Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
The "Roaring 20's" were alive at this year's Black Tie Blue Jeans event.
Black Tie/Blue Jeans roared in front of the Covid-19 shutdown to raise $27,900. The annual event is sponsored by the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson Valley Community Foundation. Each year the proceeds are divided between the Chamber and various nonprofit groups within the Whitehall School District with some monies returned to the JVCF endowment.
This year was a special year as Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh and her husband Nick pitched in to cover some of the smaller requests. They funded Greater Whitehall Area Love, INC ($375), Liberty Place ($279), and Ralph Sullender VFW Post 4603 ($500). This generous gift allowed the BTBJ Committee to give to the Friends of the Whitehall Community Library ($300), Jefferson County Search and Rescue ($500), Jefferson Valley Museum ($250), Jefferson Valley Rural Fire District ($450), PULSE ($250) and the Whitehall PTSA ($250).
The grants will cover a variety of projects from assisting the Museum in building a temperature- controlled space for preservation purposes to next year's visit to the school by Missoula Children's Theater. PULSE will be receiving funding to replace their computer which is needed to do online patient care reports, create presentations for classes, and more.
Jefferson Valley Rural Fire District will be using their funding to purchase a mobile command center and transport a Kubota side by side to fire sites. Jefferson County Search and Rescue is using their funds for a variety of small purchases which will assist them in locating lost individuals.
The Friends of the Library will again be helping to cover the costs of summer reading. Even with the quarantine, the Library will still be doing a summer reading program with prizes and crafts.
Those grant request which were privately funded are also putting their monies to good use. Liberty Place will be purchasing a Magliner convertible hand truck for moving heavy items and the VFW post will be replacing six flags for the Legion and five flags for the Veteran's Memorial. Flags must constantly be replaced due to high wind damage in the area.
Greater Whitehall Area Love, INC will be investing in a professional grade copier to use for clients as they navigate through the large amount of paperwork many agencies require to begin services for their clients.
The largest amount of funding goes to support the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce, which does so much to create multiple community and area-wide events. Special celebrations such as the Christmas Stroll, Rodeo, Frontier Days, Shakespeare in the Park, the Easter Egg Hunt, and others all bring people into Whitehall where they shop at local businesses and eat in local restaurants. These events are enjoyed by families and tourists year-round.
The Black Tie/Blue Jeans Committee want to thank everyone who contributed to make this year such a success.
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