Our Mission

Nearly five years ago, on one of those sunny blue-sky afternoons in November, a good friend approached me at the end of a ribbon cutting and dedication of the new Patriot Field memorial in Blackfoot. Lee Hammett’s reputation for getting things done was fresh as the co-founder and President of the Community Dinner Table (CDT), a new organization providing thousands of meals in Bingham County. When I asked him how he was doing, he replied, “pretty good,” and then asked for some help.

Lee told me that he was serving on the board for the Lillian Vallely School just off the Fort Hall Reservation. Lee knew the little-known school with a big heart and Godly spirit needed more local involvement if its mission were to survive. I had heard of the school, but I had never been there and so I visited the school. I found it to be a special place and its objective, to educate and enrich the lives and opportunities of Native American children and our surrounding community, a worthy endeavor. I have witnessed many other visitors share the same experience.

Since that day in 2016 and after many proud moments, milestones, hills and go arounds serving on the board of directors, I am pleased with the work we have accomplished to localize the leadership and broaden the scope of Lillian Vallely’s mission. Closing the school and opening a perpetual foundation that will grant different opportunities and touch new lives motivates me to stay involved with this work. It is a pleasure to serve with Lillian Vallely’s daughter, Colleen, and so many others that have given so much of their time, talents, and dollars to advance this great cause. Jon and Tammy Underwood are two shining examples who have kept our board grounded and focused on the mission and doing great work.

The Lillian Vallely Youth Foundation has worked hard with remarkable leadership from our board president, Doug Eddington, to build a solid “foundation” for the next layer of bricks to be laid. We still have a lot of bricks to lay and lives to influence to continue the mission and keep Lillian’s legacy alive. I am committed to finding the next round of “help” to join us in this work. We will continue to build relationships, fundraise, and grant financial support to worthy recipients as we “build bridges to their future success.”

I envision new projects for our Native youth to include tribes throughout Idaho, new skills training, introduction to the trades, career counseling, community art projects, and preserving Native culture, history, and language with Foundation resources. My hope is that future generations will reap the benefits of the hard work and effort we put in today. We look to the Tribes, along with a coalition of community support, to answer the call and help us lay more bricks and mortar. If we are successful, some of those we touch will walk across the bridges connecting Lillian Vallely’s past with its future.

Dustin Manwaring, Vice President of the Board of Directors