November 13th at 5:30 pm at the Pratt Museum.
Living Pay It Foreward
Learning to ride a horse takes time and patience. Years ago to earn money to pay for college, I worked as a female counselor at a trail ride camp for middle and high school age students in the Badlands of North Dakota. A roan mare was assigned to me for the summer by Herman Urban, a German cowboy of immigrant parents. He knew horses and how to care for them “like the back of his hand.” He was the wrangler, the one who gathered horses and gear from local ranchers as donation to the cause. He assigned horses with gear to campers, taught them how to feed and care, how to curry and groom their assigned horse and how to take care of the saddlery and harness.
Herman instructed campers and me before they arrived the first time how to mount a horse that didn’t know the rider. As my mare moved sideways or twirled her rear end the minute my foot hit the stirrup, Herman used to say, “Hold the reins. Hold the stirrup leather and speak in a calm voice. She’s looking at you to see if you have patience and will not give up. She’s checking to see if she can trust you.”
After a few weeks of everyday following his calm instructions and encouragement, she let me mount her easily. She would stop completely if one of the reins fell to the ground and wait until I retrieved it. We developed a trust, an unspoken communication of good will and confidence in each other. Staying the course made a difference in our relationship. To this day, I feel fondly toward that spirited horse and learned how to trust an animal’s wisdom and appreciate its personality.
About 30 years ago, Homer Foundation was established for long term benefit of this community by a few visionaries. Joy Steward was hired as the first Executive Director of the first community foundation in Alaska. Others were to follow, but Homer had the first community foundation and Joy was the first director of one in Alaska. Last Sunday at the annual Homer Foundation picnic, Joy was honored for all her work.
She may not like me highlighting her dedication and effort over all these years in the paper in this column, but here goes. She prefers background support. Perhaps due to that quality about her, the foundation has flourished through ups and downs as Homer and the state, borough and national economies have fluctuated.
Like Herman instructed, she remained calm. She was patient. She watched and listened carefully to donors. She encouraged and made friends with people as they inquired how to support Homer over the long haul. People came to trust her and her council. She helped others leave legacy and give memory to a loved one through scholarships and invested funds. She developed communication and confidence with community members and the board. She gently encouraged distribution of funds with a grasp of the needs of the lower peninsula while she continued contact with larger foundations in the state. She opened herself to learning all she could to enhance Homer Foundation. She stayed the course. She made a difference. She’s still here and will continue to give to this community, no doubt. Her wisdom is broad and deep and will benefit all of us going forward.
She enabled the board and gently guided us in the hiring of a new director and worked tirelessly for the past three years to make this transition seamless. Bravo, Joy for a job well done!
Flo Larson
Homer Foundation, trustee
Last week, Governor Dunleavy abruptly vetoed all of the state legislature’s approved funding for the arts and culture in Alaska, cut the University of Alaska by 40% and slashed Health and Human Services, destabilizing our most vulnerable–children and elderly. If state legislators are unable to override the Governor’s veto with a 3/4 vote in a special session that begins on July 8th, numerous State agencies will begin shutting down services to Alaskans.
I am profoundly disoriented by this situation. I have taught for the University of Alaska twenty years, nearly as long as I’ve worked for Bunnell Street Arts Center. Many of the services which Dunleavy axed are mandated in our state’s constitution. In this context, it’s hard to talk about the needs of the arts and culture sector. But let’s remember that the arts and culture are livelihoods for many. In Alaska, arts and culture a 1.3 Billion dollar industry. In this sector alone, Dunleavy’s abrupt termination of funding will have dramatic and immediate impacts on people’s lives and programs in Alaska:
In defense of her decision to protect the PFD at all costs, Representative Vance suggested to me that private foundations could pick up the slack by funding arts and culture non-profits in Alaska. This is not true, and here’s why. State support is not all about money. The strength of our sector builds on the infrastructure and the example of stewardship set by the State of Alaska. The Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) was established to advocate, connect, strengthen, train, evaluate and elevate Alaska’s cultural sector. It is our bone structure. It’s not our fat. ASCA has provided modest funds aimed to empower and catalyse the arts and culture sector, to attract and leverage private gifts from individuals and foundations. This is critical to our sustainability. ASCA does all the things that a good parent does to raise a responsible member of society: inspire, teach, evaluate, reward. Opposite thinking motivates the Governor’s veto: when the bones of a body are removed, you destroy it.
Leverage is what state support achieves, leverage for private dollars. Homer’s non-profits leverage state support at least three times for every dollar. Foundations are very careful not to create dependent non-profits. Foundations require non-profits to show State support. Federal agencies require us to demonstrate State support. So we will lose far more than State dollars with Dunleavy’s axe.
