For almost a decade, the South Summit Education Foundation served the teachers and students within the South Summit School district through financial grants, scholarships and other activities. But just over a year ago, they believed they could do more, expanding and renaming the foundation to the K amas Valley Community Foundation. In addition to education, the foundation now includes three new pillars: “Humanitarian and Health” needs, “Arts” and “Recreation.”  “What we are trying to do with our three new pillars, is what we did … with the education foundation, and that is to enrich and enhance what’s here (in Kamas Valley),” said Amy Lecocq, executive director and a board member of the foundation. Each pillar has its own committee co-chaired by two board members who help  “generate ideas about what we want to do in each of those areas and bring them to the board,” said Lecocq.  Volunteers can join the committee according to their interests to help organize and support the Humanitarian, Education, Arts, and Recreation focuses in Kamas Valley, she said. Community members interested in donating to or volunteering for the foundation can sign up on their website. “We absolutely would love to hear from anybody who’s interested in volunteering for any of those four pillars in particular,” Lecocq said. In the year since expanding, the Kamas Valley Community Foundation has given out nearly $64,000 in scholarship and grant money to students and teachers within the South Summit School District; held an arts festival highlighting local artists across a variety of mediums, such as painting, quilting and music; participated in larger community events like the Fiesta Days Parade; and hosted a fundraiser for the foundation.  But the group is far from done. When asked about the foundation’s mission going forward, Lecocq said, “We want to hear what the community … wants to do and see if it’s manageable for our organization. And if it is, do it.”  The Kamas Valley Community Foundation is ready to “HEAR” from the community as they implement their four pillars of their new mission: “To nourish the soul of Kamas Valley and target the Humanitarian Health needs (Heart), Education (Mind), Arts (Spirit), and Recreation (Body) based on what we HEAR from all residents in our community.”  Starting this summer, the foundation has a recreation bingo card on its website filled with outdoor activities for all ages. People can bring their filled-out bingo cards to the foundation’s Summer Gathering on Aug. 10 at Kamas City Park to be entered into an opportunity drawing.  In January, Kamas Valley Community Foundation will host a fundraiser with the proceeds going to help run the foundation and fund its educational scholarship and grant program, the foundation’s biggest expense.  “We’re very happy and proud to do that,” said Lecocq, “for graduating students from high school before going onto further education and to award teachers who sometimes do thankless jobs.”  Members of the community can sign up for the Kamas Valley Community Foundation newsletter on their website to stay informed of upcoming events and opportunities available to the public.  The post Foundation expands beyond education appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less