Healthy Kane County Foundation reviews programs, asks for increased county support
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Summary
Healthy Kane County Foundation director Terry Henry reported on seniors programs, youth activities, mental-health outreach and community partnerships; Henry requested county consideration to increase annual funding from $21,000 to $50,000 to expand services.
KANAB, Utah — Terry Henry, executive director of the Healthy Kane County Foundation, presented the foundation’s biannual update and requested expanded county support to extend programming beyond seniors and into broader mental-health and active-transportation efforts.
Henry reviewed the foundation’s partnerships (Kane County Hospital, Southwest Utah Public Health, USU Extension, Southwest Behavioral Health, Best Friends and local schools) and highlighted this year’s programs: seated Tai Chi for seniors, gardening classes, a youth movement challenge (with nearly $1,800 in rewards for schools), a sponsored all-abilities Rascal Rodeo, a garden tour across Long Valley and a mental-health awareness event that included research-based practices. Henry said the foundation retained the Healthy Utah community designation and is piloting a ‘share produce for your neighbor’ program.
Funding and request: The foundation reported a $21,000 award for July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025, with $359 allocated for victim-tracking software and the remainder for salary and benefits. Henry asked the commission to consider increasing county support to $50,000 to sustain and expand programming, citing inflation and wage pressures.
Why it matters: The foundation provides community health and wellness programming in a county with limited local health infrastructure; commissioners praised the foundation’s work and discussed partnering to scale activities and extend services to teens and community providers.
Next steps: Commissioners thanked Henry for the update and asked staff to incorporate the foundation’s request during upcoming budget discussions.