The 3rd Annual Whale Foundation WingDing
he third annual Whale Foundation Wing Ding was the great mid-winter bash we anticipated and more fun than a barrel of boaters, raising money to fund a whole slew of things including a free or reduced cost professional mental health counseling as well as physician care for the uninsured; free health screenings for guides at this Spring’s gts Health Fair; scholarship money for guides; the cost of a Toll-Free On Call Help Line; and a website.
Many thanks go to the all volunteer cast including artists, suppliers, organizers, musicians, dessert cooks, Sutcliffe Floral and Cork n’ Bottle. But we especially want to thank our sponsors whose generous financial support made the Wing Ding possible:
$1000 donations include: Anonymous, Steve Carothers and Jamie Dickey, Rob Elliott, Mark and Rachel Thatcher.
$500–$600 donations include: Anonymous, Arizona River Runners, Tim Bonatus and Karen Stepan, Dan and Kris Downs, Ted Hatch, John and Deb Ledington, Joan Mitrius.
$250 donations include: Rich and Doreen Evans, Jim Marzolf, Phil Williams and Shannon Clark and Mark and Linda Giesecke.
Thanks again and check out the new slide show of the party at www.whalefoundation.org. See you next year!

2004 Kenton Grua Memorial Scholarships
Last year we were happy to award five $1000 scholarships. We had many qualified applicants, but unfortunately we were unable to consider several applications which arrived after the deadline. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2005. If you are interested in applying, do try to get your application in before your season gets busy. You can download an application online at www.whalefoundation.org or you may request one by mail at P.O. Box 855 Flagstaff, az 86002-0855.

April Liaison Training Program
On April 2, 2005 we will hold a Liaison Training session in Flagstaff. The Whale Foundation’s Liaison Program was created to provide a personal link between the river community and the Foundation’s services. Our goal is to find at least one working Grand Canyon guide in each commercial company, and a few freelancers, who would be willing to act as a bridge—or liaison—between fellow guides and the Whale Foundation’s services. We are grateful to those who have generously and enthusiastically volunteered to serve in this capacity and applaud those who have used this link to get help. All liaisons sign an agreement promising confidentiality and undergo a full day of training with an experienced provider before serving. By the end of the day, Liaisons recognize and are committed to honoring the confidential nature of their role and are now there for you.

Openings on the Whale Foundation Board
There are currently two openings on the Whale Foundation Board of Directors. We’re getting a lot accomplished on behalf of the Grand Canyon guiding community and having a pretty darn good time doing it. Members of the Board of Directors serve for one year and we have recently restructured the foundation into four main divisions which has improved our efficiency and communication. The divisions are Mental Health Services; Support Services; Fundraising and Public Relations; and General Administration. Although we have more clearly defined the roles of each member, we all pretty much keep sticking our fingers into each other’s piece of the pie, because it’s so much fun! In other words, if your strength is database management, but the position is for the fundraising committee, join us anyway! We’ll find a spot for you! If you are interested in being part of this effort, we’d love to hear from you. You may send us an email or call 928-774-9440.

Whale Foundation Health Fair “We’re Back!”
We’re going to do it again…the second annual Whale Foundation Health Fair will be held at the Hatch warehouse Saturday March 26 during the lunch break at the Guides Training Seminar. Last year, led by Dr. Tom Myers, we screened about 35 guides and gave out vouchers for free blood tests and mammograms. We also provided dental screenings, optometry checks, as well as instruction in breast self-examination for women, skin cancer screenings, blood pressure checks, and physical therapy evaluations and advice. We also provided educational pamphlets on various topics including depression, skin cancers, std’s, back care, hypertension, and cholesterol level management. This year we’ll provide all the same services and again it will all be free; up to $500 worth of services in some cases. We’d love to have even more working guides take advantage of this great opportunity! If you were screened last year, come run the gauntlet again; it makes good sense to be re-checked for skin cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. See you there!