Non-profit organizations provide important services to all communities, including ours. This year, the annual Idaho Gives program – which is designed to bring the state together, raising money and awareness for Idaho nonprofits – runs through Thursday, May 4.

While Brundage Mountain believes that all Idaho non-profits serve valuable needs, we would like to highlight a few of the local organizations participating in Idaho Gives that have a direct impact on recreation and community-building at Brundage and in our local communities.

CIMBA – Central Idaho Mountain Biking Association

The Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association (CIMBA) operates out of McCall, ID, which is designated as a Silver Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). The CIMBA mission is to protect, enhance and create quality trail experiences for the mountain bike community in Central Idaho. CIMBA actively works to promote the sport of mountain biking and responsible riding, advocates for trail access and builds and maintains sustainable trails in the McCall area.

CIMBA is currently working on the Brundage to Bear Basin Connector, McCall Flyway, and Eastside Payette Lake trail.

Valley County Pathways

Valley County Pathways seeks to connect our communities from Cascade to McCall with 70 miles of walking/biking trails. They also want to connect from McCall to New Meadows and the northern terminus of Weiser River Trail. They strive to build an awesome valley-wide trail system that matches the grandeur of our world-class valley.

Last year, with the help of Idaho Gives, Valley County Pathways built a mile of new singletrack sidewalk pathway along Heinrich Lane, a walking, running and biking trail. People are enjoying the new Heinrich Demo Trail! It’s the first of many miles of singletrack sidewalks planned in the future. 

Payette River Bicycle Movement

Do you remember the first time you rode a bike? Payette River Bicycle Movement (PRBM) works to create the opportunity for as many kids as possible to have this same experience. PRBM’s mission is to refurbish donated bikes and provide new helmets to children who wouldn’t otherwise have a bike.

PRBM is actively involved in bike safety and bike maintenance education for children and runs programs using obstacle courses and hands on skills for preschool age on up.  In 2019, PRMB built a mountain bike trail at the local elementary school with the help of many dedicated volunteers. Students are now able to use it during recess and it has turned into a resource for the community!

Through community and school partnerships PRBM has refurbished and given out bikes and helmets to more than 300 kids. 

MWSC McCall Winter Sports Club

When you donate to the McCall Winter Sports Club, you are helping to “create world-class kids through winter sports.” 100% of your Idaho Gives gift goes directly to local athletes via scholarships for the purpose of program enrollment, equipment, race and competition costs.

MWSC offers seasonal programs, including; Alpine Race, Big Mountain Freeride and All-Mountain Development to athletes 5 to 17 years-of-age. MWSC also hosts multi-day camps including the Backcountry Boot Camp and All-Mountain Holiday Camp. In addition, MWSC produces downhill races, big mountain competitions and other events for both the competitive and recreational athletes. Our home ski areas are Brundage Mountain and Little Ski Hill.

Payette Lakes Ski Club – Little Ski Hill/Bear Basin Nordic

For over 80 years, Payette Lakes Ski Club has provided a winter recreational outlet for McCall and surrounding communities focusing on accessibility for all.  Their mission is to provide affordable and accessible winter recreation facilities and programs regardless of financial and equipment barriers to participation. They do this by managing and operating Little Ski Hill and Bear Basin Nordic Center in McCall, Idaho.

The Little Ski Hill After School Ski Program is the area of greatest impact in our community, but it’s also the area of greatest need. Not only does it take an army of volunteers, it takes staffing, gear, transportation, and operational needs to get almost 200 kids on the hill each week. And with a growing number of students with financial need in our community, the club’s hope is to offer skiing and snowboard to any child who wants to learn, regardless of of their ability to pay.

Roots Forest School

Roots Forest School provides a balance of child-led play and focused experiential learning. Students at Roots engage with their surroundings and are immersed in nature. The school’s place-based curriculum follows the flow of the seasons with the study of local ecology and seasonal changes, as well as learning the importance of taking care of this place, its creatures, and each other. Research shows that this approach encourages the development of executive functioning skills that will contribute to a student’s success in future academic and personal endeavors.

Through nature-based early childhood education, Roots Forest School fosters curiosity, community, and imagination to inspire stewardship and empower life-long learners.

Your donation will ensure that income is not a barrier for families who wish to send their children to Roots. Your gift also enables the school to retain high quality staff and provide them with benefits and a livable wage. They would not be the program they are without the dedication and professionalism of their hardworking teachers and administrators. Your donation makes it possible to continue their connections between staff and family, nature and youth.

Valley County Search & Rescue

Valley County Search and Rescue (VCSAR) is a volunteer group dedicated to serving the residents and visitors of Valley County, Idaho. VCSAR members search, rescue, and render aid to people in difficulty or distress. Members support community events and work with neighboring counties, the Idaho State Search and Rescue (ISSAR), and other organizations to provide these services.

The area served by VCSAR is a recreation paradise. Valley County is vast and rugged, with more than 3700 square miles of tall mountains and deep river canyons. Wildlife is abundant, so hunting and fishing are popular. The county includes a large portion of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, an immense roadless land area. Much of the county is mountainous at high elevation, so a deep winter snowpack offers more than 500 miles of snowmobile trails.

The outdoors opportunities, weather, and terrain here all combine to provide many challenges to search and rescue. VCSAR members become experienced to meet those challenges through mentoring, training, and feet-on-the-ground. We search in all weather, from blazing summertime heat in the canyons to deep winter snows and sub-zero temperatures on the mountains. VCSAR utilizes a diverse set of tools in our searches, from hiking boots to ATVs, snowshoes to snowmobiles. Each search requires a broad range of skills, from comms (radio communications) to navigating unknown terrain with map, compass, and GPS. Due to the rugged terrain and primitive roads, sometimes just getting to the search area is a challenge.

Your donations will help fund equipment and training, and lead to positive outcomes for those in need of rescue.

Payette Land Trust

Since 1993, Payette Land Trust has been dedicated to conserving the scenic, agricultural, ranch, recreational, historic and wildlife values of West Central Idaho, for current and future generations. The Payette Land Trust and Payette Riverwalk Alliance have teamed up to conserve 44 acres of riverfront property on the North Fork Payette River. The goal is to provide: daytime public recreation and fishing access, a small system of walking/biking trails, take-out areas for water recreationalists, habitat for game and non-game species and habitat connectively for the river corridor.

McCall Ski Heritage Foundation

The McCall Ski Heritage Foundation seeks to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the nationally recognized history of ski jumping, Nordic, and Alpine skiing, as well as the winter sports culture in the McCall area. To help us create this engaging and modern museum, we have hired Unrivaled, one of America’s most experienced museum design firms. The museum will be a celebration of McCall’s people, history, culture, and community, while also representing our healthy and accessible outdoor lifestyle. 

These aren’t the only non-profits working hard to make our communities more livable places. You can read about other great causes using the menu bar at the top of www.idahogives.org.

Thank you for supporting Idaho and our communities!