Cool local nonprofits
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This week is Idaho Gives. It's a statewide fundraising campaign organized by the Idaho Nonprofit Center to encourage Idahoans to support and raise awareness for local nonprofits. Donations are open from Monday, April 28 to Thursday, May 1. Hundreds of nonprofits are participating this year. You can browse them all here and even filter by name, location, or cause. Some organizations are also hosting fun events throughout the week, like karaoke, bingo, community paint night, and the annual BFF Block Party at Lost Grove Brewing. You can check out the events here. Not gonna lie, the list of participating nonprofits can be a little overwhelming. So if you need a starting point, here’s a few of our favorite organizations doing amazing work in the Treasure Valley: Game Changers IdahoGame Changers Idaho is a sports league for kids with disabilities. The organization uses multiple kinds of sports as a vehicle to create relationships and focus on the ability of children, rather than the disability. Since 2018, Game Changers has gone from a single flag football program to a year-round lineup of nine different sports that serves over 300 athletes throughout the Treasure Valley. They focus on what kids can do, not what might hold them back. During Idaho Gives, Game Changers is raising funds to build their own indoor sports facility. The organization is growing (which is super exciting) but they’re running into a big challenge: not enough space, especially for soccer and football. Right now, they rely on other organizations’ facilities and have to work around their schedules, which limits their ability to grow and serve more kids. We really believe in the mission and impact of Game Changers Idaho, so From Boise will match up to $5,000 in donations to Game Changers! Donate any amount to Game Changers today, and we’ll match it dollar for dollar.
PS - Read my story about Game Changers Idaho here. Wild Hearts IdahoWild Hearts Idaho combines outdoor adventure with girl leadership and community to create engaging and supportive experiences for girls to explore, grow, and lead. Research shows that girls who spend time outside have an improved body image and better mental and physical well-being. However only 35% of participants in outdoor activities, and 20% in mountain sports, are women. By middle school, most girls stop going outside. They stop being active. When researchers asked what is holding them back, women cite three reasons for not wanting to get outside: they don’t want to do it alone, they lack the confidence, and they lack the skills. Wild Hearts Idaho is changing that by bringing girls ages 12-18 on outdoor adventures – all of which are totally free to participants. All gear is provided and our experienced outdoor Adventure Mentors teach leadership, technical, and outdoor skills. Adventures include hiking, backpacking, rafting, snowshoeing, and rock Climbing. During Idaho Gives, Wild Hearts Idaho has a fundraising goal of $15,000, which will directly support an ambitious summer adventure season. Wild Hearts has an exciting lineup planned with 30 different outdoor adventures, including hiking, backpacking, climbing, fly fishing, bikepacking, and art in the parks.
Foster and HeartFoster and Heart provides support and care to children in foster care, foster families, and all individuals within the foster care community across the Treasure Valley. At the heart of their mission are Mimi’s House and Bubba’s House: two homes designed to keep sibling sets together, ease the transition into foster care, and offer a secure home environment for children ages 0-17 until the right foster family is found for them. These houses provide cozy bedrooms and care from empathetic and highly-trained staff, who play a crucial role in easing kids’ transition into foster care. Bubba’s House opened in January of 2024 and within just hours of its opening the house reached full capacity, welcoming eight children in need of a home. This swift filling of spaces underscores the urgent need for organizations like Foster + Heart to provide essential support in the community. During Idaho Gives, Foster and Heart is raising funds to provide essentials and experiences to kids in foster care.
Belong CollectiveBelong Collective (aka Belong Co.) creates social and employment opportunities that empower adults with disabilities to explore and embrace their abilities, and foster an environment that values inclusion and growth. The organization launched in September 2022 with a free social event and since has hosted 66 different social events. In September 2023, Belong Co. launched an employment program. They employ 7 individuals with disabilities through a mobile coffee cart, Belong Co. Coffee, which has provided 168 pop-ups shifts. They launched another employment program, Belong Co. Ice Cream, in June 2024 and that program employs another 7 individuals with disabilities part-time. During Idaho Gives, Belong Co. has a goal of $4,000 in monthly support and $15,000 in one-time donations.
Bogus BasinBogus Basin is one of a few dozen nonprofit recreation areas in the country. I wanted to include Bogus in this story because I think there's sometimes a misconception that Bogus is raking in profits. If you look at the changes and improvements over the past decade, it’s clear how much they reinvest back into the mountain to create even more year-round opportunities for our community. Bogus provides year-round mountain recreation and education. In the winter there is 2,600 acres of daytime skiable terrain and 200 acres for night skiing, seven chairlifts and three people-mover carpets, and an 800-foot tubing hill. The Nordic Center also offers 37 kilometers of groomed trails for skiing and snowshoeing. In the summer months, there’s The Glade Runner Mountain Coaster, The Mine Shaft Challenge Course, mountain biking, hiking, chairlift service for hike and bike transport, live music, events, and more. Bogus Basin also runs environmental education and community outreach programs, reaching over 20,000 kids and adults each year.
There are so many amazing nonprofits doing good work in our community – it was tough to pick just a few for this story. What’s one of your favorite local nonprofits? Reply and let me know! We might feature them in an upcoming story :) Thanks for reading! With love from Boise, Marissa
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