Folks We Love with Corinne Wicke and Devin Dwyer of Teton Valley Boost
Teton Valley Boost
Corinne and Devin boost Teton Valley businesses, Healthcare and Essential workers with Teton Valley Boost.
A donation from @baeobaby to the Healthcare workers at Teton Valley Health.
Corinne reached out to me during the months of lockdown to tell me a bit about the work she and Devin were doing in a community that I deeply love. This organization has raised money to buy food from local businesses and deliver it to Essential and Health care workers in the community. This has supported the small locally owned restaurants and coffee shops (Rise Coffee House is our little escape keeping us fueled and fed with GF morning glory muffins) and has brought comfort to those who are working on the frontline everyday.
It made so much sense to me that this was happening here as I feel this area and Jackson WY are filled with amazing humans who support each other. We have spent 15 years traveling to Idaho and Wyoming with our families and friends and the community here has welcomed us, helped us, taken care of us and supported our family with open arms. When Esmé was 4 months old she came down with RSV (our whole family did actually) because of her age she had trouble breathing and after a very quick visit to the ER we were immediately admitted and she was on oxygen in the hospital for 6 days and another 5 days of oxygen at home. Some of the local restaurant owners who knew us would make special treats (Thank you Forage , Teton Thai and Big Hole BBQ we love you) and send over care goodies as we all struggled to gain our strength and health before being released on Christmas Eve. For this and so many other reasons this is home.
In the coming weeks Teton Valley Boost will be helping the Teton Vally Food pantry as they support local families. The school lunch program will be ending its breakfast and lunch program at the end of June. This means many kids in the valley might go without breakfast and lunch for July and August. The food pantry and Community Resource Center are looking for donations of easy to prepare meals that would be easy for kids to prepare when their parents are at work. This is one of the many initiatives they will be working on in the months ahead. Read more about TVB and the women who started it in our Folks We Love interview below. Donation buttons also below as any little bit helps.
interview by Sarah Wright Olsen
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Devin: Westport, CT
Corrine: Plainfield, Illinois which is about 35 miles west of Chicago.
WHO IS IN YOUR FAMILY?
Devin: My boyfriend Tim and I, our 3 dogs, two cats, 5 chickens and new addition of honey bees! My sister, brother-in-law, two amazing nephews and parents still live in CT.
Corinne: My husband and I have 2 children, Wilder is 3 and Annie is 1. We also have a Springer Spaniel, Oliver.
OCCUPATION?
Devin: I wear many hats. I am a property manager and concierge, Pilates and yoga instructor, the Festival Manager for the Wydaho Rendezvous Bike Festival and Sales and Marketing coordinator for Copperdot Leather.
I’m in the process of starting my own Property Management and Grocery Delivery service business in Teton Valley called The Adventure West, which is launching June 2020!
Corinne: I have a few jobs which fall under the term "designer" - I am an architect, working in Jackson Wyoming for a company called Northworks Architects. Also I own and help run a wedding venue in Chicago with my parents and younger sister. It was a venue that my husband and I conceived of for our own wedding, and is now a successful business run by my family! I am also a mom to 2 young children and a very active dog :)
HOW DID TETON VALLEY BOOST START?
Devin: The Hole Quarantine over in Jackson inspired us. We both wanted to give back to our amazing community and support the local businesses and front line workers. We recognized that while the health care workers were definitely experiencing heightened stress and patients, that the post office and grocery store employees were facing just as much exposure and working long hours.
Corinne: Devin and I were each looking for a way to help out and contribute via Facebook, and were not finding a good outlet to connect with the community. I had left a few comments on our very active community Facebook group page, with very little success but found many people also looking to contribute. A few days later Devin called me to see if I'd be interested in starting a campaign modeled after The Hole Quarantine (a similar effort started in Jackson a few weeks before). I said absolutely and we were off from there!! Within 2 days we had a name, website, funding platforms, and our first donations!
WHAT KINDS OF CHALLENGES HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR COMMUNITY FACE SINCE COVID 19 BEGAN?
Devin: We are a small community with a small hospital with limited resources. Early on we were experiencing an influx of people from different counties and states retreating here because they felt “safer”. Luckily, this did not end up impacting our hospitals the way it could have.
