Rocky Mountain Power Foundation announces grants to support safety, health and wellness programs
SALT LAKE CITY — Across the West, local organizations are caring for their most vulnerable neighbors and working to create safe, supportive, healthy communities where everyone can thrive. To help them turn these aspirations into reality, the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation is donating more than $365,000 in new grant funding throughout Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
The grants will fund a diverse range of programs, including many that provide meals for those facing food insecurity, offer shelter for those who are unhoused or facilitate healthcare for underserved communities. There are projects to increase public safety and services for teenagers, families, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and victims of child abuse and domestic violence.
"These local organizations are doing critical work that uplifts all of us,” said Dick Garlish, director, Rocky Mountain Power Foundation. “This funding by the foundation will help amplify their efforts to support our neighbors and improve the day-to-day lives of people in all parts of our communities.”
Safety and wellness grants are made through one of four grant cycles offered by the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation each year. The foundation assists a diverse variety of organizations in the communities that Rocky Mountain Power serves.
The following 81 grants, totaling $367,000, were given to local nonprofits supporting communities in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming:
Utah
Cache Valley
Bear River Association of Governments to subsidize the cost of an emergency power source for individuals who need to run life-sustaining medical equipment in the event of an electrical service disruption.
Common Ground Outdoor Adventures to provide 70 special education classes in adventure cycling, canoeing, climbing and skiing, bringing the physical and psychological benefits of outdoor recreation to youth living with disabilities.
Little Lambs Foundation for Kids to provide diapers, wipes, hygiene items and essential staff for the Diaper Bank Assistance Program that supports families in need of necessities.
The Family Place Utah for the Kids Empowered program, an evidence-based safety program for children, teachers, parents, school administrators and other community members to prevent child sexual abuse.
Central Utah
Family Haven for child abuse prevention education offered at no cost through local community groups and schools in the Alpine, Provo and Nebo districts, including life-skills workshops for older students.
Richfield City Fire Department to purchase new tools needed by the department’s two firefighter mechanics to repair and maintain a fleet of aging fire vehicles.
Sanpete Pantry for food outreach programs, including weekend Kids’ Packs for children who depend on free school meals during the week, and the Mobile Outreach program that brings food to people who are unable to travel to the pantry.
Eastern Utah
Moab Free Health Clinic for diagnostic and monitoring equipment to increase the clinic’s capacity to provide primary care and women’s health services in rural Utah.
Northern Utah
Boys & Girls Clubs of Weber-Davis to support the recently expanded after-school food program offered at three sites in the Weber School District area, which now supplies students with a full meal instead of a snack.
Continue Mission to provide free, year-round recreational and educational events throughout Utah that promote health and wellness for veterans and their support members.
Family Counseling Services of Northern Utah to subsidize mental health therapy for uninsured clients with low incomes.
Family Promise of Ogden for the Shelter and Self-Sufficiency Program that assists unhoused families by providing safe shelter, food and work training, with the goal of helping them transition to homes and stable jobs.
Lantern House for emergency shelter that includes case management services with a housing-first approach to helping those experiencing homelessness.
Layton City Fire Department for a small unmanned aircraft system program that will provide better situational awareness in critical operations, such as hazardous materials incidents, large fires and disaster reconnaissance.
Ogden City Police Department to purchase two automated external defibrillators that will be assigned to officers in the patrol division who are most likely to arrive first on scenes where a sudden cardiac arrest event has occurred.
Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports to help people with disabilities participate in sports at ski resorts, climbing facilities, trails and on waterways with the help of adaptive equipment, experienced instructors and financial assistance.
Open Doors to purchase food and provide maintenance and fuel for the Open Doors food bank, which serves thousands of food-insecure individuals, supplies other pantries in the area with food, and provides drop-offs to low-income areas and schools.
Safe Harbor Crisis Center for the Domestic Violence Awareness & Prevention Program, which aims to break the intergenerational cycle of violence through intervention and education that empowers each individual to choose a violence-free life.
Seager Memorial Clinic to provide free insulin to unhoused, uninsured and low-income people with diabetes.
The Salvation Army for the food pantry that serves thousands of people each year in Ogden City and surrounding communities.
Utah Council of the Blind for the Subsidized Transportation Program that offers blind and visually impaired individuals steeply discounted cab and carshare rides in rural areas and cities, with a driver who acts as a guide when the destination is reached.
The Wolf Creek Foundation for retreats, workshops and activities that support service members and their families before and after deployment, with time to relax, reconnect and develop skills that help entire families cope with deployment stresses.
