Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation

A History of Giving

The Wenatchee Valley Sports Council was created in 1999 by a stipend from the City of Wenatchee. It was designed to help spur economic growth in the Wenatchee Valley through sports tourism, to help local sports organizations and to guide sports facilities managers into the future. Shortly after its creation, the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council created a scholarship fund with a $5,000 grant from the Greater Wenatchee Community Foundation. The purpose of the WVSC Scholarship Fund is to provide funding to deserving athletes, teams and coaches who require additional monetary support to continue their athletic achievement. The program strives to enhance the social values associated with participation in athletics and believes that our community’s quality of life can be attributed to the active lifestyles of our citizens. The primary focus of the program is financial support for youth sports athletes who are in need. The Sports Council Scholarship Fund has assisted 74 individuals and groups to participate in sports by providing entry fees, registration costs, sports physicals, and transportation. A total of over $19,000 has been granted to Wenatchee Valley athletes and athletic organizations out of the Scholarship Fund since 2000.

Shortly after the creation of the Scholarship Fund, the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Charlotte Martin Foundation. The money was used to create a Special Projects Fund to conduct coach’s clinics and provide assistance for coaching education. Between April of 2000 and March of 2003, the Charlotte Martin monies paid for 11 coaches clinics. More recently, the Fund brought NHL Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Trottier into Wenatchee for clinics in 2005 and 2006, and it also brought in coaching legend and motivational speaker Bruce Brown for a coach’s clinic in 2005. In the last three years, the Charlotte Martin Fund has funded the Annual Coaches of Inspiration Awards. This program was developed by former Director Linda Haglund, who wanted to pay tribute to those volunteer coaches in the area who give so much of their time and energy to coach youth athletics. Since its inception, 92 coaches have been honored. All told, the Charlotte Martin Fund has allowed the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council to provide over $38,000 in coaching grants, clinics and awards.

Between the two funds, the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council has been able to do over $57,000 worth of charitable work toward the betterment of the sports community in the Wenatchee Valley. Creating the Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation will help to continue this philanthropic work and broaden the ability to fund raise, thus helping more and more people. It is the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council’s hope that the Foundation can eventually broaden out into assisting local groups provide additional quality sports facilities.

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Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation Board of Directors
Chair - Dan Kelly
Vice Chair - Caryl Morrell
Secretary - Jennifer Korfiatis
Treasurer - Eric Granstrom (non-voting status)
Members - Pat O’Hara, Jordan Miller, Greg Jones & Scott Paton

Donations and Aid Applications
The Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax deductable. All donations monies go directly back into the scholarship and grant program. The application criteria and grant cycle is still being determined by the Foundation Board. It is expected that grants will be awarded on a quarterly basis.

Fundraisers
Currently, the Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation operates two fundraisers. The O’Terrys Lads and Lasses co-ed softball tournament August 16-17, 2008 is a combined fundraiser for the Foundation’s Scholarship Fund and Special Olympics. The annual Coaches of Inspiration Awards is also a fundraiser for the Charlotte Martin Fund. If you’d like to volunteer for either event, contact Eric Granstrom today.

For more information about how to donate, call or write Eric Granstrom at 509-663-3723 or 25 N. Wenatchee Ave., Suite C-111, Wenatchee, WA 98801. You can also email sports@wenatcheevalley.org