United Way capital campaign in full swing

Leaders at Northwest Montana United Way in Kalispell said last week the organization is about one-third of the way to its $4.2 million goal for the Gateway To Miracles campaign, which aims to bring long-term stability to the Gateway Community Center and its partner organizations.

United Way launched the campaign last fall and has received an outpouring of support from organizations and individual donors, including a $300,000 matching grant from an anonymous out-of-state foundation. According to Campaign Chairman Carol Nelson, there is approximately $100,000 left to raise in payments or pledges before the matching grant’s March 31 expiration.

Campaign funds will go toward retiring the remaining $2 million mortgage for the Gateway Community Center, a nonprofit human services campus located in the former Gateway West Mall in Kalispell. United Way purchased the building in 2015 for $2.4 million and is currently paying around $200,000 in annual mortgage payments.

While the mortgage is the focus of the campaign, funds also will go toward improving the center’s parking lot and finishing interior build-outs. The campaign’s website states there are only six spaces left to remodel, which then will be made available to agencies.

More than 20 agencies are located in the building, acting as a sort of one-stop-shop for clients. Campus partners include CASA For Kids, NAMI Flathead and the Flathead Food Bank.

The center’s meeting and conference rooms are also frequently used by other organizations not housed in the facility. In a recent email, Nelson said United Way can provide tours of the center by appointment.

“We are almost fully occupied now and want to pay off the mortgage and do needed updates on the building and surrounding areas with the money from the campaign,” Nelson wrote. “If the debt is paid off we can focus our support on human service needs for our community instead of mortgage and interest payments. Our goal is to be a sustainable source of support for our community.”

Go to www.savethegateway.org to learn more about the campaign and to find a pledge card or donate online. Donations can also be sent to the Gateway Community Center, Northwest Montana United Way, 1203 U.S. 2 W., Suite 31, Kalispell, MT 59902.

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com