STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Wood River Women’s Foundation has awarded $315,944 to projects funding playground equipment for the children of Carey, the support of a bilingual dentist in Bellevue and new mammogram equipment for women with dense tissue in their breasts.

The women’s philanthropic organization announced its 2026 Grants Cycle recipients on Monday. The grants will support a diverse array of projects including the purchase of a key piece of property at Howard’s Preserve in Bellevue and trail work in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

This year’s recipients are:

The new bridge on the Fox Creek Trail near Ketchum will make it easier for hikers to access the part of the woods that still sports hollyhocks long after wildfire ran through the area.

BLAINE COUNTY EDUCATION FOUNDATION: Fuel their Future, $25,000

BCEF requested general operating support funding for three umbrella programs:

--Students in Need: Increased funding to serve individual students through School Meals, Back to School supplies, Emergency Social Worker requests impacting attendance and achievement and financial support to access school-sponsored activities through the Can Do fund.

--Educational Opportunities: Funding for schoolwide and club activities that are no longer adequately funded by the district.

--Scholarships: Greater access to post-secondary scholarships in underserved areas, including for studies in the trades and for first generation students.

BLAINE COUNTY RECREATION DISTRICT: BCRD Picabo Playground Project, $15,000

• BCRD wants to install play structures in the park at the request of the Carey City Council.

SENIOR CONNECTION: Supporting Essential Services, $25,000

The grant will provide $5,000 in funding for:

o Caregiving to help with activities of daily living.

o Fitness Classes to improve balance and mobility.

o Memory Care through respite services and support groups.

o Meals on Wheels and community lunch.

o Transportation to medical appointments, the Senior Connection and beyond.

FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES: Affordable Primary Care in Blaine County, $25,000

Funds will support a bilingual dental assistant who has served the community faithfully for three years. In 2025, the clinic cared for 1,824 patients from infancy to old age. The dental staff provided preventive and restorative dental care to 625 patients to promote overall health and reduce costly emergencies.

FAR AND WISE: New Kindergarten Cohort, $3,300

The new cohort will serve 20 students 2:45-5:30 p.m. on school days for academic intervention, enrichment and connection. During the 2024–2025 school year Kindergarten students increased literacy scores by 200 percent and other students improved literacy scores by 167 percent. Zero percent of fourth graders began the year meeting grade-level math competencies; by year’s end, 43 percent were at or above grade level.

GIRLS ON THE RUN SOUTHERN IDAHO: General Operations for Girl Empowerment Programs, $10,000

By adolescence, girls begin to experience faster rates of decline in physical activity, lower levels of confidence and positive perception of their academic abilities and higher rates of anxiety and depression as compared to male peers. This program starts with third-graders, giving them the tools they need at an early age to help counter the emotional challenges that come in middle and high school.

HAILEY ICE PARK: Free Elementary School Skate Nights, $3,300

Between 400 and 500 youth and their families engage in these events.

HUNGER COALITION: Hope Garden Infrastructure Project, $25,000

This will transform Hope Garden into a shared, year-round teaching space, expanding access to hands-on food and environmental education, prioritizing underserved public-school students

IDAHO FOODBANK WAREHOUSE: Promoting Food Security through the Carey Mobile Pantry, $5,000

IFB delivers fresh produce, dairy, protein, and staples; families typically receive 20 to 50 pounds of free food per household. In Fiscal Year 2025 the food bank distributed over 30,800 pounds of food, serving an average of 329 neighbors/month.

KETCHUM FIRE DISTRICT: REALTI Simulation Monitor, $10,165

REALITi360 is an advanced patient monitor simulator for training. It simulates the vital information that a manikin cannot, optimizing training time when monitoring Heart rate, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, Oxygen saturation, End-tidal CO2, Patient images and Heart rhythms.

PROJECT BIG WOOD: Establishing Fish Passage at the Lower Big Wood River Diversion, $3,300

This grant will help add fish passage to the D45 Low Head Dam in Bellevue—an essential irrigation structure that has blocked fish from moving freely through the Big Wood River for decades. While funding is in place to rebuild the dam, fish passage remains unfunded. By restoring connectivity, miles of habitat will be opened, improving spawning success and supporting healthier fish populations for the benefit of the entire watershed.

