"It like makes me emotional kind of because you know that they get to experience all these different kinds of things," said Beverly Haugen, director of Giraffe Laugh location 2 in Boise.
It's a local non-profit organization that provides early learning and education to families regardless of their ability to pay.
They provide activities to children like Ballet Idaho, swim lessons, and gymnastics.
"And they don't even have to worry about it. It's like not a question well do I get to do ballet or am I going to get to go to the botanical gardens," said Haugen
They were one of the local non-profits recipients of a St. Luke's Community Health Improvement Fund grant.
Last year, St. Luke's says they invested about 600,000 dollars into about 90 local organizations.
"Giraffe laugh does a wonderful job of leveling that playing field and getting kids to have these similar experiences and so it keeps them on a really great trajectory as they go into school and continue to learn," said Daniel Mediate, St. Luke's community engagement department.
Those experiences that may not be possible without the grant.
"We had a little girl who just wanted to do ballet, wanted to do ballet and we announced that we had partnered up with Ballet Idaho and so we we're going to get to do ballet and so she just kind of melted on the floor and wanted to be a ballerina and we were able to help provide her with her little leotard, her tights and her ballet slippers and we got her a little crown and her performance at the end of the season she was absolutely amazing and she got to meet all the ballerinas from the Nutcracker and I just remember in that moment this is why we do what we do," said Haugen.