Art offers more than pretty images. Arts build a great many strengths for our society. Arts teach discipline, patience, cooperation, collaboration, coordination and teamwork. Arts teach problem-solving. Not everyone learns these essential life skills through academics or sports. State support was at an all-time low when Bunnell was established as a non-profit in 1994. A determined perennial, Bunnell has grown a deep root system to nurture Alaska’s creative sector. We have learned to grow with minimal support from the State of Alaska, but the support we receive, about 10% of our budget, is a critical part of our success. We leverage State support 10x for every dollar. We present over 150 artists in about 75 programs annually. Our work as an arts presenter of exhibits, performances, residencies and Artist in Schools contributes to artists’ livelihoods, builds strong and deeply engaged communities and helps schools meet Alaska’s art and cultural standards. In the absence of art teachers and a Kenai Peninsula District Art Specialist to serve remote and rural schools, this is especially hard for schools to manage. The work we do strengthens lives economically, educationally and culturally.
As UAA, Alaska’s Health and Human Services and non-profit arts and culture sector face grave cuts, I am reminded of the very hard work it took to build these agencies. So that much of this work isn’t lost, what every Alaskan can do is use our fat PFD’s to support the services that shape a more just and vibrant society. To maintain a healthy state we will have to pay it forward. It’s up to each of us.
Asia Freeman is the Artistic Director at Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer Alaska.
When I started wrestling, girls on the mat were few and far between. In middle school, the School Board said I wasn’t allowed to wrestle. Only when I challenged them with Title IX did they allow me on the mat.
I felt lucky to have the chance to wrestle and I knew that if I didn’t lay it all on the mat, if I ever gave up, it would be attributed to my gender rather than my character. The acceptance of girls in wrestling was not a given, it was hard earned by each wrestler, coach, official, and supporter of female wrestling.
Now as a coach, when I walk into the mat room, it’s different. I feel accepted–and honestly I am taken aback by it. I grew up so accustomed to the idea that I must prove to the room that I belong here.
It’s a real example of social change in gender equality.
Change is seen through policy. Alaska was the fifth state in the country to sanction high school girls wrestling. Furthermore, the KPBSD, who once tried to keep girls off the mat, is considering funding the first high school girls coaching position in Alaska.
Change is seen through programs and funding. This spring, Homer hosted an all-girls wrestling camp for 35 Alaska girls. Scholarships were provided by the Homer Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council. One former Mariner wrestler, offered up a scholarship because she wanted to pay forward the opportunities she was afforded by a generous community.
Change is felt on the mat. The wrestlers, both girls and boys, earn their place–but not as a representative of their gender, but as representatives of their community, family, and team. It’s about wrestling, not gender.
Socrates said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” By building girls programs our wrestling community strengthened wrestling for all.
This year, at the Alaska State Championships, a new wave of wrestlers made a splash on the mat. Moms. Alaska Moms On the Mat, or AMOM, developed as a fundraiser for Alaska girl wrestlers. At first, I was curious with a tinge of skepticism. Were moms really going to sign up? Wrestling is intense; a few minutes of wrestling takes a kind of conditioning that is unlike any other sport. It’s a battle: a display of athleticism, body, will, and heart. Moms were up for this? The idea intimidated me and I’m an Olympic wrestler who’s had three natural child births.
This spring, 34 moms competed against each other, and honestly, they stole the show. Moms trained with their teams, learned moves, and geared up in singlets. When a mom match was on the mat, the energy filled the big Menard Sports Center, people couldn’t stay in their seats as they crowded towards the mat. I watched children coaching their moms before their matches. Dads cheered and yelled encouragements. Coaches sat on the edge of their seats coaching like it was the NCAA championships! All for the wrestling moms, who laid it all on the mat through frustration, bruises, and exhaustion? Win or lose, each mom stepped off the mat as a respected wrestler.
Witnessing how our community’s culture celebrates and supports our girl and mom wrestlers shows that we are on the forefront of this movement. Thank you to all of you social change makers.
Tela Bacher is a mother, Olympian, advocate, and coach. Tela and her husband, Paul, raise their three children close to nature in a community worth celebrating.
In every corner of the state Alaskans are talking about the state budget and the impacts it will have on the quality of life for young and old. After the State Legislature approved a budget with some very deep cuts, Governor Dunleavy used his veto pen to cut another $444 Million. These cuts, primarily in higher education and social services, will profoundly impact the life of all Alaskans, including those in the Homer area.
