Wings Annual Community Fill the Bucket Fundraiser in Troy and Libby
Submitted by Karen Stickney
The annual Wings Fill the Bucket fundraiser will be held on Friday, June 9th. It will run from Noon to 6pm. For those who don’t know about “Wings”, it is a non-profit organization that began in 1997 with the help of local cancer patients, who realized what a financial burden traveling for cancer treatment can be. Things like gas for your vehicle and hotels are not covered by insurance. The money raised for “Wings” is used to help our family, friends and neighbors, who have to travel for their cancer treatment. All the funds stay local to Northwest Montana and there are no employees, salaries or overhead costs. It is totally managed by volunteers. There is no complicated paperwork or difficult requirements to qualify. Anyone living in Lincoln, Flathead or Lake County who has been diagnosed with cancer is eligible. Last year in 2022, Wings granted help to 110 cancer patients in Lincoln County alone. Those patients received grants totaling $ 118,536.00. For all three counties last year, Wings helped 182 patients with grants totaling almost $190,000. Since 1997, Wings has awarded grants totaling $3.2 million. We are a firm believer that every dollar counts, and no donation is too small. From kids donating their piggy banks to companies that donate large dollar amounts, it all comes together to help our friend and neighbors. In the past, some may remember our Wings volunteers would canvass their neighborhoods to ask for donations. However, we were struggling to find enough volunteers and times have changed, folks don’t necessarily want to approach strangers or answer the door to strangers – so in 2019 we changed to our “Fill the Bucket” fundraiser. It is modeled after the firemen’s traditional “Fill the Boot” program. People drive by and drop their donations into a bucket that our volunteers will be manning. We will have two donation stations, one in Libby and one in Troy. We hope it will be convenient for people to swing through and drop off a donation without leaving their vehicle. However, if you are not able to stop by on Friday the 9th. You can mail a donation to Wings, P.O. Box 1160 in Libby. Or drop off a donation at First Montana Bank in either Libby or Troy any time throughout the year. The Libby Donation Station will be set up in the large Pizza Hut Parking Lot. The Troy Donation Station will be set up in the parking lot in front of Trojan Lanes. It will be staffed with volunteers from Noon to 6pm. We thank both these businesses for their support of Wings. This is the time of year that we hold several fundraisers – so you may have seen the Yaak Wings Auction earlier this month that raised a phenomenal $55,400.00. The Libby and Troy Fundraisers this month include the “Fill the Bucket” on June 9th from Noon to 6pm and the “Wings Motorcycle Poker Run” that will take place on June 17th. You don’t necessarily have to have a motorcycle to participate in the Fun Run. Four or more wheeled vehicles are welcome also. For more information on the Wings Motorcycle Fun Run, you can call 406-291-6939. Lincoln County Wings Coordinator, Karen Stickney said “the communities of Libby, Troy and the Yaak” continue to surprise our Wings Board of Directors and volunteers with their generosity and support for our local cancer patients.” If you have any questions about the Fill the Bucket event, or information regarding Wings, please call Karen Stickney at 293-4380 or 293-7698.
Trojan Trio off to State
By Jim Dasios
With smoke from Canadian wildfires threatening to delay the start of last week’s Western B Divisional track and field meet, skies over Missoula cleared enough for the event to begin as scheduled. Nine Troy Trojan tracksters qualified out of district to get here. Qualify here and it’s a trip to State. As in districts the top six finishes in each event go on to state. The difference? The pool of teams just got deeper. A trio of Trojan “youngsters” will be moving on, by “youngsters” how about a pair of freshmen and a sophomore, another sophomore missed a trip to state by half inch.
Sophomore Kempton Sloan cleared 5 ft. 6 in. to take fifth in the high jump. For distance runner Jaylee Myers placed 3rd in the 3200 meter with a time of 13m 30s 24ms, a new personal best. Fellow freshman distance runner Nolan Morris time of 4m 49s 2ms the 1600 meter put him in sixth place. In a close but no cigar finish, sophomore Cortenie Rodgers cleared 29ft 1in the triple jump to put her in 7th place. One half inch from sixth and a trip to state. Next stop, the historic mining City Butte. The Trojans departed last Thursday for the two-day event held in Butte, altitude 5,538 ft. Save your breath, good wishes Trojans.
Bake Sale Fundraiser
Submitted by Cheryl Beckingham
Love Inc. and Automotive Ministries raised $1,141.50 during their first bake sale fundraiser. All of the proceeds will go towards oil changes and safety checks for qualifying community members. For more information or to donate to Love Inc. of South Lincoln County or Automotive Ministries please contact Dave at 406-300-8346.
Spring Birding Class in Libby
Submitted by Brian Baxter
Join us for a late spring outdoor educational adventure to learn about birding tips and methods, explore a few different habitats on private land, and learn how to spot and identify local and migrating birdlife. We’ll meet at the Venture Inn in Libby, located at 1015 U.S. Highway 2 at 9:00 a.m. MOUNTAIN TIME. Please come prepared for the day with full gas tanks, lunch, water, binoculars, field guidebooks, spotting scopes, good footwear, natural earth tone color or camouflage clothing, camera’s, and a good sense of humor. Class is sponsored by Libby Base Camp Hostel, all participants Must Register and pay a registration fee. Adults only, young adults with a sincere interest 16 years and older welcome with an adult parent or guardian. Small groups, wrap up at 3:00 p.m. MST. Vehicle tours with roadside stops and a few short hikes less than half mile round trip. Experienced Instructor. Private tours will also be available throughout the summer. For More Info & To Register: Call 406-291-2154 or Email b_baxter53@yahoo.com
Memorial Golf Title
Submitted by Jeff Dooley
Jonny and Louis Cielak celebrated a Sunday 57 to claim the 2023 Memorial title at the Cabinet View Golf Course. The brothers were -24 for the two days.
