Seventeen Montana Organizations Receive $100,000 from PPL Montana’s Community Fund

A summer employment program and a reservoir improvement project. A mobile wireless computer lab and the renovation of old facilities for new uses. A student-created historical documentary and a traveling museum collection bringing art into the classrooms.

“These are some of the 17 ideas that will help add to the quality of life because of the imagination and dedication of Montanans and the commitment and support of PPL Montana,” said Brad Spencer, vice president and chief operating officer of PPL Montana, at a news conference today announcing $100,000 in grants from the company’s Community Fund.

“Our commitment to Montana goes beyond the business of supplying reliable, affordable electricity, just as our investment in this state goes beyond our facilities,” Spencer said. “Through our 500 employees and the partnerships we’ve developed with Montana communities, we are part of the fabric of this state’s culture and economy. I’m excited that these grant awards mark the realization of the Community Fund as yet another investment into improving education, enhancing the environment and encouraging economic development in Montana.”

PPL Montana received more than 100 applications requesting nearly $800,000 in funding for the inaugural grant cycle this spring. The Community Fund will support additional Montana organizations this year with another $100,000 grant cycle in the fall.

An 18-member, statewide advisory board made up of civic and business leaders, as well as PPL Montana employees, helped determine how best to distribute the community grants, said Lisa Perry, PPL Montana’s manager of Community Affairs.

“The applications we received were inspiring,” Perry said. “We are absolutely thrilled about the work that’s being done around the state to make our communities stronger. Obviously this made for difficult decisions and I thank our advisory board volunteers for their time and for providing valuable insight into community needs.”

The PPL Montana Community Fund grant recipients are:

* Montana Conservation Corp, Bozeman, $10,000: Twelve groups of six students will complete various environmental projects during a five-week summer employment program that takes place in five Montana communities — Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Missoula, and Kalispell.

* Shakespeare in the Parks, Bozeman, $10,000: Purchase of a costume and props trailer for this troupe, which is based at Montana State University-Bozeman and travels the state doing outdoor summer productions.

* Meadowlark Parent Teacher Association, Billings, $10,000: Establishment of a mobile wireless computer lab at Meadowlark School.

* Burns Telecom Center, Montana State University, Bozeman, $10,000: Expansion of an integrated science education program into the Billings School District for 4th through 9th grade students.

* Shepherd Elementary School, Shepherd, $10,000: Purchase of books for a new children’s library focusing on remedial reading for kindergarten through third grade students.

* Roundup High School, Roundup, $6,499: Purchase of computers and other audio/visual equipment to support the research and production of a documentary by the school’s history class, in conjunction with the Montana Historical Society, detailing the history of Roundup and Musselshell County.

* Eagle Mount Day Camp, Billings, $6,000: Nine additional children each day for nine weeks during the summer will be able to attend this special day camp for disabled children.

* Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, $6,000: Creation of art “suitcases” that will enable the museum to take art out to the schools.

* Golden Triangle Community Mental Health Center, Great Falls, $6,000: Contribution to a community-wide capital campaign to renovate an old school building into a new facility for a mental health center serving 3,000 people in a 12-county area.

* Education Foundation, Billings, $5,792: Purchase of science equipment and supplies for the outdoor laboratory situated on the Yellowstone River that supports environmental studies by area science classes.

* Schoolhouse History and Art Center, Colstrip, $5,000: Expansion of programs to include a ceramic room and classes for all residents in Colstrip and the surrounding areas.

* The Quality of Life Corp., Colstrip, $3,326: Purchase of four computers for an after-school program conducted by the Colstrip Park and Recreation District.

* Prayer Lodge, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Busby, $3,220: Restoration of a number of construction sites across the reservation using xeriscaping — a type of landscaping that conserves water — to provide erosion control and beautify multiple areas.

* Community Services Fellowship, Sanders County, Noxon, $2,500: Renovations to a used clothing store to bring it up to requirements for handicap accessibility. Volunteers, many of whom are local disabled individuals, operate the store.

* Kennedy Parent Teacher Organization, Butte, $2,460: Installation of classroom amplification systems in kindergarten through third grade to help improve the learning environment for children in this age group, who are susceptible to temporary hearing loss due to colds, allergies and ear infections.

* Treasure County Senior Citizens, Hysham, $2,179: Purchase of new furniture for the center in this small rural eastern Montana town.

* Montana Raptor Conservation Center, Bozeman, $1,024: Development of educational pieces and a biannual news letter about raptors and the unique summer gathering of large raptors that takes place in the Bridger Mountains. Funds also will be used to purchase children’s books on raptors, which will be given to local grade school classrooms.

The fall grant cycle deadline is June 30, 2005. For more information about the fund or to apply, visit the PPL Montana Web site at http://www.pplmontana.com.

PPL Montana operates 11 hydroelectric power plants along the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers and Rosebud Creek, as well as two coal-fired plants at Colstrip and Billings, that give it a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts. The company has 500 employees at facilities throughout the state with offices in Billings, Butte and Helena.

© 2005 PPL Corporation