The Homer Foundation is the oldest community foundation in Alaska and regularly interacts with many other nonprofits in the region. In conversations with some of our partners in the Homer area, we know that as a result of his budget local nonprofits will lose significant funding. What does this mean for our community? Our partners tell us the loss of state funding will mean layoffs, lost matching grants, and reduced help for members of our community that need it most. Here are just some of the outcomes:
There appears to be a misunderstanding in some quarters that the philanthropic sector will fill these budget holes. This is wishful thinking. This statement is not based on the generosity of Alaskans, it’s based on scale. In 2018 total philanthropic giving in Alaska added up to approximately $135 million. This amounts to just a portion of the cuts proposed in the budget even before the Governor’s vetoes.
Locally, in 2018 the Homer area nonprofit sector accounted for $5.9 million in revenues of which $2.4 million was new money into the area. Much of this was federal matching funds which require State funding to qualify for the Federal portion. As a leading local distributor of funds, last fiscal year the Homer Foundation distributed $150,000 in grants and scholarships. We are proud of our fund holders, donors and volunteers who love this community and help their neighbors by giving to the foundation. We are also proud of the rigorous level of due diligence we employ both in our grant-making and our investment management. By noting theses impacts we are not entering the political conversation. That is for others. Some would argue that a large PFD will help all Alaskans. We’re not debating the merits of that argument either. This conversation is about what sort of community we want to have. Our role here is to inform the community of the very real local adverse consequences resulting from this budget. Whatever your position on the issue, be informed.
-Mike Miller, Executive Director
Homer Foundation
by Bonnie Jason and Tom Kizzia,
Homer Foundation trustees
With anxiety rising these days about future state and municipal budgets, we all wonder how much our community will be thrown back on its own resources. This seems like an important time to let our neighbors know that the Homer Foundation has been busy making changes to strengthen the future of private giving in the community.
Our town has always been special for the generosity and support neighbors show one another: whether giving time and money at church and school, digging deep at fundraisers for families in hard times, or writing checks to support our many non-profit groups.
It’s no surprise that Homer was the first town in Alaska to set up its own community foundation. For nearly three decades, the Homer Foundation has served as an independent non-profit vessel for home-grown philanthropy, directing local contributions to everything from the food pantry to youth groups to hospice.
Several big transitions have been underway at the foundation for the past year. Those changes now seem timelier than ever.
First, the foundation has launched a major effort to grow our endowment. After humming along for years with a few million dollars in assets, we are pushing to expand to $20 million in the next decade. An endowment that size would mean a stable permanent funding source for a town like Homer.
We know we can do it, because we’ve seen other small towns raise those kinds of funds. A big part of their success has depended on bequests — essentially, people putting the whole community in their wills.
Loyal foundation donors have helped to launch our new Legacy Society, but we’re reaching beyond them, talking to everyone from old homesteading families to the newly arrived and newly smitten. For people who want to pitch in, we have a way.
Second, last year we made a major change in how we handle those funds entrusted to us. All our money is now invested in conservative Vanguard funds that follow the stock and bond markets.
A cautious four-percent draw will safeguard the investments but generate less cash than we’ve had in the past for operations and distribution grants. To sustain the foundation as the total endowment grows, we have undertaken a new initiative with the goal of raising $50,000 for our unrestricted fund in fiscal year 2020. We have received a $25,000 challenge grant from community members, which means we’re halfway there if other folks come through — every contribution counts double.
There’s been a transition in the people at the foundation, too, as one by one our founding board members have been stepping down, giving way to new trustees and new ideas.
The board’s biggest job this winter was to replace our longtime executive director, Joy Steward, who is retiring in June. After a national search, we were lucky to find Mike Miller, a retired Air Force veteran whose extensive municipal and non-profit experience includes leadership of the Food Bank of Alaska.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the foundation’s commitment to channeling donations to good causes on the southern Kenai Peninsula. Our distributions committee has recently contributed to youth in the Anchor Point area with funds for their wrestling team, and helped the Pratt Museum bring ethnic dancers and drummers to villages across the bay. Grants have gone to the arts, science education, seniors, nordic ski trails, HOWL, Pier One, and Haven House, among many others.
As an independent tax-exempt non-profit, the Homer Foundation occasionally plays a sponsorship role for big community projects, such as rebuilding Karen Hornaday Park and erecting the new Boathouse Pavilion on the Spit. The foundation also manages the City of Homer’s annual grants to non-profits and high school scholarships — things we do without charging fees, so that all the money reaches its intended targets.
And if you’ve read this far, you’re probably aware that the foundation, under the leadership of retired teacher (and recently honored “lifelong learner”) Flo Larson, has been providing regular “Pay It Forward” columns for this space in the Homer News.
