by John Dowd
The first annual Montana Matters Banquet went off without a hitch, say event organizers. Tom Powers, a leading member of Montana Matters and Montana Conservation Elders, wanted to thank everyone involved with the event. “This is definitely a great committee to work with. They are a crack team. Everybody bent over backwards to make this a successful event and everybody is owed a big thank you.” He especially wanted to put out a big thank you to Tracey Manning.
Manning is a member of the Montana Matters organization, as well as a mentor for First Hunt Foundation (FHF), which is the other half of the Montana Matters partnership. Manning took the lead in organizing the banquet, which fed over 200 people.
During the event, there were numerous silent auction items donated from across the state and beyond. After most of the silent auction items were bid on, and everyone was called to their seats, the first responders and military persons were asked to stand. After collecting names, they were entered into a drawing for a flag. The winning recipient, Vietnam veteran Jim Kalkofen of Stevensville, smiled when called up and said, “A lot of us vets love what this organization is about.” According to Powers, Kalkofen was a victim of Agent Orange during the war and is disabled. Kalkofen was seated at a table with other wounded veterans.
After the flag drawing, three youth from the event were selected to be given scholarships to camps. These youth were Lacie Larson, Sam Falagan and Brennan Meinhold. Powers said, “Many more of these summer camp opportunities will be given out at no cost to area youths on Saturday, May 6th at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Additional camp scholarships will be given out at local wildlife banquets this spring. There are camp scholarships available for our youth ages seven to 17 years of age.”
Serving food and showcasing auction items during the event were Stevensville High School FFA members. Montana Matters will be donating $500 to the FFA for helping out.
During the event there were several items auctioned off live, including over 20 desserts that brought in thousands of dollars for the event. The live auctions were performed by Joe Mast and the event master of ceremonies was Shane Clouse. Clouse is owner of the Pink Grizzly Nursery in Missoula, with also donated to the event. Clouse is an avid supporter of the organization and has attended several camps, according to Powers.
Also attending the event were other leading members of FHF, including organization president and founder Rick Brazell, FHF Connecting Heroes and Hunters Director Rich Cotte, FHF Western Washington Chapter President Robert Beale and Ray Livingston, the director of the FHF Forgotten Rites program.
In all, the banquet made nearly $45,000. That will be split between Montana Conservation Elders and First Hunt Foundation, and will all go towards helping youth experience the outdoors.
For more information on Montana Matters Youth Outdoor Experiences or Montana Conservation Elders, members suggest interested parties visit the group website www.mtconservationelders.org. For information on First Hunt Foundation, parties can visit firsthuntfoundation.org.