Glacier Institute featured on NBC’s Today Show

Date: June 30, 2011
Contact: Ellen Blickhan, 406-888-5838

WEST GLACIER, MT – Park Officials are proud to announce park partner, The Glacier Institute featured on NBC Today’s show on Friday July 1, 2011. The show will air from 8:00-8:30am Mountain Time.
The Glacier Institute has received a grant of $5,000 from the Whitehouse Post to conduct a week-long outdoor education camp for fifteen young adults whose life situation would not have otherwise allowed this type of experience.

“We are delighted that these teens were able to come to northwestern Montana to spend an unforgettable week at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center and Glacier National Park. They spent a week in the outdoors, learning, growing and having fun at a summer camp setting.” Board President, Karen Spangler claims, “These children’s stories are of homelessness, abuse, and loss of parents. Our story is of sharing the wonders of nature and providing a week beyond their wildest dreams. We are thrilled to offer this exceptional experience thanks to the generosity of the Whitehouse Post.”

The weeklong camp experience will be showcased in an upcoming Today Show feature to be aired in early July. The feature, called America the Beautiful; America’s National Parks, will showcase activities in three National Parks across the country and the story will be told by Today Show correspondent Jenna Bush. The Glacier Institute was chosen because of its reputation for working with youth.

The Whitehouse Post is a creative film and video editing facility, which has offices in London, New York, Chicago and Santa Monica. The company and its sister counterparts work on feature and short-length films, television shows and advertisements, music videos, and internet content. Glacier Institute worked with the Whitehouse Post to select a group of underprivileged teens from the Hutton Settlement in Spokane, Washington to directly benefit from the donation. (www.huttonsettlement.org).

Whitehouse's Director of Operations, Lacey Walsh, says of the Glacier Institute donation: “When we heard that the Glacier Institute hoped to host underprivileged youth for a week long camp, the partners were in. We could not be happier that the kids are getting a week of learning, fun and adventure at one of the most beautiful places on earth. We hope that the Glacier Institute is able to sponsor many similar programs in the future."
 
Marking its 28th year of educational programs, The Glacier Institute is a long-time partner with Glacier National Park, the Flathead National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Flathead Valley Community College. Offering family programs, youth camps, Discovery School at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center and adult educational programs, the organization proudly has never turned away a child who has requested an educational scholarship in its history and has welcomed over 23,000 Flathead Valley elementary school children to its Discovery School three-day immersion learning program.

For more information on Glacier Institute programs, projects and history visit online at www.glacierinstitute.org or contact Executive Director, Joyce Baltz at 406-755-1211.