Looking for a few good donors
The land is secured and the design has been unveiled - now all the Glacier Performing Arts Center needs is some money.
$26 million, to be exact, to construct and endow the arts center just north of Kalispell Center Mall.
The main capital campaign kicked off last week, focusing on major donors. For example, a $7 million contribution gives a donor the right to name the entire facility.
For $5 million, someone can name the main performance hall. A $4 million contribution lets a donor brand the smaller performance hall, while three million-dollar donors will get naming rights for the reception area and other main public spaces.
Granted, it will take some deep-pocketed generosity to write these seven-figure checks, but there will be plenty of opportunities for the rest of us to contribute as well.
If you're interested in helping this ambitious and noteworthy cause, log on to www.glacierperformingartscenter.org
Dana Reeve's death from lung cancer earlier this week leaves a huge void in the crusade to find new therapies and treatments for paralysis victims. Her husband, "Superman" star Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995. When he died two years ago, Dana carried on his work, advocating for change to bring hope to people living with paralysis, their families and caregivers. She succeeded her husband as the chair of the Christopher Reeve Foundation that funds research for new treatments for spinal-cord injuries.
An actress and singer in her own right, Dana used her fame to help generate support for legislation that would expand funding for embryonic stem-cell research. The House passed the bill, but the Senate has yet to act on it. Stem-cell research remains controversial, but we admire Dana's tireless efforts to work for a cause she believed in, a cause that could ultimately help paralyzed people walk again.
The Nurturing Center works in myriad ways to strengthen families in the Flathead Valley and should be commended for recently expanding its Safe Havens supervised visitation and exchange center.
The program now has its own facility and tighter security system to ensure the safety of children and parents who meet through court-appointed visitation sessions. These hour-long sessions mean the world to parents who for any number of reasons have found themselves restricted to court-ordered visits. The opportunity to play with their children, to hug them and hold them, is important to both children and parents.
The goal of Safe Havens parallels the goal of all Nurturing Center programs - to provide the resources and support it takes to bring families together and keep them together.