Our Story
Four Winds Resource Center was built on a simple belief: that a thriving community needs a place to gather. Our efforts do go unnoticed, in 2024, we were honored with the Haines Borough’s inaugural Community Builder Award — recognition of the trust and impact this center has built over more than a decade of community service.
Located at Mosquito Lake in the upper Chilkat Valley, FWRC is a volunteer-powered community center where Haines Borough residents — from longtime locals to new families — access programs, grow food together, share tools, and celebrate together. This mission and vision began more than 10 years ago in an effort to utilize the shuttered Mosquito Lake School.
That vision has taken root. Our Victory Garden has grown for six consecutive years, feeding dozens of families. Our Tool Library helps neighbors tackle home projects without the burden of expensive equipment. Our yoga and wellness classes bring people together to care for their bodies and minds. Our art exhibitions spotlight the creative talent in this valley. And our youth programs — from kids’ arts camps to movie nights — invest in the next generation of Chilkat Valley residents. Young people find community. Long-time residents find purpose.
Why Third Places Matter
Research on third places consistently demonstrates that access to a staffed, trusted gathering place reduces social isolation, lowers depression and anxiety risk, and supports chronic disease prevention through structured physical activity and intergenerational connection. The Urban Institute has documented that access to recreational spaces and trusted community facilities is associated with more positive feelings about one’s community, improved health behaviors, and reduced loneliness — outcomes that are especially pronounced for low-income and rural residents who have fewer alternatives.
FWRC is exactly this kind of place. And in the upper Chilkat Valley, it is the only one.
BOard Members
Four Winds Resource Center is governed by a dedicated volunteer board of directors who live and work in the Haines Borough. Our board guides our mission, stewards our resources, and ensures that FWRC remains accountable to the community it serves.
We are actively building a diverse board that reflects the full breadth of our community — by geography, expertise, and background. If you have skills in finance, fundraising, strategic planning, or community leadership, we’d love to hear from you.
Julie Korsmeyer
PresidenT
Bio
I came to Haines in 2017 after I retired from a career as a Deputy District Attorney in San Diego. I bought a beautiful cabin on Mosquito Lake Road and built a guest house for when my children and grandchildren come to visit. I was able to become a part of the upper valley community by volunteering at the Four Winds Resource Center at the Mosquito Lake School. Being able to live in such a beautiful and vibrant place and having this incredible opportunity to give back has been a priceless gift.
Deb Stanford
Vice President
Bio
My husband Jim and I made Mosquito Lake our home in 1985, where we raised our 3 children, Cash, Jaime and Coleman. I have been involved with Mosquito Lake School since we moved to the upper valley and I have been on the board of the Four Winds Resource Center since its inception. I retired from Public Health with the State of Alaska in 2013. I enjoy gardening, cross country skiing and spending time with family and friends.
Sarah Ammons
secretary
Shelby Flemming
Treasurer
Bio
After working on a troll fishing tender in Lisianski Inlet from 2016-2017, I came across the Haines trolling fleet which brought me to the Upper Valley of Haines in 2018. A place I have called home ever since. I married one of these trollers on the banks of the Klehini River years later, and we have been building our current home from the ground up. Having community in Haines, from town to the Upper Valley and border, is incredibly important to me, which is why I have been an avid volunteer with the Four Winds Resource Center. The Four Winds Resource Center provides our community access to incredible resources and a meeting place to gather, learn and grow together. Though many of us like to hermit and be alone out here, the Four Winds Resource Center and its many offerings ensure we are never lonely.
Lucy Squib
Board Member
Bio
Our Vision
Four Winds Resource Center will be widely recognized throughout the Haines Borough — and beyond — as a valuable community asset and a treasured local destination, focused on increasing opportunity for personal and collective growth within our community.
To get there, we are focused on eight interconnected priorities:
- Expanding programs and offerings in step with our community’s needs and our available capacity
- Building a stronger, more active volunteer base
- Developing a solid and diversified financial foundation
- Creating sustainable staffing infrastructure — including, eventually, a paid Executive Director
- Strengthening board governance and diversity
- Enhancing outreach and marketing — including this website
- Building a stronger, more autonomous partnership with the Haines Borough
- Strengthening existing partnerships and pursuing new ones locally and regionally
We are on the cusp of something big. The community has shown up for us — now we are building the infrastructure to show up for them for decades to come.
We’d love to hear from you — whether you want to volunteer, learn about a program, or explore a partnership.