One Fine Day at Eagle Mount in Bozeman

Mary Peterson wondered how many decades it would take to use 30,000 dry erase markers.  It was not the typical problem the executive director of a nonprofit faced every day, though the NBC producer had warned her.  “You have to understand.  If you need toilet paper, you have to tell me in tons, not rolls.”  So there were the markers, the 110 riding helmets, an offer of 10,000 tubes of sun-block and thousands of gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint to consider, alongside a royal flush of new appliances, a John Deere utility vehicle, 200,000 frequent flier miles, a climbing wall, zip-line and ski passes, a wagon-load of hay, nine acres of land, a horse named RC, a massive bloom of solar panels, and a trailer truck full of goodies. It was like a Cat-in-the-Hat Christmas come early, both weird and wonderful.

For Bozeman’s Eagle Mount, the windfall of good fortune started with an insider’s tip, a key suggestion by former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw to the producers of the “Today Show” and weatherman Al Roker’s “Lend-a-Hand Today” program.  In Montana, McLeod resident Brokaw must have said, there is a very unusual, very fine organization that could use Roker’s quite helpful “hand.”  Nationwide, five very, very lucky nonprofits are annually chosen from thousands of such worthies to receive the attention and largesse of Roker’s six million morning viewers...and the show’s advertisers.  A mention on the “Lend-a-Hand Today” that morning in June cost a minimum  $10,000 in product, a far better deal for advertisers than the other option—$200,000 cash for a 30-second “Today Show” commercial spot.  The phones at Eagle Mount tolled constantly, each ring bright with a new offer, including the $20,000 worth of dry erase markers.

Once Eagle Mount had been vetted by NBC, assuring the network that the organization was real, responsible, and ready for what would prove to be donations on steroids, Mary Peterson and the few staff and board members who knew of the gift gig were bound to secrecy.  It was always possible that the largesse could vaporize as suddenly as it arose, that the dream-bubble could be popped by a petulant producer or an unexpected change of heart by the show or the network. It was also whispered about that EM could lose the magical cornucopia with a mere slip of the tongue about its good fortune.  Like a “Where’s Waldo?” reality show, Al’s morning mantra on the outskirts of Bozeman was to stay secret until the last possible moment.  “Lend-a-Hand Today” producers valued this measure of suspense. The “Big Reveal,” as “Today Show” host Meredith Vieira called it, would be broadcast live. 

The morning of the show arrived unannounced and as scheduled, though not always as scripted. Surprises were still in store. Roker was easily visible in the 4 a.m. blackness outside Eagle Mount, a cowboy-capped Santa in a bright red jacket, with floodlights brightening time zones from Montana to New York in preparation for the show. The mood was lively, expectant.  A small herd of EM staff, board members, well-wishers, and donors milled aimlessly, unsettled, and slightly giddy with caffeine and a budding astonishment. 

The story of Eagle Mount’s 28-year history of life-affirming aid to people with disabilities was broadcast to America through short clips of Derek and Luci, special need clients, each overcoming hardships through EM’s key therapies of skiing, horseback riding, and swimming. Though their own stories were heartwarming and personal, the same could be certainly said of any of the organization’s 1,400 annual clients, all of whom are dealing with challenges ranging from cerebral palsy and amputation to cancer. The focus, the purpose of Eagle Mount, as the biblical poetry posted in the office says, is that “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”  

What this means in practice is that, in addition to the three key therapies, participants engage in activities as diverse as fly-fishing and horticulture or whitewater rafting and golf.  The idea is that Montana’s exceptional recreational opportunities give people of all ages and abilities the chance to focus on what they are able to do, imparting confidence and a sense of accomplishment, right along with the fun. Mary Peterson, with cameras rolling on the “Big Reveal,” took it a step further.  “They don’t have to be stereotyped, that label, that dis-ability. It’s not about that anymore.  For us it’s all about the ability, it’s what you can do.” Eagle Mount had always resonated with that promise, that goal.  “Lend-a-Hand Today” was in Bozeman to add a great gust to the eagle’s wings. It was the soaring stuff of dreams.

“Let’s open ‘em up, boys!” cried Roker, as the doors of the tractor trailer yawned, spilling skis, sleeping bags, Dyson vacuums, fly-fishing rods, water bottles, coloring books, and a seemingly endless crush of goods from Murdoch’s Ranch and Home. The donations seemed almost too vast to describe, but the final totals were impressive as Al began logging them on a whiteboard:

•  $100,000 from an anonymous donor to build a storage barn

•  $312,000 in Infinia solar display panels 

•  $360,000 from the Murdock Foundation

•  $ 32,000 in goods from Murdoch’s Ranch and Home

•  $80,000 in services at Big Sky Ski Resort

•  $100,000 in land donation from the Derham family trust

•  $ 216,000 in other goods and services

The final total was $1.2 million in donations, not counting the $5 donated by Becky Lockie in the program’s best moment.  Becky, one of Eagle Mount’s young clients, became so overwhelmed with the dervish-like excitement of the day, that she ran over to Al and slipped him $5 on camera as Roker announced the Murdock Foundation’s gift.  As if on cue, Roker passed his hat around the crowd and came up with another $163.11 to add to the bounty.  No question.  It was a fine day for Al and Becky, and an even better day for Eagle Mount.

Mary Peterson is still working through the aftermath of the gift explosion. There are donors and volunteers to solicit, frequent flier miles to track (another 400,000 have been donated since the show), county land use regulations to be overcome, solar panels to be constructed (May, 2011), and a barn to be built, as well as other issues relating to the new passenger vehicles, storage needs, and cash investment.  The dry erase markers though, are no longer a problem.  Just visit any school, public or private, in Gallatin County.  

You are likely to find an ample supply.

Learn more at www.eaglemount.org

-