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As many of us put our gardens to bed for the season, a local nonprofit is feeling extra hopeful for next year’s growth. Millwood Impact is a nonprofit providing students in Millwood and West Valley with safe, fun and supportive after-school programming. In the spring and fall, students visit the Pumpkin Patch Community Garden to learn the basics of gardening. Millwood Impact is taking on a bigger role in managing the community garden. But as a small nonprofit, it can be tough to make everything happen. That’s why a grant from the Avista Foundation in 2024 was so impactful. The Avista Foundation is a community investment program that provides funding to nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of communities within Avista’s service areas. It's a separate, nonprofit organization established by Avista Corp. and does not receive funding from customer rates. “The Avista Foundation’s support came at the perfect time. We were able to use the funds to do some overdue maintenance and cleanup, making the garden even more inviting,” Jeremy said. Learn more about what’s next for the nonprofit and its hopes for the community garden by visiting https://lnkd.in/gZ9vzPuZ.

??Meet Rachel, an Avista engineering intern who is turning her passion into a promising career. “There are so many places you can go with Avista. I hope I can start working at the utility full-time after my internship.” Ready to follow in Rachel’s footsteps? Applications for Avista’s Student Engineering Development Program (SEDP) are due soon, so apply today. https://bit.ly/3CMpQDz

Together, we're building a stronger, more connected community. ?? The Avista Foundation is proud to support Spokane Alliance United’s recent Foundations of Community Organizing Training which provided 35 participants from 15 different organizations with the skills and knowledge to become effective community leaders. “Thanks to the Avista Foundation’s generosity, Spokane Alliance United could provide participation and childcare stipends to those in need. This support enabled many individuals to attend who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity,” said Laurel Fish, senior organizer at Spokane Alliance United. "I feel empowered and excited to have these tools to make a difference in my community,” said one attendee. It’s important to note that the Avista Foundation does not receive funding from its utility or subsidiary customers through rates. It's a separate, non-profit organization established by Avista Corporation. The next grant application cycle for the Avista Foundation opens January 1, 2025, for health and human services proposals. Learn more at www.avistafoundation.com ?? credit: Spokane Alliance United

Know a college engineering student looking for an internship? Avista’s Student Engineering Development Program offers real-world experience in electrical, mechanical or civil engineering. Time is running out to apply, so share this post with someone you know soon!

On this Veterans Day, we honor and thank all the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. Your courage and sacrifice have protected our freedoms; we are forever grateful. We're proud that more than 8% of the Avista workforce are veterans, and we have a longstanding tradition of recognizing their unique contributions to our workforce and our country.

Although there is a lot of work to be done on the inside of our new Metro substation before energization, we can now celebrate the exterior wall, the artwork and the amazing community partners who joined forces to make this all possible. Last month we hosted a First Friday celebration to recognize the artists whose work is displayed on the southeast and southwest corners of the structure. We'd also like to thank the City of Spokane, Spokane Arts, Wolfe Architectural, POWER Engineers, Bouten Construction Company, Garco Construction, Inc., ALLWEST, Budinger & Associates, Inc., helveticka, Designer Decal, and all of their partners for making this all happen. Work will continue inside the security wall, building out and integrating the 115kV substation through the fall of 2027. The new facility is located on the 700 block of West 3rd Avenue between Post and Wall in downtown Spokane.

The Avista Foundation is awarding $122,750 in grants to 27 nonprofit organizations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska to support economic and community development. “With these contributions, the Avista Foundation is creating positive change, driving economic development, and enriching our communities,” said Dennis Vermillion, Avista CEO. The third-quarter grants support a diverse range of organizations and programs. A few examples include: ? Supporting AHANA’s efforts to serve multi-ethnic and multicultural business owners in Spokane, Washington. ? Bringing area lighting to improve safety at the Sandpoint Skatepark in Sandpoint, Idaho. ? Enabling program expansion with a new larger building at Southeast Alaska Food Bank in Juneau, Alaska. ? Helping Southern Oregon Child and Family Council Inc's LISTO Family Literacy Program provide education for Latinx adults in Jackson County, Oregon. See the full list of recipients, here - https://bit.ly/3YPYEN2 The Avista Foundation offers four grant cycles each year. Environmental and arts and culture proposals are due by November 1, 2024. Organizations can verify eligibility and apply for funding by visiting https://bit.ly/3YSfomU.

