Spring 2007 Community Fund Recipients

Children’s Museum of Bozeman, Bozeman, $5,000 — To create a new exhibit called MEL: Mobile Experiment Labs. These portable self-contained science carts are designed for small, highly engaging experiments using household materials.

Community Works, Helena, $10,000 — To provide solar-thermal panels and related equipment to preheat water used in the in-floor radiant heating for this interactive science museum that will open at the Great Northern Town Center in fall 2007. The “green” building will demonstrate renewable energy technologies and energy-efficient practices.

Great Falls Public Library, Great Falls, $10,000 — To enable the Bookmobile to continue to provide service to rural residents of Cascade County.

Hillcrest School Association, Butte, $9,888 — To help Hillcrest Elementary School meet the growing demand for technological integration in curriculum by purchasing three Smart Boards. These interactive boards allow teachers to project a computer image to energize presentations and motivate learners.

Missoula Children’s Theatre, Missoula, $6,000 — To enable seven additional schools to participate in the theater’s traveling performances that help students learn life skills and gain confidence through taking part in the productions.

Montana Committee for the Humanities, Missoula, $2,000 — To help support the organization’s Speakers Bureau, which provides 150-200 programs per year statewide on topics that include history, literature, philosophy, religion, ethics and law.

Montana Council, Boy Scouts, Billings, $5,000 — To support a four-day statewide “Camporee” near Helena this summer for 2,500 Scouts and their leaders. The Scouts will participate in outdoor education and skill-building activities and each evening will have an opportunity to attend presentations by local government officials, motivational speakers, and entertainers.

Montana History Foundation, Helena, $10,000 — To enable the Montana History Foundation to print a Montana history textbook and make it available for seventh grade students across the state. Currently, there is no textbook focusing specifically on Montana history. 

Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, Great Falls, $5,000 — To assist the school in purchasing new gymnasium bleachers safely accessible for people with disabilities.

Montana Watershed Coordination Council, Bozeman, $7,985 — To support a two-day training event for more than 30 watershed coordinators from across the state who implement and support community-based water resource protection.

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls, $5,000 — To assist in expanding the museum’s After School Art Education program, which serves children in grades K-12, including those with developmental and physical disabilities.

Rails to Trails, Kalispell, $3,000 — To help complete a 1.3-mile trail along Kila Road, enabling Kila School students to safely walk to school. 

Richey High School, Richey, $1,150 — To be used toward an automated watering system for the Richey High School greenhouse. Students learn about agriculture and business through working in the greenhouse, the only one serving the community.

Rimrock Opera Company, Billings, $3,000 — To support performances of an anti-tobacco program, “The Night Harry Stopped Smoking,” at area schools.

Treasure County 89ers Museum, Hysham, $9,477 — To purchase a heating and cooling unit for the Yucca Theatre in Hysham, enabling it to be used year-round. Built in 1931, the Southwestern Mission architectural style theater in downtown Hysham was once abandoned but now is restored and hosts a variety of events, drawing visitors to Treasure County, which, with its 700 residents, is the smallest county in Montana.

Western Heritage Center, Billings, $7,500 — To support the Echoes Oral History Initiative, a two-year program to collect oral history interviews from some of the people who shaped the Yellowstone River Valley between 1940-1990, a period of significant change in the Valley.

Fall 2007 Community Fund Recipients

Montana Homeownership Network, Great Falls, $10,000 — To provide expertise, financing and training to develop 200 new housing units across Montana for 460 Montanans. This organization, led by former legislator Sheila Rice, is working to address the need in the state for homes that can be rented or purchased by families at or below the median income.

Montana State University Billings Foundation, Billings, $10,000 — To replace the 40-year old electronic lighting system with a more energy-efficient system in the popular Petro Theater, which hosts more than 12,000 people a year.

Rosebud Health Care Center, Forsyth, $5,500 — To replace an obsolete X-ray table, which is a safety hazard for patients with limited mobility, with a modern elevating table. This 11-bed hospital has an attached clinic and a 55-bed nursing home. The facilities are vital to the economy of this small town in Rosebud County and provide health care to residents rather than forcing them to travel to another community.

School House History and Art Center, Colstrip, $1,500 — To ensure continuation of an outreach program conducted by the Schoolhouse History and Art Center. The education director of this organization travels to small communities, schools and senior centers in Rosebud County, touching the lives of young and old with art programs.

World Museum of Mining, Butte, $10,000 — To purchase technology to enable the museum to digitize and preserve much of its historic “Butte, America” collection. This educational facility is one of Butte’s top tourist attractions and is an important piece of Butte’s economic development efforts.

YWCA of Great Falls, Great Falls, $10,000 — To provide 26 hours of tutoring through Sylvan Learning Center to children of residents of Mercy Home, a domestic violence shelter. Many of these children struggle to do well in school and complete homework.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yellowstone County, Billings, $2,700 — To install a handicap closure push button on the front door of the organization’s new location. The push button will increase accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Daly Mansion Preservation Trust, Hamilton, $10,000 — To help restore the “Green Room” of this historic home of Marcus Daly, one of Montana’s copper kings. The property had fallen into disrepair until a group of residents formed the Preservation Trust and brought the house back to its original splendor. The home now serves as a community center and is a major tourist attraction in Hamilton, receiving more than 10,000 visitors a year.

Eagle Mount, Billings, $5,000 — To expand the equestrian program for children and adults with disabilities to serve up to 45 people, who will learn balance, trust, respect for horses, self-respect, self-confidence and social skills.

Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, Bozeman, $2,800 — To support the center’s “Schools in the Gallery” program, an educational curriculum designed to support arts education for 800 students in the Gallatin Valley. This includes exhibit tours, field trips and hands-on activities.

Fishtail Community Center, Fishtail, $7,500 — To purchase a new furnace to allow the center to be open year-round. The new, energy-efficient furnace will help economic development in Fishtail, ensuring the building is available for public meetings and gatherings.

Gateway Community Services, Great Falls, $5,000 — To teach parenting skills to residents of Grace Home, which strives to create healthy families for women recovering from substance abuse. The education will consist of three modules: parents as teachers, nurturing for parents and real-life parenting skills.

Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, Havre, $1,000 — To support the “Leadership Havre” program for high school juniors. This educational program helps prepare young people to be future leaders and teaches about business, economic development and what makes their community work.

Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, $8,000 — To create a DVD of the museum’s “Traveling Medicine Show,” an educational project that brings the art, history and culture of the Northern Plains Indians to schools in northwest Montana. The DVD will allow the organization to share its lesson with students all over Montana.

Junior League of Billings, Billings, $2,500 — To support the organization’s “New Image” program, which enables released female inmates to get a wardrobe while they are in transition back into the community. The Junior League operates a used clothing store in Billings, site of the Montana Women’s State Prison.

Montana Natural History Center, Missoula, $5,000 — To replace and repair scientific equipment so the center can continue its mission of teaching children about science and the environment. The center has naturalists who visit fourth and fifth grades, operate a Summer Science Day Camp and provide traveling nature programs for Grades K-12.

Safe Space/Suited for Success, Butte, $1,000 — To buy a computer and software to help teach computer skills, write resumes and offer preparation for the general educational development test. This organization helps get people back in the workforce.

Young Families Early Head Start, Billings, $2,500 — To help purchase a new fire alarm system to meet current state and federal regulations. The organization, which recently acquired a new building in central Billings, helps young parents get back into school and complete their education while providing a safe and stimulating environment for their children.