Tribes, St. Joe's Hospital donate land to local Boys and Girls Club
After 18 years of serving the Ronan and Polson communities, the local Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County will be making substantial changes. At their annual Great Futures Breakfast held at the KwaTaqNuk resort last Wednesday, representatives applauded the clubs’ accomplishments while announcing news about future expansion plans.
“Your organization is a shining example of what a Boys and Girls Club should be!” proclaimed Linda Wiltse, Director of Organizational Development, Native Services, of the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA). While the clubs may be thriving, the proposed changes are, in part, born of necessity.
Currently, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes lease a building north of Dairy Queen to the Ronan Boys and Girls Club for exactly one dollar per year. When the north couplet of Highway 93 undergoes construction in the spring of 2018, however, that building will be replaced with highway.
The Boys and Girls Club isn’t without a plan however. Barbara Dennis, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club shared, “the Tribes are building a community center [in Ronan] and they’re giving the Boys and Girls Club a part of that footprint. We will be responsible for raising our portion of the funds for that. They’ve donated the land entirely; they’ve already purchased that. Everything is in place to begin moving forward with that project.”
At Wednesday’s breakfast, local Boys and Girls Club members sang songs for the audience and shared why the Club is important to them. Members also helped give out framed certificates to recognize community members and groups who have been benefactors. Among those were John Schnase and his mother Katherine Schnase, who have been instrumental to the success of the organization. Katherine recently set up an endowment fund to help secure the long term financial stability of the Club. It currently contains over $8,000.
“Today, we wanted to let the public know what has progressed for the club[s] because they’re substantial and they’re great things but we also have a lot to raise yet,” explained Dennis.
The Polson branch of the Boys and Girls Club is also poised for progress. Presently, the club serves approximately 55 kids daily in the basement of the Episcopal Church. Providence St. Joseph Medical Center has donated roughly 1.8 acres across from the Polson Middle School to the Boys and Girls Club for a new building. “It’s consistent with our creed of responding to need and our mission is to reveal God’s love for all, particularly the poor and vulnerable through our compassionate services,” said James Kiser, Chief Executive of St. Joseph’s. “We’re responding to that need and helping in what little way we can.”
Fundraising for the building is the next step.
“We’re in the beginning stages of a Capital Campaign,” explained Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County, Aric Cooksley. “We’re actually having some meetings this week – where we’ll begin putting together a plan for working with donors.”
The breakfast ended with a call to action. Even with such focused visions for the future, the Boys and Girls Club still has a long way to go. They are responsible for all the fundraising for both new buildings. “It’s going to be a hefty amount to raise, but we’re confident it can be done!” said Barbara Dennis. “The whole community has always been really giving to the Boys and Girls Club. It’s touching and phenomenal.”