Two dozen non-profits in Wyoming, including five in Casper, received thousands of dollars in grants from the PacifiCorp Foundation to strengthen arts and other programs in communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.

Arts and educational organizations have had to find creative ways to present their programs including using virtual programs to connect to families and students, the news release said.

“Local programs like these are the heartbeat of Wyoming, providing connection, education and tradition and helping to heal and strengthen our communities,” said Sharon Fain, Rocky Mountain Power vice president for Wyoming.

The Foundation awarded 58 grants region-wide ranging between $1,000 and $7,500.

In Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, the total came to $200,000.

In Wyoming, the PacifiCorp Foundation, a non-profit arm of Rocky Mountain Power, provided seven additional community giving grants totaling $45,000 to help meet additional critical needs.

These are the organizations in Wyoming counties, cities and towns that received the grants:

Albany

  • WTI Foundation to support their scholarship program aimed at  people who have lost their jobs due to COVID and who wish to transition into the automotive, diesel or collision industry.

 

Casper

  • Artcore, Inc. for supporting artists through ARTCORE Outreach, which brings artists to schools and students and teachers to venues for music, dance and theater performances.
  • Casper Theater Company to provide energy-efficient LED house lighting for the theater, which provides entertainment education and quality theater to the Casper community.
  • Food for Thought Project to fund a commercial refrigerator, stove, vent and hood  to help them deliver on their mission to end hunger and alleviate poverty in the Casper community.
  • Mimi’s House to support housing and transition programs for homeless teens.
  • Nicolaysen Art Museum to support therapeutic art programs through a variety of regional nonprofit organizations, which help children through adults cope with life’s challenges and connect with the larger community.
  • Nicolaysen Art Museum for the Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise Again, a monumental sculpture to be constructed by repurposing nine obsolete wind turbine blades.

 

Douglas

  • Converse Hope Center to support the mission of serving victims of crime, which is especially critical now as reports of domestic violence and abuse have risen during the pandemic.
  • Solutions for Life to support the purchase of a new water heater and chairs for their transitional group home for mental health patients.

 

Evanston

  • Roundhouse Restoration Inc.,  to support The Music in the Air at Depot Square, a live concert series scheduled for summer 2021 in conjunction with the local farmer’s market.
  • Uinta County Museum Foundation to digitally catalog artifacts at the Joss House museum and purchase archival materials to help exhibit and preserve museum artifacts.


Glenrock

  • Boys and Girls Club to support their Feed the Kids on Friday program to support children who no longer have access to school nutrition programs on Fridays because of the four-day school week.

 

Greybull

  • The Shack to provide food through their Life Intervention Initiative that targets at-risk middle and high school students, and provides a safe, constant place to go in a community impacted by the pandemic.

 

Kemmerer

  •  Oystergrass Inc. to support sound engineering for the Oyster Ridge Music Festival, a cornerstone event for the community.

 

Laramie

  • Albany County Public Library Foundation to support essential work and material delivery.
  • Alliance for Historic Wyoming to support the Historic Preservation Month 2021 program, which helps the nonprofit connect with organizations and businesses across the state to promote economic development and growth through preservation.
  • Laramie Free Clinic to support their mission of offering healthcare to low-income, uninsured residents of Albany County, which is especially important now since unemployment has increased during the pandemic.
  • Laramie Public Art Coalition to fund artist workshops and meet-ups and for engaging with the public through education about public art.
  • University of Wyoming to support the Malcom Wallop Civic Engagement program, which supplies free, virtual social studies curriculum resources to Wyoming teachers and students.

 

Pinedale

  • Green River Valley Health Foundation to purchase needed equipment for local medical clinics in Sublette County, the only county in Wyoming without a hospital or trauma center.
  • Pinedale Fine Arts Council to support their COVID response, reworking school arts programs to include social distancing and moving the Senior Center Dementia Care classes into a virtual environment.
  • Rendezvous Point to fund Wyoming Home Services that provides vulnerable, home-bound seniors with housekeeping, personal care, respite and other services that allow them to age safely at home and stay out of nursing facilities.

 

Rawlins

  • Carbon County Library, to support increased services as families turn to the library for online-learning support, educational materials and free Wi-Fi.

 

Rock Springs

  • The Actors Mission Inc., to help construct the Black Box Theater in donated buildings downtown for its its mission to “Feed the body, nourish the mind” by providing free admission and a meal to anyone wishing to attend a show.

The Foundation has marked more than $2.3 million in 2020 for organizations in its service area and will continue through 2021 for grants that support needs around the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next grant cycle is open through March 15.

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