What a terrific month we had in May!

We gathered at the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls with many friends and longtime ICF supporters for a Celebration of Philanthropy event. Since our grantmaking began, they’ve helped us award $25 million in grants from Island Park to Bear Lake, and $165 million across the state. The other reason for our gathering was to celebrate and honor one of ICF’s greatest supporters — Steve Carr, who retired from our Board of Directors after 13 years of service.

Many of our past board members from throughout the state attended the event to thank Steve, including Trent Clark, Sandy Fery, Diane Plastino Graves, Steve Parry, Park Price, Art Rammell, Alan Van Orden and Linda Watkins. 

During his remarks, Steve announced that he and Cindy are establishing a new fund at ICF to involve young professionals in philanthropy.  What an amazing way to finish his time on the board!

As part of my trip east Idaho, I spent time in Teton and Butte counties. Teton County is one of the most beautiful places in Idaho. You always know you’re driving to a remote part of the state when there is a gate that simply closes the road when the snow gets too deep. 

I met with Kim Trotter and Jeske Grave of the Teton Regional Land Trust, which is an ICF fundholder. The Teton Valley is part of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and the Trust works to preserve key parts of the habitat, which is home to moose, elk, mule deer, pronghorn and hundreds of other species. 

In Butte County, I got to follow up on a special grant that was made during our Forever Idaho East grant review meeting last year. The Butte County School District applied for a grant to help bring the Missoula Children’s Theater (MCT) to Arco.

When MCT comes to town, they hold tryouts, rehearsals and the actual performance of a play all in one week using local students. ICF Board Member Mary Vagner of Pocatello championed their proposal. As a former school superintendent, Mary knows the impact an opportunity like this has on a community. ICF funded $5,000 of the $8,000 needed to bring MCT to Arco, and the Idaho National Lab funded the rest. 

Mary and I visited with Joe Steele, the superintendent of Butte County Schools, to see how it went. Supt. Steele said they performed “Johnny Appleseed” in March, and it was a tremendous hit. The school district doesn’t have an arts program, so this was the only exposure to theater for many of the students. Both the Friday night and Saturday matinee were standing room only. Many of the spectators went to both shows.   

I am so thankful to our supporters in east Idaho who have partnered with the Idaho Community Foundation in their charitable giving. It’s very special to be able to talk about $25 million in grantmaking, and to be able to share stories that illustrate the power of a single grant on a community.

Celebrating Philanthropy

Thank you so much to the 150 people who celebrated philanthropy with us at the Museum of Idaho on May 17! We thanked Steve Carr for his incredible charitable work in the region, the state and globally by presenting him with the Friend of Foundation award, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the Idaho Community Foundation and to all of Idaho.

“Steve is one of those special individuals who truly gets immense joy by doing so much for so many people,” said ICF Board Chair Doug Oppenheimer, a close friend of Carr who presented him with the award.

Steve surprised the crowd by announcing that he and his wife Cindy Carr are creating a new fund at the Idaho Community Foundation to encourage young professionals and families to get involved in their communities.

He shared his own experience as a young lawyer with a family, lying awake at night worrying about his ability to provide for them. When a friend invited him to a board meeting of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, Steve declined at first because he was too busy. The friend persisted and Steve finally went.

“That was my introduction to the world of charities and nonprofit organizations working in my community — doing these amazing things every day, quietly most of the time — taking care of the neediest and the most vulnerable,” Steve said.

From that time forward, Steve served as a board member for many community organizations, including International Refugees of Washington, D.C., the Andrus Center, Idaho Falls Arts Council, Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation and Museum of Idaho. He served 13 years on the ICF Board, including two years as Chair.

ICF sincerely thanks the sponsors of this event:
Presenting Sponsors Oppenheimer Companies Inc and The Hartwell Corporation
Philanthropic Sponsors Nelson Hall Parry Tucker PLLC and Bank of Idaho

Staff News - New staff and great accomplishments

Welcome Dani Dale!
Dani Dale joined ICF in May as a Staff Accountant. She will work closely with our accounting team to complete the financial activities and daily operational tasks of the foundation, including processing grants. Dani has a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Boise State University.

