Good works, Whitefish style

The Whitefish Community Foundation continues to set the gold standard for philanthropic giving in the Flathead Valley.

Two weeks ago the foundation handed out a record $345,000 in grants to 88 area nonprofit groups. The worthy recipients of this generosity run the gamut, from educational organizations to groups on the front lines of providing basic health care and human services such as feeding the hungry.

Since its inception in 2000, the Whitefish Community Foundation has supported local nonprofits with more than $6 million in funding. The founders of this important endeavor had a vision of making Whitefish “as awe-inspiring as the Whitefish scenery.” There’s no doubt this foundation is accomplishing its mission and has improved the Whitefish community in so many different ways.

ONE OF THE grants given out by the Whitefish Community Foundation recently went to Whitefish Legacy Partners, another nonprofit group making a difference in the greater Whitefish area.

Legacy Partners is the nonprofit muscle behind the ambitious Whitefish Trail project that is creating a 55-mile trail system through state trust lands around Whitefish. Three miles of new trail in the Swift Creek section opened yesterday, bringing the total completed to 22 miles.

An easement to create permanent public access to more than 1,500 acres of land containing segments of the Whitefish Trail recently won Whitefish City Council approval and is now headed to the state Land Board for review next week.

We applaud Whitefish Legacy Partners’ work in building a trail system that will preserve scenic vistas and open space while serving recreationists for generations to come.