Colfax Community Action Fund Shutting Down

COLFAX- The Colfax

Community Fund, (CACF) an organization that raised money for local nonprofits has officially shut down as of Sept. 30. They did not have their usual Oct. 1 fundraiser, and will be distributing the money they've raised to different agencies.

Former treasurer since 2009, Jeannette Solimine, stated that while they've had a lot of support from the community over the years a lot of the agencies that they fundraised money for are now being given money from large organizations such as United Way, government grants, or are doing their own fundraising. There is also no one who lives locally and can take over the fund.

"Agencies we did fundraising for were Alternative to Violence of the Palouse, Boost Collaboration, Local Boy Scout Troops, Colfax Youth League, Families Together, Council on Aging, Palouse River Counseling, and the Community Action Center," Solimine said.

When the Community Fund was founded it was when people did a lot of local fundraising door to door, Solimine explained, noting that at one point the fund had been called the Community Chest, "We've had some really great support from the community as far as donations are concerned," she said, noting that the Thrifty Grandmothers have been on their longest donors.

"The local Rotary has also been instrumental for us. They allowed us to present to them, to show the community who we are," Solimine said.

Solimine explained the Colfax Youth League will miss the funds raised by them out of the groups they helped most. "We talked to the Thrifty Grandmothers, and told the League that they could go straight to the grandmothers."

The Colfax Community fund told donors they could write a check, and it would go to all the different agencies they raised funds for. "Over the years the world has changed a lot. We don't raise enough funds to divide among those agencies."

Solimine also explained that over the years people in the community have stopped being on the board, yet now the only people on the board are agency representatives, "we couldn't go on with so few people," she said.

More than anything, Solimine wants to thank the community for all its support over the years, "We would hand write thank you notes to the people who sent us money over a certain amount," she said.

Though the fund is shut down, Solimine mentioned that there will always be good memories, "we had a kiss a pig event. You donated money and whoever raised the most money had to kiss the pig. It was great fun," she said, noting that the first year Largent had to kiss the pig, the second Judge

Libey, and the third-year Scott Ackerman. She recalled that Libey put on lipstick when he had to, and Largent brought flowers. "We stopped doing it because it wasn't raising enough money. For three years we did it and it was a lot of fun."