Last month, we had the honor to host our fifth annual Week of Hope. And if you know anything about it, you likely know it’s the most magical week of the year here at Flathead Lake Lodge. While the event was originally started in 2020 to honor our 75th anniversary, it’s a tradition that we have happily and gratefully carried on. This year’s event, which was held September 9-14, 2024, welcomed 22 critically ill children and their families to the ranch to simply be. And as one of the ranch’s most-loved traditions, it’s an honor to give the gift of hope, connection and time.
A few highlights from this year’s Week of Hope:
-Seeing Week of Hope kids on horseback, many of them for the first time
-Watching friends be made and relationships formed
-The opportunity for guests to experience firsts with their families
After the week wrapped up, there was also an opportunity to ask the Week of Hope families to “caption the week” and here’s what they had to say:
-“God’s hands in action.”
-“Week of Hope gives me hope.”
-“Week of Hope revived my soul.”
-“Where our kids are just kids.”
-“Heaven on earth.”
-“Week of Hope felt like time was standing still – it was a week where I didn’t think about anything except the present.”
And as always, we have to express our gratitude to the organizations, donors and people who help bring Week of Hope to life. With that in mind, we want to offer our thanks to the following organizations that stepped in to support Week of Hope.
A huge Montana-sized thank you to the following:
–Outback Trading Company for donating cowboy hats for all the Week of Hope guests.
–Glacier Raft Company for donating scenic float trips.
–American Vision Photography donated 22 family portrait sessions and 4,900 candid photos.
–Logan Health donated nurses for 12 hours day, as well as an accessible van for transportation to and from the airport.
–Eva Gates Homemade Preserves gave huckleberry jam to each family.
–Bigfork Stagecoach Rides and Wrangler Springs offered complimentary stagecoach rides.
–Dream Adaptive for specialized equipment and volunteers to assist kids with kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
–Backcountry Flying Experience for a plane ride.
Another thank you goes to our family season guests – at this summer’s weekly mouse races, we did a “split the pot” where half of the proceeds went to the winner and half went to Week of Hope. Most of our guests donated all of their winnings to Week of Hope, with $28,500 raised.
And lastly, a special thank you to our staff – you all are amazing and we’re incredibly grateful that you’re part of the Flathead Lake Lodge family. To our volunteers and locals – thank you for all you did to pitch in where we needed extra hands. And thank you to HopeKids for being our partners in gifting hope.
Until next year, with sincere gratitude,
-Chase