Prior to joining ICF, Dani worked for POWER Engineers and the Idaho Youth Ranch. In her free time, she enjoys reading, quilting and sewing, and spending time with her family.

“I’m excited about seeing the impact Idaho Community Foundation makes locally and statewide,” she said.

Congratulations, Megan!
We are proud of our Accounting Manager Megan Perez, who recently earned her Certified Public Accountant designation, fulfilling a goal she’d had since her senior year of high school.

Megan committed to the process – which includes many hours of review, study and a series of exams that each focus on a different accounting emphasis – in 2020. The pandemic scuttled her plans that year, but she resumed her studies in summer 2021 and passed her first exam in January 2022.

As a CPA, Megan said her advanced knowledge of accounting procedures strengthens her ability to steward ICF fundholders and donors, and to play a key role in the complex accounting matters involving the community foundation’s more than 670 charitable giving funds.

In addition to support from her family as she spent many hours studying each week, Megan said she also appreciates the encouragement she received from ICF leadership.

“It is a big motivator when you have an employer who truly wants you to succeed and does anything they can to help you do so,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without ICF’s support and encouragement.”

Great job, Savannah!
Congratulations to Savannah Slater, our Data Services Coordinator, on graduating with her master’s degree in public administration!

“I am so happy and thankful that my pursuit of a master’s brought me to ICF,” Savannah said.

Community Schools: Meeting local needs in Idaho

In Mountain Home, Bennett Mountain High School expanded its childcare program used by parenting teens to include the children of school staff, which helped the school retain employees who had been leaving due to difficulties finding high-quality, affordable childcare.

In the Cascade School District, a teen program called Game Changer provides mentorship, homework help and opportunities to build job skills. It has helped reduce absenteeism in the district.

The Notus School District coordinated with community volunteers and others to provide Thanksgiving dinner baskets, Christmas dinner baskets and Toys for Tots gifts for children and families in need, including to a family of four children whose mother had recently died in a car accident. 

All these programs and others were made possible with support from the Idaho Coalition for Community Schools, an innovative partnership that provides flexible support to students and families through their neighborhood schools.

The coalition established an Idaho Community Foundation fund in 2022 to expand its reach across all of Idaho. ICF fundholders with an interest in supporting educational opportunities have donated to the effort. Prior to the launch of this fund, Community Schools were only available in eight counties in the state. Since the fund was established, 32 schools and districts have explored or have become community schools.

“We chose the Idaho Community Foundation as our partner because of its statewide reach and its work in all 44 Idaho counties,” said Hayley Regan who leads the community schools program as United Way of Treasure Valley’s collaboration manager.

The Idaho Coalition of Community Schools is a statewide partnership led by the United Way of Treasure Valley and Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, along with Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, Idaho Department of Education, St. Luke’s and United Way of South Central Idaho.

Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health joined the Idaho Coalition for Community Schools in 2021 because it’s a great fit for its mission to give back to Idaho and address the root causes that impact health.

“Health doesn’t just happen in a doctor’s office,” said Jackie Yarbrough, senior program officer at Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health. “It’s influenced by where we work, play and go to school. Community schools are a comprehensive way to help families succeed.”

The community schools movement began in the 1990s in New York City public schools, and today community schools are found across the country. The program doesn’t follow a formula – each community school adapts to the needs of the neighborhood where it’s located, so no two schools look alike.

“We have an increased emphasis on parent and community feedback in our decision-making process,” said Don Fryberger, principal of Harwood Elementary in Rigby, which operates as a community school.

Fryberger said surveys of parents and community members led to the establishment of an after-school program, resources for STEM learning and increased structure and safety on the playground. In addition, his teachers identify students with non-academic needs, like food insecurity, and can turn to the community school for help.

He shared a story about a student who kept checking his backpack during class. Inside was a half-eaten banana. The boy was hungry and wanted to finish it but was worried that if he ate the whole thing, his sibling at home wouldn’t have anything that night.

“Thanks to our community partners and generous donations, we were able to help the family,” Fryberger said. “I’m so grateful that we are able to operate as a community school to help us identify needs and address them.”

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