Seeking safety

Continued from Previous Page the community. They provide transportation, medical services, mental health counseling, and help navigating community resources.

Herbert Romero is another resource for newcomers. Romero founded Neighbors Helping Neighbors in 2017 to reach out to community members in need. He has recently coordinated with local churches, charities, nonprofits, community leaders and private donors, bringing hope and help to our neighbors with an outstretched hand.

Many in the nonprofit world find the reward of the work far outweighs the work itself. “We are proud to work alongside Carissa Connelly, housing director for the City of Ketchum, the Blaine County Charitable Fund, The Alliance of Idaho, St. Luke’s Center for Community Health and others to rally emergency solutions to the housing crisis now, while advocating for more long-term solutions for our workforce,” says Kristin McMahon.

In 2017, the Ketchum City Council unanimously approved and certified Ketchum as a Welcoming City. A Welcoming City welcomes all people, including refugees and immigrants. In 2018, Boise followed suit.

News In Brief

Blaine County Education Foundation is busy!

Blaine County Education Foundation (BCEF) focuses community resources and raises funds for the students of Blaine County School District (BCSD), promoting academic excellence, equitable education, and a healthy and sustainable student environment. Since the start of the year, BCEF has been busy working to meet the needs of students and families in Blaine County.

Many students and families in the Blaine County School District (BCSD) do not qualify for free or reduced school meals, yet struggle financially due to the high cost of living in our resort community. To help ensure these students are nourished during the day, BCEF, in partnership with generous supporters and BCSD, has established a critical fund to help offset the cost of school meals for these students and families. Local generous donors (including Benjamin Frank and Marie Gallo, 100 Men Who Care, 5B Engine Works, The Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation, the Sanders Family and the CHM Fund via Spur Community Foundation, St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, along with many other members of the Wood River Valley) have helped BCEF raise over $80,000 toward school meals. BCEF has set a goal of raising $225,000 over 3 years to ensure the fund can continue to help students into the future.

On January 4th BCEF hosted its annual Scholarship Fair at the Community Campus Gymnasium. Over 40 local scholarships were represented, all helping students afford post-secondary education and summer programs. More than 350 students and parents attended the Scholarship Fair to learn about the numerous local scholarship opportunities available.

Also, BCEF is hiring a new Executive Director to lead the organization. The Executive Director will have overall responsibility for the operations, programs, and fundraising of the Foundation. This role has significant potential for growth. The new Executive Director will engage the Board of Directors and the community in strategic planning with a long-term vision of how the Foundation can best serve Blaine County. The position is full-time with a flexible schedule and hybrid (office/home) work model.

To apply for the open position, learn more about the programs and initiatives of BCEF or to get involved, visit www.supportbcef.org.

Dear Friends of The Liberty Theatre Company,

As many of you know, the Sun Valley Museum of Art generously offered to gift the Liberty Theatre to TLTC and having received our nonprofit designation in February 2021, we set out to gather the funding needed for structural repairs to the building. Through consultation with contractors and design professionals we determined $1,700,000 was needed to complete the work. So many wonderful people stepped up to help support our desire to restore the theater and keep it with the company. Sadly, despite our best efforts, and the generosity of more than 400 donors, we were unable to raise the full amount needed for TLTC to responsibly take ownership of the Liberty Theater by the December 31, 2022, deadline.

In early January the TLTC Board voted not to accept SVMoA’s gracious offer of the building. The Board felt that there was too much risk to TLTC to move forward without the total funding in hand. In addition, the Board felt that, as a new organization, our primary responsibility is to advance our mission: as a company of storytellers, to harness the art of live performance for the community.

I am pleased to report that, as part of our overall fundraising efforts, we have successfully raised the full budget necessary to fund our performance activities for the 2022-23 season. While we had hoped to live out our mission at the Liberty Theater, we feel confident that we are making the right decision – to focus our time and talents on producing live theater that delights, challenges and entertains our community.

TLTC is extremely grateful to the SVMoA for all their generous support as TLTC launched its new organization. Without their financial contributions during our first year, as well as gifting TLTC an abundance of theatre assets, it would have been a tough start, especially since we began during the pandemic!

Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for the many friends who supported our Relight The Liberty campaign. Your championing our cause will bolster us up, even as we move ahead without the building. For those who gave cash gifts, TLTC board and staff will be communicating with each donor to learn how they would like us to proceed with their gift. TLTC has not spent any of the donations earmarked for the building and will be able to return their funds, or, if you would like, redirect your donation to operations and productions. For those whom TLTC has a Pledge Agreement, the agreement will be void because we did not meet our stated goal, and paperwork can be returned to donors if they wish.

TLTC is especially grateful for all the community support we received from the Rotary Club of Hailey, 100 Men Who Care, Spur Community Foundation and the Hailey City Council.

T hank you for believing in this new company and for your willingness to support the Relight the Liberty campaign. We are so grateful to have such a dynamic and committed community of supporters, and we look forward to sharing many thrilling theater experiences with you in the weeks, months and years to come. We are excited that our 2023/24 Season Planning is underway. We hope you will join us for our last two performances of this season: a reading of “I Take Your Hand in Mine” Feb 14, 17 and 18 at The Mint in Hailey, and a full production of “Red” March 9 – 19 at the Community School Theater in Sun Valley.

With Deepest Appreciation, The Liberty Theatre Company Board

Documentary ‘Facing Fear’ to screen in Sun Valley

Facing Fear is a film that details one man’s global search to find ways to handle his fear.

After receiving some devastating news, Australian film director Bill Bennett sought out some of the world’s leading experts in fear management. He wanted to understand how fear worked, and how to best manage it.

The film features such luminaries as Dr Joe Dispenza, Dr Bruce Lipton, Caroline Myss, Paul Selig, Lee Carroll (Kryon), James Van Praagh, Foster Gamble, Sister Jenna and Dr Dean Radin, amongst many others. It examines fear from the perspectives of scientifically, biologically, emotionally, culturally and spiritually.

But it’s also a deeply personal film too. As Bill Bennett says: “I started my journey choked with fear. Now I’m no longer afraid.”

The film features stunning footage of Tasmania, depicting scenes that are both rugged and beautiful in equal measure, reflecting the often-misunderstood subject matter of fear.

Facing Fear is the sequel to Bill Bennett’s highly acclaimed film on intuition, PGS – Intuition is your Personal Guidance System, which screened to sell-out audiences in Idaho five years ago.