Working together with your friends to make your community a beautiful hospitable place and can be fun and very rewarding. Just think of Lions Park, the Carnegie Library, the Visitor’s Center, flowers and flags on Broadway, local food growers, Finnish Kaleva Park to name a few of the things that are made possible because of the work of members of many service organizations. People in Red Lodge are amazing volunteers and they contribute to our community working through many organizations.
People who belong to Rotary, the Lions Club, Friends of the Carnegie Library, The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation, Finnish Kaleva Park, and the Roberts Community Foundation all donate their time to make Red Lodge and the area more inviting, beautiful and hospitable whether it is maintaining a park, buying new books for the library, taking tickets at the rodeo, or helping other organizations be successful. The work and dedication of these organizations give new meaning to being a volunteer because they put service above self and recognize that by sharing resources we can build a strong vibrant community. There is nothing more important to a community than the food system that sustains its members. The Red Lodge Area Food Partnership Council works to promote local food that enhances the quality of life for our citizens, improves our community’s economy and preserves land for future generations.
Visitors are an important part of the Red Lodge economy and several organizations help to make the visitor experience great. Starting with the Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center which promotes our area and provides information and resources for businesses as well as visitors, Red Lodge Flag Committee and Red Lodge Proud and Beautiful keep our downtown festive, clean, and beautiful by providing flags, flowers, bear resistant garbage cans and winter decorations.
The natural environment is part of our culture in Red Lodge and many organizations work to preserve the environment and make it possible for all of us to enjoy the great outdoors. The Abasaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation, the Carbon County Resource Council, the Buses of Yellowstone and the Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Association all seek to preserve our natural heritage. The Beartooth Recreation Trails Association, Double Ditch Dog Park, the Beartooth Human Alliance, and the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary take care of our animal friends and make spaces for our outdoor enjoyment. Keeping the environment clean healthy is the work of REWIND, the Green Space Fund and helping us explore the issues that touch our lives is the responsibility of the Beartooth Front Community Forum.
It is hard to imagine what our community would be like without the hard work of all of the dedicated volunteers who work through these organizations. Have some fun, develop new friendships, and make Red Lodge and Roberts better for everyone by supporting these organizations through Fun Run 12. For more information about these and other organizations or to register for the Fun Run, visit www.runsignup.com/funrunforcharities.