BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley Tour de Force is holding a fundraiser auction for its beneficiaries through Monday, Sept. 9.

The Sun Valley Tour de Force—5 Gears of Giving is an online fundraiser produced by Intrepid Events, Inc., a 501©(3) non-profit organization that has supported Wood River Valley charities with the money it’s raised from its high-speed car event the past five years.

Sun Valley Tour de Force raised a record $1 million for The Hunger Coalition and other local nonprofits in 2023, and organizers thought they were onto the way to another record after two days of high energy events that saw hundreds of people turn out for the annual car show in Festival Meadow and the Huckleberry Drive in which dozens of sports car drivers drove to Stanley against the backdrop of a smoke plume rising from the Bench Lake Fire.

But a car participating in the signature high-speed event to see how fast their car could go crashed near the finish line on Highway 75 north of Ketchum. And organizers Whitney Slade and Maya Blix cancelled the evening’s gala fundraiser dinner, auction and comedy show in response.

Intrepid Events has concentrated on supporting the two men involved in the crash for the past month, said Slade. Now, the organization is trying to support the community organizations that had counted on the money that was to have been raised by the event.

Funds from the online auction will go to organizations addressing food insecurity, affordable housing, mental health services and education. Silent auction items include a Sun Valley season ski pass, a weekend getaway at J. Bookwalter Winery, an exclusive tour of McLaren headquarters and an opportunity to drive a luxury Aston Martin.

To take part in the auction and paddle raise, go to https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/cc07adfc-3810-4384-9480-3395a1c148ec/events/vevt:7cff587a-c84f-442c-9387-581769d29d27/home/story

Donations may also be made to Sun Valley Tour de Force. Any donations made this year will go to The Hunger Coalition and other beneficiary partners. Checks can be made to Sun Valley Tour de Force, P.O. Box 3658, Ketchum, ID 83340. All donations are tax deductible.

The Sun Valley Tour de Force has donated nearly $2 million to programs supporting the Wood River Valley since 2018. It donated a record $1 million to The Hunger Coalition in 2023, of which $100,000 was split equally between the Blaine County Education Foundation and The Space.

The Hunger Coalition used its $900,000 to provide 171,000 healthy snacks for kids at school and afterschool camps, purchase a refrigerated van named Clementine for the children’s summer lunch program and food rescue, provide 230 hours of gardening education, serve twice weekly community meals in the Bloom Café, provide boxes of food during its second busiest month on record due to last year’s lackluster snow season and serve 16,441 food boxes to 3,400 people over the entire year.

The Blaine County Education Foundation used its $50,000 to settle 382 unpaid bills for the Schools Meals program, which fed 412 students. And The Space used its $50,000 to expand its teaching team, which  provides 220 students with free educational services. The organization also added an enrichment program for middle school students and a drop-in program.

A final donation of $25,000 was made to the new BCFiRST, which provides mental health services to first responders and their families.

Whitney Slade said Sun Valley Tour de Force will share more news about next year’s event, scheduled for July 17-19, 2025, this fall.