STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK and TAYLOR SORENSEN

Laura Rose-Lewis took her experiencing consulting with nonprofits about strategic growth to expand the Far and Wise program beyond two classrooms into a comprehensive program affecting hundreds of children.

Now, her successor Sam Herrick is bringing his school leadership background to the table to focus on the program’s academic success.

Fernando, one of the original Far + Wise students, now has a mobile automotive detailing business.

It is, Rose-Lewis said, perfect timing because older kids involved in the program are moving into middle school this coming fall.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be here,” said Herrick, principal at Sun Valley Community School Middle School for eight years. “I’m impressed by how far Laura helped the organization along. It’s a well-established, well-funded program. To have it go from two staff members to what it is today….”

When Rose-Lewis moved to Sun Valley from Portland, Ore., the then-I Have a Dream program consisted of 45 students who had been chosen in the third grade to receive afterschool tutoring and enrichment activities, including a field trip to Boise to see an international soccer game.

The students were promised post-secondary tuition if they graduated.

Fernando opens the doors to his truck, which goes to clients’ homes.

Rose-Lewis came to the program in 2019 and helped see those students through to graduation with the help of several earnest staff and volunteers.

“We had a group of boys who were struggling in school,” she recounted. “We brought in mentors and tutors and turned their grades from ‘Not passing’ into As and Bs in a few months. We increased expectations. We gave them long-term support and stood by them when they made mistakes. And, once we saw these kids could reach their  potential, we introduced more expectations.”

“What has transpired shows what can happen when educators care about their students and give them extra resources,” said Herrick, who has a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Columbia University.

As the first group graduated, Rose-Lewis and the Far and Wise board prepared to go another round with two more classes of students. Then they switched gears, breaking off from the national I Have a Dream Foundation to form Far + Wise to better address the needs of local students.

Ken Lewis, Laura Rose-Lewis’ father-in-law, started the I Have a Dream chapter in the Wood River Valley after having started one in Portland, Ore.

I was thinking about strategic growth and thought we could be serving more kids. We had learned we needed to start earlier—with younger students--to have the greatest impact. Now we have an application system,” Rose-Lewis said.

Today the independent non-profit program is a year-round Kindergarten-to-Career program dedicated to ensuring that every student in Blaine County can thrive academically, professionally and personally.

Twenty-four full and parttime staff members and 20 volunteers provide afterschool programming that addresses math and literacy skills and socio-emotional skills. They also provide hands-on projects and enrichment activities, along with outdoor education and play at Idaho Base Camp in Bellevue.

The program is offered free of charge to students in a county where nearly half of youth live at or below the poverty line.

Those attending a Far + Wise camp with the Hailey Police Department had an opportunity to try a training simulation.

“With the high cost of living here, families sometimes have to work multiple jobs. It’s difficult enough to support a child in his or her studies when working just one job,” said Rose-Lewis. “These are young students with incredible potential. But sometimes they don’t see their own potential or can’t achieve it without support. We’re giving them longitudinal  support.”

During summer Far + Wise works with the Wood River YMCA and other organizations to provide students academic support through the SummerBridge program.

“The summer slide is real and its accumulative so every year you see a little drop off with kids who don’t read during summer,” Lewis-Rose said. “Far and Wise kids are not experiencing the slide compared with those not in the program.”

Realizing that not all students have an interest in going to college, Far + Wise started what is now called the Cimeno Center for Career Exploration three summers ago. It is now a year-round program offering students a chance to attend trade camps to learn about the careers available in the aviation field, artificial intelligence, construction, the hospitality industry, law enforcement, firefighting and other occupations.

This spring, students had the opportunity to take part in two automotive 101 camps, senior care training and a camp looking at jobs with Sun Valley Resort making snow, working with the groomers and maintaining terrain parks.

And Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis has been working with the organization on a law enforcement program to begin in fall.

“We want to support all kids,” said Rose-Lewis. “We have a young person who has gone into plumbing and is doing great. Another who learned about the opportunities in restaurants from the Sun Valley Culinary Institute is now studying at the Culinary institute of America. And another young man took a car detailing class that we supported and now has his own mobile car detailing business where he comes to your home.”

The original graduates, who graduated in 2022, are doing well in trade schools, careers and at such colleges as Middlebury College. And younger students enrolled in the Far + Wise program have shown marked improvements as they’ve progressed from below-grade level to above-grade level.

“Kids have to hear the message that ‘We believe you’re capable and mature enough to handle this,’ ” said Herrick. “And those considering trades have to have relevant meaningful experiences and the assurance that there’s a job for them.”

Rose-Lewis said Far + Wise has been asked if it could replicate its program elsewhere.

“We’ll see, but we want to focus on Blaine County first and foremost. And Sam Herrick is the perfect person to pass the organization on to. The organization is in a great spot.”

SOARING SUCCESS

Far + Wise will have its benefit and celebration event at 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at The Argyros in Ketchum. It will include a cocktail reception, dinner, guest speakers and an auction. Visit https://visitsunvalley.com/event/soaring-to-success-2025/ for more information.