All of the projects and programs listed below have earned the support of our Grants Committee, comprised of community volunteers who broadly represent community interests, and present ongoing opportunities to make a significant impact on critical needs in Jackson Hole. Due to the magnitude and increasing complexity of issues in our community, the Community Foundation was only able to provide partial funding to support these efforts, and the organizations may still have unmet needs associated with their specified programs. We encourage you to contact the person listed for each project if you have questions or an interest in providing additional funding. Fundholders may also recommend a grant to support a project below by using Donor Central.
Grand Teton Music Festival
Tune Up!
Contact: Erin Roy
733-3050
www.gtmf.org
The Teton County School District employs only two in-school music educators for 400 Middle and High School band and orchestra students. These students learn to play their instruments in classes of up to 75-100 other students. Learning to play an instrument in a class that large, without supplemental private instruction, leads students to become frustrated and eventually lose their motivation to continue studying. The Tune-UP! program provides an opportunity for the School District to augment its staff with qualified music teachers. These instructors teach private and semi-private lessons and allow students to take full advantage of the benefits gained when learning to play a musical instrument - not only in the area of music education, but also on a larger scale of child and adolescent development. A grant from the Community Foundation will bring six music instructors and a Tune-UP! Program Administrator into the Jackson Hole Middle and High Schools for the 2007-2008 school year. This grant will represent the third year the Community Foundation has supported this program. (2008)
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
2007-8 Community Education Programs
Contact: Lisa Samford
733-7016
www.jhfestival.org
With its strong connections in the wildlife film industry, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival provides valuable community outreach and education programming for local students. In order to accommodate the wide variety of student learning styles, traditional educational opportunities must be supplemented with creative, multidisciplinary approaches. To that end, this exciting project will provide special school programs to augment standard classroom curricula as well as offer programs specifically targeting disadvantaged groups within the community. (2007)
Off Square Theatre Company
2008 Theatre and Education
Contact: John Briggs
733-3021
www.offsquare.org
Theatre education provides a powerful outlet for children and adults, as they gain confidence in the value of their ideas and the power of their imaginations. Not only does participation in arts correlate to increased scholastic achievement, but arts also increase the ability of students to become self-motivated, work efficiently, and develop a sense of inquisitiveness. The arts also provide an invaluable outlet for children who are struggling academically or socially. A grant from the Community Foundation will provide theatre education for 300 students of all ages, keeping educational programs affordable to members of the community from all economic strata. (2008)
2007 Theatre and Education
By engaging the minds of both adults and children, sparking dialogue around a multitude of issues, and transcending barriers that separate individuals and communities, Off Square Theatre Company enriches our lives through community theatre and education. The July-December theatre season for 2007, including four plays and three musicals, boasts a total of 75 performances and a projected audience of over 8,000 individuals. The educational program includes four summer camps, youth after school classes, internships, adult acting and singing classes, a holiday camp, a stage combat master class, and school performances and residencies. This grant will partially support six months of the 2007 Season of Theatre and Education, but more needed funds are always welcome in order to ensure programming of the utmost benefit and quality. (2007)
Old Wilson School Community Center
Programming Start-up
Contact: Len Carlman
733-7881
The Old Wilson School Community Center provides a much-needed gathering space to regular tenants and occasional users. The community need is clear: in its last full year of operation (2005), the Old Wilson School hosted 11,800 visits. The value of the physical space can only be realized through proper management. A grant from the Community Foundation will allow the Wilson School to welcome regular tenants and occasional users back into the community space while providing quality programs that reflect community interest and help engender a sense of community. New programming will be developed in response to a community-wide survey, to be conducted in early 2008. With the a grant from the Community Foundation, the Old Wilson School will be hosting more than 13,000 visits a year by 2009. (2008)
Grand Teton National Park Foundation
Grand Teton National Park Youth Conservation Program
