Rebecca’s Fund (RF) – Art for Children of the Wet Mountain Valley was founded in memory of Rebecca Samuelson and her passions: children, art, and our beautiful valley. RF promotes visual arts by funding art education, experiences, and scholarships with an emphasis on children and young adults in the Wet Mountain Valley. We work closely with the school and conduct our own programs which are open to everyone.
Rebecca’s Fund, a donor-advised/designated fund of the Wet Mountain Valley Community Foundation, has supported art education and experiences for hundreds of students ages 4-21 since 2018. From a preschool art program that runs during the school year, a summer art enrichment camp for three weeks in June for 7–12-year-olds, a weekly art class for teens throughout the year, and tuition for individual art classes for teens, RF conducts comprehensive children’s art education.
Eight deserving students and two chaperones participated in a 13-day art trip to Sweden, with a stopover in Iceland, generously sponsored by RF. Highlights included Iceland’s waterfalls and hot springs, tours of Stockholm’s premier museums, sketching in the beautiful Stockholm archipelago, a glass-blowing workshop in Glasriket, and a day of sightseeing and recreation in Gothenburg. The trip received excellent feedback from participants, and plans for future trips are underway.
RF sponsors day trips and overnight field trips for middle and high school students. In 2026 the trip was to Brice Turnbull’s blown glass studio in Salida where the students were able to make their own blown glass piece. Past trips included a field trip to Loveland, CO, where the students were introduced to two Loveland foundries, visited artists’ studios, enjoyed the Loveland Art and History Museum, and walked the sculpture parks. Trips to Santa Fe and Denver to visit the Denver Art Museum, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and be visually stimulated at Meow Wolf are always popular.
Visiting artists have been a big hit. A caricature artist is scheduled for fall 2026. In 2025, Rebecca’s Fund brought in our own Bridget Samuelson to build models of the Webb telescope and hosted a night sky photography workshop with Mike Pach. Past visiting artists have included Colorado-based bronze sculptor, Jim Gilmore: Master LEGO Builder Ian Coffey; Disney animator Aaron Blaise; chalk artist Chris Carlson; and nationally known illustrator Thomas Fluharty.
RF is proud to award college scholarships to deserving graduates where art has been and will continue to be a large driving force in their lives.
The Rebecca’s Fund Committee and the Samuelson family are thankful to all who are helping to give the lifelong joy of art to the children of Custer County. For more information, please go to www.RebeccasFund.org
Contact the Foundation for more information or donate to Rebecca’s Fund today.
