Monument for the community

We'd like to thank the following businesses and organizations that have generously contributed labor, funds and materials to the Community Spirit Monument helping to make this dream become a reality:

RBM Lumber, Western Building Centers, Ford Construction, Cast in Stone-Tracy Castagnola, Classic Tile, Ace Hardware, Laticrete Inland Industrial, Archie Brae Clayworks of Helena, Amoco Glaze, Kalispell Glass, Paperchase Printing, Mailboxes Etc., Rocks Pro, Coon Hollow Forge Ironwork, LHC Inc., Stock Building Supply, Mike Murray Construction, Glacier Bank, Mountain West Bank, Pacific Steel, Walking Man Frame Shop, Flathead on the Move, United Way, Kalispell Parks Department, A to Z Engineering, Bruce Boody Landscaping, Lyndon Steinmetz Design Studio, Oystein Boveng, The Hockaday Museum, Stillwater Studio, Airworks Heating & Air-conditioning and several churches and other spiritual/religious groups.

Contributions in materials and labor raised for the project total over $30,000. There have also been many individuals that have contributed generously and we will thank them in a separate letter.

The tiles placed on the four pillars represent all of us. Themes include family, peace, skiing, water quality, fishing, tolerance, respect for civil dialogue, music, patriotism, logging, farmers, conservation and mountains.

One church from Columbia Falls called to have the following message included: " Do all that you do in love."

An individual created a tile that states, "When hell freezes over, I'll ski there, too."

Several community leaders and many of the valley's well-known artists contributed tiles to the project. We are anticipating the completion of the construction within the next few weeks.

The monument is more beautiful then any of us imagined and helps demonstrate how in our community "the whole is greater then the sum of the parts."

Thank you for being so generous in your contribution to this community project. For further information or to still help towards the completion of the project, please contact 862-7610 or 752-2351.

Karin Hilding, Kay Lynn, Helen Pilling, Jean Kramer, Toni Wells, Layah Cottonwood, Lisa Schaus, Sherry Wells, Jani Dryden and Gaelyn Moore are members of the Community Spirit Monument committee.