LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID EDDM-RETAIL
Edition 61 l JANUARY 2020
WHAT IS MEALS ON WHEELS? Pg. 4 THE PUG HAS LANDED! Pg. 6
photo by Leora Summers
DESTINATION CALDWELL OFFERS ICE SKATING LESSON SCHOLARSHIPS! Pg. 8 I WANT TO BE A MOUNTAIN Pg. 14
C of I’s Co-Presidents Doug Brigham (left) and Jim Everett (right) receiving Whittenberger Award recognition by Scott Gipson (middle), board member of the Whittenberger Foundation. A top dollar award of $40,000 was awarded to the C of I for their Whittenberger Scholars program for the 2019-20 year.
Whittenberger Foundation Awards $267,620 in 2019 During the annual awards luncheon on December 5th, the Whittenberger Foundation distributed $267,620.00 to 57 different nonprofit organizations. Recipients were seated among each other to give each organization’s representative an opportunity to visit and connect with other nonprofits which may become resources for them in which to form partnerships. The Whittenberger Foundation, a private, independent, charitable grant making foundation was established by the Last Will and Testament of Ethel Bales Whittenberger who died at the age of 76, May 24, 1970, in Caldwell, Idaho. Mrs. Whittenberger, an elementary school teacher, was deeply interested in the welfare and education of children. She established broad purposes and limitations on distribution and use of Foundation funds in her will. This focus carries forward Mrs. Whittenberger’s lifelong interests as expressed in her will. Up to date, since the first distribution in December 1973, including this year’s awards, the Foundation has paid out $10,538,783.00 in grants to a variety of nonprofit organizations in Idaho. That’s over 10 million dollars folks! Wow! What a tremendous benefit to so many worthwhile local causes! Since the first distribution in December of 1973, grants totaling more than $8,000,000 have been made to a variety of institutions. The awards granted during this luncheon were between $600 (West Ada School District, Eagle Hills Elementary to purchase novels for 5th graders) up
through $40,000 (Whittenberger Scholars program for 2019-20, College of Idaho). Most of the awards ranged between $2,000-$5,000. Awards over $5,000 included: $20,000 to United Way of Treasure Valley, to support the Caldwell P16 Preschool program; $12,500 to Treasure Valley YMCA to support the 2020 Annual Campaign at the Caldwell Y; $12,000 to Basin School District #72 which provides a high quality, tuition free preschool program for all 3 and 4 year olds residing in the Basin School District; $10,000 to Caldwell Fine Arts Series, Inc. supporting the 201920 VOICES Outreach Program; $9,500 to the Mentoring Network, Inc which provides 50/50 match funding for 28 mentored students in Caldwell, Parma, Homedale, Vallivue and Nampa school districts; $8,500 to the Treasure Valley YMCA to update furniture, fixtures and equipment in the Youth Activity Center at the Caldwell Y; $8,000 to the U of I Foundation, Inc. McCall Outdoor Science School to support the 2020 MOSS E-STEM program and $6,000 to the Idaho Youth Ranch to assist in providing the Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy services at the Hands of Promise Campus in Canyon County. For a complete list of all awards granted, go to: caldwellperspective.com. Scott Curtis, CEO of the Idaho Youth Ranch, was the highlighted speaker for this event. Caldwell’s relationship with Scott goes back to 2005 when he became the CEO of our brand new Caldwell YMCA. He served there for 8 years and in 2013 was promoted to the downtown Boise office to serve as a senior vice president joining Cliff Nauman, the Executive director of the Downtown Boise branch. In 2016 he served as vice president and chief advancement offi-
by Leora Summers
cer for the Treasure Valley YMCA. Scott spent 24 years in many capacities at the Y. Four years ago the Idaho Youth Ranch closed its doors in Rupert. Rupert was fairly isolated and far away from anywhere. It was hard to keep qualified mental health professionals there. Idaho needs residential treatment for children. There are 120 children farmed out for residential treatment and Idaho is going to bring those kids home. The new Ranch is in Middleton and covers 258 Ethel Bales Whittenberger acres. The Whittenberger In 2019, seeing Idaho Youth Ranch Foundation, established by moving through transitions, he wanted Ethel Bales Whittenberger to be a part of its transformation to imthrough her will upon her prove services to children who have sufdeath in 1970, gives priority to innovative and enriching fered trauma and their families and he projects that significantly accepted the CEO position for that orimprove the quality of life for ganization. children and young people. The Youth Ranch focuses on childhood trauma and children have found help through its Equine Assisted Therapy program, which received one of the grants during this luncheon. The program is amazingly successful in helping to heal a heart. Scott talked about one young boy who was asked to write out his troubles on baseballs and to take them out to the horse and to tell the horse what he wrote. A little while later, the young man came back to his therapist and said that he couldn’t do this anymore. When asked why not, he replied, “It’s not good for the horse.” Self esteem is raised and it appears that all kinds of Scott Curtis, CEO of Idaho good happens when you work with and Youth Ranch. The Idaho Youth Ranch’s Equine Therapy talk to the horse! Curtis is a great person to help pull the Program was awarded $6,000 during the luncheon. This “team” together to unite staff, volunteers program is not just about and partners to keep this positive movetaking care of horses. It is so ment going forward. Thanks Scott for much more. . At this time135 your heart for kids! children have taken part in Equine Assisted Therapy.