PPL Montana Community Fund – Fall 2010 Community Fund grant recipients

Further strengthening the partnership between PPL Montana and its communities, the company has created a philanthropic community fund – administered with input from residents throughout the state – to award grants to Montana organizations.

Under the direction of a statewide advisory board composed of community, business and government representatives from throughout the state, as well as PPL Montana employees, PPL Montana awards $200,000 each year in three major "quality of life" areas: education, environment and economic development.

PPL Montana Community Fund http://www.pplmontana.com/community/our+community/community+fund/

Fall 2010 Community Fund grant recipients

* Belt Golden Agers, Belt, $10,000 — to assist a senior citizens group in providing a more energy-efficient and comfortable meeting facility by replacing insulation, and upgrading windows and doors.

* Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools BACKPACK, Billings, $6,000 — to continue a pilot program started last year that provides weekend food backpacks to chronically hungry low-income students.

* Evelyn Cameron Heritage, Inc., Terry, $10,000 — to fund a required second entry and exit in the back of the old Rialto Theatre, the new home of the Evelyn Cameron Cultural Center.

* Harlem Blaine County Ambulance III, Harlem, $2,500 — to purchase a stretcher to safely transport patients from homes with narrow passageways and tight areas to a gurney.

* Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, Havre, $1,000 — to continue support of Leadership High School, now in its 10th year, which provides opportunities for high school juniors to learn the importance of leadership skills, community involvement and diversity.

* Hopa Mountain, Bozeman, $4,000 — to support its Youth Leadership Program, which includes outdoor problem-solving games, science education and community service learning initiatives, for teens living in Gallatin and Park counties.

* Libby K-12 Schools, Libby, $9,184 — to support the Kootenai Outdoor Adventure Project, a successful program for at-risk students that engages them in outdoor adventure programs and environmental service projects. The program is administered by the school district.

* Montana Natural History Center, Missoula, $9,000 — to complete the creation of an outdoor classroom to teach about native plants, make repairs to a building used to store teaching supplies and build a shade shelter at Fort Missoula.

* Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp, Inc., Missoula, $3,700 — to support a weeklong outdoor education program focused on ecosystems, natural resource management, stewardship, conservation and leadership for up to 40 Montana youth each summer.

* Montana School for the Deaf & Blind, Great Falls, $6,300 — to support the school’s Transition Program, which provides employment training and experience, along with life skills development.

* Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, $2,500 — to allow eligible Head Start families a free annual museum membership, part of a team effort between the museum and Head Start to provide financially disadvantaged children the opportunity to visit a museum.

* The University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area, Missoula, $10,000 — to bring a hands-on science show to three Native American reservations, where it will reach 1,000 students as well as their families and communities.

* Thompson Falls School District, Thompson Falls, $9,980 — to purchase a PlasmaCam, a vocational training tool that allows students to design projects on a computer and provide a visual link between the designs on-screen and the shapes being cut.

* Virginia City Preservation Alliance, Ennis, $2,500 — to help complete the relocation and restoration of the historic Madison County cabin of Frank Bird Linderman, a noted author, artist, editor and advocate for Montana’s Native Americans.

* Wheatland County Senior Citizens Center, Harlowton, $10,000 — to complete a fundraising campaign for a new handicapped-accessible van to transport homebound seniors to medical appointments, errands and to the center for lunch.

* Wibaux County Nursing Home, Wibaux, $1,336 — to help purchase 16 two-way radios to improve communication and safety, and allowing 40 patients to stay in their homes.

* Writing Coaches of Missoula, Missoula, $2,000 — to support a growing program that pairs adult mentors with students in the Missoula schools and works to improve writing and critical thinking skills.

http://www.pplmontana.com/community/our+community/community+fund/