Thank you for supporting youth home

I wanted to thank our generous community for their support of the Flathead Youth Home over the holiday season and throughout the year. 

Over the past 30 days, 18 teenagers have needed a safe, supportive home to work through a crisis stemming from homelessness, mental health issues, abuse, neglect, drugs and alcohol, or running away. This past month is an especially difficult time for youth to be away from home, but individuals and local businesses made a significant impact by giving what they could. I am glad to say all of the youth had a good Christmas and more importantly were reconnected with family or a safe long-term living situation.

The Flathead Youth Home has been providing shelter care for youths since 1997, and to date, has worked with nearly 1,750 youths. All of these young people are our neighbors, our friend’s kids, our coworker’s kids and grandkids. In short, they are our community’s kids. 

Many of us who work at Flathead Youth Home see what the impact of having a local shelter is to these youths and their parents. The impact is felt both now and years later when they are adults working in local businesses, serving in the military, or stopping by the home to say “hi.” A youth’s stay may be short but our relationship continues.

The Flathead Youth Home is a glowing reflection of how our community supports our youth when they are in need. Thank you for supporting our local youth shelter. —Lance Isaak, Kalispell