Bring on the Heat!

Everyone has differing opinions, that much is true. However, whether one decides to respect others' opinion; therein lies the rub. Today's class was probably the most heated and interesting discussion that we have had all semester, in my opinion.


Students were expressing how they felt about certain organizations and their motives, and I was thoroughly shocked, to be frank. We are just not a lively group 8 out of 10 times, and I enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say. For example, some really enjoyed CASA, while others thought that Youth Homes would be a better fit, and I thought it was cool to have the input and to observe those were and were not speaking.


However, as class proceeded, I could see that people were starting to become agitated. Some students' points were being misconstrued, others were not able to push their point across, and I thought an actual argument was going to erupt. But Greg was able to mediate and keep the tension at a tolerable level.


Next, as we debated, I noticed that there were only a few select that actually spoke their minds; I realized that it was the people who usually talk during class. I am not saying that's a bad thing, it was just an observation. Lastly, during the debate, when students tried to defend their organizations, I noticed that they were not really explaining what the group actually does. For example, when we were talking about CASA it was hard to discuss it because I did not really know what they wanted the money for, or how the organization runs. All I knew about CASA was that they are an organization for children who don't have a voice in court. I did not know how they went about helping a child in need, or how they help the kid in the court case, or anything along those lines, which was quite interesting. Now, with Red Willow, the students who did a site visit explained what Red Willow is using the money for, how they are addressing and helping the community need, what they are doing to benefit the veterans and their families, along with police officers and firefighters, and how they make the atmosphere for veterans more comfortable.


All in all I felt like it was a very productive class, those who spoke were able to put their opinions out there, while those who just observed were able to take all those opinions into consideration. It was a great discussion, and I was glad to be a part of it.


- Catherine Roland, student

Garden City Harvest

Learning about Philanthropy has been a very eye opening experience. This class has not only opened my eyes to non profits, but I have been more exposed to tough life decisions. We were split into different groups with the responsibility of conducting an interview with each non profit. My group chose to look deeper into Garden City Harvest, a local non profit in Missoula.     

    

 

 

The day we arrived for the interview, I had no idea what to expect. I was instantly blown away by their professionalism, welcoming atmosphere, passion, and drive for helping the community of Missoula, which clearly has an immense amount of respect for Garden City Harvest. Talking to one of the women who worked at the non profit, we could see that the Garden City Harvest employees love their job. This non profit has the goal to impact people’s lives, which is absolutely beautiful. We were quickly educated on their message, their non profit is meant for so much more than growing food. They have impacted many lives in Missoula. They have educated, inspired, and sparked that desired connection between the earth and people. Something that people thought was long gone, the beauty and respect for the earth.

My group and I were thoroughly impressed by Garden City Harvest. As we departed, they gave us a map of all their community gardens and farms. With a spare hour, we decided to check out one of these gardens.

The garden was wonderful and had the same vibe that Garden City Harvest expressed. We took a walk around and found evidence of hard work, love, and compassion for the earth. The garden wasn’t closed off; it was completely open demonstrating that Garden City Harvest isn’t a shut off non profit. They want people to see what they are accomplishing and share the connection to the earth.

Overall, my group members and I were blown away by Garden City Harvest. We found we were slightly bias in class discussions, because we already had been deeply impacted by a non profit. Nonetheless, I learned very quickly that this project wasn’t going to be happy and cheerful. We were going to have to make difficult decisions that would ultimately impact who was getting the money from this grant. The most important aspect in the end is the impact and reform that this will start in Missoula. That’s the constant thought I have had throughout this process and I learned that from this program.

Divide and Conquer

This week the class split into groups to check out the final contenders for our grant money. Armed with a list of logistical questions and open minds we walked through the facilities and listened to the passions of the people who work for positive change in Missoula. One of the visits was to Youth Homes Missoula. http://youthhomesmt.org/

 

Youth Homes Missoula provides temporary shelter to kids in Missoula who find themselves without a stable place to live. They work to find permanent, safe homes for the kids while they're there, but they do so much more.

 

 

The kids are free to make every space their own;

while the walls (and even ceiling) may look a little crowded with all the pictures, the kids say it makes them feel less alone to see the faces and art of other kids who have come through the shelter.

 

 

Youth Homes doesn't expect kids who come to be "grateful"

Instead, they strive to provide an environment where the kids feel safe.

 

 



The grant money they're asking for would fund

a pilot "trauma intervention" program which, if successful,

would be implemented in all of their area shelters.

 

 

Youth Homes is evolving with the changing needs of the youth in Missoula, and their proposed project demonstrates that shift.

We were impressed!