Incorporated 30 years ago in May of 1991, the nonprofit Friends of the Valley of the Tetons Library isnât new to the scene, but the board devoted to serving the local library system underwent a transformation last year when the former members, including president Erin Jensen, stepped down to make way for the next wave of volunteers.
Laura Curtis took on the role of president in July of 2020 without prior board experience. With a childhood as an Air Force brat, Curtisâs one constant growing up was libraries and a love of reading, and when she and her husband purchased a home in Driggs in 2011, they knew they wanted to volunteer at the library.
If youâre on the hunt for a meaningful way to give back to the Teton Valley community, look no further than the Community Foundation of Teton Valleyâs volunteer opportunity dashboard.
Itâs a one-stop-shop for nonprofits to post volunteer needs and opportunities and share details about their exact needs. Posting is free, and is a great way for would-be volunteers to get a sense of the events and organizations seeking help throughout the valley.
Recent events included the array of Earth Day community cleanup and compost bin crafting efforts of the Downtown Driggs Association and Teton Valley Community Recycling.
With several community grants, the local afterschool nonprofit Above and Beyond the Classroom will be able to expand its program to Victor Elementary School in the 2021/22 school year.
The existing afterschool program for kindergarten through third graders is Monday through Friday at the former Driggs Elementary School, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Acceptance is based on income criteria but spaces are also available for children who may not fall into the âat-riskâ category. ABC also offers affordable summer camp options.Â
ABC executive director Diane Temple, who has led the organization since its inception in 2018, explained that transportation is the biggest obstacle keeping many Victor families from participating in the ABC program hosted in Driggs. Many of the families that would benefit from the program work in Jackson and canât make it home from work in time to pick up their children in Driggs.
The Teton Valley Foundation Board of Directors, along with Executive Director Amy Fradley, enthusiastically and humbly announced that, on behalf of Kristin Woodward and her sons Austin and Braden Vanskike, prominent American businessman and Jackson Hole resident Foster and Lynn Friess presented the foundation with a $100,000 donation. There truly are no words for the feeling of being the benefactor of such an incredibly generous gift,â says executive director Amy Fradley. âI was speechless, overwhelmed, ecstatic, humbled, and honored all rolled into one. Then my head began to spin, thinking of all the good we can do with this donation.
After looking into the best uses of the funds, Teton Valley Foundation is thrilled to kick off The Zampaign, a $50k matching fundraising effort to purchase a new Zamboni, along with planning several necessary capital improvements to the rink in order to improve our ice quality and house the Zamboni in a way that will preserve it for years
The Community Foundation of Teton Valley is excited to announce the 2021 Competitive Grant Awardees. Thanks to the generosity of Tin Cup Challengers, the Community Foundation was able to award 15 Competitive Grants to Teton Valley nonprofits through this yearâs Competitive Grant Program. In total, $56,645 was awarded to directly support programs and projects that will elevate lives in Teton Valley.
Twenty-four organizations submitted applications for a total ask of $91,427. Applications were given equal weight and attention by our dedicated, volunteer Grant Committee who works together to determine this focused funding. By backing these projects today, we help support the future of these organizations and their programming to ensure they will be here consistently and definitively when our community most needs them.