In November of 2025, 5B Kids Fund awarded the Wood River Middle School Best Buddies program with $2000 to support their activities and final walking event. They had over 50 student members and 12 one-to-one friendship pairs that met regularly for meetings, social events and inclusion campaigns at school. The year culminated in our 5th Annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk last week where we walked in solidarity for friendship, kindness, and inclusion. Their community-wide event was attended by more than 100 people and showcased community organizations such as Sources of Strength, Blaine County Education Foundation, The Space, Together We, Love Like Ky, Hunger Coalition and Higher Ground.

At the April meeting, we awarded $2000 to the Carey High School BPA team to travel to Nashville to participate and compete in the BPA’s National Leadership Conference. These six students were the top students in their competitive regional events. This includes a two-time state champion in legal office and another in desktop publishing. These young ladies are poised to take top awards at the national level. 5B Kids Fund members are happy to support their journey in BPA!

At the March meeting, we awarded $2000 to the Sawtooth Botanical Garden for their annual Bug Zoo Festival. This fun and educational festival is open to all youth and adults, with a special emphasis on youth from pre-K to 5th grade. It consists of 4 days of class visits plus a lively family festival on Saturday to wrap up the event. The focus is on interactive education, getting youth hands-on with critters and educational exhibits. Dates for this year are May 11-16.

Youth at Bug Zoo get to see metamorphosis in action and feel the flutter of a butterfly in their own hands. This boy is getting ready to release two butterflies that were once just caterpillars! Hope you can check it out!

Wood River Middle School Librarian sent the following note of thanks for 5B Kids Fund’s recent support that helped send students to StoryCon.

Thank you for your generous grant that made it possible for our 37 middle school students to attend StoryCon. Your support covered transportation, registration, and scholarships, removing barriers that would have prevented many of our students from participating in this incredible opportunity. Because of your investment in our young writers, they were able to experience StoryCon and grow as storytellers and learners. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to enriching our students' educational experiences.