ERA Landmark associates are committed to strengthening our community by donating to a variety of local organizations. We kicked off our annual Greater Gallatin United Way (GGUW) campaign with a presentation from United Way’s Director of Donor Engagement, Sylvia Drain, and President and CEO, Kimberly Hall. GGUW provides services under six different programs plus disaster response and community impact grants. Today we discussed two of those programs. 

Flood Relief

GGUW and Park County Community Foundation collaborated to provide relief to those impacted by the historic flooding in June 2022. ERA Landmark associates joined donors from across all 50 states to raise over $2.7 million for recovery efforts that supported over 400 households and businesses. The need was so great and varied that four case managers were hired to make individual assessments for all who applied for assistance. While every individual received an initial payment of $2,500 to help with immediate needs, some applicants received more assistance from the GGUW fund than they received from FEMA. 

kidsLINK

Sylvia was happy to report that the kidsLINK Afterschool Program is thriving again. kidsLINK provides a vital service for working families and a safe, enriching experience for their children. 

The COVID pandemic shut down all kidsLINK programs in March 2020. The 2021-22 school years were spent rebuilding, starting with eight sites at the beginning of the school year and grew to reach 21 locations. Kim and Sylvia were thrilled to announce the 2022-23 school year started with programs in all Bozeman and Belgrade schools and a total of 24 sites across four counties.  There are currently over 1200 students enrolled in the program, just in Bozeman and Belgrade. 

GGUW accomplished this with a $309,000 ARPA grant from Gallatin County and donations from corporate and private foundations. This funding allowed the program to raise wages and provide incentives to attract and retain staff. The County viewed the success of rebuilding kidsLINK as one of the best investments they could make in ensuring a solid economic recovery as the pandemic eased. Getting people back to work was their priority. Childcare and afterschool care were the keys to getting people back to work. 

This program is so important to working families. Often the parents with the least flexible work schedules need the most financial assistance. GGUW is committed to every child being able to attend this program if the family needs it. Full and partial scholarships are available and the program will never turn a child away. The lack of ARPA funding for this year and the scholarship commitment means GGUW will need to raise more funds for this program.

Please join the associates of ERA Landmark and consider making a contribution to Greater Gallatin United Way.

Greater Gallatin Way Website  kidsLINK Afterschool Program  Donate to GGUW Today