I have to admit, I hadn’t heard of The Impact Club Boise until a few weeks ago when they contacted me, inquiring if I was available to photograph their upcoming event.  Sarah filled me in on what the organization was all about and I knew this was something special!  I then waited with anticipation to witness, and photograph my very first Impact Club gathering.

What is the Impact Club Boise?

For those of you unfamiliar with what the Impact Club is… here’s a brief synopsis.  This is a group of individuals who join together, four times a year.  The join forces to pool their money together with the end goal to donate a substantial sum of money to non-profit organizations within the Treasure Valley.  The event duration is one hour.  Each member contributes $100 to the pool of money at the event sign in.

Once the event begins, members listen to a 5 minute presentation given by 3 different non-profits.  After each organization has given their presentation, members vote for the non profit they feel is most deserving.  The votes are tallied… and at the end of the evening, one lucky non-profit goes home with a big fat check!  This time around it was a $20,200 check.

Who Was the Winner?

As mentioned about, each event highlights three different non-profit organizations within the Boise area.  For the September 2018 gathering members voted for “The Speedy Foundation“.  The Speedy Foundation was created in the name of  Boise’s own Olympian, Jeret Speedy Peterson.  As many of us in the area know, “Speedy” took his own life.  The foundation was created in his memory, with the goal of reducing the stigma of mental health issues.

A Few Words From The Speedy Foundation

“A mental health crisis is more common than most people realize. You are more likely to come across a person having a mental health crisis than a person having a heart attack. Where CPR training is common, the same is not true of responding to a mental health crisis. We believe it is crucial to prepare to help our neighbors, friends, relatives and coworkers when they need help. The Speedy Foundation supports and provides Mental Health First Aid and QPR trainings in Idaho and Utah.”

In Conclusion

What an amazing event to have witnessed and to photograph!  If you or someone you know is looking for a way to continually contribute to the community, I encourage you to look into this group.  It might just be the perfect fit for you.