In the video above, McKenna Dickie reports on a big donation made by First Interstate Bank to the Montana School for the Deaf & Blind Foundation.
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As a part of their ‘Believe in Local’ campaign, First Interstate Bank in Great Falls granted $25,000 to the Montana School for The Deaf and Blind.
“Montana School for The Deaf and Blind is a huge part of our community here in Great Falls, but also, they impact the state. If anybody needs their services from around the state of Montana, they come to Great Falls; they do a lot of outreach in the other communities,” said Kyle Herda, president of the Great Falls market for First Interstate Bank.
The First Interstate Bank Foundation’s Believe in Local campaign awards a total of $1 million each year to various organizations.
Mark Willmarth, president of the Montana School for The Deaf and Blind (MSDB), said they are thrilled to be the Great Falls market’s recipients this year.
“That partnership is there and the Montana School for The Deaf and Blind really is a statewide school. We have 1,200 students that are not on our campus here in Great Falls, so the reach is in every corner of Montana and First Interstate is all over the state as well.
The MSDB has had a close relationship with First Interstate Bank for several years, including having bank employees on their foundation board to assist in various ways.
“The $25,000 is a blessing for some of the projects that we're working on,” Willmarth added.
One of their current projects is installing a new bowling alley on campus, for which, they were actively in the process of raising funds, before finding out about this surprise grant.
“Commitment to the community is one of our core values that we take seriously and love to help out where we can, both financially and with volunteering hours. We're just happy to be able to provide that specifically for them that they can use where they see fit,” Herda said.
