Glacier Park fundraising week wraps up

More than 150 businesses recently joined the Glacier National Park Conservancy in a fundraising effort for Glacier National Park called One Day for Glacier. GNPC is Glacier Park’s official philanthropic and outreach partner.

Businesses from Kalispell to Great Falls and Whitefish to Bigfork participated in the campaign, which has been endorsed by every chamber of commerce in the Flathead Valley.

Participating businesses asked customers to round up their purchases or donate an extra dollar. Other businesses made flat donations, while some matched customer donations.

Smith’s Foods in Columbia Falls and Kalispell together raised more than $9,000 to benefit field trip transportation for school children to Glacier Park.

GNPC held its Backpacker’s Ball at Green Valley Ranch in Coram on Saturday, Aug. 2. The fundraising event brought in nearly $150,000 in support for the Park, well exceeding the $120,000 goal.

That included $54,000 raised in a live drive specifically for Glacier Park education programs. Of that amount, $20,000 was provided by BNSF Railway, which offered a matching challenge to the audience.

“The combined commitment of our community businesses, like Smith’s Foods, and those that participated in One Day for Glacier, along with our donors who attended the Backpacker’s Ball, have set the Park up to accomplish some very important work in the coming year,” GNPC president Mark Preiss said.

This year, GNPC will invest in more than 20 projects throughout the Park, from education opportunities for children to trail and lookout rehabilitation projects and the relocation of the Apgar Visitor Center.

Glacier Park and GNPC officials will review 2015 proposals from different Park program areas in August and identify key funding priorities for the coming year.

For more information, visit online at http://glacierconservancy.org.