Spare Change Adds Up to $30K for Local Safety Projects
Nine nonprofits share $30,834 in Flathead Electric Cooperative's Roundup for Safety grants for projects from bear-resistant garbage cans to avalanche education
By Jules Lingenfelter
Flathead Electric Cooperative has awarded $30,834 in grants to nine nonprofits through its Roundup for Safety program. The projects range from bear resistant garbage cans to a shade canopy for the Kalispell Senior Center, and all aim to improve public safety in the Flathead Valley and Libby.
Founded in 1997, Roundup for Safety is a voluntary program in which Cooperative members can round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar. Local nonprofits pitch public safety projects, and an independent board of directors meets monthly to decide where the money goes.
“Really the criteria is pretty simple,” said Dillon Tabish, the Cooperative’s communications and marketing supervisor. “Basically, the board of directors just tries to understand why this project is important and how it will improve community safety.”
At its September meeting, the board approved nine projects. They included a $4,000 grant for People and Carnivores to buy and distribute bear-resistant garbage containers and to educate residents on securing trash and other attractants.
“Food attractants is the number on cause of human bear conflicts and so People and Carnivores is going to try and reduce those conflicts with bears by getting those bear resistant garbage containers out to residents,” Tabish said. The approved project proved particularly relevant as human-bear conflict is on the rise in the valley this fall.
Grant amounts vary with the scope of each project. The Flathead Association of Senior Citizens received $209 for a sun canopy to protect seniors during outdoor activities. The Kootenai Winter Sports Ski Education Foundation received $8,015 for wilderness first aid training in Libby, which Tabish said is meant to strengthen search and rescue and ski patrol efforts heading into winter.
Writing Coaches of Montana, which works with schools to improve students’ writing, will use $500 to pay for background checks on volunteers who work with children.
“Background checks can become expensive for an organization, especially for a small nonprofit,” Tabish said. “So we were excited to support paying for the background checks for that program.”
The other September grants went to:
- Skola, for fencing on Edgewood Road
- Kalispell Public Schools Student-Built Homes, for protective work boots for students
- United for Youth/Spring Up Libby, for a cooler and cart for outdoor sports
- Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center, for a projector for avalanche safety education
- Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, for an electronic speed display device to monitor traffic speeds
Tabish helps nonprofits through the application process before they go before the board.
“Every month, we just get these different requests from the local organizations, and it’s just so cool to see all the support that this program has done,” he said. “This year so far, we have supported 55 different organizations or projects, and since 1997 we’ve had over 1,600 projects funded.”
The program has awarded more than $5.5 million to date.
As Roundup for Safety nears its 30th anniversary, the Cooperative wants to highlight the program’s impact and encourage more members to opt in. Tabish pointed to past projects including new chairs for the Columbia Falls Community Center and swiftwater rescue kits for David Thompson Search and Rescue in Libby.
A recently completed safety project at a crosswalk on Bigfork High School’s campus hit close to home for Tabish. A $12,000 grant paid for flashing signs and lighting.
“I remember as a kid going to track meets and football games, and it’s kind of a stressful little crosswalk,” he said. “There’s constantly vehicles coming from both directions, and there’s always kids running across the road right there.”
About 70% of members currently participate, Tabish said, paying an average of an extra $6 a year. He said that support shows members see the benefit, and he hopes to push participation closer to 100%.
“I just think there’s so many cool examples of these funds going towards life safety projects in our community,” he said. “I’d love us to support all the needs that there are out here and to never have to turn away an organization. If they’ve got a good project, we want to try and fund it as best we can.”
Members can opt into the program by visiting the Flathead Electric Cooperative website or call (406) 751-4483. Nonprofit Organizations interested in applying for a grant can find more information online.