Provider Pals Wins Prestigious Presidential Award

LIBBY, MT: On Apr. 27 the Preserve America Advisory Council announced the four national winners of the inaugural Preserve America Presidential Awards and the innovative, nationwide program Provider Pals© is among those honored.

In an Oval Office ceremony on May 3, President and First Lady Bush presented the President's Award to Provider Pals© executive director Bruce Vincent. Provider Pals© was nominated by the Kootenai National Forest Supervisor Bob Castenada, who also attended. The group was nominated for its national youth cultural exchange program and its partnership with Communities for a Great Northwest (CGNW) through which they have restored an abandoned, CCC-built ranger station. The ranger station is now called Historic Raven Natural Resource Learning Center and it is an integral part of the Provider Pals© cultural exchange program.

The Presidential Award is given to honor exemplary accomplishments in the sustainable use, preservation, and integration of cultural or natural heritage assets into contemporary community life. Award winners display innovative, creative, and responsible approaches to showcasing historic resources in communities.

Provider Pals© is a national program with the mission of building a bridge of understanding between our nation's youth and the people whose working cultures provide the raw materials for the products we find on our store shelves. The program, which includes the 'adoption' of resource workers by middle school classrooms and urban/rural youth exchange programs, was called "the most exciting education initiative in years" by the Wall Street Journal. Piloted in Montana, Provider Pals© has gained a national following since a generous contribution by Ford Motor Company allowed for expansion into cities throughout the country.

CGNW is a non-profit education group dedicated to improving the ecology and economy of natural resource dependent communities in the Inland Northwest. "The Forest Service has partnered with CGNW for years on the restoration of Historic Raven Ranger Station," said Bob Castenada in his letter of nomination. "Now, the national urban and rural cultural exchange program Provider Pals© is helping in restoring and using Historic Raven as a Natural Resource Learning Center and the resulting program of education and restoration is unique and worthy of this Presidential Award."

The restoration has been necessary to accommodate the summer camps wherein hundreds of students visit Historic Raven and learn about natural resources and the people and cultures that provide them. The student campers are chosen from among the 7000 middle school students involved in Provider Pals© in public schools located in cities such as New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Diego and Little Rock. When these urban students arrive at the Raven Learning Center, they are paired with students from rural middle schools for a week of fun, learning and sharing of cultures.

"We were honored to even be considered for this award, but to win it is incredible," said Bruce Vincent, Executive Director of Provider Pals©. "With help from entities such as Ford Motor, the Lincoln County Commission, Montana Ford Dealer Association and Pacific Logging Foundation we've been able to grow the program in urban centers and to prepare the Historic Raven site for the summer portion of our cultural exchange," Vincent said. To date, the group has restored the CCC built bunkhouse, cookhouse, ranger's residences and shop at the beautiful, abandoned ranger station.

Jack Palazzolo, Ford Division brand communications manager, said "Programs like Provider Pals© that support education, understanding and opportunity for young people are important to our nation's future." Palazzolo added, "Provider Pals© has found a way to promote education, restore and protect a national treasure at Historic Raven and celebrate cultural diversity all at the same time.” Allen Ribelin, President of the Pacific Logging Congress Foundation, said, “We are proud to support their efforts and pleased that they have been honored with this award." Dave Wallin, Montana Ford Dealer Association President said, "Our Association is honored to support this unique cultural exchange program. The President could not have chosen a better recipient for the Preserve America Award." 

"We've been long-time supporters of Provider Pals© and the restoration efforts at Historic Raven,” said Lincoln County Commission Chairman John Konzin. “To have this program win such a prestigious award is good news for all of northwestern Montana. We hope that this award will help this great program continue to grow," he said.