In good company

Missoulians will often tell you, with a mix of pride and rueful head-shaking, that our town has more not-for-profit organizations per capita than anywhere else in the country.  I don't know if that figure is verified, but I do know it certainly feels true.  Drop a glass of wine at any social gathering here (odds are it will be a potluck), and you're just about guaranteed to splash at least one non-for-profit employee, director, or board member.  Maybe a few. 

We sometimes joke with people, as we explain why we've returned to Montana, that we just thought there weren't enough non-profits or coffee roasters in the town yet.  It gets a good laugh.  But the great thing is, that glut of organizations, which might seem a strike against locating our here, is also the very reason to land here.  Because, amazingly enough, as we've met with people working for and running so many of these other non-profits, one theme emerges:  they want to help, and want to see us succeed.  Maybe it's because no one else is doing quite what we propose, or maybe it's because they like the coffee samples we give them. Maybe it's because we offer to help them too (Noah donates prints to the benefit auctions of quite a few of our local non-profits).  I think it's just part of the culture here, people wanting to support other folks also trying to do good work. 

Our latest round of supportive enthusiasm and offers for help came from a young couple who have created a small non-for-profit organization to run student travel courses (sound familiar?).  They run 1-2 courses a year taking college students to the Indian Himalaya through Nature Link, their organization, granting credit through the University of Montana.  (their org website, student testimonials, and lovely photos from courses, are here:  http://www.nature-link.org/ ). 

We met them over beers at a local brewer (also something of no shortage in Missoula) where we talked no only logistics and advice, but also the excitement and reasons we all want to run these courses.   It can be good, when we are spending other hours trying to get internet connected to our office in the Toolshed, or cramping our brains trying to understand what accounting software will work best, to sit back and talk with likeminded people about the impact an experience like a travel course can have on a student.  To remember that the kids get so much more than they bargain for, that some are completely transformed and empowered, that their presence and perspective can mean a lot to the host family too. 

Our first course won't be till May, at the earliest.  That's a long way off, but conversations like these, remembering what a great opportunity we can offer, will help us get through those details of how to offer it.  I'm grateful for the good company, the community of support.