WRWCF Newsletter April, 2011

Contents Grant Vote Results 2010/11 ................................................................................................. 1 WRWCF Standing Rules & Policies ........................................................................................ 3 2011 Winter Educational Forum February 15, 2011 ................................................ 4 The Womens Collective Leadership Forum ..................................................................... 7 Calendar of Upcoming Events in Philanthropy: ............................................................... 8 Please welcome our new members.................................................................................... 9

Grant Vote Results 2010/11

Grant Finalists Run Very Close Race By Grant Co-chairs Charlotte Unger & Jan DeBard The most frequently heard comment at the conclusion of the Grant Finalists Presentations on March 30th was, How will I ever decide among such a worthy group of candidates? Thanks to the dedication of 37 of our members in vetting proposals and conducting site visits, WRWCF continues to have a varied and inspiring range of finalists proposals. All grant proposal summaries are available through the website at www.wrwcf.org. These agencies will receive funding from the WRWCF in 2011 with checks to be distributed in August: 1. Blaine County Hunger Coalition ($25,000) Mobile Food Bank Program: outreach to drive mobile food bank to Blaine County communities 2. Senior Connection ($7,500) Meals on Wheels: meals to homebound seniors and disabled persons living in Blaine County 1

3. The Advocates ($20,000) Engaging men and boys in violence prevention and employing a male Violence Prevention Educator 4. Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest ($16,573) Cuidate! Program for lowering Latino teen rates of STDs and pregnancy rates in the Wood River Valley 5. Blaine County Education Foundation ($5,000) Can-Do Fund to help low-income students, K-12, cover basic extracurricular costs 6. La Alianza ($7,500) Family Strengthening Project to increase educational levels of adults to better support their families 7. Wood River Fire and Rescue ($9,288) Purchasing a Smart Board interactive whiteboard for training and emergency preparedness 8. Wood River Community Orchestra ($9,000) Partial funding only. Balance of pooled grant fund monies available toward this grant request: $3,139. Education: musically mentoring community members by providing instruments and lessons

Jeanne Liston and Naomi Spence - The Hunger Coalition

Candace Ireland - Senior Connection

The remaining finalists who will not be funded by WRWCF in 2011 are: The Sage School ($20,000) Funding a Greenhouse Outreach Coordinator to develop a collaborative, self-sustaining greenhouse program run by the Sage School students Wood River Land Trust ($2,500) Sponsoring two Carey High School Envirothon Teams to the 2011 Idaho State Envirothon Competition Wood River Ski Team ($5,000) Scholarships and operating funds to teach snow sports skills to children in a non-competitive environment

Members wishing to support the finalists who will receive partial or no funding from the WRWCF are encouraged to contribute to them directly Thank you to our members who make this pooled grant funding possible as well as to the many agencies that provide such vital services in Blaine County.

WRWCF Standing Rules & Policies

From Kathie Levison, Governance Chair

Your Board of Directors has adopted the following policies to protect the privacy of individual members of the WRWCF and to ensure that WRWCF functions are devoted solely to the WRWCF purpose. Our membership directory or member list is not to be used for solicitations, promotions or political or business mailings. It is not to be given to individuals, groups or organizations for any purpose. There are times, however, when one of our Blaine County nonprofit organizations may wish to have an open house to showcase a program or capital expenditure that we have funded, to offer a thank you event for our members or to sponsor an educational event about philanthropy. At the discretion of the president, members will be notified of such events by our office assistant or by another member by email or mail. At WRWCF functions, no member or non-member is permitted to distribute any promotional materials for other entities or events unless specifically authorized by the president and the board of the WRWCF. Honoring our Privacy Policy, members may decline to be listed in the WRWCF Directory of Members; alternatively, members may choose to be listed by name only, not including contact details. Otherwise, members names and contact details will be published in the WRWCF Directory; a new Directory will be available at the time of the Annual Meeting, August 9, 2011.

2011 Winter Educational Forum February 15, 2011

By Carol Scheifele-Holmes

The turnout of over 110 attendees reflected the community interest in the Winter Forum Topic: Philanthropy Beyond Our Borders. And our panel did not disappoint! Each Wood River Valley humanitarian shared moving stories of giving to improve the lives of others around the world and of the joy each received from that gift.