Like the rest of the country, we also experienced job loss and school closures.
Corinne: We are a close knit community based on gathering with friends indoors and out, so when we could no longer do that I think spirits started to drop. TVB was created to help bolster our local businesses and also sprinkle positive energy around our valley :) We are fortune that we have a lot of open space to get outside, but the weather around the time of Covid-19 was not very conducive to outdoor activities. In fact most people typically leave town during what is referred to as "mud season". For a primarily outdoor based community, this had a big impact.
CAN YOU TALK A BIT ABOUT WHAT TETON VALLEY BOOST HAS DONE TO HELP THE BUSINESSES AND FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY?
Devin: Our community is based on tourism, this definitely was a hard hit for businesses that were forced to close, a month before ski season typically ends. TVB was able to support local businesses and boost the morale of workers. We have been purchasing gift cards from businesses that closed and food and goods from businesses that remained open for curbside pick up. We have been tipping 20% to the restaurants where we purchase food. Servers that typically get tipped when patrons dine in, have not been receiving the same courtesy with take out orders. We are happy that we have been able to support employees of local restaurants in this way.
Corinne: TVB was created to boost local businesses and show support to front line workers. However, we quickly realized that there were a lot more people besides front line workers who could use a special treat or surprise gift, and it often created more of a ripple effect in doing so. For example, TVB purchased bags of coffee from a local coffee roaster to gift to our local Recycling and Garbage pickup company here in the valley. They were so excited and thankful, that they in turn donated right back to TVB through a raffle we held of an original artwork created by a local artist. TVB has offered an outlet to facilitate our community to support one another on many levels, and its been pretty great to see to power of giving go round and round.
WHAT HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN LIKE IN YOUR TOWN AFTER CREATING AN ORGANIZATION TO HELP SERVE THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND HEALTH CARE ESSENTIAL WORKERS?
Devin: All the businesses and recipients have been so appreciative and excited for the support! The amount of support that we have received through donations has been inspiring and has ultimately allowed us to fulfill.
WHAT DID A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU PRE COVID? WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE NOW?
Devin: I self inflict busyness into my life. While each day and week would vary, I used to teach Pilates in the mornings in Victor, before tackling many different projects and working with clients.
Many things in my life came to a halt in the middle of March. I no longer had clients traveling to the area, could no longer teach Pilates, events were and still are up in the air. Teton Valley Boost was a great way for me to stay busy and give back to the community. I love the connections that have been made through helping Teton Valley during this time.
As our state begins to reopen, I have enjoyed returning to some aspects of normal life and have been very contentious of the things I will carry with me into the new ‘normal’.
Corinne: Before quarantine (I realize now) I was maxed out on every level, giving both of my jobs and my kids and family everything I had! Selfishly, I appreciated the time when we were forced to slow down and stay home - it helped me to balance my life and priorities. And now as I add bits and pieces back to my schedule, it is with more control and intention for what I want my life to look like. The toughest part for me has been seeing my 3 year old out of school, and asking everyday if he can go to school and see his teachers and friends. This was his first year of Pre-K and it will be one to never forget. There were many times when I felt guilty for not "teaching" him, but I eventually had to let that go and find other ways to keep him engaged around the house. I'm not a teacher, but I am a friend he can have fun with!
AS A MOTHER HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO BALANCE STARTING TVB AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR LITTLES?
Corinne: Most of back of house work for TVB has happened post bedtime when I can hear myself think. Starting a campaign like this, where there's so much community enthusiasm and support, it hardly feels like work! It's fun more than anything! Also being able to take my kids along for drop-offs has been a blast! I have loved getting to know the valley more, and learn about the small business based here.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO AS A FAMILY?
Devin: We are working on building a large garden in our backyard, it has been fun planning and designing the yard and planting veggies!
Tim and I love mountain biking together. We are thrilled that the trails in Teton Valley are starting to dry out so we can get out in the evenings. We also love Paddle Boarding on the Teton River!
Corinne: At the moment we are really into going on family bike rides! Wilder moved to a "big-bike" from his Strider this spring so its been very fun being able to get outside. Annie started using the hand-me-down strider at about 19 months, but she really enjoys her seat on the back of my bike for our family bike rides. Danny and I also love hiking and are exciting about getting the two kids out on the trail for an overnight. Maybe this summer? Backpacking with kids is a whole other level of intensity but we have taken on the challenge before with Wilder and never regretted it. Think we can do it with two kids??