YCC Family Crisis Center to provide safety, services, advocacy and bilingual case management for individuals and families affected by domestic and sexual violence.
Park City
National Ability Center to empower individuals of all abilities and ages through year-round adaptive programming, including recreation, adventure and educational programs, camps, trainings and internships.
Peace House to provide victims of domestic and sexual violence with emergency shelter and long-term stability through support services such as clinical therapy and case management.
Southern Utah
Family Support Center of Southwestern Utah to help prevent child abuse by providing free childcare and a safe place for children to go while they wait for foster placements or for parents to attend mental health counseling and support programs.
The Salvation Army to expand the food pantry to serve more Utahns seeking refuge from poverty and hunger.
United Way of Central and Southern Utah for the Last Mile Delivery initiative that mobilizes existing food pantries throughout Utah, expanding their reach to deliver food to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
Wasatch Front
Ability Found to support the purchase, refurbishment and placement of used medical equipment for people with disabilities who cannot otherwise get the equipment they need to achieve mobility and independence.
Alliance House for their Culinary Unit program that provides daily table-service dining for the group’s members – adults with severe and persistent mental illness – and offers members who work in the unit an opportunity to learn culinary and life skills.
American Red Cross for disaster cycle services to help thousands of Utah residents prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
Assistance League of Salt Lake City for their Operation Healthy Teeth program that provides funding for urgent dental care for children when all other financial resources have been exhausted.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake for Healthy Lifestyles youth development programs that provide nutritious snacks and meals, encourage physical activity and promote mental well-being.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County to provide temporary housing assistance, case management and job counseling for families experiencing homelessness or who are on the verge of homelessness.
Centro Hispano to help cover legal expenses for individuals who have experienced abuse and are going through the process of obtaining a green card.
Comunidades Unidas to provide 200 bags filled with culturally competent food offerings to families from Latino/Latina/Latinx and immigrant communities, helping to address food insecurity and barriers to food access.
Eye Care 4 Kids to give 85 underserved, visually impaired schoolchildren in Utah access to an eye exam, prescription glasses and their choice of eyeglass frames without the worry of cost.
Family Promise Salt Lake for the overnight host program that enlists a community volunteer or an unsheltered student from the University of Utah to serve as a consistent overnight host in the Emergency Shelter Program.
Fourth Street Clinic to support an integrated healthcare program that provides a comprehensive array of critical medical, mental health and addiction treatment services for people experiencing homelessness.
Friends of the Salt Lake County Children’s Justice Center to provide wraparound services for 1,600 children ages 17 and under who have been victims of serious abuse, endangerment and exploitation, empowering them so their voices can be heard in the criminal justice system.
Junior League of Salt Lake City for the CARE Fair that provides free, one-stop medical and dental services for uninsured and under-insured families who may not have the time or resources to travel to different health care providers.
Maliheh Free Clinic for the Healthy Families Support Program, which seeks to bridge the gap in healthcare access for low-income, uninsured individuals and families by delivering quality care to underserved communities in the Greater Salt Lake area.
Neighborhood House of Utah to help cover the costs of providing safe, high-quality child and adult day care programs.
People’s Health Clinic to support the work of providing no-cost healthcare for uninsured people in Summit and Wasatch County and serving as a “healthcare home” to the underserved and predominantly Latino/Latina/Latinx residents of the community.
The Road Home for the Emergency Shelter and Resource Center program that provides emergency shelter, meals, job training, mental health and substance-use treatment, childcare and services to help people move into affordable, stable homes.
The Salvation Army to expand the food pantry client choice shopping model, which allows customers to choose items based on their family needs and preferences.
Senior Charity Care Foundation to provide low-cost hearing aids for up to 10 seniors living with poverty.
The Sharing Place for program costs associated with operating facilitated grief support groups for children, teens and their families who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
South Valley Services to support services for women, men and children seeking refuge from domestic abuse and sexual violence, including emergency shelter, safe housing and community resource centers.
Stand4kind to provide mental health, anti-bullying and suicide awareness training across all school districts in Utah to help students, parents, teachers and administrators create a climate of kindness and support.
Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry for the Pantry Feeding Program, which obtains food donations from local stores, restaurants and food producers to provide assistance to local families.
Utah AIDS Foundation for free and low-cost HIV and other STI testing and education to help promote healthy outcomes in high-risk groups and reduce health disparities among marginalized populations in Utah.
Utah Cultural & Community Engagement Foundation to provide a modest stipend for one AmeriCorps member to provide 675 hours of service to a local nonprofit.