Like others in the community, board members of the Homer Foundation are concerned about the future of government funding for our many local needs. We are redoubling our efforts to reach out to neighbors and expand our role in helping Homer’s non-profit groups do their good work for many decades to come.
Bonnie Jason is President of the Homer Foundation board of trustees. Tom Kizzia is the Board Secretary.
Annoucing the 3rd annual Bear Creek Winery Music Festival and Pig Roast. This is the largest donor-driven fundraiser for the Homer Foundation, with all proceeds from this event benefiting the Homer Mariner Fastpitch Softball Fund and the Nikki Geragotelis (Fry) Memorial Scholarship Fund, both benefiting athletes of Homer High School. It is a very unique event full of food, music, and fun. Hope to see you all there!
$31,000 Awarded to Area Students
The Homer Foundation has awarded twenty-one scholarships totaling $31,000 to Homer area students. These scholarships are supported by permanent endowments administered by the Homer Foundation and would not be possible without the vision and generosity of community donors.
“These scholarships have value well beyond the monetary. It is the message we send to each recipient: ‘We believe in you,’ ” explains Homer Foundation Executive Director Joy Steward.
The success of the Foundation’s scholarship program depends on volunteers like our school counselors, notably Homer High School counselor Lin Hampson and her staff who are on the front line, connecting students to scholarship applications, volunteers Jane Miles and Lolita Brache who processed packets for the review committees, and the dozens of volunteers who made up these committees, sharing their time and expertise to read and rate applications, assuring a fair and equitable selection process.
Because of the donors who had the vision to establish these scholarships, and the community members that continue to support them, these funds will be here to support the education of our youth far into the future. Tax exempt donations to support these scholarships, or any of the 69 funds managed by the Foundation, are appreciated and put to work in our community. Contact Joy Steward for more information: jsteward@homerfoundation.org
Congratulations to the 2019 recipients:
Homer Community Science Scholarship: for post-secondary education in the life sciences. The fund was established by retired Homer High School Science teacher, Stan Eller, and is supported by community donations.
Homer High School students: Luciano Fasulo, $750, Anna Brock, $750, Meadow Beckett-Cook, $500
Alain and Daniel Rieser Scholarship: established in memory of Alain and Daniel Rieser, it provides for a travel award or college tuition to a graduating senior with a flair for foreign language and/or interest in foreign cultures/travel.
Brenna McCarron, Homer High School, $3000
Drew Scalzi Memorial Maritime Scholarship: established in memory of Drew Scalzi. The underlying philosophy of the scholarship is to nurture young adults pursuing their careers in the maritime field or who are from local fishing or maritime families.
Avram Salzmann, Homer High School, $1000 and Michael Trail, Nikoleavsk School, $1000
Health Care Providers Scholarship: established by local health care providers to support local students committed to pursuing a career in a health care field. May be awarded upon high school graduation, or later in their educational career.
Homer High School students: Luciano Fasulo, $1000, Kelsea Scott, $1000, Emilia Halstead, $500, and Mackenzie Callis, Class of ’08, $3000
Beluga Tail Non-Fiction Writing Scholarship: rewards graduating seniors that demonstrate exemplary skills in non-fiction writing.
Avram Salzmann, Homer High School, $3000
Beluga Tail Fiction Writing Scholarship: rewards graduating seniors that demonstrate exemplary skills in non-fiction writing.
Meadow Beckett-Cook, Homer High School, $3000
Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic Scholarship: established by Dr. Paul Raymond to provide financial assistance to a public high school graduating senior in the greater Homer area who has best exemplified academic excellence, community and/or school service, and a strong work ethic.
Luciano Fasulo, Homer High School, $2000 ($500/yrX4)
Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship: Established by the member artists of Ptarmigan Arts Gallery to support aspiring young artists, either with college tuition support or purchase of art supplies or classes.
Anna Brock, Homer High School, $1000
Nikki Geragotelis (Fry) Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship was established by the family and friends of Nikki in honor of the life she lived. The goal of the scholarship is to keep Nikki’s memory alive by helping students continue their education. Throughout her life Nikki had a “walk-on” spirit. A recipient is selected that exemplifies her sportsmanship, athleticism, integrity, friendliness, and hard-working nature, giving their best every time they step on the field whether at practice or for a game.
Homer High School students Cora Parish, $2500, Rylyn Todd, $2500
Bill and Liz Johnson Teacher Education Scholarship: Bill and Liz Johnson both served as teachers and mentors to many students in the community. They were always willing to help give a leg up to any student willing to work hard. The Bill and Liz Johnson Teacher Education Scholarship Fund celebrates their memories, and their love of teaching by providing support to students choosing education as a career.