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Devin: Currently listening to Untamed by Glennon Doyle and reading Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
Corinne: Sadly my reading has diminished to cookbooks and occasional magazines... However, I received the second edition of the Magnolia Home cookbook for Mother's Day and I'm really excited about some of the recipes. As a working mom, it has always been a priority of mine to figure out a way to provide good home cooked meals, so I've had to learn and implement some serious meal planning skills. I work Monday - Thursday which leaves Friday as my devoted grocery store day, especially since our grocery store is closed on Sundays and Saturday should be a fun day! I am a planner at heart, so making sure I know our weekly meals makes me feel very happy :)
WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST INSPIRED?
Devin: In the mountains!
Corinne:Definitely on our plot of land in the Big Hole Mountains. We are in the process of designing and building a Main house and Guest house on our property buried in some pretty dense woods. Every time I arrive to the site I take in a big breath of fresh pine-filled air and my mind just relaxes. I remember the first time I set foot of the property before we bought it 2 years ago, and I was giddy with the idea that we could call this place home. My husband also happens to be an architect so we are working on the project together, which has been great so far! We have very similar ideas and goals which makes the process a ton of fun!
HOW DO YOU MANAGE STRESS?
Devin: A mountain bike ride, trail run, dog walk or a guided meditation. I am a very physical person and love being able to get outdoors and take a deep breath. I love the Melissa Wood Health guided mediations and many times will fall asleep at night to the Louise Hay Evening Meditation.
Corinne: Evenings are my time to re-energize and collect my thoughts. My husband and I try to switch off the bedtime duties which gives each of us a good amount of time to decompress kid-free. During this time I usually connect with friends, watch easy-to-watch shows, make plans for travel, catch up on personal emails, or something like that. And I also look forward to a glass of wine and maybe a cup of hot tea to slow down at the end of the day.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE IN TETON VALLEY?
Devin: I moved out to Salt Lake City in 2008 when I transferred schools. I absolutely loved Salt Lake and the access to the mountain and city. We were looking to move to a smaller town that was close to family in Bozeman and still close to our friends in Salt Lake. We used to spend many weeks in the Tetons and decided on Teton Valley.
We left our jobs and packed up and moved to Teton Valley in 2015, with no place to live. We lived in the back of our truck on a friend’s property for 2 weeks before moving into a rental in Victor. We bought our house in Driggs in 2018 and absolutely love the community here in the Valley!
Corinne: While visiting Jackson for a job interview, before moving here from Chicago, we decided to drive over to Teton Valley just to check it out... the quaint downtowns of Victor and Driggs were just what we were missing in Chicago from our time living in rural Alabama. Danny and I both attended Auburn University and lived in a rural off campus town for a few years after school. We loved and missed the small town feel, living in Chicago. We chose to move across the country for three main reasons: for the accessibility to the outdoors, the ability to practice good architecture in and around Jackson, and live in a smaller people-based community.
HOW CAN OTHERS HELP SUPPORT TETON VALLEY BOOST AND HOW ARE YOU HOPING TO HELP IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS?
Devin: Donate! Donations can be made through out Website (www.tetonvalleyboost.com) and Venmo @TetonValleyBoost. We are looking forward to continuing to support our community as long as there is a need.
Corinne: Donate! We are still accepting donations via our website and through venmo. The only way to keep our campaign effective is to keep it funded so we can continue to BOOST our community. Even though the stay at home order is lifted, the restrictions on local businesses will still be challenging for operations. We will keep on buying local and gifting to those working hard in our community, for as long as it takes!
WHAT ARE FOUR THINGS YOU CANT LIVE WITHOUT ?
Devin: Coffee, coffee, coffee!!! I love Alpine Air Coffee, roasted in Victor. It was fun to support RAD Curbside with bags of fresh coffee through TVBoost.
My giant water bottle (I try to drink a gallon a day)
Tim and our dogs
My sister and nephews
Corinne:
Sunshine
Ice cream
Good wine
My crazy kids and husband :)
