Indigenous youth surpass goal, raise hundreds for Humane Society of Western MT

Indigenous kids surpassed their goal of raising $250, collecting over $330 for animals in need, and on June 11, they presented a giant check to the Humane Society of Western Montana (HSWM) staff.

The fundraiser happened through Project Venture, an All Nations Health Care’s after-school program where Indigenous youth in Missoula grow their connections to their unique cultural backgrounds.

Youth Manager at All Nations, Julian Hiwalker, told MTN that Project Venture is a safe space for Indigenous kids and teens, "[It's] a land-based prevention program that we have for our middle schoolers, being able to provide a space for our native youth."

Project Venture combines experiential learning in nature with community service.

This year, kids chose helping animals as their way to give back. Instead of going to the shelter to volunteer, they decided to raise funds by running a food truck.

"We kind of had ideas in mind and it was like either like go to the animal shelter or like do a food truck and it ended up, we did food trucks," Project Venture participant, Ledson McLean shared.

Hiwalker added that the effort was all youth-led, "Seems like all we did is take notes and sit back. And man, they came up with the whole idea of working together."

Out of the many non-profits the group could have picked, they said HWSM won. "They wanted to help animals because animals, they said that themselves, [are] good for mental health.”

The Humane Society of Western Montana provides low-cost services to prospective and current owners and pets.

According to their website, in 2023, they vaccinated over 3,700 animals, served almost 30,000 meals, and spayed or neutered over 2,000 pets.

Relying on donations, HWSM shared that they are extremely grateful for the gift from Project Venture.