BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley Tour de Force has donated $450,000 to regional nonprofits, including foodbanks in Fairfield, Gooding and Shoshone and organizations in Stanley, where the economy was gravely affected by the Bench Lake and Wapiti Fire.

The charity event raised money through an online fundraiser this year after a driving incident cancelled the high-speed even on Highway 75 and that night’s gala dinner and auction.

Sun Valley Tour de Fore made a donation of $15,000 to the Stanley area, which saw Redfish and Stanley Lakes closed for weeks on ends by wildfires.

“The Intrepid Events Board of Directors is especially proud to have the capacity to donate outside the walls of Blaine County this year. We recognize the incredible impact our north and south neighbors have on the area and we are grateful for all of the hardworking people and organizations we can support,” said Kevin LaChapelle, president of Intrepid Events, Inc.

Sun Valley Tour de Force 2024 Donations:

The Hunger Coalition (Blaine County), $300,000

Blaine County Education Foundation (Blaine County), $40,000

BCFirst (Blaine County), $30,000

The Space (Hailey), $25,000

Hope for the Hungry (Shoshone), $10,000

Camas Community Pantry (Fairfield), $10,000

Crisis Hotline (Blaine County), $10,000

Helping Hearts & Hands (Gooding), $10,000

Sawtooth Society, (Hailey) $10,000

ERC (Environmental Resource Center), (Blaine County), $2,500

Stanley Museum, (Stanley) $2,500

Deborah Van Law, executive director of the Blaine County Education Foundation, said that Sun Valley Tour de Force has provided vital funding to pay for school meals: “Meeting this critical need means students can engage in learning. This $40,000 grant will enable us to strengthen programming that provides financial support for students in need, classroom and schoolwide resources and scholarships for our graduating seniors, reaching more than 2,000 kids each year.”

Sun Valley Tour de Force is Intrepid Events’ signature event with three days of car events including the Huckleberry Drive, Car Show, Sun Valley Auto Club Tech Inspection, No Speed Limit runs at Phantom Hill, and Cars & Comedy dinner and auction.

Sun Valley Tour de Force has donated more than $2.2 million dollars since its inception in 2018.

The charity event is making plans for a 2025 event in July, said co-founder Whitney Slade.