Boys and Girls Club restarts Evergreen program

Since becoming the executive director of Boys and Girls club of Glacier Country a year ago, Mandy Anderson has racked up leadership accolades, steered the organization through the Covid-19 pandemic and reinstituted a Boys and Girls clubhouse in Evergreen.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Oct. 14 at the clubhouse on East Evergreen Drive.

The Boys and Girls Club provides after-school programming to students of all ages in Columbia Falls and Evergreen, with different focus areas centering on educational and life skills. Everything from eating a snack, to learning to sew, to operating a drone falls under the umbrella of the Boys and Girls Club.

Anderson was determined to reintegrate the Boys and Girls Club into Evergreen, where the nonprofit previously operated before financial trouble forced it to withdraw. She was able to bring the Evergreen arm back to life recently through partnerships. Anderson joined forces with Psalm 91 Ministries to lease space from that organization, instead of going the traditional route of owning the clubhouse outright.

To make it work, Anderson also put federal funding to use, buying two vans to transport students from school to the clubhouse.

Now, the Boys and Girls Club in Evergreen serves between 45 and 50 children after every school day.

Anderson wants to make sure the club stays sustainable in Evergreen, so the organization doesn’t have to pull out of the community again. Right now, she said it’s a top priority to guarantee the Evergreen area’s future for the next few years before she looks to possibly grow into other areas.

Programming in Evergreen is located at the AIM Center at 315 E. Evergreen Dr. in Evergreen. This building is conveniently located a half mile from East Evergreen Elementary and three quarters of a mile away from Evergreen Junior High.

For more information call 406-892-2697.