Haines is rolling out the red carpet in its small-town way for 24 board and staff members of the Rasmuson Foundation next week.
The statewide philanthropic foundation is visiting Haines, Skagway, Klukwan and Yakutat as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. The group’s whirlwind tour of Haines, from Monday to Tuesday afternoon, will include visits to the library, Sheldon Museum, Hammer Museum, Chilkat Center, Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village, American Bald Eagle Foundation and Klukwan’s Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center.
The public is invited to a meet-and-greet with the foundation’s board and staff members from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Harriett Hall. The event is sponsored by the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation.
On Monday, the group will also attend the 5 p.m. dedication of Gene Kennedy’s “Rusty and His Cart” sculpture. The sculpture is part of the Alaska Arts Confluence’s Fort Seward Sculpture Garden project.
Confluence creative director Carol Tuynman said the Rasmuson Foundation’s continued investment in Haines creates “a significant economic engine” to various industries.
“Funds spent in Haines create additional returns across the community, amplifying the local impact. In Haines, we’ve been able to create hundreds of jobs in construction, education, and social services in addition to cultural events and acquisitions and retail sales,” Tuynman said.
According to Rasmuson Foundation communications director Cassandra Stalzer, the organization has granted about $2.3 million to people and projects in Haines. Its first grant came in 1976 for the Sheldon Museum.
The foundation has invested about $186,000 in Klukwan since 2003, when it first gave funds for the village’s new health clinic, Stalzer said.
Artist Rob Goldberg has received two Individual Artist Awards from the foundation. The first helped him put together a show of his paintings in Anchorage. The second allowed Goldberg to add space to his shop, where he makes guitars and violins.
“This has given me room to be able to teach apprentices, and pass on my knowledge to the next generation. I am very grateful for this support,” Goldberg said.
Crystal Badgley, co-chair of the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation, said the Rasmuson Foundation made it possible to establish the local philanthropic foundation.
“They provided technical assistance and provided invaluable support through their network of professionals,” Badgley said.
The foundation will hold a board meeting in Skagway July 1, when members will make decisions on grant applications, including a $750,000 application for Klukwan’s Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center.
The Rasmuson Foundation is Alaska’s largest private foundation. It was created in 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband, Elmer ‘E.A.’ Rasmuson, who led a post-World War I revival of the Bank of Alaska and promoted the growth of the Alaska Territory.