho Back Country Medical Rescue Team (Clearwater) – $1,000
Health Benewah Community Hospital (Benewah) – $2,778 Clearwater Valley Hospitals and Clinics (Clearwater) – $2,778 Coeur d’Alene Homes (Kootenai) – $1,500 Community Cancer Services (Bonner) – $2,779 Hospice of Benewah County (Benewah) – $700 Northwest Lions Foundation for Sight and Hearing (Bonner) – $1,500 Regence Caring Foundation for Children (Kootenai) – $1,000 Shoshone County Community Health Clinic (Shoshone) – $2,500 Snake River Community Clinic (Nez Perce) – $2,500 St. Maries Volunteer Community Clinic, Inc. (Benewah) – $2,500 Syringa General Hospital (Idaho) – $1,200
Libraries City of Kellogg (Shoshone) – $900 Clearwater County Free Library District (Clearwater) – $820 Clearwater Memorial Public Library (Clearwater) – $1,000 Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation, Inc. (Kootenai) – $1,000 Grangeville Centennial Library (Idaho) – $1,000 Lewiston Library (Nez Perce) – $1,000 Prairie Community Library (Idaho) – $1,000
Conservation/Environment Latah Soil & Water Conservation District (Latah) – $500
Public Projects Idaho County Recycling (Idaho) – $2,000 Museum of Winchester History (Lewis) – $1,000 Prichard/Murray Volunteer Fire Department (Shoshone) – $500 University of Idaho Foundation (Boundary) – $600
Recreation Association for Handicapped Recreation (Kootenai) – $500 Troy Recreation Outreach for Youth (Latah) – $500 Upper Clearwater Community Foundation (Lewis) – $1,000
Social Services Backyard Harvest (Latah) – $500 Bonner Community Food Center (Bonner) – $750 Catholic Charities of Idaho (Kootenai) – $1,000 Community Action Agency (Nez Perce) – $1,000 Evergreen Food Bank (Idaho) – $1,500 Family Promise of Lewis-Clark Valley (Nez Perce) – $500 First Judicial District CASA Program, Inc. (Benewah) – $1,000 Fresh Start (Kootenai) – $1,000 Idaho Foodbank Warehouse, Inc. (Idaho) – $750 J-K Good Samaritan Food Bank (Latah) – $500 JK Senior Meals (Latah) – $500 Kinderhaven, Inc. (Bonner) – $1,500 Memorial Community Center (Bonner) – $500 Plummer Senior Meal Program (Benewah) – $500 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) (Lewis) – $500 Project Safe Place (Kootenai) – $1,000 Second Judicial District CASA Program, Inc. (Clearwater) – $1,000 White Pine School District (Latah) – $750
Fund Spotlights: Ralph & Mary Lynn Hartwell and Camp Magical Moments; Betty Weston and Ride for Joy
Ralph & Mary Lynn Hartwell and Camp Magical Moments
The camp was founded in 2004, a year after founder and hostess Ann Walsh moved to the Hansen Guest Ranch in the mountains along the South Fork of the Snake River. She had previously been an executive director of the American Cancer Society.
“My hope was to create a camping experience for children who have had or currently have cancer, allowing them the opportunity to get away from their disease and to just be kids for one week,” Walsh said.
ICF Director Mary Lynn Hartwell and her husband Ralph Hartwell, a former ICF Director, began giving grants to Camp Magical Moments in 2004. The Hartwells learned about the camp through their close friend Linda Martin, who passed away a year ago after a long battle with cancer and who was one of the original board members of Camp Magical Moments.
“When we learned
that Linda, Ann Walsh, and several other friends from Swan Valley
were forming an oncology camp for kids, we wanted to be involved,”
Mary Lynn said. “Providing camp scholarships to kids affected by
their own cancer diagnosis seemed like the best way that we could be
a part of the camp.” The Hartwells recently invited ICF President and CEO Bob Hoover and his wife Leslee Hoover to the camp for a visit.
“Leslee and I believe
that it was the most moving emotional experience we have ever had,”
Bob Hoover said. “The Garden of Angels, which is dedicated to
the kids and volunteers who have succumbed to this terrible disease
brought tears to the eyes of all of us.” The camp family is small – 33 kids were selected to participate in this year’s camp, which had a pirate theme. Activities include fishing, horseback riding, campfires, arts and crafts, swimming, archery and other fun activities.
