Five local nonprofit organizations that serve the Idyllwild received grants totaling $15,257 from the Idyllwild Community Fund, a geographically based fund established in 1997 by donors who wanted to leave a permanent legacy to benefit the community and its residents. They set up the fund with The Community Foundation, which manages and invests the assets and disburses the returns annually through a competitive grant proposal process to nonprofit groups that serve the Idyllwild community. The grant recipients are selected by an advisory board of local representatives and then submitted for approval by the full board of directors of The Community Foundation.

Friends of the Idyllwild Branch Library. The first library in Idyllwild was established on private property in 1920 and remained on private property grounds until Friends of the Idyllwild Branch Library, established as a nonprofit entity in 1982, lobbied county government to purchase a building to house it. Friends enhanced the grounds by adding a deck, storage sheds, shade awnings, and drainage systems. They bought the first computer and provided internet access, staffed the library during lean years, and spent thousands of dollars to enhance the book collection. Currently Friends runs the children’s summer programs, provides volunteer staff, solicits book donations, provides the tutors for the Literacy and English as a Second Language programs, and landscapes and maintains the grounds. Through these efforts they promote literacy, literature, cultural enrichment, and appreciation in the mountain community. Their main source of funds is their membership dues and book sales from donated materials.

The $3,429 grant will provide materials for the English as a Second Language and literacy programs, and bring quarterly cultural enrichment presentations to the community.

Idyllwild School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). The Idyllwild School PTA has been affiliated with the national PTA since 1987. Their three-fold mission is to: 1) support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; 2) assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; and 3) encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools.

The $3,500 grant will support the Idyllwild PTA’s implementation of the California PTA’s “smARTS” program to bring arts back into the school curriculum. This program was developed in response to the disappearance of the arts in public schools due to severe funding cuts. The smARTS program brings artists from the community into public school classrooms to teach visual arts, dance, theater, music, art history, and creative writing. The grant will help pay for at least 180 art classes taught by resident artists, including all supplies. The program will be implemented at all grade levels from Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Mile High Radio Club. The Club has been serving the mountain communities of Idyllwild, Fern Valley, Pine Cove, Mountain Center, Garner Valley, and Pinyon for more than 20 years by providing an opportunity for licensed amateur radio operators to meet and exchange knowledge and experience. They have assisted in providing radio communications for the fire agencies during the Bee Fire and have run fire patrols and fire watches every year for the U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry.

The $1,614 grant will pay for a backup controller for the Idyllwild/Pine Cove amateur radio repeater and replace the old batteries for the repeater and emergency radio boxes.

Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. The mission of the Mountain Community Fire Safe Council is to restore the local forest to health, reduce the risk of wildfire, and improve forest habitat conditions. It was founded in 2001 to educate mountain residents about the danger of fires and recommend actions to reduce fire hazard on private property.

The $220 grant will purchase educational CDs to use in classroom exercises at Idyllwild Elementary School. The CD, titled “Burning Issues,” is an interactive multimedia program that helps students learn about the role of fire in ecosystems and the use of fires in managing natural areas. The culmination of the training is a simulated wildfire that puts students at the Fire Command Center, where they must make decisions about controlling, suppressing, or letting different types of wildfires burn themselves out.

Mountain Disaster Preparedness. Established in 1986, Mountain Disaster Preparedness has a three-fold mission: 1) to participate in the disaster planning activities of the community; 2) provide supplies, maintenance, and staffing for eight strategically located neighborhood disaster supply depots (referred to as neighborhood collections points, or NCPs); and 3) work with and assist governmental agencies in disaster response.

The $6,494 grant would support the work of a disaster preparedness coordinator whose responsibilities would be to develop and educate a network of community disaster responders and develop and implement a system of staffing, supplying, and maintaining the eight NCPs.