A week ago the Great Falls Gazette published a story announcing a name change for an organization which for more than 40 years has worked hard to make our city a better place to live.
The Great Falls Sports Foundation is the latest name for a group that originated in the early 1980s as the Sports and Recreation committee of the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce, then a few years later became the Four Seasons Sports Foundation. About 20 years ago the group changed its name again to the Confero Sports Foundation, and now it’s adopted another, simpler name.
I was a member of all those organizations, partly because as a sports journalist I wanted to report on their missions, but mostly because as a sports-minded member of this community I wanted to contribute to those missions.
A community our size wants and needs plenty of sports options. We want and need places for our kids – and adults — to practice and play a variety of sports and activities. We want and need safe and well-maintained facilities for our fans. We want and need funding for programs and facilities so that they last and thrive for generations to come.
We expect our governmental units, which we support with our taxes, to provide many of these services. And for the most part, we receive good support from our City of Great Falls government, our Cascade County government and our Great Falls Public Schools system when it comes to facilities.
We’ve got a classic baseball park, a terrific football stadium and track complex, two nice public golf courses, and good facilities for soccer, tennis, hockey and softball. Our schools offer excellent venues for basketball, wrestling and volleyball events.
But these entities need help, and they need the most help from the athletes and the fans who use those programs and facilities the most. That’s why the sports foundations have raised money over the years to make Four Seasons Arena (now Pacific Steel and Recycling Arena) a better place to host state and divisional basketball tournaments, as well as indoor rodeos and even boxing matches.
That’s why the sports foundations have raised money over the years to make improvements at the Siebel Soccer Fields, and the Multi-Sports Complex softball fields, and that’s why the group is working with the Great Falls Community Ice Foundation this year to raise money to help that worthy group.
The Great Falls Gazette article indicated that nearly $450,000 has been raised over the years to support various sports-related projects in our city. That money has come in modest chunks of $10,000 to $25,000 annually from one annual fund-raiser, which this year will be held on Wednesday, April 9 at Montana ExpoPark (that’s still the Fairgrounds to many of us).
In some fortunate communities in Montana, a few wealthy individuals have made substantial contributions that have allowed those cities to offer upgraded sports facilities and programs. We haven’t been one of those lucky places, but we’ve done pretty well with broad-based support from people who care about their town.
I encourage everyone who loves sports and appreciates their value to our community – and its business health – to buy tickets to the upcoming mixer. And get involved any way you can with our new foundation.
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Author: Staff
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