Grant Stories

The Steele Memorial Medical Center, located in Salmon, ID, provides more than 1,600 surgeries per year. It is the only surgical center within a 100-mile radius, making it crucial that the hospital auxiliary be capable of providing high-quality healthcare at all times. 

One of the anesthesia machines machines at the hospital auxiliary was 20 years old - 13 years older than is typically expected for a machine of its kind. Additionally, operating with three anesthesia machines manufactured in three different eras created additional challenges for staff, who had to be able to know how to operate the three separate machines. Inconsistent machinery has been identified as a major contributor to avoidable errors, and both the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and The Joint Commission recommend that hospitals standardize anesthesia equipment. 

Steele Memorial reached out to CHC Foundation requesting a grant to help purchase a new anesthesia machine, one that would match the medical center's newest and most up-to-date machine, helping bring the operating center into alignment with recommendations for standardized equipment as well as ensuring that there were no disruptions to planned surgical procedures if the older machine stopped working.  

The Clark County Volunteer Fire Department was recently able to purchase several new complete sets of turnout gear to replace aging gear that no longer met NFPA safety standards. This purchase prevented a significant financial challenge, with the rural fire department serving a large geographic area with very limited financial resources made this purchase. A grant from CHC Foundation, however, made this purchase possible. 

Sheree Farr, Clark County Emergency Manager, shared her thoughts about the impact of this grant: "Our volunteers give their time and put themselves at risk to protect our community, and making sure they have the proper gear is one of the most important ways we can support them. As a rural volunteer department, we depend on the dedication of our members, and this investment helps ensure they have the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. Most important, it shows our volunteers that their safety matters and that we appreciate everything do they for Clark County." 

We DO appreciate you, Clark County volunteer firefighters! Keep up the good work. 

The Kelly Canyon Ski Patrol treats over 200 patients per year following accidents on the slopes. While treating patients, they were running into a serious barrier - literally. The entrance into the first aid building was located next to a column on a corner, making it nearly impossible to move patients in and out of the facility on a stretcher. 

CHC Foundation provided a grant that enabled the Ski Patrol to install a door with a cement pad to make transitioning patients safer and more efficient. 

The mission of the Salmon Valley Stewardship is to "promote a sustainable economy and productive working landscapes in the Salm River region of Central Idaho."  Since it was founded in 2004, SVS has completed a number of projects aimed at supporting conservation, education, and collaboration within the community. 

One of its newest projects is a mobile Community Commercial Kitchen, which provides a commercial food preparation space for local food vendors. This kitchen enables entrepreneurs to open and maintain their businesses without creating the financial barrier of constructing and maintaining an entire kitchen for each organization. 

The mobile structure needed a few finishing touches, including the purchase of a propane convection oven, a trailer skirting system for winterization, and a door/ventilation for the walk-in cooler shed. These were critical updates necessary to keep the kitchen open during the winter. "As the only licensed kitchen that's publicly available for rent in the area, it's so important that this resource stays open and has the equipment that businesses need to thrive," shared Cameron Rolle, the SVS Community Food Systems Manager. 

CHC Foundation was happy to provide a grant to make these purchases possible and support the work of what Rolle calls a "more connect, more resilient local food system for the Salmon River region."

The Rexburg Soup Kitchen opened in the beginning of 2025 as the only soup kitchen serving Madison, Jefferson, Fremont, and Teton counties. Its all-volunteer team aims to provide not only food but a central place where program participants can learn about other services available to help them become self-reliant.   

Sixty-six percent of Madison county residents are living below the ALICE threshhold - ALICE standing for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - meaning they are working, but not earning enough to cover basic living expenses. This is the highest rate in Idaho, and one of the highest county rates nation-wide. Rexburg Soup Kitchen was founded with the aim of meeting gaps identified in local food insecurity studies. 

Once a week, it provides food to anyone who  who asks, without any pre-registration or financial requirements. It offers hot, ready-to-each lunches; cold, take-home meals; ready-to-make shelf stable dinners; and grocery items. 