Each child is under the supervision of a counselor and is supported by staff members and volunteers. A Med Shed provides medication which is distributed under the supervision of a professional medical team.
“Our dream is to offer children with cancer a place of retreat in an environment of fun, friendship and love,” Walsh said.
BOISE – Betty Weston was born in Boise but grew up in Texas. As with many young Texans, she loved anything to do with horses.
So when she set up the H.R. and Betty Weston Fund at ICF in 1998, it made sense that she would seek to grant to nonprofits that involved horses. For the past two years she has been giving money from her donor advised fund to the Ride for Joy Therapeutic Riding Program, which provides horseback riding activities to children with special needs.
She recently visited Ride for Joy in its new location at Pierce Park Stables, in the foothills of northwest Boise and met its executive director Valerie James.
“I’m delighted with it,” she said after getting a tour from James and watching a lesson. “I’m so impressed.”
James told Weston about some of the program’s success stories, including one boy who had never spoken before telling his horse “Walk on,” the verbal cue to move forward after just two weeks of lessons.
Weston said she thinks there is a lot of value for people who have animals in their lives.
“People respond to animals,” she said. “We become so attached to our dogs and cats. It’s the same for these kids.” Ride for Joy has been in Boise since 2007. It was formerly affiliated with Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped (SETCH) in Hailey, which allowed Ride for Joy to establish a foundation in the Treasure Valley while keeping expenses at a minimum. Now Ride for Joy has five horses and offers services to about 30 kids per 8-week session. Sessions are offered between March and November. James, who started as a volunteer, said she hopes to be able to offer the program year-round some day because of the benefits she sees in the students who participate.
“Being on a horse melts away their disabilities,” she said, indicating a student. “You can’t tell there’s any difference between her and any other 15-year-old girl on a horse.”
Weston said one of the advantages to having a fund with ICF is that the Foundation can verify the quality of the nonprofits that match the causes she wants to support, like Ride for Joy.
“I like that ICF can research the recipients and verify their worthiness. I know my money is going to legitimate nonprofits and it’s being well spent,” Weston said. Her fund distributions have also gone to the new YMCA camp at Horsethief Reservoir and the Boise Public Library.
News Briefs
Hoover participates in ICF-sponsored Nonprofit Center Forum
Other speakers included:
Breakout sessions focused on relationship building with donors, measuring the impact of nonprofit programs, the unique challenges of rural areas, collaboration, marketing and an assessment of programs that work. There was also a session on grant writing.
“Idaho Nonprofit Center Executive Director Lynn Hoffmann and Program Director Crystal Sinclair are to be congratulated in conducting such an important and effective set of conferences in support of Idaho’s nonprofits,” Hoover said.
New positions at ICF for Carlson and Davis
Carlson has been with ICF for two years as its
donor relations officer. She has a bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga
University in English and a master’s degree in education, which she
obtained during her two years serving as a teacher in the Teach for
America program in the Bronx.
Davis has been with ICF since October. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boise State University and previously worked as a legal assistant for Nevin, Benjamin, McKay & Bartlett, LLP. She is also a graduate student in the master of public administration program at BSU.
ICF Idaho Falls office open house July 14
IDAHO FALLS – ICF will celebrate the grand opening of its first regional office on Wednesday, July 14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the new office, 490 Memorial Drive in Idaho Falls.
The event is open house style and all are welcome. Appetizers and beverages will be served. In order to help ICF plan its headcount, please RSVP to (800) 657-5357 or joxley@idcomfdn.org.
This office will help ICF better serve its members, donors, panel members and other supporters who live in East Idaho. The office will be staffed on alternating weeks and ICF is seeking a volunteer to staff additional hours.
“We would not have the new office if not for our former Board Chairman Doug Nelson and we thank him for his generosity,” ICF President Bob Hoover said.
Aug. 15 – Ifft Foundation Fall Grant Application Deadline. Click for application and guidelines.
ICF Regional Luncheons Click the links for more information about speakers and costs.
