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Sandpoint Nordic Club receives $10K grant

by NANCY DOOLEY / Contributing Writer
| December 21, 2023 1:00 AM

The Sandpoint Nordic Club is the most recent recipient of a $10,000 grant award from 101 Women, Sandpoint. 

The Nordic Club will use the funds for a children’s ski and snowshoe program. The group hopes to ensure that kids of all abilities, backgrounds, and socio-economic classes can be active in the winter through cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. 

The funds will specifically be used to purchase additional skis and snowshoes, adaptive equipment for kids with disabilities and for grooming and road maintenance. This year the group will expand their program to include a larger number of children in the county — exposing area youths to a lifelong sport that can help them stay fit, active and healthy during the winter months. 

The $10,000 grant to the Sandpoint Nordic Club is provided through the generous donations of 101 local women. 101 Women Sandpoint provides a simple and powerful way to leverage the modest giving of many into substantial funding for local groups. Two $10,000 grants are awarded each year to Bonner County nonprofit organizations. 

The group meets twice a year to vote on the three finalists that emerge after a vetting process that includes grant application reviews and site visits. 

The other two finalists at this spring grant cycle include Creations of Sandpoint and Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Each has specific programs they offer the community, and each need financial support to succeed. 

Creations of Sandpoint’s mission is to support the arts, creativity, discovery and STEAM learning using an interactive, discovery play area and educational art studio. Creations partners with families, businesses, and local organizations to provide educational activities that support student learning. Creations plays an unique role in North Idaho as a hub of connection, support and inspiration where youth through adults take art classes, create art independently and play on interactive equipment. Creations is the only indoor, family-friendly, creative art-making space that is open year-round, 7 days a week. 

The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness (FSPW) Winter & Spring Tracks programming is a day-long outdoor experience for students in the Scotchman Peaks region to ignite their curiosity for the natural world. The purpose of this program is to give students the opportunity to deepen their relationship with their wild backyard, build community, empower students to safely explore wild lands, and pursue local careers in natural resource management. Students get face-to-face time with adults who are experts in forestry, wildlife biology, and ecology. They get to touch wolf pelts and beaver skulls, learn to identify trees and animal tracks, and navigate through the woods with just a map and compass. The funds will support another full season of both Winter and Spring Tracks, with a goal to reach six elementary schools and four high schools in Bonner County.

To learn more about these Bonner County non-profit organizations go to their websites. The groups rely on donations and volunteers to continue their worthwhile work.

  • Sandpoint Nordic Club — sandpointnordic.com
  • Creations of Sandpoint — creationsforsandpoint.org
  • Scotchman Peaks Wilderness — scotchmanpeaks.org

To learn more about 101 Women Sandpoint, its grant opportunities or to find out how to become a member, go to 101 Women Sandpoint’s website at 101womensandpoint.com.