Hilton saying goodbye to community

By HEIDI DESCH / Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls will soon loose one of its volunteers.

Mary Hilton, who has spent countless years volunteering for numerous organizations, will soon say goodbye to Columbia Falls.

Hilton is the new accounts representative for Glacier Bank. She worked for First Citizen s Bank before the two banks merged in February.

She will leave her Glacier job there Friday and expects to move to Chapin, S.C., in the spring. She s leaving to be closer to her children.

Hilton has lived in Columbia Falls for 24 years. Over that time she has volunteered for the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce Board and its Economic Development Board, the Columbia Falls Community Foundation, the Lions Club, the Boogie to the Bank, Columbia Falls Coming Alive and the Night of Lights, Clean the Falls, the Heritage Days committee and the Council of Catholic Women.

She helped with the Lions Club annual Easter Egg Hunt, spent 15 years with Heritage Days and has been secretary for the Columbia Falls Foundation.

Hilton said the change is bitter sweet.

There s a sense of sadness at leaving all those organization, she said.

Hilton s not sure how she first got involved in helping out.

But she knows it began when she and her husband first moved to Columbia Falls from Portland, Ore.

My husband and I wanted to be part of the community, Hilton said. It was a way of getting involved.

Hilton co-owned the Country Sampler, a craft store, for a time in the 1980 s. That got her involved in the Chamber of Commerce.

Then she went on board with the Comming Alive in 85 group when it began the Night of Lights.

We love Columbia Falls and we loved helping with the community, she said.

This year s Night of Lights celebration, however, came with a sense of sadness knowing it will be her last as a volunteer.

It was very sad, she said. Maybe I can fly back next year it s a real fun event.

The event is one of her favorites. Even though work on the event is done all throughout the year and by a core group.

Hilton advocates for doing volunteer work in the community.

Everyone should get involved in some way or another, she said. If people don t show concern and pride we lose the community.

Not only is it hard to leave her volunteer work behind, Hilton said she ll also miss her work at the bank.

I ll miss everybody here at the bank, she said. The special customers become like friends. I miss them already… they re such special people.