Cora Parish, Homer High School, $1000
Diane Wambach “Shoot for the Stars” Scholarship: This scholarship was established in memory of Diane Wambach by her family to encourage and support young adults who have overcome adversity and want to pursue their educational and career goals. Diane Wambach believed in people’s dreams and always encouraged her own children to shoot for the stars. The fund provides for an annual award to support college or technical training program.
Samantha Martin, Homer Flex School, $1000
Heather Pancratz Memorial Scholarship: The communities of the Southern Kenai
Peninsula lost a valuable educator in 2017. This scholarship was established to keep alive Heather’s commitment to her students and home community
of Nikolaevsk. Heather is remembered for her belief in a loving God from which flowed compassion, love and a faithful devotion to family, friends, students and community. The Fund will continue her legacy through its support to students who exemplify Heather’s critical thinking, respectful questioning, and lifelong learning approach to life.
Michael Trail, Nikoleavsk School, $500
Fish & Wildlife Scholarship: This scholarship was created by Steve Albert who is a resident of Homer. Steve dedicated his life to Fish and Wildlife management for the State of Alaska. The intent is to support Homer area students in pursuit of higher education in wildlife or fisheries biology or management, with a preference for students planning on working in Alaska.
Dexter Lowe, Homer High School, $1500
Submitted by Billy Day
I often prefer to tackle jobs during the winter months. The snow pack can be much easier to travel upon than the veggie covered terrain one encounters during other seasons. Today I made a new friend while on the job.
I drove to the end of the road and found a trooper vehicle parked in the turn around, engine running but no one in sight. I negotiated a tight turn and backed my truck to the snow berm to unload my snow machine. A few minutes later a trooper appeared, post holing up the driveway. It turned out he was coming to the aid of an elderly woman whom he was going to give a lift into town.
Several minutes later she appeared in the distance, ski poles supporting her while she made the long journey up her driveway to the trooper’s car. She was obviously laboring in the deep snow and I hurried to try to make my machine available to assist her. By the time I had it ready she was crawling into the backseat of the trooper’s car and off they went. I figured all was taken care of.
I continued with my business of digging up existing survey monuments and setting new ones. A couple of hours later I looked up and once again, there she was, ski poles in hand, bags draped over her arms, standing where I had last seen her loading into the trooper’s car. She was gazing down her quarter mile long, snow covered driveway and contemplating the journey. I hollered at her to stay put, that I would come give her a ride home. I quickly kicked off my snow shoes, disconnected my sled full of gear, and fired up my machine. I pulled up next to her as she stood unsteady in the deep snow.
“Can I offer you a ride home?” I asked.
“That would be swell.” she responded.
“Are you familiar with riding on these machines?” I inquired.
“Never been on one in my life,” she answered “but I’m ready to give it a try”.
With some effort I had her loaded on the machine with a little room left for me to climb on and drive. I gave her a few last minute instructions and off we went. On the way down the hill to her little cabin we passed her car, stuck in the deep drifts from Saturday’s storm. We unloaded she and her bags at her front door. She thanked me over and over for saving her the walk and for the exhilarating ride. I offered to dig her car out and park it back in front of her cabin. She had done her best with a small snow blower to clear a parking space there. She dug her keys out of her bag and handed them over.
“That would be swell.” she said.
She had buried her old beat up Blazer pretty good, but in 30 minutes I had it dug out and parked in front of her cabin. I gave her my phone number as I handed her the keys.
We finally introduced ourselves as we said our goodbyes. She offered to pay me with a fist full of a five and a few ones. I declined the offer and reminded her to call me the next time she got herself into a pickle. With tears in her eyes she thanked me again.
Before going back to work, I called a friend who has a plow business and told him the story. He said he would be right over. An hour later he pulled in and began the task. A few minutes after his arrival my phone rang. It was my new friend Carmen, “Like the opera”.
“Someone is plowing my driveway!” she exclaimed. “I’m not sure I can afford that.”
“That’s my friend and he was in the neighborhood and there will be no charge for his services.” I replied. “And be sure to call me the next time you find yourself in a pickle.”
Tonight I suspect Carmen is nestled into her little cabin with a fire burning in the stove and counting her blessings. It was a big day for her. I hope she feels she has made a new friend, someone she can call upon in a time of need. She has my number, in her new smart phone (we learned how to add a new number to her contacts), and written on the inside of her door, and again on a piece of plywood on her entry.
And for myself, I feel blessed for the new friend. I suspect I will be seeing more of Carmen.
Billy Day is a life long Alaskan who lives a happy life on Diamond Ridge and prefers to spend his time in the mountains with a pair of boards strapped to his feet.
