I've been back in my home state for over a year now and to honor that milestone, what I'd love more than anything is to see Greater Gardiner Community Council (and every other awesome Gardiner/Mammoth nonprofit) get a strong showing of support during GIVE A HOOT, when all donations, all month long, are partially matched.

This organization is powered by some downright diehards that have kindly welcomed me among their volunteer ranks since last fall. Over the past several years, they've made a valiant effort to raise funds for a doozie of a project: restoring the Gardiner Community Center (née 1910 Gardiner Opera House and then the Eagles Hall up until my youth). This project has been a long haul in a community that has been put through an absolute wringer that's featured fire and flood mixed in with general livability challenges, declining school enrollment, and summer visitation now far exceeding carrying capacity-challenging even a town with an economic base of tourism to find a sustainable identity.

There are some bright spots in this narrative, and the fact that restoring the community center hasn't gone dead in the water yet is one of them. That this project hasn't died already owes to a handful of very dedicated folks who want to make sure this building can continue serving Gardiner, Mammoth, and the small upper Yellowstone communities I grew up around for another century.

I'd be over the moon if you can chip in ahead of this Sisyphean project's next milestone, which will include reinforcing the building's exterior walls and replacing its roof. GGCC has raised $700,000 for this major construction phase already, and all GIVE A HOOT funds to add to that will help them complete this phase and minimize the amount of time the building (with the exception of the gym) will be closed for construction.

Chip in this month if you can. This $1,200 goal would help GGCC recoup the costs of a few mailings throughout the year, so that every dollar received in response to those can be a net positive. Gifts of any size have an impact and the matching pool makes every bit you can give go further.