Grant Stories

Hospice and Palliative Care of Eastern Idaho was founded to help support terminally ill patients and their families, regardless of their ability to pay. It is the only nonprofit hospice organization in Southeast Idaho. For the past twenty-five years, this organization's team has worked to provide compassionate medical, social, spiritual, and bereavement support to families across Southeast Idaho. 

HEI’s office building was beginning to look noticeably worn, with peeling and chipped paint exposing the wood underneath. Without repainting the exterior, this exposure could potentially damage the siding itself, creating the need for an early replacement.

CHC Foundation was happy to grant funds to Hospice of Eastern Idaho to help pay for the costs associated with this preventative paint job, and now the HEI office is looking crisp, refreshed, and ready to stand up to any of the freezing snow, shooting hail, sweltering heat, or fierce wind  (maybe in a single day!) Idaho decides to toss its way. 

This grant money enabled HEI to continue focusing on their mission of providing end-of-life care to everyone who needs it. Learn more about Hospice of Eastern Idaho here.  

Clark County, Idaho has the smallest population of any county in the state of Idaho. Only 800 residents dwell within its 1,765 square-mile spread of agricultural land, mountains, and desert landscape. Though its population is small, the county is popular among people engaging in outdoor recreation activities. Thousands of people visit this county every year to camp, hike, hunt, fish, ride ATVs, and more. 

Between everyday emergencies, plus agricultural and recreational accidents, Clark County Ambulance has been responding to an increasing number of emergency situations, and the all-volunteer team was often forced to navigate rough terrain that made ambulance access slow, difficult, and at times, even impossible. In situations where every minute matters, this felt unacceptable. 

Because of this, Clark County Ambulance sought a grant from CHC Foundation to help purchase a specially designed off-road vehicle that could provide safe, efficient, and life-saving transportation to both residents and visitors. CHC Foundation was happy to provide a grant that helped make this purchase happen. 

The Whitewater Therapeutic and Recreational Riding Association of Salmon, Idaho has a simple mission: “To enhance the quality of life for individuals with special needs, including youth at risk, elderly people, and veterans.” 

To achieve this mission, they’ve been providing equine-assisted activities and therapies in Lemhi and Custer County for over three decades. Equine therapy (or therapeutic horseback riding) has been shown to improve balance, muscle tone, and coordination in participants. It has also been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and social isolation. 

This organization has a team of 20-30 volunteers who provide classes, provide care for horses, and help raise funds for the programs. It also has a team of horses who make it all possible. The program maintains a high-level accreditation to ensure that their program is meeting the highest standards. 

Wanting to provide optimal care and comfort for these gentle therapy horses, the Whitewater Therapeutic Riding Association asked CHC Foundation for a grant to help fund the construction of some additional horse shelters to help replace others that have become worn over time. 

CHCF was happy for the opportunity to help keep these therapeutic horses (and their riders) healthy and happy through helping to support the construction of two additional shelters. 

The Sacajawea Interpretive Center in Salmon, Idaho is a welcoming educational center located inside a 71-acre park. The park is filled with peaceful walking pathways that lead visitors through a lovely wooded area right next to the Lemhi River. The Interpretive Center alone, open every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, receives almost 6,000 visitors each year - and that number doesn't reflect the number of people visiting the park's peaceful trail system regularly for exercise and recreation. The trails in the Center provide walkers of all ages and abilities access to a peaceful, beautiful forested area and an opportunity to connect with the the region's Native American heritage. These trails also makes it possible for anglers to approach the Lemhi River without needing to pay access fees. 

After 21 years of use, the "inner loop" trail at the Center needed to be resurfaced to ensure that visitors could continue to traverse these trails safety. CHC Foundation was happy to provide a grant to cover the costs of this simple but much-needed upgrade.