Panel (from left): Peggy Goldyn, Bonni Curran, Lynn Kincannon, Midge Patzer, Trevor Patzer, Marcia Liebich

Our President, Barbara Thrasher, kicked off the meeting. She reviewed our organizations five years of educated giving and reminded us of the previous Winter Forum speakers. Peggy Goldwyn began. As a board member of Americans for UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), she has had vast experience with the UN and has worked in many countries. She gave a brief primer on how the UN and its respective agencies work. She has personally witnessed the success of micro-loans, faith-based organizations and socially-conscious philanthropy as well as the importance of understanding the receiving nations culture. She praised UN workers who understood why women were not showing up to receive aid after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. They had no sanitary napkins. Once that problem was solved, aid could be distributed. You can find your niche for giving at any level, Goldwyn said about working with international philanthropic organizations.

Peggy Goldwyn, UNFPA, and Bonni Curran, Health in Uganda and Asia

Next, Dr. Bonni Curran explained the medical work that she and her physician husband, Peter, provide. Their international health volunteering for the last two and one half years has been in diverse countries and settings Uganda, India, Bhutan and Cambodia. They have delivered emergency health care services and education under very difficult and frustrating circumstances. But to give of your skills is rewarding Bonni reflected. Their work continues and Bonni encouraged the audience to likewise become involved.

An engaged audience

Linn Kincannon, represented Thrive whose mission is invigorating small businesses and inspiring social change. Thrive provides capital and compassion to existing small businesses unable to receive bank or micro-loans. The organization operates in three countries with 50% of its loans going to women. When these businesses grow, they provide new jobs and they in turn are often motivated to provide similar support for another business. One of the compelling success stories was of a Vietnamese woman who designed back packs for kids that double as life vests. Children going to school in her country must cross water, a potentially dangerous journey. With her loan from Thrive, she was able to buy 32 sewing machines and launch her vitally important business to help ensure the safety of children. Throughout these presentations, the reality of poverty and the hopelessness and desperation that it yields was discussed. Providing education, especially for girls, helps 5

break that cycle. Educated women have fewer children and spend their earnings on their families. Investing in girls and women yields powerful results. The next speakers directly addressed this issue. Mother-and-son team Midge and Trevor Patzer, inspired us with The Little Sisters Fund. This scholarship and mentoring program helps Nepali girls who live in extreme poverty. These girls are at-risk of child labor, child marriage and child trafficking (for sexual exploitation). The Little Sisters Fund provides long-term scholarships and keeps its girls in school by providing safety, opportunity and hope through the gift of an education. Over 1,000 Little Sisters in Nepal are currently in school; another 80 have graduated from high school and are now employed in a variety of fields. Bindhaya, our first Little Sister, is now a nurse and is completing the circle by paying for the complete education of another Little Sister. Education empowers people and changes lives; it is the universal key to progress Patzer explained. We saw evidence of that change through a very special guest, Nikita, the first Little Sisters graduate to receive a scholarship to a US college. She spoke to us about how her dream to receive an education is being realized and how life-altering her time with Little Sisters remains. It was an emotional moment for all and the Kleenex box was passed! One of our own founding members, Marcia Liebich, next took the podium and described how she and her husband, Don, have helped fund an orphanage and clinic in Tanzania, also securing funds for the construction of a water tower there; assisted in building two Habitat for Humanity homes in Jordan, and contributed to other useful and rewarding projects. They have chosen to collaborate with existing NGOs or individuals they trust whose staffs can monitor projects on the ground to keep them on track. Ones given dollar goes much further in impoverished nations. Marcia concluded with a poignant tale for those overwhelmed by all the issues of poverty, hunger, disease the list goes on. The tide was out and a man walking along the beach sees a young boy methodically and repeatedly flinging stranded starfish back into the life giving ocean waters. The beach was littered with hundreds, if not thousands of them. The man chided the boy. Why are you bothering to do that? Look at all these starfish. You cannot possibly make a difference. The boys smiled as he flung the next lucky starfish into the surf. Itll make a difference for this one! 6

Special thanks are extended to Gale Elkins who organized the speakers and emceed the panel as well as Debra Levin who managed event logistics. They pulled together a powerful program. Special recognition and heartfelt thanks go to the panel participants.

