Change Your Pace Challenge sets new fundraising records

SEELEY LAKE – Into its sixth year of the Change Your Pace Challenge, the Seeley Lake Community Foundation raised over $80,800 for 14 local organizations, including over $23,000 for the CYP Match Fund. The match fund was up $9,000 up from last year and had the highest number of individual donors that the program has seen since it started in 2016 with 192 families giving.

"Not only did we have one of the highest match percentages [$0.49 per dollar raised], more people are getting into this," Community Foundation Executive Director Claire Muller said. "Hearing everybody's stories and the hard work that you do, everyone is helping with so many different things. Non-profits play such an important role and none of that would happen without you."

Energy Partners was the headlining sponsor for the match fund again this year donating $5,000 to get it started.

"We just absolutely love what [the Foundation] does for the community. The energy is awesome and all the volunteer work you guys do is just paramount to the success of this community," said DeWayne O'Brien, Energy Partners' General Manager. "We are just honored to be a part of it."

The appreciation for the Seeley Lake Community Foundation was echoed by all of the groups during the check presentation July 14. Many said this annual fundraising opportunity helps maintain their bottom line throughout the year while others said it offers their organization the opportunity to expand the services they offer to the community.

The 14 organizations who were part of the CYP this year shared about their current projects and use for the funds.

• Alpine Artisans, $10,982.15: These funds will primarily support the 2 Valleys Stage program in the four local schools. In addition, it will help with additional outreach activities including the Loon & Fish Festival, Open Book Club, Tour of the Arts and In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean Festival.           

• Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited, $5,985.31: BBCTU's mission is to work across the watershed to put cold, clean water back into the Blackfoot and Clearwater tributaries. For every private dollar they raised last year, they were able to garner $11 in state and federal funding. Their data shows an 800% increase in native trout numbers since their work began in 1987.

• Blackfoot Challenge, $3,463.23: There are two main programs the Challenge is currently focusing on. First is their water program called "Shared Sacrifice" that works with landowners to keep water in the river through drought conditions. They are also working with wolves and grizzly bears trying to help wildlife and valley residents coexist.

• Clearwater Resource Council, $1,785.52: This year's funding will support the water quality monitoring program specifically to address issues creating toxic blue-green algae blooms. They are working on the water quality planning process and will be holding stakeholder meetings in the near future. They are hopeful the community will engage in the conversation.

• Missoula Aging Services, $3,266.02: This will be used to support the Seeley-Swan Resource Center and Linda Howard's position providing information and services to older adults and their caregivers out of the Seeley Lake office in the Community Foundation building.

• Seeley Lake Community Foundation, $8,274.67: The Foundation is celebrating 21 years this year. This past year, they have helped businesses apply for COVID funding, helped with the Census and have hosted COVID vaccine clinics and the mobile testing clinic. The Foundation has hosted several workshops and presentations to help the greater Seeley Lake community thrive as well as holding the Seeley Lake Market every Sunday through the summer. This year, they are holding their annual fundraising banquet Aug. 15. The next day they are welcoming an Americorps Vista member for a year. The Foundation is funding upgrades to the ski benches and purchased new light pole banners for downtown. They look forward to hosting more programs and events in the West Wing this year.

• Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitor's Center, $5,403.33: They will use the funds to help expand the main floor Visitor's Center giving them the opportunity provide more Visitors/Museum information resources to guests and travelers to the Seeley Swan Valley.

• Seeley Lake Community Park, $1,659.05: Funds will support maintenance and portable bathrooms at the playground behind Seeley Lake Elementary and tennis courts. This year there has been a shortage of portable toilets but they are trying to get them.

• Seeley Lake ROCKS, $3,287.65: Their mission is to get people outdoors, exercising and enjoying where they live. These funds will be used to help with the Lakeside Trail near Placid Lake and the all-access trail, a mile long wheel-chair accessible trail near Placid Lake State Park. Funds will also enhance existing work at the ice rink at SLE and the Yurt at the Seeley Creek Trails.

• Sela Senci, $6,421.82: The Senior Center provides meals to seniors and homebound people in a congregate setting and meals on wheels. They also offer activities and look forward to getting back to more of them as the pandemic subsides.

• Sparrow's Vine Pregnancy Resource Center, $9,470.60: They just moved their office into the Seeley Lake Community Foundation building. Through COVID they started offering many of their classes virtually for clients. That was well received and they now have more clients and are reaching more families. They also hosted a free family photo shoot in collaboration with several local businesses this past weekend.

• Swan Valley Connections, $9,868.34: Swan Valley Connections offers education, outreach, promotes conservation and helps Swan Valley residents and visitors understand how to coexist safety with the flora and fauna in the Seeley-Swan. Swan Valley Bear Resources help provide bear resistant containers to individuals and businesses. They have partnered with CRC on aquatic invasive species and other monitoring. They recently partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on a restoration project on the Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

• Upper Swan Valley Historical Society, $8,309.79: Through COVID the Historical Society did a lot of archiving of data and interviewing old timers. They are working on a second edition of the Voice of the Swan. This funding will help continue that work as well as other activities that promote the preservation of the history of the Swan Valley.

• Veterans & Families of Seeley Lake, $2,641.08: The VFSL supports local veterans since there is no Post or Auxiliary in Seeley Lake. Recently they relocated a ramp to help a local veteran that needed it to access his home. Funds will be used to continue to improve the Veterans Memorial Garden on Highway 83 including completing the Veterans' Memorial kiosk, maintain the park grounds, put up signage and improve accessibility.

The CYP is an annual fundraiser during the month of June. Since its inception in 2016, it has raised more than $450,000 for 24 different non-profits in the past six years.