In addition to being a destination event for tourists from all parts of the country, the Great Falls Balloon Festival provides a unique opportunity for community nonprofits to raise funds for their individual causes. It is in the selling of food items during the festival that nonprofits can turn a profit. The food court area comes alive with the aroma of burgers on the grill and chicken in the fryers, and the sights of ice cream treats melting in the mid-day sunshine.

These nonprofit organizations thrive on hungry balloon watchers at the festival where the three-day event can raise a substantial part of their annual budgets.

Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Club

“We are a food vendor that sells chicken nuggets, French fries and onion rings,” said Don Grant, a member of the Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Club, a group that was among the first vendors when the Balloon Festival began.

“We started with a different menu, and eventually ended up with the current menu 14 years ago. This year we are going to try adding fish to our menu so that we can offer fish and chips,” said Grant, noting that the Rotary Club is usually one of the top income producers at the festival.

“Depending on the weather and all of the equipment working properly, we usually raise somewhere between $3,000 to $7,000 for our organization,” said Grant, admitting that it is a big portion of their annual income. “Over the last 20 years our group has raised a total of $78,000.”

And Grant believes that those funds have gone a long way to improving lives.

“We are a service club that exists to do good in the world and the community. Our motto is ‘Service Above Self’,” said Grant. Its worldwide goal is to eliminate polio, a task that is almost complete. Locally, in addition to providing scholarships at local high schools, or a special movie experience for families with autistic children, the club has helped The Root Cellar, Tree Street Youth Center, Museum L/A, and Trinity Jubilee Center.

In January of 2012, the Club sent 11 Rotarians to Haiti to help with reconstruction after a major earthquake. While staying at an orphanage there, they discovered a need for a water truck to serve the area. “Currently, the club has set a goal of $42,000 to purchase that truck,” said Grant.

Lewiston-Auburn Catholic Youth Ministries

Jeff Albert, who is involved with the Lewiston-Auburn Catholic Youth Ministries, will be at the group’s food booth selling chicken fajitas, black bean fajitas, meatball subs, pretzels and flavored milk.

“We have been doing this for about eight years and we raise a little over $2,000 or just under that. It really depends on the weather,” said Albert, with a sentiment shared by all the food vendors.

“Our organization is a Catholic Youth Ministry group where teens come to meet and learn about their faith. The adults in the group are there to help them out and build a relationship with them,” said Albert. “We chaperone them to many events statewide and even to events out of state. The monies raised are used to help with sending the teens to these events.”

Albert said that the Balloon Festival is the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year. “If the monies were not available we would have to do even more fundraisers,” said Albert. He believes the Balloon Festival is great for the Twin Cities and that it brings money to local businesses, stores and restaurants.

The Festival even provides opportunities for the youth ministry group to volunteer.

“We have a great group of kids that attend,” said Albert, “Plus it helps the kids with getting volunteer hours in for school.”

Edward Little High School Grandstand Club

Tim Turcotte, from the Edward Little High School Grandstand Club, is thankful for the fundraising opportunity at the Balloon Festival as well.

“We sell soft drinks, bottled water and Gatorade,” said Turcotte, items that sell especially well if the days are particularly warm. “We raise about $2,000.”

The ELHS Grandstand Club raises money to provide equipment for all sport teams, as needed, and it gives out six scholarships to male and female student athletes annually.

Turcotte is pleased that the supplies needed for the club are usually purchased from local merchants which benefits the local economy.

St. Martin de Porres Residence

Brother Irenee Richard works with St. Martin de Porres, in an ongoing effort to help those who are homeless in the area.

“We offer temporary shelter to homeless individuals and the money raised helps to maintain our ministry of corporal works of mercy,” said Richard, adding that the Festival is one of St. Martin’s major fundraising events and is important in meeting its budget needs.

“Our work with the homeless is to help them get back on track and become independent and self-sufficient. We want to help and not enable them,” said Richard. “I want to think of ourselves as a no-nonsense organization.”

Another original vendor at the Balloon Festival, St. Martin de Porres, sells the traditional basics of a summertime picnic with hamburgers, cheeseburgers, sausage sandwiches and foot-long hot dogs.

“We average about $3,000 to $4,000 a year at the Balloon event,” said Richard.

A fun, community event

Beyond the fundraising support these organizations derive from the Balloon Festival, all agree that the event is all about community and having fun.

“I think that this type of event is great for the community. It brings people of all types together for a fun time. It gives some of the locals a place to go,” said Grant. “It is the type of event that helps to eliminate the rough and tarnished image that some from outside of L/A tend to associate with our towns. The festival gives us exposure to the people of the community that we frequently don’t get.”

Brother Richard sums it up nicely:

“I believe the balloon festival brings much joy to the young and old alike.”