Wood River Community Fund: Q1 Reflections
One of the best things about calling the Wood River Valley home has always been the sense of community. When you live in an area with fewer than 15,000 full-time residents, you might expect a certain level of closeness with your fellow locals—but our combined towns of Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, and Bellevue have always taken the meaning of "neighbor" to another level.
In the spring of 2021, we set out to formalize this sense of belonging and support through an official effort. This would eventually become known as the Wood River Community Fund (WRCF). This month, we're celebrating a year anniversary of that effort, reflecting on our four total nomination cycles, and looking to the future.
What is the Wood River Community Fund?
The Wood River Community Fund was created in the spring of 2021 by Stephanie Reed Real Estate was a way to support residents of the Wood River Valley through financial support. In a town as tightly-knit as ours, we wanted to find a way we could lend a helping hand to both individuals and businesses in Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, and Bellevue.
What kinds of support does the WRCF offer?
We intentionally created the WRCF to be impactful for as many people and local companies as possible.
From rental payments—both for individuals and businesses—to buying new appliances or paying for veterinarian or medical bills, groceries, gas, daycare, and more, we've left our eligibility requirements intentionally broad.
We created the Wood River Community Fund to assist our neighbors, friends, families, and everyone else who enjoys calling this mountain town "home."
You can learn more about our Wood River Community Fund eligibility requirements and available assistance on our website.
How can I donate to the Wood River Community Fund?
Although we are working towards establishing a 501(c)(3), we currently do not accept financial donations to WRCF. All awards dispursed so far have been made as contributions from our core team at Stephanie Reed Real Estate.
If you're interested in learning more or want to be notified when we have made the transition to a 501(c)(3), please reach out to us directly.
How to nominate someone for support
One of the best things about the Wood River Community Fund is that nomination for assistance is open to anyone in our valley. If you know someone who could use a helping hand, all you have to do is fill out our nomination form and tell us their story.
We take nominations for assistance on a rolling basis every quarter. Nominations for the first donation cycle of 2022 are due by March 31, 2022.
You can always see the most current, open nomination cycle by visiting our official Wood River Community Fund page on our website.
Our goals for the future, becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and more
One of our biggest and most high-priority goals for the year ahead is to establish the Wood River Community Fund as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which would mean that we could offer tax deductions to our donors. We're excited to share progress and updates as we work towards this meaningful distinction. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when this change is made official.
As part of our expansion and growth as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we will be dedicating more resources to partnering with other organizations in order to pool our resources and have an even greater impact on the lives of locals.
Our impact so far
Since starting WRCF just over a year ago, we’ve been able to make a difference in over a dozen individuals’ lives—and that number only continues to climb. Each quarter, we select two to three individuals or businesses who we can make help make the most meaningful impact.
From medical bills to vet procedures, rental deposits, mortgage payments, groceries, and more, we’ve been able to help a number of locals within our community who were in need of some kind of financial assistance. And thanks to the generosity of our small mountain town, each of these individuals was nominated by someone in our community.
Neighbors, friends, family, coworkers, and anyone who knew of someone in need of a helping hand has stepped up to make WRCF what it is today. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store.