THE GOOD FRIENDS FUND
Good friends make good places possible.
The Good Friends Fund was created by the Everday Hikers with a simple idea: good things happen when people come together to care for the places they love. This flexible fund helps Kaniksu Land Trust create, improve, and care for trails hand public outdoor spaces throughout our community. It also gives KLT the ability to act when an extraordinary opportunity arises—whether that means building a new trail connection, improving an existing trail system, or helping acquire a special property that could open new places for our community to explore.
The Good Friends Fund can also support partnership projects that bring organizations and people together around shared community goals. As the fund grows, it is designed to grow with it, providing flexibility to meet needs today while creating the possibility for lasting support well into the future. Your gift helps make good places possible—for friends, families, neighbors, and everyone who finds connection outside.
THE GOOD FRIENDS FUND
THE ORIGIN STORY OF THE GOOD FRIEND FUND
Written By: Woody Sherwood
Good Friends, how did we come about this? Friendship and Good Friends means so much to Marnie and myself. It spans the gamut from a tombstone engraved for our first Chesapeake Bay Retriever “Sarah, A Good Friend” to life long friends and acquaintances from a myriad of circumstances such as work and play.
When Marnie and I moved here a number of years ago, one of our first acquaintances were our neighbors Cary and Mona Kelly. We found that having dogs required a daily regime of morning walks was something in common and fostered a true connection. At that time Greta’s Segway, poaching off of Cedar Ridge, and the Blue Gate off of Syringa were the only access to the Sherwood Forest. We would mix that in with the Bay Trail and occasional forays out the Trout Creek Wildlife Management Area off of the Pack River and Hwy 200. KLT along with Steve and Julie Meyers have since added Pine Street Woods, The Sled Hill, and VTT. We found that several other people also plyed these same routes at the same time and we started walking together and formed a loose bond that we started calling the “The Everyday Walkers”. There was no official membership cards or secret handshakes, you could come and go as skiing, medical appointments, travel, and other life complication dictated. Many hours of walking and chatting develops bonds and friendships that endure individual personality foibles and good friendships evolve.
This past spring when Cary was sicker than we all realized, including Cary, we were headed to our weekly Fika (a social ritual central to Swedish culture, emphasizing slowing down, connecting with others, and enjoying the moment-thank you, Mona) on a Saturday morning Cary said to me, “There comes a time in your life when you reach a certain age that you cannot make new old friends, but you can make good friends." representing the bonds within the Everyday Walkers.
Marnie and I then determined that we should make our planned giving a fund called the “Good Friends Fund” and its first objective was to create a trail directional sign in Pine Street Woods that was supported by the fund and honoring Cary and Mona Kelly. We were hopeful to announce this to Cary but it was not be with his passing.
The “Good Friends Fund” is established to honor the spirit of friendship, community, outdoor access, dog friendly recreation and partnership by providing financial support for trails and collaborative projects with other 501(c)(3) organizations. It has a fund agreement that specifies that KLT is the manager of the fund, makes investment and distribution decisions, consistent with the Fund goals. Contributions to the Fund are tax deductible through the 501(c)(3) status of KLT.