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PEOPLEINBUSINESS
Plum Creek Continues its Tradition of Giving to Area Food Banks
For the seventh year in a row, a donation by Plum Creek will help local food banks meet the ongoing needs during the holiday season. The company is presenting a total of $35,500 in checks to eight community food banks that serve northwest Mon- tana: Bigfork Food Bank ($500); Colum- bia Falls Food Bank ($7,500); Flathead Valley Food Bank ($12,500); Libby Food Pantry ($2,500); North Valley Food Bank ($4,000); Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down and Food Pantry ($4,000); Tobacco Valley Food Pantry ($2,500); and Westshore Community Assistance Program ($2,000). Plum Creek employees also participated in the community out- reach, collecting food and donating more than 150 turkeys to the food banks.
“It is a Plum Creek tradition to sup- port local food banks in northwest Mon- tana through donations and volunteer- ism, especially around the holidays,” said Tom Ray, vice president of North- west Resources and Manufacturing at Plum Creek. “The food banks are a vital resource to those struggling to make ends meet and we are happy to support this critical mission. Our donations will help feed those in need and hopefully provide a happier holiday for members of our community.”
Flathead County Science Fair Receives $1,000 Grant from Applied Materials Foundation
Applied Materials Foundation has made a $1,000 grant to the Flathead Val- ley Science Fair, in partnership with the Kalispell Education Foundation. This money will be used to establish cash prizes as incentives for the Flathead County Science Fair in March of 2016 and to encourage our local young scien- tists and engineers to take their winning entries to the Montana Science Fair in Missoula.
The Flathead County Science Fair (FCSF) will be held at the county fair- grounds on March 10, 2016, and will fea- ture the students in grades 3-12 from throughout the valley who have per- formed well in their schools’ science fairs. There will be categories for Bio- logical Science, Physical Science and Engineering Design projects. The expe- riential, hands-on participation in sci- ence and engineering projects allows students from our county the chance to display their creativity and exploration of the world around them. Students in sixth through 12th grade who excel will be encouraged to take their projects to the Montana Science Fair in Missoula.
Many area students advance to state and national competitions and may ulti- mately pursue careers in specialized sci- enti c, medical and engineering elds. As our country’s workforce increasingly
shifts toward “high-tech” industries, we must continue to encourage students to develop capabilities in advanced technol- ogy elds. Past participants in the Flat- head County Science Fair have gone on to participate in the Broadcom MASTERS competition for middle school students and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), as well as other regional and national level competitions.
The FCSF committee is seeking addi- tional sponsors in order to be able to cover the full cost of the Montana Science Fair for the winning entries. If your organiza- tion is able to provide additional funding or sponsorship to promote our students’ interest and participation in the study of science and engineering, please contact the committee at atheadcountyscience- [email protected].
The Applied Materials Foundation was established by Applied Materials, Inc., to make a positive social contribu- tion in regions where Applied Materials employees work and live through philan- thropic investments in the areas of edu- cation, civic development, arts and cul- ture, and the environment.
Great Fish Gives Generously in White sh
This summer, the White sh Commu- nity Foundation cast a line and reeled in a big one. The Foundation launched the Great Fish Challenge in June and dis- tributed more than $1.1 million to 32 participating nonpro t organizations as part of the rst annual Great Fish Chal- lenge. As one of the participating non- pro ts, White sh Community Library took home a generous cut of the funds raised at the awards ceremony at Casey’s Bar. Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Foundation in the name of the library, and a percentage of matching funds by the Community Foundation itself, the White sh Library Association received a check for $10,061.08.
“It was exciting and humbling to receive the monetary gift as part of our participation in the Great Fish Chal- lenge,” said Jerry Hanson, president of the White sh Library Association. “This funding will enable WLA to extend its ongoing nancial support of the White- sh Community Library’s critical needs in a variety of ways.”
The Great Fish Community Challenge replaces the Duck Derby as the Founda- tion’s primary fundraising event. The annual charitable giving campaign was designed to maximize donations from matching funds that stem from con- tributions to the Circle of Giving and from individuals donating directly to the Great Fish Match Fund. It was a way for many people to give to several organizations with a single check. As an added bonus, the White sh Commu- nity Foundation covered all transaction
and administrative fees, making par- ticipation in the campaign free for all nonpro ts.
