LOR Foundation helps to make Weiser more livable

WEISER – Jenn Huff believes in Weiser.

 The longtime local resident and former Weiser Chamber of Commerce member said she feels small town living is a precious commodity and that’s why she’s dedicated to the mission of the LOR Foundation.

 A private, non-profit Colorado-based organization, the LOR Foundation, helps rural communities leverage ideas to improve livability. Now the foundation has offices in seven communities in the rural mountain west. 

 Huff stepped into the role of the LOR Foundation’s Weiser Community Officer in September 2023.

 “We work in a problem-solving formula,” said Huff.

 LOR stands for Livability, Opportunity and Responsibility and the foundation’s core mission is to collect ideas from local community members regarding how to solve a specific problem. The foundation’s work often includes furnishing grant funds to area residents who develop solutions to a community challenge. The foundation also gathers input from the community regarding how to start an improvement project and strives to link community members and organizations with the right resources. 

 Huff, who operated a local print shop and served as the director of the Weiser Farmers Market, said a critical attribute to the foundation is its emphasis on seeking local community input regarding its projects.

 Huff said the foundation focuses on key issues such as economics, education, engagement with the community, the environment, health, housing, transportation and water.

 “They come into rural communities and look to the public to share ideas on how to make a place like Weiser more livable, how to improve our quality of life,” said Huff.

 The foundation, she said, does not dictate projects. Instead, the foundation reviews ideas from local people and decides which project has merit. 

 “If you have an idea, come talk to us,” said Huff.

 Huff said as a community officer for the foundation she works with a $30,000 limit on grants. Yet she said the foundation already made a difference in the community with smaller, but effective, grant outlays.

 One grant project involved purchasing Spanish language books for the school libraries, she said.

 “Somebody came to us and said we have kids who speak Spanish, and we don’t have a lot of books in Spanish, so we did a small grant to purchase some books and put them in the school libraries,” said Huff.

 Another project funded recently was the purchase of emergency radios for the Weiser Fire District, said Huff. The district needed help to buy three radios for its emergency vehicles. The three radios cost $9,000. Huff said the community need was obvious.

 “We try to work quickly,” she said.

 Huff said between the time the request for help with the radios was made and a final decision delivered was within the space of a few days. 

 In another case, the foundation funded a local first aid class. The foundation also helped fund a project to provide 10 laptop computers and charging stations at the Weiser Public Library. 

 “That’s a huge community resource,” said Huff.

 Huff said there is no formal application process for those seeking to kick start a project. 

 “They just kind of call and say, ‘I see a problem and I have a solution.’ Then we sit down and talk about it,” said Huff.

 Huff said every request is framed against the foundation’s key principles.

 “What is the problem? What is the solution? What is the idea to fix it and how does it benefit the community,” said Huff.

 Not every request or idea will garner funding, said Huff.

 “If it doesn’t fall under our guidelines, we can’t but we think everyone’s ideas are valid,” said Huff. 

 Huff said the foundation “can’t fund a random guy. But we are working with government, nonprofits and churches.”

 “We are not here to tell you what will make Weiser better. We are here to listen,” said Huff. 

 Huff said she came to be the local representative for the foundation in a round-about way.

 “When I turned 50, I decided I was going to take a year off, so I did,” she said.

 After her year sabbatical, Huff said she learned of a job opening with the foundation and applied. Her years of volunteering locally helped her with the new role of the foundation’s community representative. 

 The job proved to be beneficial, she said. The best part of her role, she said, is “just getting to know the community of Weiser I didn’t know.”

 “I was kind of in administration and economics and all of that stuff and in this job, you really learn the hardships of transportation and people trying to get to Payette or the housing situation,” she said.

 Huff said the foundation is dedicated to its mission of helping rural communities.

 “We are truly here to support Weiser,” she said.