Whitefish Community Foundation has awarded a $125,000 grant to DREAM Adaptive Recreation to support the construction of a new building that will serve as the nonprofit’s headquarters. The Lesar Family Mountain Center for DREAM Adaptive Recreation will be a 15,000-square-foot facility with fully accessible space for day-to-day operations, group rooms, offices, a family lounge, lockers and a tech shop with storage for recreational gear. The building will be located on a parcel of ski-in/ski-out land donated by Whitefish Mountain Resort. 

DREAM Adaptive Recreation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of children and adults with disabilities by providing year-round outdoor adaptive recreational opportunities. Their programs support individuals with physical, cognitive, intellectual, developmental and sensory challenges, including military veterans. 

"A year-round adaptive facility purpose-built for our participants will be transformational for our programs and the greater community,” DREAM Executive Director Julie Tickle said. “The new building will elevate the experience for all involved and allow more people to participate in more programs. As we continue to fundraise to bring this ambitious vision to life, we are grateful for the partnership of Whitefish Community Foundation. This grant is a vote of confidence that tells our community this is an important project to step up and invest in." 

Whitefish Community Foundation’s grant includes $100,000 from the Major Community Project Grant Program and $25,000 from the Alpine Skiing for All Fund. The Foundation’s Major Community Project Grant Program is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations complete capital projects that will have a significant and positive effect on the Flathead Valley. 

“DREAM has transformed what is possible for so many children, adults and veterans in our community, and their new Mountain Center will continue changing lives for decades to come," Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. "The Foundation is proud to support a project that embodies the very best of the Flathead Valley—access, inclusion and the simple joys of recreating outside. We invite the community to join us in supporting DREAM’s capital campaign to help bring this impactful project to life.” 

In celebration of Whitefish Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary, the Foundation has awarded $430,000 in Major Community Project grants to nonprofits throughout the Flathead Valley this year. In addition to the grant to DREAM Adaptive Recreation, the Foundation has made these Major Community Project Grants in 2025: $100,000 to Samaritan House to support the Building Stability expansion project; $50,000 to the Alano Club of Kalispell to expand meeting space for individuals seeking help with addiction recovery; $100,000 to the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation for the renovation of the former Glacier Gateway Elementary School building; $50,000 to Miracle League of Northwest Montana to resurface the Flathead Valley’s only fully-accessible baseball field for individuals with disabilities; and $30,000 to Bigfork Youth Baseball Association for a new home field. 

Funding for the Major Community Project Grant Program comes from the Circle of Giving, Whitefish Community Foundation’s core group of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to support the grant programs and mission of the Foundation. Funding for the Alpine Skiing for All Fund comes from the Foundation's Patron Ski Pass Program in partnership with Whitefish Mountain Resort. 

To learn more about how to support DREAM Adaptive Recreation’s capital campaign for the new building, contact Tickle at [email protected] or (406) 885-9539. To learn more about Whitefish Community Foundation and ways to get involved, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or contact Davis at [email protected] or (406) 863-1781.