WEST YELLOWSTONE - The West Yellowstone Foundation (WYF) is celebrating 30 years in operation.
The foundation was organized by Arne and Stephanie Siegel in 1992.
Stephanie is excited to celebrate this milestone of giving back to the community for so many years.
"It's awesome, and I am thrilled," Stephanie said. "I'm so sorry that my late husband isn't here to enjoy that."
Stephanie says her and her husband's love for West Yellowstone is what started their love and need to help the community 30 years ago.
"When my husband and I were spending so much time in West Yellowstone, we wanted to give back and then we learned about community foundations," said Stephanie.
WYF has specific focus areas for giving grants.
The areas include arts and culture, basic human needs, conservation and environmental protection, economic vitality, education, and historic preservation.
WYF also provides six main lines of services.
The services include rural public transit, community grants, fiscal sponsorship for community nonprofits, endowments, and especially important to Stephanie — scholarships.
"We provide funding to anyone who is accepted as a two-year or four-year program," Stephanie noted. "We just completed a million-dollar program to raise money for our unrestricted endowment, and now we'd like to move forward and do more for the scholarships.
Thanks to endowments, Stephanie and the operation have big plans for the future: serving the community of West Yellowstone with any needs that arise.