“The campaign did exactly what we wanted it to do,” said Community Foun- dation Executive Director Linda Engh- Grady. “It helped all sizes and types of nonpro ts raise signi cant program money at no cost. These individuals are passionate about their organizations and the good work that they do to serve the community,” she said.
Visit www.white shlibrary.org for more information on hours, programs and other news about the White sh Community Library, or like WCL on Facebook.
Outpouring of Support from the Community
Flathead Valley residents came together to meet the Christmas needs of families in the area. Individuals and groups volunteered to ring the bell at the kettle stands, and other groups helped to collect toys and food to be distributed through The Salvation Army. Two such groups collected toys, clothing and food earlier this month
The United Parcel Service, for the third year in a row, volunteered its trucks and drivers during its busiest time of year to collect groceries and toys for the needy. UPS had ve trucks posted at ve di er- ent locations in the valley, manned with UPS employees. There was a great show of support as 2,500 pounds of food and 248 toys and children’s clothing items were donated for those needing help during the holidays.
The Civil Air Patrol Flathead Compos- ite Squadron 53 held its second annual Stu the Bus Toy Collection at Shopko in Evergreen. Shopper after shopper left Shopko with bags lled with toys for the bus. There were 165 toys and gifts valued at $3,226 were collected.
The toys and clothing were distributed to families through The Salvation Army Toy ‘n Joy Christmas program, which allows parents who are struggling nan- cially to pick out new toys and clothing to give to their children for Christmas. The food will be used for the year-round meal program and was made available to indi- vidual families during the holidays as well.
The Salvation Army serves hot break- fast and lunch Monday through Friday, serving approximately 100 meals a day, and has a hot shower and laundry avail- able for use by those who don’t have run- ning water or can’t a ord a Laundromat. All services are free and located at 110 Bountiful Drive in Kalispell.
PayneWest Insurance Named in Business Insurance’s Annual Best Places to Work
PayneWest Insurance, with an o ce at 33 Village Loop in Kalispell, announced
it has been named among the elite insur- ance organizations as one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Insurance. PayneWest Insurance colleagues praised the com- pany’s many employee bene t programs like Heathy Together Wellness Program, pro t sharing, adoption assistance, con- tinuing education, and lifestyle programs like FROG (Fun Reaching Out to Group – a colleague engagement program).
Best Places to Work in Insurance is an annual feature presented by Business Insurance and Best Companies Group that lists the agents, brokers, insurance companies and other providers with the highest levels of employee engage- ment and satisfaction. Harrisburg, Pa.- based Best Companies Group identi es the leading employers in the insurance industry by conducting a free two-part assessment of each company. The rst part is a questionnaire completed by the employer about company policies, prac- tices and demographics. The second part is a con dential employee survey on engagement and satisfaction. The rank- ing and pro les of the winning companies was published in Business Insurance.
“This recognition is a tribute to our colleagues who make PayneWest Insur- ance more than just a great place to work. Our focus, and their e orts, is centered squarely on what we call our three C’s: cli- ents, colleagues and communities. Our mission to always do right by these three groups drives our culture,” said Kyle Lingscheit, PayneWest Insurance CEO.
Montana Realtors Select Teri Polumsky as 2016 President
The Montana Association of Realtors welcomes 2016 president Teri Polumsky. Polumsky is from Hamilton and has been a realtor for 25 years. Her rst career was in marketing and advertising, including hosting a radio show and own- ing a weekly newspaper. She and her hus- band Andy work as a team and both have been active in local, state and national committees and leadership. Polumsky was selected as the Montana Realtor of
the Year in 2011.
“I am proud to serve as the president
in 2016. I admire this organization that does so much to protect and promote real estate and homeownership,” said Polumsky. “Real estate in Montana is improving and it is a great time to contact your local realtor. I look forward to raising awareness on issues impacting housing.”
Also serving in leadership for 2016 is President-elect John Herring, Missoula; First-VP Richard Mayo, Bozeman; Trea- surer Howard Sumner, Billings; Imme- diate Past-president Ryan Swinney, Hel- ena; CEO Taylor Oldroyd, Helena.
For more information on the Mon- tana Association of Realtors, visit them at www.montanarealtors.org.
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DECEMBER 30, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM