Bethel was a great place to be a kid in the 1950s and 1960s. No, we weren’t signed up for ballet or piano lessons or chauffeured to soccer. But we were free to wander through willows looking for robins’ nests. Free to ramble over the tundra picking berries.
July 1 marked the beginning of the new fiscal year for the State of Alaska, which means the rubber just hit the road for a process that began in December 2011 with the introduction of the Governor’s operating, capital, and mental health budget proposals, continued through the legislative session this spring as lawmakers made their mark on the bills, and culminated in mid-May with the bills’ signing.
The 14th annual Educational Tour of Alaska for Grantmakers kicked off today with a 7 a.m. departure from Seattle, Washington. First stop: Bethel, Alaska. Each year, the Foundation invites a small group of grantmakers from the South 48 to visit Alaska.