Fall 2025: News from the Abbie
- Bri Camillucci
- Oct 30
- 3 min read
In this newsletter:
Record-Breaking Great Fish Community Challenge
October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Volunteer Position Openings
Adopt-A-Family Registration Open
Community Partner Spotlights
Share Your Story
Record-Breaking Great Fish Community Challenge
Last week at its annual Great Fish Awards Ceremony, the Whitefish Community Foundation announced a record-breaking year in the 2025 Great Fish Community Challenge. Overall, the foundation awarded an astonishing $8.1 million to 85 nonprofits offering services across the Flathead Valley.
We are thrilled to share that the Abbie Shelter raised a total of $220,000 in the 2025 Challenge, a remarkable new fundraising record for our organization in this critical campaign.
We are deeply grateful to the Whitefish Community Foundation for hosting this incredible event each year. And of course, a huge thank you to the more than 480 donors who gave to the Abbie Shelter in this year's Great Fish Community Challenge. Your generosity makes it possible for us to keep standing up for survivors in our community.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October marks the anniversary of the first campaign in 1981 to bring awareness to intimate partner violence in the United States. Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is now honored annually at this time of year and serves to unite advocates across the country who are working to end abuse in their own communities.
This effort remains just as important now as it did more than four decades ago on the first "Day of Unity." Today, an estimated 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will face violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
At the Abbie Shelter, we teach hundreds of people each year about the signs of abuse and ways to stop it. Your support of our programs directly supports our mission to make our community a safer place for all who live here.
Read more about DVAM in A Comprehensive Guide to Domestic Violence Awareness Month at DomesticShelters.org.
Volunteer Positions Open
We are looking for volunteers to fill a few open positions at our shelter program. Check out the position descriptions below and let us know if you can help!
SHELTER SUPPORT: This volunteer works on-site at the shelter to assist with organizational tasks like donation sorting and cleaning projects. Cleanliness and stability are an important part of making the shelter feel safe and comfortable for residents. 1-3 hours weekly.
MEAL PICK-UP: This volunteer uses their personal transportation to pick up meals from donors around Kalispell and deliver them to the shelter on Tuesday nights. 1 hour weekly.
Adopt-A-Family Registration Open
Each winter, we host an Adopt-A-Family program to collect holiday gifts for individuals and families who are receiving services from the Abbie Shelter. Expenses often add up quickly for survivors as they work to build safer and more independent lives, especially for families with children.
If you or someone you know wants to help brighten the holidays for a survivor this season, please register by clicking the link below.
Community Partner Spotlights
A few amazing local businesses recently donated their time, energy, and funds to support the Abbie Shelter in a variety of ways. Our deep appreciation goes out to the following groups for their valuable contributions:
Air-Pro donated essential air duct cleaning services at our shelter facility.
James Netherly of Netherly Construction cleaned the gutters at our shelter free of charge.
Backslope Brewing in Columbia Falls featured the Abbie Shelter at a community night event that raised $200 for our programs.
PEAK Fit Kalispell hosted a donation-based class and raised over $1,000 for the Abbie Shelter.
Thank you so much to these and all of the other wonderful Flathead Valley businesses that support our work year-round! If your company is interested in hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Abbie Shelter, learn more by clicking the link below.
Share Your Story With Us
Do you have a personal connection to the Abbie Shelter? If so, we want to hear from you!
As we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2026, we are collecting stories from people who've worked with the Abbie Shelter or the Violence Free Crisis Line as a volunteer, staff, Board member, client, donor, or member of the community. Stories can be shared anonymously and can be as short or as long as you wish.
