The Limelight Ketchum Community Fund, founded in 2016, continued to grow in scope, influence, and capacity in 2018. The Fund, which now operates under a four-person board, donated $36,000 to thirteen organizations in the Wood River Valley region. Supported programs focused primarily on early childhood education, youth development groups, senior food services, and mental health crisis response. Find the full list of funded projects below organization-spotlights.

CRISIS HOTLINE

The Crisis Hotline, an organization aimed at mitigating crises relating to mental health, abuse, and others, was awarded $2,650. Sher Foster, Executive Director, noted that “people facing any number of crises can call and receive advice, support, and referrals when necessary. We are the only organization in Idaho to offer free, anonymous, and nonjudgmental support to callers of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.” This support is provided confidentially, immediately, and is available 24 hours a day. Any individual in crisis, be it one relating to mental health, abuse, or loss, can call and receive counseling. The program also connects callers with emergency or legal services, long-term therapy solutions, and financial aid. Foster went on to emphasize the importance of funding from the Limelight Ketchum Community Fund. “Because volunteers are crucial to our work, we strive to make our training as accessible as possible. With increased funding, we could grow the program and train more members of our community in crisis intervention.”

LEE PESKY LEARNING CENTER

The Lee Pesky Learning Center is aimed at helping children with learning disabilities succeed. The Center works with students, families, and schools to help them collectively understand difficulties facing children with learning disabilities, and provide them with tools to overcome those difficulties. The Center received funding for its School-Based Self-Regulation Curriculum, a program designed to help at-risk children achieve positive academic outcomes. Many children have difficulties monitoring and adjusting their own emotions and behavior, especially if they are stressed or overwhelmed in a school environment. The preventative Lee Pesky program, which received $3,000 from the Ketchum Community Fund, is designed to work with students and teachers in schools to provide at-risk children with tools to better self-regulate and productively address obstacles. In providing these tools, the Lee Pesky center helps decrease the rate of adult anxiety, depression, and substance abuse often prevalent in individuals that never learned to self-regulate as children.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE CENTER

The Environmental Resource Center’s “Growing Great Minds” program is designed to fill the gap created by budget cuts in Wood River Valley school districts, as many schools were forced cut down science curriculum. The program provides free, in-class science courses that are hands-on, engaging, and connected with those subjects students are covering in school. Additionally, the Environmental Resource Center is prepared to work with students between pre-school and 12th grade. The program builds students’ confidence with the sciences and provides one-on-one skills building and tutoring around these subjects. Many schools no longer have the capacity to provide this individualized support due to growing class size.

2018 funded projects represent a broad range of issues facing the Wood River Valley community: