Sparrows Nest now open

It is with great humility and gratitude that Sparrow’s Nest of Northwest Montana announces the opening of their first home for unaccompanied, homeless, high school students in Whitefish. After 3.5 years of very dedicated, hard work from many, many volunteers, recently hired Sparrow’s Nest employees, AmeriCorps Vista volunteers, a working Board of Directors, and our executive director, students are living in our home.

The Board of Directors and Executive Director Jerramy Dear-Ruel, with hearts full of appreciation, wish to thank the generous Flathead Valley for all of their contributions of time, money, sweat, furniture, food, a vehicle and yes, even the houses our students are and will live in. It is not possible to list each and every person here and we know that many prefer not to be mentioned. To everyone involved, thank you for your patience and commitment to reaching our goal of a safe haven for high school students.

At this time, the plans for the house in Kalispell are being finalized and permits will be issued soon so remodeling can begin. The delays of securing permits, insurance, licensing, etc. has been frustrating and heartbreaking as each summer passes and we begin to worry about our unaccompanied homeless teens as the weather begins to turn cold. The board is faced with the very daunting task of raising the money, each year, to pay employees, and all costs associated with operating the homes. While we rely heavily on our major fundraiser “When the Night Comes” and other fundraisers, we continue to apply for grants to help fund our needs. It is deeply gratifying to realize we are the only home of this kind in the state of Montana and nonprofits from as far away as Texas are reaching out to us for guidance in starting their own homes using ours as a prototype.

Students will now have a place to lay their head at night without worrying about tomorrow, so they can concentrate on getting their high school diploma, embarking on a career and hopefully begin to give back to the community that gave to them. Without you, none of this would be possible. On behalf of the Sparrow’s Nest of NWMT board of directors and our executive director, we wish to express how deeply appreciative and grateful we are for each and every donation.

Gratefully,

Marcia Bumke, Board Chair

Linda Kaps, Vice-Chair

Stacey Schultz, Secretary

Laura Kochis, Treasurer

Rod Stell

Sean Frampton

Bob Norwood

Jerramy Dear-Ruel, Executive Director