Snoqualmie residents Gary and Kim Horn are seeing their passion for education make big results with a growing online venture.

The Horns created the Web site SnoqualmieRidge.org 11 years ago as a community bulletin board for their Ridge neighbors.

Traffic has grown on the site, which recently launched a campaign to raise funds for local Parent-Teacher-Student Associations at Valley elementary schools.

SnoqualmieRidge.org was founded as a neighborhood directory, and has grown to encompass a color-coded community calendar, a collection of links to articles in Valley and regional media, including stories from the Valley Record, and information about local happenings. While Ridge.org does not create content, it does act as a collecting point for information that is of interest to the Snoqualmie Ridge perspective.

Gary Horn said the site gets thousands of hits each month.

“It’s taken off because the neighborhood has accepted it,” he said. People from North Bend to Kirkland are sharing information through it.

Kim is a former Snoqualmie Valley School District board member and teacher, and Gary is a Microsoft employee.

“We love public education,” Gary Horn said. “We’ve always wanted to help promote that.”

The potential of the Web site has led to SnoqualmieRidge.org’s campaign to connect Valley parent-teacher groups with businesses who may donate to them. Businesses that donate to parent-teacher groups get a banner on the site, which stays up for a year.

“The bottom line is, how do we get more money to the PTSAs, but also, how do we give the businesses recognition of what they devote?” Horn said. “A lot of businesses donate time or money for a specific event.”

Recognition on the site can act as an incentive.

“We can build a continuous stream of commitments from the businesses to the schools,” Horn said.

To learn more, visit www.SnoqualmieRidge.org.