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| Sep 09, 2010 - 02:33 PM |
Queen City News - Helena's FREE Weekly Newspaper |
Helena, Montana |
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While most kids his age are playing video games and hanging out at the mall, 15-year-old Wil Racicot and his best friend Argus are walking the neighborhoods of Helena’s South Hills raising money to help protect local trails and open space.
The dynamic duo (okay, they both are pretty quiet) are likely to be seen going from house to house gathering pledges for the upcoming Prickly Pear Land Trust’s Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run & Dog Walk, scheduled for Saturday, May 13, 2006, at Pioneer-Heritage Park next to the library.
Wil is no novice to the fundraising process, and we’re not talking about small change. Last year, he raised more than $1,600 in pledges to help protect local open space. Wil’s dad, and longtime Helena resident, Chris Racicot said he and Wil agreed that as long as Wil got his schoolwork done and kept a B average, he could raise pledges for the race again this year.
Last May, in addition to his efforts to raise funds for the PPLT, Wil and Argus participated in the 2005 5K Trail Run and Dog Walk as a team. While they may not have won a trophy, Wil did win a new mountain bike from Great Divide Cyclery for his philanthropic accomplishment. He said Argus was rewarded with a doggie treat for all his help, and that his faithful companion has kept close tabs on the new bike when he was at school.
Some folks in the non-profit community argue that allowing youngsters to participate in fundraising efforts for community organizations is somehow inappropriate, saying that “We should not use kids to raise money.”
However, Wil’s take on the issue and the results are quite different. “Prior to working with the Prickly Pear Land Trust, I had no idea who they were or what their mission was all about. Now I know more about the value of Open Space for a community than any of my friends.” he said. “I got involved with the Prickly Pear Land Trust because of my dad and the fact that I really wanted that mountain bike, but as soon as Pepper Petersen (PPLT’s former development director) told me about the trust and how it saves land from being developed, I was able to educate the more than 200 donors (and non-donors) that I talked to when I asked for their pledges.”
When asked about his son’s participation in the fundraising effort, Racicot said that he started his fundraising career when he was only 15 and, as a consequence, has produced or worked on more than 25 fundraising events for all kinds of non-profits including Carroll College, Farm in the Dell, Shodair Children’s Hospital, Montana Community Foundation, Kaleidoscope and Big Brothers & Big Sisters, just to name a few.
“It gave me a way to help organizations that need assistance in one of the most important yet underdeveloped areas of their business–finding enough money to sustain their efforts for those who need their programs and services,” he said, adding, “I’d like to develop a program that invites our young people to get involved in supporting whatever organization they choose. It’s an ideal way to get kids to think about others and their community.”
So if a young man knocks on your door some warm afternoon after school asking for your help, giving him a hand could help support a worthwhile organization. If you would like to help Wil directly, give him a call at 495-1155 and ask him to drop by your house. You may even see his new mountain bike.
Wil encourages everyone, young, old and four-legged, to come out to Prickly Pear Land Trust’s 6th Annual Don’t Fence Me In Race on Saturday, May 13, to run, walk, or just to enjoy the activities. To support local trails and open space, go online to donate or pledge to support Wil and Argus at the race donation page at www.pricklypearlt.org.
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The Queen City News is published every Wednesday in Helena, MT, by Mossback Media, LLC.
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