We heard you! All of us at MWS were looking forward to hosting our Harvest Dinner Fundraiser this September––and meeting many of you for the first time––but the fact is many of our friends and family simply didn’t have the capacity for one more in-person gala.

So, we’d like to share a bit about why we invited you to this event and what we hope you’ll still consider this fall.

Since Montana Wilderness School launched its first course 10 years ago, we have led nearly 1000 students on 115 expeditions resulting in more than 200,000 program hours in the field. And we are just shy of providing $1,000,000 in direct financial support—money that ensures the public lands and wild places of Montana are accessible to all young people, regardless of their background, resources, or identity.

"Thanks to people like you, kids like me (who might be a little financially tight) get to have the best two weeks we've had in a long time. Without a scholarship, I wouldn't dream of doing something like this. My heart goes out to everyone who gives, without any recognition and just from the heart. I can't express how grateful I am. Thank you!"

"From the bottom of my family's hearts, we thank you not only for your monetary help, but for your dedication to getting youth into the outdoors. The experience changes the lives of these kids in a healthy and positive way: they leave with confidence, respect, understanding; not only for themselves and their peers, but for nature, conservation, and all the outdoors can offer us."

We're a small organization with an outsized impact, and we're incredibly proud of the difference we've made in the lives of young Montanans. And yet, it's nowhere near enough. There are so many young people who will never have this sort of transformative experience, so many families that just can’t afford it.

"The fact that I'm a Native American student and I get to actually be in the location where my people have been hunting for years made me feel more Native than I've ever felt. I literally love everyone who supports this program. I appreciate you with all my heart."

"I look back on those trips as some of the happiest days of my life. Keep inspiring teens to do what you do––it really, really matters. In some ways I could say you saved my life. Thanks so much for everything you do; for the community, for the next generation, and for me."

"Thank you so much for your donations. I have made some of the best friendships, and had the best experiences of my life. Your generosity has changed my own, and other's, lives forever."

As we prepare for another year of MWS, we look forward to meeting and connecting with each and every one of you; and we hope you'll still consider making a contribution to our organization. Every dollar moves a student closer to the top of a peak, across alpine valleys, through river canyons...so they can ultimately reach a more confident, empowered, and connected version of themselves.

"I want to thank you for making my trip possible. I felt like a nobody kid that the world couldn't care less about. However, when I became a part of the MWS community, I felt the praise and support I needed to feel human again, making this experience a life changer, and a life saver."

"Kids who have gone through your program have told us that when everything falls apart and there is no hope, they remember their wilderness experience, the strong healthy guides who were with them, and the beauty of the outdoors...and they went on."

MWS Harvest Dinner

Without the dinner!