Gale Elkins

Barbara Thrasher concluded the forum, observing, Someone somewhere will get money given to them because of this event and their lives will be changed. I think there will be many miracles as a result of this. We certainly hope so! They can also happen right here in the Wood River Valley.

The Womens Collective Leadership Forum

By Carol Scheifele-Holmes The second bi-annual Womens Collective Leadership Forum met last February in sunny San Diego. How wonderful to leave our cold snowy weather to join sixty like-minded women who are all enthusiastic believers and supporters of collected philanthropy. Idaho was well represented with women from Boise and Coeur dAlene. The first day we discussed the nuts and bolts of running and fine tuning a shared giving organization: membership, the grant selection process, sustainability and growth. There are varying formulas for pooling funds from many women and granting them to deserving non-profits. But all achieve the same goal which is strengthening the communities in which we all live and work. The second day took an overview look at philanthropy today. With the baby boomers aging, vast amounts of money will be transferred via estates. And community needs will be greater with, for example, the government spending less money in social services. This portends greater ongoing and long-term opportunities for womens collective giving organizations. We were also honored to have Colleen Willoughby speak. You may recall that she is the founder of the model followed by of 23 organizations such as ours. Colleen spoke at our 7

first Winter Forum. Her standing ovation began before she even said a word. She is much revered! She is now involved in international philanthropy making micro-loans to women in China. Finally, much enjoyed, were three speakers who co-authored the book The Necklace now being made into a movie. The book recounts the surprising story of what happens when thirteen women together buy a gorgeous diamond necklace and share wearing it. The stunning piece of jewelry changes each of their lives, spawns lots of charitable giving and reinforces the concept of women sharing their time, talent and treasure.

Calendar of Upcoming Events in Philanthropy:

Wood River Womens Charitable Foundation: Summer Social event for members and their guests; Bastille Day, July 14, 5:00 7:00pm Invitation to follow Annual Meeting, August 9, 3:00 5:00pm, The Valley Club Members and invited guests please join us in celebrating our 2010/11 grantees Invitation to follow ICF Regional Luncheons: Boise, May 10, 11:30 1:30pm, Boise Center; Patron $60/person; reserved seating $50/person Speaker: Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chair, The American Red Cross Coeur dAlene, June 14, 11:30 1:30pm, Coeur DAlene Resort; $40/person Speaker: Hattie Kauffman, member Nez Perce Tribe, Early Show on CBS Sun Valley, August 25, 11:30 2:00, The Sun Valley Inn; $40/person Speaker: John Michael Schert, Trey McIntyre Project Executive Director Program: Trey McIntyre performance Idaho Falls, September 15, 11:30 1:30, Bennion Center at University Place; $30/person Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., businessman and philanthropist

Philanthropy Northwest Annual Conference & members meeting September 21 23; Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, Missoula, MT Subject: Barn Raising: The Art of Collaboration we will explore what it takes for people, companies and organizations to work together to address needs, solve problems and ultimately create a sustainable and vibrant community. It will include over twenty conference sessions in a dynamic and interactive format. Cost: $595 Philanthropy Northwest Member Early-Bird Registration Fee (through 5/24/11) $595 Philanthropy Northwest Member Multiple Registration Fee (after first two registrants) $695 Philanthropy Northwest Member Registration Fee (after 5/24/11) $995 Nonmember Grantmaker Registration Fee $795 Native Americans in Philanthropy Registration Fee (Grantmaker Member) For details, visit www.PhilanthropyNW.org

Please welcome our new members:

June Carson Marybeth Flower Susan Flynt Sharon Forster Pam Irby Louise Noyes Patricia (Tish) Outwater Karen Pederson Penny Weiss Gail Wilkie

Please pass along your suggestions, comments, concerns or corrections to Debby Law, newsletter editor, at 622-4613 or debbysv@cox.net . Thank you.