Idaho Community Foundation distributes more than $50,000

COEUR d'ALENE - Alzheimer's patients, the mentally ill and disadvantaged children are just some of the people in Kootenai County who will benefit from more than $50,000 in grants recently disbursed by the Idaho Community Foundation.

The organization recognized 20 area nonprofit grant recipients Wednesday during a reception at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

Each agency received up to $5,000 from the foundation's Greatest Need funds for North Idaho. Representatives were asked to share how the money will be used.

"Our wonderfully gifted grant money goes to our newly acquired influx of low-income kids into Camp Fire," said Colene Rubertt, director of Camp Fire USA's Inland Northwest Council. "There are 80 percent of our kids now that go to Camp Aowakiya or Camp Sweyolakan who need financial assistance just to spend a week in camp."

Rubertt's organization received $4,000 from the foundation.

"This is really the most emotional part for those of us who are on the staff of the Idaho Community Foundation, because your stories really move us, and give us the energy to continue to focus on raising more funds to support the needs that you have in your particular nonprofits and agencies," said Bob Hoover, the organization's president. "Hearing those stories is really very important to us."

The Idaho Community Foundation was started 22 years ago, and is the only statewide public foundation that administers funds for donors who support the state's charitable organizations.

This year, the agency had $111,000 to award to nonprofits in Idaho's 10 northernmost counties. Hoover said they had to select the recipients from 168 grant applications requesting nearly $700,000.

The local chapter of First Book - which distributes new books to children who, for economic reasons, have little or no access to them - received a $5,000 grant.

"The statistics are kind of staggering when you read how many children go to homes where there are no books available for them," said board member Rhonda Willey.

First Book distributes its books through local literacy programs, to help counter the high number of Americans that lack basic literacy skills, Willey said.

Since its inception, the Kootenai County chapter has awarded roughly 5,000 books to more than 800 local children.

Nonprofits provide "the tripwire of a safety net in most communities today," Hoover said. "Whether it be emergency services, health services, aging, education, the arts. All of those things are something nonprofits focus on and make America, certainly Idaho, certainly Kootenai County, a better place to live, so thank you for what you do."