Great Falls opens new family service center

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Facility allows expanded community services.

by Regina Larson –

Left to right: Karen Hoover, SA Voluunteer of the Year Award; Barbara Tamietti (accepting for Ray and Sherry Beaver), SA Community Volunteers of the Year Award; Major Joe Huttenlocker, corps officer; Sgt. Ken Hilliard (representing Malmstrom Air Force Base), SA Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award; Dirk Pattee, advisory board chair; Audrey Olson-Stratford, SA Volunteer of the Year Award. [Photo by Nila Huttenlocker]

The Salvation Army in Great Falls, Mont., recently celebrated the grand opening of its relocated—and revived—Family Services Center. Thanks to a donation from the Thomas and Stacey Seibel Foundation, the Army was able to purchase and renovate the building. In its new location, The Salvation Army will be able to expand its services for the community.

Said Major Joseph Huttenlocker, corps officer, “Folks can now walk to this location more readily and can also get to the other agencies we network with. It also allows us to think about the future.”

At the previous location, clients received services in a side room with no privacy. Now there is space to discuss their needs confidentially.

The new location also provides space for staff to coordinate emergency disaster services. The Salley One Canteen is housed and maintained at this new site.

Following the grand opening ceremonies—hosted by Dirk Pattee, advisory board chair—the following volunteers received awards for their work and commitment to The Salvation Army:

Karen Hoover joined The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary on a friend’s recommendation. “That was 1987, and I have been a member ever since,” she said.

Audrey Olson-Stratford has been a member of the advisory board since 1995 after she read an article by Peter Drucker in Forbes magazine: “The Salvation Army is by and far the most effective organization in the United States. No one even comes close to it in respect to clarity of mission, ability to motivate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximum use.”

Ray and Sherry Beaver—dedicated volunteers—help with set-up and distribution during the holiday season and share a commitment to community service.

Tech. Sgt. Ken Hilliard represented Malmstrom Air Force Base, which generates 30 percent of the total Red Kettle Campaign revenue by “manning” two key locations in the community. They also provide volunteers for the youth center programs.


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