Women helping the community
<p>Paul Weil, president of Hospice of North Idaho, applauds during the Women's Gift Alliance annual distribution event Thursday in Coeur d'Alene. Hospice was one of four local charities to receive funds from the WGA.</p>
<p>The recipients of funds distributed by the Women's Gift Alliance gather following the presentation. From left, Jeni Riplinger, Art on the Edge, Paul Weil, Hospice of North Idaho, Dian Hanson, Art on the Edge, Brenda Wild, Cindy Reed, Amanda Miller, Kim Ransier, all with Hospice, Braden Smith with grandfather Phil Altmeyer, Union Gospel Mission, Kara Carleton, Community Roots, and Adrienne Cronebaugh, Kootenai Environmental Alliance/Community Roots.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - The collective power of female philanthropy is once again making its mark in Coeur d'Alene.
The Women's Gift Alliance's eighth grant cycle came full circle Thursday when the membership organization distributed $55,000 among four local nonprofits.
"We had a real variety of applicants," said Janet Robnett, WGA president.
Union Gospel Mission, a women's and children's shelter planning to open in Coeur d'Alene later this year, and Hospice of North Idaho each received a $25,000 grant.
For the first time this year, WGA distributed an additional $5,000 in the form of two small grants. Those grants were awarded to Community Roots, a volunteer food share and community supported agriculture operation, and Art on the Edge, a youth-centered program that provides artistic opportunities for under-served children.
"We had a record number of applicants this year," Robnett said, estimating they received more than 35 requests. "When we started out, we might have had 10 or 15."
Founded in 2004, the Women's Gift Alliance is a means for Kootenai County women to pool their talents and financial resources to provide meaningful support to cultural, charitable and educational projects in the community.
Since the group's inception, it has awarded $510,250 in grants and gifts.
The alliance started with 52 members, and is now 99 members strong. "We're finding a lot of people who like the platform for educated philanthropy," Robnett said.
Besides pooling their funds for grants, members learn about and actively participate in the grant selection process.
"In addition to becoming educated about analyzing requests, members learn about the needs in the community and how to determine where the money will be the most well-spent," Robnett said.
Funding for the large, pooled grants, like those awarded to Union Gospel Mission and Hospice of North Idaho, goes to applicants who provide nonprofit community service that addresses a crucial need in the community while creating a "bold new venture," addressing a community problem, foster collaboration of partnerships or "enrich the fabric of the community."
Union Gospel Mission's WGA funds will go toward equipping the new facility with the necessary supplies and computer access so school-aged children at the center will be able to complete their homework and young children will have age-appropriate learning opportunities.
The funds going to Hospice of North Idaho will help buy a specialized hydrotherapy tub and lifter for bed-bound patients.