Utah Food Bank for the Mobile School Pantry that brings free food and hygiene products directly to schools, increasing access for families in need.
Utah Health & Human Rights Project to provide holistic care for torture survivors, including refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants.
Wasatch Adaptive Sports for continued growth of the 46-year-old adaptive biking program, which provides instruction, equipment and individualized support to empower people with disabilities to realize their potential through outdoor recreation.
The Work Activity Center for “A Kinetic Symphony of Clay and Calm,” a project that brings together art and sensory experiences to promote mental health and well-being for people living with developmental and physical disabilities, many of whom express themselves primarily through art rather than verbally.
Women of the World to assist forcibly displaced women in Salt Lake County through the Self-Sufficiency Program, which works to empower women through education, employment and community involvement.
Wyoming
Eastern Wyoming
Casper Family Connections for a new security camera system to help ensure children who are unable to live with one or both parents in a safe and conflict-free environment are monitored during interactions with noncustodial parents at Wyoming’s only supervised visitation center.
Downtown Clinic to support a program that dispenses 3,500 prescription medications each year, free of cost, to Albany County residents who have low incomes or lack insurance, allowing them to spend more of their limited resources on food and housing.
Food Bank of Wyoming to support ongoing distribution efforts through 150 hunger relief partners that provide a regular supply of food for Wyomingites experiencing food insecurity across all 23 counties in the state.
Jason's Friends Foundation to continue providing monetary assistance for Wyoming families with children who have cancer or brain and spinal cord tumors, helping to spare families the threat of a financial crisis in the midst of a medical emergency.
Project Kenny to cover the cost of helping local veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress to train their own dogs to be service dogs.
Wyoming Food for Thought Project to purchase additional food for children who rely on the program during weekends and breaks when they are not receiving meals at school.
Wyoming Rescue Mission to help meet the costs associated with hiring a full-time licensed therapist, making it possible to offer on-site mental health interventions and provide staff with vital mental health education to better serve those experiencing homelessness, hunger, addiction or poverty.
Western Wyoming
Anam Cara Caregiving for the Shared-Care program that offsets the high cost of in-home end-of-life care and makes it more attainable for patients to die at home with dignity and connection.
First Stop Help Center to help people avoid homelessness in Lander, which has a shortage of affordable housing, by providing emergency financial assistance such as an initial rent payment, coupled with life skills and money management classes.
CLIMB Wyoming for career training, job placement and support services to increase self-sufficiency of Wyoming’s low-income single mothers while bridging the gap between this vulnerable population and local employers challenged by workforce shortages.
Cloud Peak Counseling Center Wyoming Adult Crisis Stabilization Center to support professional development for crisis staff and life skills training for clients.
Crisis Prevention and Response Center to provide emergency financial assistance to victims of crime in Washakie County.
Hot Springs Health Foundation to replace outdated equipment used in the hospital's emergency department and surgical clinic to measure pressure inside the eye to detect eye disease and perform cataract surgery.
Johnson County Family YMCA to help cover costs for installing slides, a sandbox, a strider bike track and other features at the Naturescape playground at the Y in the Park Child Care Facility.
Military Mobility to fund a five-day program that offers off-road expeditions and resiliency training for disabled veterans to transition back to civilian life.
Sublette County Health Foundation for raised garden beds in an outdoor space at the new Sublette Center, a 44,000-square-foot skilled nursing facility and memory care unit, so residents can have a community garden.
Sublette County Sexual Assault and Family Violence Task Force for community awareness activities, client assistance, staffing and advocacy to help address sexual assault and family violence.
Idaho
Bear Lake School District #33 to add two outdoor tables where students can socialize, draw, play board or card games, write and read on the playground at Paris Elementary School.
Oneida Crisis Center to purchase education and outreach materials for in-school activities that provide high schoolers with information about what constitutes a safe, strong and healthy relationship.
Idaho Foodbank for the Mobile Pantry program that sends a refrigerated truck full of food to communities, usually in rural areas, where there are no brick-and-mortar pantries or existing local pantries lack the capacity to meet hunger needs.
Judicial District VII CASA Program for recruiting, training and retaining CASA volunteers and volunteer attorneys to advocate for 80 abused and neglected children in Jefferson, Fremont and Madison counties.
Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center to continue providing comprehensive, victim-centered support for child abuse victims and their families through trained family advocates, forensic interviewers and collaboration with community partners.
Upper Valley Cycling Corp to purchase an adaptive e-assist mountain trike to make cycling accessible to community members with mobility issues that prevent them from riding a regular bicycle.