Board approves $12,000 in support of improved safety at Flathead Industries' main location.
On August 8, Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety Board approved a $12,000 grant request to provide seed money for Flathead Industries’ long-awaited capital improvement project. Specifically, funds were awarded towards $88,113.00 in proposed parking lot improvements.
Flathead Industries provides individualized direct care services to people with disabilities to help them live, work, and play in their community. Founded in 1973, Flathead Industries has grown from serving 8 individuals with disabilities to 240 today. Flathead Industries thrift stores, located throughout the valley, employ another 88 individuals with disabilities.
Executive Director Patrick Maddison presented Flathead Industries’ grant request, informing the Roundup for Safety Board, “When the Parkline walking trail was installed in downtown Kalispell, Flathead Industries celebrated – but also lost most of its parking. The administration building and parking lot serve hundreds of people daily, from the public stopping by our clearance store to our clients with developmental disabilities to our administrative staff and employees from other locations in the valley who come to the main office for meetings and training. The unpaved parking area we are using now is extremely hazardous in the winter, as it becomes an ice-skating rink. Last year alone, five people suffered slips and falls, with varying degrees of injuries.”
The Roundup for Safety Board discussed the many members of Flathead Electric Cooperative who will benefit from increased safety at Flathead Industries’ parking lot and granted the full amount requested to support this community safety project. Roundup for Safety funding comes from participating Flathead Electric Cooperatives members who allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The program costs each member about $6 per year and has provided over $5 million in funding since 1997.
Roundup for Safety is a voluntary program for Co-op members who round up their electric bills to the next dollar. This money is managed by an independent board and goes into a fund for community safety projects. If your nonprofit is interested in applying for community safety funds, visit our Roundup for Safety page or call the Roundup for Safety Board Liaison:
