Quick Takes
short stories about our partners’ impact
Read how our partners are working to inspire, innovate, and improve the lives of people across Montana!
A Sober Community
“I’ve always struggled with my relationship with alcohol. But it wasn’t until I found kickboxing this year that I realized I was just drinking because I was lonely and a little bored,” says Erin M. She discovered kickboxing through The Phoenix. “It wasn’t long until I was hooked on moving and hitting the bag with […]
Recovery Changes Lives
A 2020 study by Healthy Gallatin found that almost half of all Gallatin, Madison, and Park County residents are negatively affected by substance abuse, according to Greater Impact Executive Director John Paszkiet. “It is important for those in recovery to have a safe place to build a healthy lifestyle, with a healthy community around them, […]
Helping Others Heal
Jane Maggard, the Change Your Life coordinator at Love INC, Gallatin County, recalls how a single mom “was mad at God but is now coming around, working on a relationship.” Another woman who wouldn’t leave the house is now able to complete her outdoor walks. They, along with nine others, completed REBOOT Recovery’s Trauma REBOOT […]
Teaching through Experience
For Ed Worrell, teaching the visually impaired is personal. After losing his vision at age 24, he attended the Montana Association for the Blind’s Summer Orientation Program (SOP). He returned to teach the following year and now is part of the nonprofit’s three-person team of computer technology instructors. This summer, students will learn how to […]
Fortifying Our First Responders
Retired Billings Police Officer Justin Bickford is not alone. An on-duty shooting, followed by personal trauma, led to his administrative leave, mental health treatment, and eventual retirement from the force. An inpatient program in Tucson, focusing on PTSD, anxiety, depression, and anger, helped him out of “mental health hell.” Back in Billings, he took T-6’s […]
Feeding Food Pantries
The Livingston Food Resource Center (LFRC) is more than a food pantry. It’s an economic development driver, job training ground, and nonprofit aspiring to lift people out of poverty. “Our vision is to fight the root cause of hunger, which is poverty,” according to Executive Director George Peirce. The LFRC recently expanded its Community Bakery […]
Divine Providence
When enrollment trends at private schools recently took a sharp upward turn, Divine Mercy Academy was ready. The Catholic school in Belgrade just hired four new teachers and completed a capital improvement project, including a two-story addition with new classrooms, common space for assemblies, lunch and school activities, a commercial kitchen area, and restrooms. DMA’s […]
Overcoming Trauma
COVID-19 has taken a toll on everybody’s mental health, with young people especially hard hit, according to a report issued in December by the U.S. surgeon general. REBOOT Recovery recognized this reality in April 2020, extending its Crisis Edition video series free of charge to the general public. REBOOT has long helped veterans, first responders, […]
Helping Others Helps Us
A great way to help yourself is to help others. According to a 2020 Psychology Today article, “Helping Others Is Good for Your Health,” assisting others can improve one’s own physical and mental health, happiness, and longevity. With that in mind, ROC Wheels in the Bozeman area is engaging area veterans to build assistive devices […]
Warriors with Impact
Tomy Parker had pretty much hit rock bottom. A triple amputee, Parker lost his legs and the fingers on one hand while serving the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. He struggled with trauma, addiction, and incarceration before turning his life around. Now sober, Parker competes in endurance races using a wheelchair provided by Impact Montana. He […]