As this program has grown over the past two years, the shelves originally used for the program were becoming worn out. CHC Foundation was able to provide a grant that enabled the Rexburg Soup Kitchen to purchase some new, heavy-duty shelves that should be able to help keep this operation organized and well-stocked for years to come. 

The Idaho Falls Youth Hockey Association is a passionate group of volunteers working hard to make sure that youth in Southeast Idaho have the opportunity to play hockey and grow as hockey players. The sport provides opportunities for developing the physical fitness, social skills, planning, teamwork, and confidence of its participants. The organization is committed to making hockey accessible to everyone, regardless of financial resources. 

Many young hockey players are interested in trying out the goalie position - but goalie gear is expensive and it can be difficult to make the purchase, especially if the player doesn't know for certain that they'd enjoy guarding goals. 

With the purchase of goalie gear for players ages 5 to 14, made possible by a grant from CHC Foundation, IFYHA can now allow all players to choose to play goalie without having to make a big financial investment in the gear. This gear can be used by multiple players over many seasons, and with a coach on hand focused solely on helping goalies develop their goal-keeping skills, IFYHA will now be able to provide even more opportunities for growth. 

Snake River Youth Performing Arts was founded to help supplement music education. With many school programs being cut to to budgeting restrictions, the founders wanted to ensure that youth still had access to low-cost music education and performance opportunities.

The program has been consistently growing over the decade since it was founded, and the organization recently needed to purchase a synthesizer cart, which keeps the keyboard secure and portable, and a PA system, for support in public performances. 

CHC Foundation was happy to support both of these purchases with a grant. 

The Judicial District VII CASA program serves children who have been abused and/or neglected - connecting children with volunteers who will advocate for their welfare in the court system. CASA volunteers carefully and thoroughly research every child's case - connecting with everyone involved in the child's life, and submitting formal reports to judges at formal hearings and reviews. In the last year, CASA volunteers served 330 vulnerable children. 

A simple part of keeping this program running smoothly is a reliable printer/copier, and unfortunately, this program's copier was getting old and unreliable, creating administrative blocks and headaches. Obtaining a grant from CHC Foundation to cover the costs of the printer allowed the program to continue to focus all of its resources of protecting and supporting children.  

The Willard Arts Center sees a lot of traffic: With top-notch, nationally touring performers providing high-quality entertainment on stage year-round. Recently the Idaho Falls Arts Council updated the backstage space, but there was still some flooring in the dressing rooms, hallway, stairs, and kitchen area that desperately needed to be replaced. After serving for almost 3 decades, much of the floor was worn out, unsightly, and unsafe. CHC Foundation provided a grant that helped make a flooring update possible. 

"This grant has had a significant impact on the backstage experience in the Colonial Theater!" shares Georgina Goodlander, Visual Arts Director. "The flooring in the dressing rooms and kitchen were in extremely poor shape and did not reflect well on our organization. The new floors look wonderful and we are no longer embarrassed to have artists and groups use the spaces. In addition, the kitchen floor and stairs are now much safer." 

Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership (EICAP) is a major player in providing community and social services to the residents of Southeast Idaho. This organization provides support to individuals and families across the lifespan - from administering Head Start programs for young children to managing the Area Agency on Aging. They provide several programs aimed at supporting individuals and families through financial challenges, working to remove barriers to safe and affordable housing through programs like their Family Services Division, Weatherization Program, Energy Assistance Program, and Housing Project. 

Unfortunately, they had run into some serious problems with the HVAC system in their building. "Our previous system had become a significant operational challenge," shared Susan Espinoza, EICAP's CFO. "Our previous system had become a significant operational challenge, with recurring failures, substantial repair costs, and even temporary office closures during extreme weather."

With the help of a grant from CHC Foundation, they were able to get their HVAC system updated just in time for another Idaho winter, ensuring that the programs they provide will continue available without interruption.