Sacarias Guitron and his wife, Lilia, opened Fiesta En Jalisco Orofino, a family-run Mexican restaurant in rural Orofino, Idaho, 30 years ago and never looked back. The location was the first in what is now a nine-restaurant chain stretching across Montana and Washington. Before they discovered Orofino, Sacarias and Lilia lived in Aberdeen, Washington, working for a different restaurant. “On his day off, Sacarias flew to the nearest airport in Lewiston. He wanted to see Orofino," Lilia said. "He liked it. He came back to Aberdeen and told me, ‘Lilia, I think we have to open this restaurant with my cousins.’ That’s how we got here.” Sacarias and his cousins, all childhood friends from Ayutla, a small town in the Mexico state of Jalisco, formed a partnership and got to work building their business. Eight other locations followed, all of which continue to be run by a family member of the original four cousins. For Lilia, Orofino became the ideal place to raise her family. She found life there mirrored her hometown. "I go to the post office and the bank, and everybody knows everybody,” she said. “Orofino is a small town where people know and help you.” In 2003, the restaurant moved to an older building a few blocks from its original location. Lilia believes it was built around 1890. The Guitrons cemented the move about six years ago, purchasing the building despite its needed upgrades. One such upgrade was recently taken care of with help from Avista. The restaurant’s lighting was completely overhauled and updated to new energy-saving LEDs. The upgrade cost just over $37,700 and is projected to save the restaurant more than 68,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That’s enough to power more than three typical homes in the area for a year. Even better, Avista covered the costs of the entire project. But for Lilia and Sicarias, the overhaul means their family business can save money and continue to flourish from generation to generation. In time, their son, Abraham, will take over and manage the Orofino location full-time. For now, they’re excited to continue serving the small Idaho town they’ve come to love. “I love to interact with people,” Lilia said. “At one point, I told myself I would not work here full-time anymore. But I couldn’t do it. I came back. I love people." Washington and Idaho Avista small business customers can easily qualify for lighting upgrades, such as the one mentioned in this account. Plus, Avista typically covers 100% of the project costs. Sign up for Avista's program now at https://lnkd.in/g4UV8ise.

As we wrap up National Energy Awareness Month, here's some of the ways our employees’ teens describe how to stay safe around power lines. ??

Today marks National Weatherization Day, and we’re celebrating the nonprofits in our community that offer no-cost programs to help our customers' homes become more energy efficient. Since 1965, Rural Resources has been serving small towns across northeastern Washington, providing a range of services to community members, including energy efficient home weatherization. The nonprofit is always finding ways to do more with less, prioritizing limited resources to serve its clients. Training staff how to properly weatherize homes has been particularly challenging since the only certified trainings offered have been held in Bellingham, Washington, over 300 miles away. Acknowledging this, Avista brought four weatherization workforce development trainings, led by The Building Performance Center, to locations across eastern Washington in 2024. Approximately 50 staff members from 8 organizations attended for free, thanks to support from Avista’s Named Communities Investment Fund (NCIF). “Folks are doing the best they can with what they’ve got,” said Matthew Shelley, Rural Resources weatherization program manager. “We have our training funds, but that gets eroded quickly with travel expenses. To have such a fantastic meeting in Spokane made it so that it was closer and more convenient,” he said. Trainings included in-class sessions and hands-on work with customers at their homes, covering topics such as mobile home retrofitting, building science principles, blower door and pressure diagnostics, combustion safety and building analyst training. This approach allowed participants to learn while actively helping local homeowners, improving their practices in real-time. Roland ‘Chris’ Driggs, crew manager, auditor, and quality control inspector at Rural Resources, highlighted the benefits. “The ability to go out there and have practical, hands-on feedback and training at a variety of levels was really useful. To see how other folks are doing it was invaluable,” he said. Renee Zimmerman manages Avista’s energy-saving home upgrades support and oversaw the effort to bring weatherization training from across the Cascades. “Many of our customers are living in homes with poor insulation, windows and heating systems. When someone can’t stay warm or cool because their home prevents it, we want to be there to help,” says Renee. “It’s why we believe in capacity-building opportunities like these trainings, so more needs can be met.” “With energy efficiency upgrades, we’re helping people make their house a home,” said Chris. “Not only are they going to be more comfortable and safer, but they can use the money they would’ve spent on an energy for whatever else they might need.” Find a weatherization program near you at https://lnkd.in/gP2VyRJF. NCIF application information and eligibility guidelines can be found at myavista.com/NCIF.