SAWTOOTH SOCIETY: Protecting Recreational Trails in the Sawtooth, $16,679

Following U.S. Forest Service staff reductions, Sawtooth trails need support to avoid becoming unsafe, impassable and costly to recover. The Society’s two trail crews will clear 150 plus miles of trail, remove 1,000 fallen trees and repair 150 drainage sites. The first crew, integrated with the U.S. Forest Service, will tackle backcountry trail work. Community volunteers led by a stewardship coordinator make up the second crew.

ST. LUKE’S WOOD RIVER FOUNDATION: New Mammogram Technology, $25,000

The Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) technology significantly improves breast cancer detection for women with dense breast tissue, a group for whom traditional mammography can miss up to one third of cancers. Nearly half of women over 40 have dense tissue, and more than 70 percent of patients at St. Luke’s Wood River fall into this category. The nearest ABUS machine is 170 miles away in Nampa, creating major travel barriers.

SUN VALLEY CULINARY INSTITUTE: Transforming Lives in the Wood River Valley, $3,300

This will help fund two $2,500 need-based scholarships for women in the Wood River Valley enrolled in the school’s professional culinary training and apprenticeship program.

BUILDING MATERIAL THRIFT STORE: Diversion & Deconstruction Building for Sustainable Futures, $3,300

The grant will help sustain the Ohio Gulch Diversion Program and expand its Deconstruction Program—two complementary efforts that intercept usable building materials before they enter the landfill. In its first full year, BMT diverted 50,000 pounds of materials through on-site engagement and contractor partnerships.

THE COMMUNITY LIBRARY: Bookmobile Outreach Program, $25,000

The Community Library’s new year-round Bookmobile takes books, story time and hands-on activities to preschools, non-profit partners and underserved communities. More than 600 kids have gotten their first library card since the Bookmobile launched last June, checking out more than 3,000 books.

CRISIS HOTLINE: Enhanced Crisis Hotline Services: Integrated Technology and Dedicated

Leadership, $25,000

The Crisis Hotline responds to 1,200–1,400 calls each year, often during nights and weekends when other services are unavailable. There is a meaningful shift, with more individuals—including men—reaching out, reflecting growing courage and openness around mental health.

This grant will improve response, support volunteers and expand follow-up care.

THE SPACE IDAHO: Alternative Educational Pathways, $25,000

The Space provides the Wood River Valley’s only GED prep, testing, and tutoring for homeschooled and online students. School cuts in Blaine County—especially to at-risk support staff—are reducing student success and graduation rates. Declining education funding is increasing the number of students at risk of not completing high school.

WOOD RIVER COMMUNITY YMCA: Y Summer Education Programs 2026, $3,300

This will help fund field trips for Y Summer Education Initiatives including, Summer Bridge Education Camp, Nature Explorers and Discovery Day Camp. These field trips will be serving 600 students ages 5–14

WOOD RIVER FIRE & RESCUE: Stronger Together Project, $16,000

The Stronger Together initiative expands community CPR training across schools, workplaces and other community settings to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Currently, only about 40 percent of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR, delaying lifesaving care.

WOOD RIVER LAND TRUST: Bellevue's Howard Preserve Expansion, $3,300

The Wood River Land Trust wants to acquire a 0.55-acre parcel that will secure a permanent southern entrance to the 35-acre Howard Preserve in Bellevue. This investment will resolve a decades-long public access challenge by establishing a safe, legal and clearly signed entry point on the south end of the preserve. The acquisition will also permanently conserve 400 feet of Big Wood River frontage and strengthen the city’s walkable connection to nature.

WOOD RIVER TRAILS COALITION: Fox Bridge Replacement Project, $20,000

The Fox Creek Bridge Replacement Project will address damage caused by repeated flood events in 2017, 2019, and 2023, which transformed Fox Creek into multiple channels and rendered the existing bridge undersized and ineffective. Located one mile up Fox Creek Trail #7149, the current crossing creates a disproportionate challenge for users. Replacing the bridge at the existing “pinch point” will minimize environmental disturbance, avoid costly reroutes, and restore safe, reliable access.

Forty-three Wood River Women’s Foundation members volunteered to help sift through the applications. Among them, 20 first-time volunteers.

The Grants Co-Chairs were Carolyn Larsen and Jori Potiker and the Grants Mentors were Kelly Chung, Camie Johnson, Jan Swanberg, and Gabrielle Tierney.

Wood River Women’s Foundation members will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with the grantees during a Springtime Mix & Mingle from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 30 at the Sun Valley Club.