Old Bill’s Raises $8.4-million

Philanthropists and representatives of non-profits throughout Jackson Hole gathered at the National Museum of Wildlife Art Monday night to learn the results of this year’s Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charities and collect the amounts raised for each organization.  When the counting was done this year, Community Foundation Director Katharine Conover says the total was nearly $8.4-million dollars – fully 8% above last year’s near-record amount.  That, she says, remains unprecedented nationally.  She says there are 15 other Old Bill-style events across the country which do very well but none come close to raising the kinds of funds raised here. Conover says thanks in part to nearly $2.4-million dollars donated by 45 co-challengers, the non-profits will see the nearly $6-million they raised in donations matched by 55%.  Conover says the organization that drew the most donations was Jackson Hole Fire/EMS which saw 510 contributors raise $128,384, in part to help replace a wildland fire engine that was destroyed in the recent Little Horsethief Canyon Fire that threatened the town of Jackson last month.  Over the 16 years the event has been staged, Old Bill’s has helped raise nearly $91-million for the community’s non-profit organizations.