Contact: Andrea Deaton
732-8869
People need to have a connection to nature in order to want to protect it. As urban expansion encroaches on our lands, the number of American kids exposed to wilderness is rapidly decreasing. In the first two pilot years, twenty-seven participants (predominantly local youth) have developed a connection with nature, leadership, character, a solid work ethic, career and life skills through the Youth Conservation Program. Grand Teton National Park has received nearly 12,000 hours of work from this program since its inception. More than one-third of this work provided trail maintenance in high-traffic areas. The pilot program received a $100,000 gift to cover operation expenses, and the 2007 season was funded with gifts from private donors. A grant from the Community Foundation will support efforts to expand and diversify a base of supporters to continue programs such as the Youth Conservation Program in Grand Teton National Park. The grantee intends to ensure permanent funding for the Youth Conservation Program through a planned giving program that will generate a $15 million endowment within the next five to ten years. (2008)
Healthmap
Finding a Sustainble Solution
Contact: Vida Day
739-4544
El Puente works hard to improve and ensure access to health care for the immigrant population in Teton County, one of the critical issues facing our health care system. Unfortunately, their quest to achieve this goal is met at the expense of financial sustainability. This project aims to engage health care providers, employers and members of the Latino community in helping to solve the problem of long-term sustainability by increasing public awareness of the importance of health care access. Funds will specifically be used to underwrite staff restructuring, salaries for interpreters, evaluation and communication costs. (2007)
Boundless Fund
Student Sponsorship
Contact: Nicole Madison
734-4316
The Boundless Fund promotes access to enrichment opportunities for local students. Many local families cannot afford the cost of after-school activities for local children. The number of students applying for these scholarships far exceeds the capacity of the fund and a waiting list is routinely maintained. Referrals are accepted from local schools and counseling agencies. Families may also apply directly. Eligible students qualify for up to $1,200 a year in support. Examples of supported activities are dance, music, gymnastics, sports and other enrichment activities.
Funding Need: Ongoing. An individual student sponsorship is $1,200 for a year.
El Puente
Assuring Access to Health Care
Contact: Vida Day
739-4544
The El Puente program provides 24 hour medical interpretation services. This project bridges the cultural gap between our growing Latino community and local health care providers. Saint John’s Medical Center reports that this service provides critical access to our local health care system, and the hospital demonstrates their support through financial underwriting. In 2006 The Community Foundation and Saint John’s Medical Center were joined by the Wyoming Business Council with a $35,000 HUD program grant in supporting this important program. The need for services is still far in excess of the funding available.
Funding Need: Ongoing. On average, El Puente conducts 6,000 appointments annually at approximately $26.00 per hour.
Latino Resource Center
Informational Forum Series
Contact: Carmina Oaks
734-0333
The Jackson Hole Latino population is susceptible to receiving bad information from unreliable sources. This misinformation leads to immigrants not complying with regulations, creating problems within the community. People misinterpret this lack of compliance as disrespect of local laws, inflaming existing racial stereotypes and putting a strain on our community. The Latino Resource Center's Informational Forum Series offers the community an opportunity to learn valuable information from experts and government officials about a variety of topics. A grant from the Community Foundation will support those who have respect for the laws, customs and cultures of our community and are trying to understand and comply with them. (2008)
Senior Center of Jackson Hole/Jackson Hole Elders Inc.
The Green House / Phase I Planning
Contact: Sylvia Vroman
734-2662
Advocates for the elderly, with strong support from the health care community, are developing a new approach to eldercare. This approach moves away from institutionalized care (as provided in nursing homes and assisted living facilities) toward a more home-like alternative. The institutionalized system of care for the aging in our country has evolved over the years based on faulty assumptions. These assumptions too readily dismiss the capacities of older adults to remain active and social, maintain some level of independence and contribute to their own well being. With the nation's population of seniors expected to double over the next quarter century, this issue will be more and more pressing in every community. A grant from the Community Foundation will result in 1-3 Green House homes in Teton County, offering a choice for as many as 30 elders and serving as a pilot project for the community and for the State of Wyoming. (2008)