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Sun Valley Luncheon: Wednesday, Aug. 25
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Coeur d’Alene Luncheon: Thursday, Aug. 26 · Idaho Falls Luncheon: Thursday, Sept. 23
Women’s Gift Alliance Fund helps adults with computer literacy
COEUR D’ALENE – A major grant from the Women’s Gift Alliance Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation will fund equipment purchases for a partnership between the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and North Idaho College (NIC) Adult Basic Education to boost the computer skills of people looking for jobs or hoping to re-enter the job market.
The $22,625 grant will fund the purchase of 20 laptops, a charging storage unit and other equipment to be used by the library for computer workshops of various sizes to be offered in its meeting rooms utilizing volunteer instructors provided by NIC. The project also received an additional $1,000 from the ICF Northern Region Competitive Grant Cycle.
Ruth Pratt, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation, said the workshops are intended to fill the needs of individuals who may lack basic computer skills that may be preventing them from pursuing employment. The project, called the “Retool Box,” is the library and NIC’s response.
“This program fills a knowledge gap and need that is not met anywhere else in the community for free,” she said. “And it does it in the most accessible – and least intimidating – of settings in our community, where we continue to see more than 25,000 people per month using our services.”
If you’d like to meet with an ICF representative when they are in your area, please call Amy Julian at (208) 342-3535 to set up an appointment or email ajulian@idcomfdn.org. ICF representatives are also available for meetings in the Magic Valley and Central and North Central Idaho.
July 12-16: East Idaho (Bob Hoover and Lauren Carlson) July 28-30: Wood River Valley/Magic Valley (Bob Hoover) Aug. 2-6: North Idaho (Bob Hoover and Lauren Carlson) Aug. 9-13: East Idaho (Bob Hoover and Lauren Carlson)
ICF Thanks You ICF President and CEO Bob Hoover sincerely thanks all of ICF’s new and renewing members. To join ICF, renew your membership or donate to a fund, click here.
To see the list of new and renewing members, click here.
ICF’s New and Renewing Members June 2010 New Member | Renewing Member
Sponsor ($250-$499) Todd and Amy Rustad, Boise Alan and Sherry Van Orden, Pocatello
Sustainer ($100-$249) Barbara B. Brown, Idaho Falls Michael and Kerrie Cope, Monteview Tim and Jana McCarthy, Meridian Steven and JoAnn Peterson, Twin Falls Don and Mary Jean Simis, Gooding
Supporter ($50-$99) Michael and Sylvia Boyle, Boise Hugh and Beverly Duncan, Boise Kathy Ellis, Boise Arthur and Dorothy Long, Hope Kevin and Cheri Pearson, Moore Frances Spofford, Boise Edwin and Barbara Strickfaden, Salmon
Donor ($25-$49) Ralph Hansen, Boise Richard Wandrocke, Coeur d’Alene
Donations can be made to an existing fund in memory of a friend or loved one who has died or in honor of a friend or loved one. View more
June 2010 Memorials In memory of Warren and Jayne Brown Earl and Kathleen Chandler
In memory of Rex Carpenter Melvin and Doris Carpenter
In memory of Lois Fuller Frederick and Janet Ward
In memory of William House James House
In memory of Betty Jo Keller William and Patricia Lodge
In memory of William and Martha Moseley Pete and Freda Cenarrusa
In memory of Galen and Jean Norquist Jerry and Charlotte Mallet
In memory of Charles and Patricia Story J. Philip and Nancy Reberger
Newly Created Funds
Passages
President Bob Hoover and ICF staff send their condolences to the family of Jerry Selig, who recently passed away. Selig and his wife Marcia have been members of ICF since 2002, established the first charitable gift annuity at ICF, and are Legacy Society members.
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kids ages 7-12 who have had or currently have cancer. Camp Magical
Moments gives kids the opportunity to get away from their disease to
enjoy an environment of fun and friendship in a medically supervised
atmosphere where their medical needs are met.
Her
passion comes naturally. Her father, noted Boise author Glenn
Balch, wrote 28 books, most of them for children and most with
horses or dogs as their subject matter. Her brother is a
veterinarian in Cascade who specializes in treating horses.
CF
President Bob Hoover spoke at the Idaho Nonprofit Center
(INC) Forum in Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls in June. In Coeur
d’Alene, INC hoped to have 150 participants and the actual
attendance was more than 170. Almost 90 attended in Idaho Falls. 
position as donor relations officer. Davis previously held the title
of donor relations assistant. 