January 14, 2025
Hey Y’all,
It looks like we might slip under the cold snap this week at Hometown Helena. Very cold air is expected to come down from the north, and hit Helena later Thursday or Friday; and to stay at or below zero all weekend. No need to say too much, but please take the usual Montana precautions: check your water pipes at home and the antifreeze in your automobiles' radiators. Bring in extra firewood, and do your shopping early this week. Remember the classic North Dakota winter weather advisory: Stay Home.
But assuming the nice weather holds, please c’mon down to Helena College Thursday morning, or Zoom in, for another fine Hometown Helena. We’re going to lead off with a discussion with Emmon Rogers and the Lewis and Clark Library’s Teen Advisory Group. Ms. Rogers has assembled a diverse group of ‘Library Teens’ from Helena and Capital and the Home School community to advise her and the staff on content (books, music, DVDs, etc.) and presentations that appeal to high school students in this Information Age. We adults often wonder what today’s youth are thinking about. Here’s a great chance to gain some insight into that question.
We’ll follow with a presentation by Kelly Heaton, the Executive Director of Leadership Montana. Kelly is from Red Lodge, and is in her second year as Leadership Montana's CEO. Hometown’s annual sit down with Leadership Montana is getting to be a fine tradition. Here’s a link to the Leadership Montana website.
Just so you know, applications are currently being accepted for the next class, which will start in the fall. Check it out!
Leadership Montana's mission is to develop leaders committed to building a better Montana through knowledge, collaboration, and civility. Bruce Whittenberg, former Editor of the Independent Record and Director of the Montana Historical Society, was the first CEO of Leadership Montana, way back in the early 2000's.
Leadership Montana is on the cusp of having 1,000 alumni statewide. Members of the Flagship class hail from all corners of Montana, and represent a variety of industries and organizations, from state and local government, to the nonprofit sector, to finance, agriculture, architecture, oil and gas development, insurance, and so much more. There are a number of alumni who are Hometown regulars (Tom McGree, Peter Strauss, Mary Rutherford, Kelly Cresswell, and others). Lynn Voss and Gabrielle Eklund-Rowley, who attend Hometown as they are able, are both in this year's class.
We used to have a coffee table photo book at home called simply “We Montanans.’ That was a phrase I used to hear more frequently than I do nowadays. Conversations would often begin with: We Montanans think…or We Montanans believe…or We Montanans feel that… And then on to the subject at hand, whatever it was. It’s never been easy to sum up the sentiment of this entire, vast, diverse state. And it’s not getting any easier as our population increases and folks from all over are drawn to Montana to make their home and seek their fortunes.
"The bonds of affection" is a phrase used by Abraham Lincoln in his First Inaugural Address, where he implores the nation to not let passionate disagreements break the ties of friendship and unity that bind the country together.
Leadership Montana has strengthened the ‘bonds of affection’ between us for many years now. What comity and civility we still have in Montana is a testament to the good work of Leadership Montana and its nearly 1000 graduates.
Hope to see you Thursday morning, from 7-8 am at Helena College, or on the Zoom courtesy of Aja Rail and her colleagues at Pinion Global, Inc.
Jim Smith
406-949-1002
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