STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Deborah Van Law hasn’t been at her post as the new director of the Blaine County Education Foundation for long.

But it didn’t take long for her to bask in the warmth of a heartwarming story of generosity.

She had barely settled in when she got a call from Julia Springer, a longtime Hailey resident whose late daughter Maggie helped revive Hailey’s Memorial Day ceremony years ago.

Julia Springer had heard about the Blaine County Education Foundation’s School Meals program, which began providing free lunches for 588 students across the school district last year after funds for the program dried up.

Julia had a $50 bill she wanted to donate to the program, and she wanted Van Law to know how important she felt the need was. Her own father had made enough to give some of his nine children lunch money but not all. The rest would walk to their grandmother’s house at lunchtime hoping to find her at home so they could grab a bite to eat.

When Julia was in fifth grade, she got a job at the school’s cafeteria, which served beef, lamb and potatoes provided by local farmers and ranchers at that time. The staff built her a stool so she could reach the sink to wash the dishes. And they paid her $1 a week plus free school lunches for her work.

In this way, Julia said, she was able to fill her belly and learn.

“I was fascinated with her story and she kept asking questions and she kept reiterating how important she felt it was that we feed our students in need,” said Van Law. “A day later, I received a Christmas card in the mail from Julia. Inside was a note and three crisp $100 bills. I’ve had many generous donations from our community this season, but this one meant so much to me.”

The Blaine County Education Foundation was founded in 1992 to support students by removing barriers to learning and participation in school sponsored activities. It has helped outfit student in football uniforms so they could play on the team and it’s helped send students to robotics and other tournaments.

It’s also provided funding to Blaine County School District teachers so they can carry out innovative programming that their classroom budgets don’t cover.

“This school year, we have provided nearly 400 backpacks full of school supplies and we’ve pledged to provide school meals to students in need through the 2023/2024 school year through our School Meals program,” said Van Law. “Blaine County Education Foundation provided meals for 588 students during the 2022/2023 school year and is still finalizing this year's numbers.” 

To learn more, visit https://www.supportbcef.org. Or, contact Deborah Van Law at deborah@supportbcef.org or 208-578-5449.