Idyllwild has many nonprofits whose activities improve the life of the community. Some provide propane for the needy, some entertainment, some educational services, some art lessons and some disaster preparedness assistance. Only one, the Idyllwild Community Fund, has as its sole mission to provide grants to area nonprofits to help them meet key project objectives.

Associated with The Community Foundation of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, ICF Advisory Committee members are tasked with raising money to fund these grants. Most recently, ICF agreed to fund, for three years at $2,000 per year, the Idyllwild Youth Grantmakers — a mentoring program for Idyllwild School sixth- to eighth-graders to teach philanthropy and how it betters the lives of people within their community, and to provide a fund of $4,000 annually for them to award to grant applicants whose missions serve youth. Youth Grantmakers are trained in reviewing grants and spend after-school time over three months of training to become knowledgable about the process.

Because of this new program and the need to fund it in addition to other fundraising obligations, ICF Advisory Committee members have added a new fundraising event. It is an auction with a twist featuring a fine-wine bar, food and music from Luc and Jac Jacaruso and Marshall Hawkins, the local deacon of jazz.

Community members are asked to bring silent auction pieces of value — from $25 to $300 or more. Items will be displayed during the event with bid sheets. When the item sells, contributors may elect to take 75 percent of the sale price, donating the remaining 25 percent to the ICF. Contributors may donate more than the 25 percent. Donating all is appreciated. The maximum donation is three items per person. No clothing may be donated. Also if the item has no bids at the end of the evening, contributors are asked to take it home.

ICF Chair Marshall Smith will conduct an auction of valuable gifts at the end of the event.

The event is from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 5, in the gardens behind the Rainbow Inn on South Circle Drive. For more information, contact Summer Brown at 951-659-5670, 915-314-4472 or [email protected].