BCHRTF unveils grants program

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force will unveil the details of its new grants program at its Tuesday board meeting.

According to task force president Brenda Hammond, the group was recently entrusted with more than $300,000 from the estate of Dorothy Adler. The money will allow task force associates to support nonprofits, government agencies, libraries and school districts with grants for projects and programs promoting human rights.

It also means the human rights advocates have an important task ahead of them as the stewards of the endowment.

“This guarantees the life of the task force for longer than any of us are going to be around,” Hammond said.

Human rights task force members certainly weren’t expecting to be considered when it came time for Adler’s estate to settle accounts. As it turned out, the money was freely given, with the only stipulation being that it be used to promote human rights.   

“We were really stunned and enormously honored,” Hammond said. “We feel very responsible to use this money in the way Dorothy would have wanted.”

Given the enormity of the endowment, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force officials knew they needed help managing it. The money is now in the hands of the Idaho Community Foundation, which will invest and grow the endowment to support human rights causes for years to come. In addition, the interest from that money can be dispersed each year in grants to teachers, government officials or nonprofit leaders seeking to advance human rights projects.

In addition, the task force will hold an election of new board members and hear reports about the past year’s activities.

Scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, the meeting ill be held at Aadvent Community Health Services conference room in the Sand Creek Office Building, 476394 Highway 95.

“We feel so privileged to offer the community this invitation to join us in human rights endeavors,” Hammond said.