Upper Clearwater Leadership Fund Created to Benefit Lewis, Clearwater and Idaho Counties
Spokane, WA. May 19, 2021—Innovia Foundation announces the establishment of the Upper Clearwater Leadership Council Fund to benefit nonprofit organizations serving Lewis, Clearwater and Idaho Counties.
This new fund was established in partnership with Innovia’s Upper Clearwater Leadership Council (UCLC) whose members are vital to fulfilling our mission of
igniting generosity that transforms lives and communities. UCLC members serve as ambassadors and foster meaningful discussions about community needs while advocating for philanthropic investments in their own neighborhoods. UCLC is one of ten regional councils formed across Innovia’s 20-county region, which includes six tribal reservations, making leadership local so we can have greater impact in our communities.
“Regional funds allow donors to make a local impact and give back to the towns and cities where they live, where they have raised their families, and to the communities they love,” said Shelly O’Quinn, CEO of Innovia Foundation. “UCLC created this fund to ignite generosity in their own region with the knowledge that the dollars will be reinvested into local priorities to improve the quality of life and support organizations serving those with the greatest needs.”
This fund was seeded with $1,000 and has already grown to more than $5,000, with a commitment from every UCLC member to not only contribute to this fund but to help grow the impact of investments in the community. The fund will be permanently endowed when it reaches $10,000.
“This UCLC Fund allows all of us to become part of the solution by distributing grants annually to nonprofit organizations that serve the region,” said Barbara-Lee Jordan, Leadership Council member, secretary, and grant writer for the Clearwater Valley Fire Districts Auxiliary. “The money that residents donate helps keep the gifts local for projects in our own backyards.”
The UCLC members invite the community to make contributions to the fund so that everyone has an investment in the community. “Make a contribution; tell a friend,” said Jordan. “For me, it’s all about being in community.” Some of the UCLC members who created this fund include Joyce Dearstyne, Jason Hunter, Kirstin Jensen, Barbara-Lee Jordan, Dennis Kachelmeier, Abner King, Andrea Solberg, Chris St. Germaine and Rachel Young.
For more information about this fund and how to contribute, please visit Innovia.org/news/upperclearwater.
Innovia Foundation ignites generosity that transforms lives and communities so that every person has the opportunity to thrive. As the community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, we partner with people who want to make our world better. We work together to address and solve our region’s problems, help those in need, identify and respond to our greatest opportunities, and leave a lasting impact. Each year, Innovia Foundation invests more than $7 million into our communities through grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and local students.
