Teton Program Update
Ten years ago we began working with the LOR Foundation to help assess the opportunities, threats and challenges facing the region and to outline a strategy to invest in regional wellbeing and resilience. Community leaders identified dozens of opportunities for deep impact that fell outside of the reach of their organizations, highlighting a critical need for greater collaboration. We created LegacyWorks to play that role, and the first collaborative projects we supported were wildly successful. Those successes seeded new ventures on both sides of the Tetons, in the Upper Snake and along the eastern flank of Yellowstone. As our work became truly regional, it also grew to span wildlife, water, equity, community resilience and climate action.
What was true ten years ago is even more the case today: we face daunting challenges but have tremendous opportunities to catalyze real change and deep impact. The issues we face are intersectional, requiring us to work across sectors and weave together social, economic and ecological elements into a cohesive whole. They require new skills in impact finance, new ways of tapping our community’s potential, and far greater collaboration than we typically see. And if anything, they’re even more urgent as we see real local impacts of the climate crisis and global pandemic, both of which are exacerbating the inequities that threaten our ways of life.
As we look back on ten years of work, it’s clear that together we are building pathways to achieving far greater impact than was possible before. In our 2022 Teton Summer Update we share a few brief highlights from some of the work that’s building these pathways to the future. Each of these efforts require ongoing stewardship and investment, as do the emergent collaborations they enable. Your support for our work is more important than ever, and we hope you’ll join us on the journey!
This summer, for the third year, LegacyWorks is honored to be participating in the Old Bill’s community tradition. Funds raised during this important time provide the unrestricted capacity for LegacyWorks to continue to serve as the hub in collaborative efforts. Please join us in supporting this transformative work by visiting cfjacksonhole.org/old-bills and making a donation to Teton LegacyWorks before September 16th to have your gift matched through the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. We’re grateful for your support!