Finding new ways to support residents in the Swan Valley took center stage last Tuesday, June 27. About 100 people met to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Swan Valley Community Foundation with a leadership award and small grants to local nonprofits.
Residents ate dinner at the Hungry Bear Bar and Grill in Condon. Each had a slip of paper that SVCF President John Mercer asked the crowd to write two things: what issues the Swan Valley face, and what the community foundation can do to help.
The foundation has been around since 2013, when it got its 501(c)3 credentials. Since then, the group has worked with government and private entities to better the community. The banquet was the first ever for the group and so were the awards.
Joyce Sharp received the Vern Sharp award for community service. Her late husband Vern Sharp got the foundation on its feet. Soon after, the group gave $9,100 to local groups.
“We really saw Vern as the founder of the Swan Valley Community Foundation, and we want to honor him for that,” Mercer said. “It didn’t take long to choose who the first person to get this award is.”
Joyce Sharp works for several agencies in the Swan Valley, including the fire hall and the fire service board. The award was specially made for her, with a colorful sky above the Swan Mountains and an eagle flying.
When the foundation started, Mercer said the very first thing it did was take over the cook shack on the Fourth of July to give out free food to the valley.
Once the Forest Service levied that the public needed to pay for the day time use area at Holland Lake.
Mercer said the community foundation managed to fund passes for locals to use the lake for free. For the last few years, the group has been giving out small grants to area nonprofits, including at the banquet.
The groups awarded included American Legion Post 63, the Living With Wildlife Foundation, Swan Valley Community Library, Swan Valley PTA, Swan Valley Senior Services, Upper Swan Valley Historical Society and Alpine Artisans.
The American Legion hopes to add lights to all visible flag poles in the Condon area. The Living With Wildlife group will use the money for more supplies for trash pickup and continue to fund a bear ranger. The Swan Valley Community Library plans to replace worn books in the Classics section.
The Swan Valley PTA will apply to the Missoula Children’s Theater to create a performance next spring. The Senior Services will be using the money to help fund the senior meals in the valley, which recently lost federal funding.
The historical society will be fixing the roof of its building. Alpine Artisans will use their funds to bring more artists to the Swan Valley School, which the group has done for the last 22 years.
At the end of the night, the group agreed to start holding this banquet annually and hopefully have a new strategic plan for the next five years soon.
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