The hometown Sheltering Wings organization has finalized and officially awarded $290,000 in total grant funding to ten Blythe-area nonprofits.
Following an extensive submittal, vetting, and application process – which took place across the latter half of 2024 due to Sheltering Wings’ previously reported dissolution – the awarded area organizations included:
• Harmony Kitchen: $25,000 towards support for continued operations of the local soup kitchen to serve free meals.
• Blythe Cancer Research Center (BCRC): $75,000 towards support for BCRC’s mission of providing ongoing assistance to the citizens of Blythe and the Palo Verde Valley diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for cancer.
• Friends of the Colorado River Fair Foundation: $20,000 towards support of activities at the local fairgrounds for adults with disabilities.
• KERU Radio Station: $20,000 towards the purchase of an emergency generator for the radio station.
• Soroptimist International of Blythe: $10,000 towards support of the mission and programs of the local Soroptimist club.
• Blythe Little League: $20,000 towards support of the local youth sporting events and venues.
• Friends of the Palo Verde District Library: $15,000 towards support of the programs and events offered at the local library.
• Palo Verde Yellow Jacket Booster Association: $35,000 towards support of the Booster Association’s mission to assist all youth sports at Palo Verde High School (PVHS).
• Peace from Chaos: $20,000 towards support of Peace from Chaos’ programs to provide assistance to persons experiencing mental illness and suicidal thoughts, addiction, and lack of social acceptance.
• Palo Verde College Foundation: $50,000 towards scholarships and programs for adults with developmental disabilities.
“When this board took over in 2016, we were facing closure due to severe financial issues. Leslie (Jessop-Watkins) went to CIF (Community Improvement Fund) and asked for an emergency operating loan which was granted and fully paid back. CIF also loaned us the funding to purchase our Day Program building and we paid that back in (five) years. CIF was also generous in the granting of a handicapped van to us, and that van is now operating at Palo Verde Transit (RidePV),” stated Sheltering Wings president Mel Culp. “All of the proceeds from the sale of our assets added to our general business savings has given us the ability to honor the hard work of other non-profit organizations in our community. The non-profit grant recipients represent so many great people who make Blythe such a wonderful place to live, work and play! We are thankful for their efforts and are thrilled to see our hard work continue in supporting other endeavors.”
As previously reported by the Times, Sheltering Wings had been going through the process of closing its doors and liquidating assets over the past year and a half due to the impact of enacted California legislation.
“AB1147 (2023) was enacted to enhance and change many aspects of the State of California’s programs for adults with development disabilities. This included programs offered by Sheltering Wings Supported Employment program which had been active for over two decades,” stated a Sheltering Wings correspondence letter toward the sale of a van reviewed by the Times and dated April 10, 2024. “Due to the quick phase-in of the legislation, Sheltering Wings made the very difficult decision to close our Supported Employment program. We undeniably would not have the ability to sustain operations for more than a few months.”
Drawbacks of the respective reform bill previously underscored by Sheltering Wings included:
• Eradication of the sub-minimum wage program in California without a funding mechanism for the drastically increased program payroll.
• The requirement for all persons with disabilities to be promoted out of the program within (six) months.
• The severe negative impacts to client benefits – Social Security and Medi-Cal including health, dental and vision benefits.
“This has been such a bittersweet process, and we are so thankful to be able to give back to the community who gave so much to Sheltering Wings over the years,” noted Culp.
Additionally, Sheltering Wings’ Executive Director Nancy Doherty shared:
“I want to recognize our clients and their families. It has been a tremendous privilege to work with all of them in my 14 years at Sheltering Wings. The program work the clients and their job coaches performed at all of our sites – the Thrift Store, Wiley’s Well Rest Area, the Janitorial Crew, and the Lawn Crew – made us able to maintain operations, even through the pandemic, which is noteworthy. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my last working years than with this group! I was honored to work in every position at both the Supported Employment and the Day Program. To be alongside each person and witness the hard work each of them gave was so humbling! They certainly gave back to our community as much as the community gave to them. Thank you everyone for your commitment to our adults with disabilities and the programs we offered for so many years!”
Kathy Hightower, co-founder and board member of the Blythe Cancer Resource Center
“We serve approximately 70 cancer patients every year and are seeing about 35-40 new clients each year. Sadly, we are experiencing a much higher than normal occurrence so far in 2025. This, coupled with the increasing travel costs for our clients, meant that we were considering lowering the amount each patient could receive each year. The grant from Sheltering Wings is such a blessing, and we are beyond grateful for the funding! The grant will assist us in continuing our tiers of funding to those in need and has opened doors for us to further serve and assist our community where it is needed. Our commitment to providing essential funding for cancer patients in our community has been made whole by this grant, and we are overflowing with gratitude! On behalf of the clients we serve, we give our sincerest appreciation to Sheltering Wings, its board, staff, and their clients for this tremendous gift and ability to continue our work.”
Maria “Machi” Rivera, manager of KERU
“The grant funds we received from Sheltering Wings will greatly benefit the radio station – we are in need of infrastructure repairs and continued maintenance of the backup generator for emergencies. We are so thankful for the funding and they were so timely! The funds will assist us in continuing to provide access to information in English and Spanish, especially in the event of an emergency in the Palo Verde Valley. We truly appreciate Sheltering Wings and all of their hard work in Blythe for so many years. To be selected as a recipient of their grants funds is an honor, and we have already put some of the funds to great use!”
Mike Wallace, president of the Yellow Jacket Booster Association
“We are so thankful for this grant, and it was put to use the week we received it! We purchased two carts for the athletic programs at PVHS and they were placed into service the moment they arrived at PVHS. We are so happy to be able to assist the high school athletic events by providing carts for the coaches to use both on and off the field. The carts have given everyone the ability to navigate quickly and safely with staff/coaches, gear, and even injured athletes. We truly appreciate the hard work of Sheltering Wings for so many years and our ability to use the grant funds for all athletic programs at PVHS.”
