Located in Southwest Montana along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains, you will find the “Richest Hill on Earth.” Known for its vast history as a mining town, rich in its Irish heritage, and recognized by the “Our Lady of the Rockies” statue and the Berkley Pit, Silver Bow County is unique in many ways. It is one of two counties with a combined city-county government, and is run by an elected Chief Executive and 12 county commissioners. There is a county population of 34,400 with a land area of just over 718 square miles, making it the smallest county in Montana. The county’s economy is driven by health care, education, and mining, with St. James Healthcare and NorthWestern Energy being the top employers. The MSU Extension office is staffed by Family, Consumer Science and 4-H Youth Development Agent, Kellie Kahtani, and SNAP-Education Agent, Abbie Phillip.

Courthouse picture from Granite Street

MSU Extension, in cooperation with Laura Cross of Butte Cares, brought two courses of Adult Mental Health First Aid to Butte, training 40 members of the community. According to the National Institute on Behavioral Health, Mental Health First Aid is “the help offered to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis”. During the course, participants learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of common mental health disorders and institute the ALGEE action plan. Participants in the community ranged from hospice workers to employees of the public library. After taking the course, one participant said, “It was helpful in thinking through how to address situations with people who may be dealing with mental health illness”. Participants given scenarios to work through including helpful things to say, how to listen nonjudgementally, and what types of help are available. Another participant added, “The course built confidence to ask the hard questions”. This 8-hour course is designed to help community members feel more confident in helping someone experiencing a crisis and help reduce the sigma of mental health disorders. Hopefully by reducing the stigma, more people will feel comfortable with seeking help for mental illness and reduce the number of attempted and completed suicides in our community. The Youth Mental Health First Aid course, for adults working with youth, is also available to the community through MSU Extension.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) offers free nutrition classes for adults and youth in Butte-Silver Bow County. Since 2017, Abbie Phillip has served as the SNAP-Ed Extension Instructor. Adults explore ways to plan, shop, and cook nutrient dense foods and naturally up their level of physical activity at their own pace in Eating Smart * Being Active classes that are designed for a SNAP eligible audience. Elementary students in 1st, 3rd and 5th grades anticipate their weekly nutrition lessons, active learning and healthy food tastings in their classrooms with SNAP-Ed. A school’s eligibility is based on participation in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.

SNAP-Ed with clients of the Montana Independent Living Project... helping build health lifestyles through nutrition education.

Silver Bow County 4-H has grown by 60% in the past 3 years, with a total of 87 enrolled members for the 2018-2019 4-H year. Not only has our membership grown, but we were able to add a much needed 3rd club in our county in October of 2018. Our county program is supported by 32 enrolled volunteer leaders. This year, the MSU Extension office offered trainings for new families and volunteers entitled, “We Joined 4-H, Now What?” which was attended by 20 youth and 19 adults. During this workshop, members, parents, and volunteers learned about the 4-H program, roles, and the importance of communication to make a program successful for everyone involved. They were able to network with their club and/or project leaders, other members within the program, as well as have an opportunity to get to know the 4-H Extension Agent. Members were able to take on leadership roles this year as camp counselors at the Silver Bow County hosted Multi-County 4-H Camp. Camp leaders developed leadership workshops to 30 4-H members from around District 5. Members participated in communications workshops, STEM activities, cooking, healthy living activities, and recreation. We had record attendance, both with members and adult leaders, with 42 attendees representing 3 counties. With the growth of camp this year, more members are looking forward to becoming camp leaders and hosting their own workshops for next year.