Talkeetna’s Jessica Stevens Community Foundation seeding community growth

Building strong and healthy communities is a team effort, and one Talkeetna-area nonprofit organization is doing its part to keep the Northern Susitna Valley thriving.

The Jessica Stevens Community Foundation has been supporting area nonprofit organizations for 16 years. Since 2008, the foundation has given more than $340,000 in grants to nonprofits in Trapper Creek, Sunshine, and Talkeetna.

The organization takes its name from a prominent Talkeetna resident who died in a 2007 car accident. Jessica Stevens, who was 47 at the time of her death, made a big impact on the community as a caregiver and friend to many. The foundation was started as a way to support the community initiatives that she believed in, like compassionate health care, innovative education, and community enrichment through the arts and cultural expression.

Today, the foundation is stronger than ever, thanks in part to grants from the Mat-Su Health Foundation that have helped the JSCF address immediate needs while also working toward long-term improvements throughout the 1,200-square-mile region the organization serves.

Christie Seay has been JSCF’s program manager for more than five years. She said the help and encouragement provided by the Mat-Su Health Foundation has been invaluable.

“They have been so immensely helpful and important to our area,” she said.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation shares ownership in the local hospital, the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, ensuring it continues to grow and meet the needs of Mat-Su residents. The health foundation invests its share of the profits into scholarships, programs, and grants with the goal to improve community health.

Since 2008, MSHF has invested in a healthy community through grants, scholarships, and sponsorships totaling more than $106 million, including several grants to the JSCF.

A series of $15,000 outlays, including one in 2023, have helped offset operating costs at the Jessica Stevens Community Foundation, Seay said.

“We want to be around for decades, helping other nonprofits grow,” Seay said. “We’re in a much better place because of the Mat-Su Health Foundation’s support.”

Last year, the JSCF awarded 12 grants for a total of $25,000. Among the beneficiaries were the Denali Arts Council, Sunshine Station Child Care, and Upper Susitna Food Pantry.

LouAnne Carroll-Tysdal has been executive director of the food pantry for nine years. She has seen the power of those grants in her own organization.

Six years ago, a JSCF grant funded two greenhouses for the community garden. Today, those greenhouses produce food for the pantry, Carroll-Tysdal said.

More recently, grants have helped cover the cost of the annual Thanksgiving food baskets for families in need. In turn, that has enabled the food pantry to extend its outreach, too.

“That’s a big relief for us. It makes a huge difference,” she said. “The Jessica Stevens Foundation makes good, thoughtful choices about the projects they fund. They invest in the well-being of the community.”