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The Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation is pleased to welcome Grant Bebee to the Great Falls Legacy Foundation staff. Grant is a well-known member of the Great Falls community and plans to help contribute to both the Foundation’s and the Great Falls Clinic’s success.

About Grant Bebee

Grant is originally from Havre, Montana, and a graduate of Havre High School. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Grant has worked in several businesses in Great Falls, including Northwind’s Publishing and Printing, the Great Falls Tribune, Spectrum Reach-Charter Communications, and most recently Cowles Media Company/KFBB as a Senior Account Manager. 

Grant was inspired to pursue a career in the nonprofit industry to give back to the community he has lived in for the past 25 years. Grant shared, “I understand how and why the Legacy Foundation is needed. My mother started her battle with cancer 33 years ago and has been diagnosed with four different types of cancer during that time. In the beginning, my parents had to travel to Great Falls for my mother’s cancer surgeries, treatments and checkups. Most times, they drove to Great Falls, then back to Havre on the same day, which eventually led them to retire and move to Great Falls.” Grant continued, “We just celebrated her 88th birthday this month. I understand and have great empathy for those who are coming here for their treatment. I was in college when my mom was first diagnosed. It was always on my mind how her appointments went and was she still in remission.” He added, “She has been cancer free now for the past 15 years. Her successful treatments at the Great Falls Clinic allowed her to experience my college graduation, my wedding, my family, and share another 21 years with the love of her life, my father.”

In his free time, Grant enjoys working in his yard, gardening, and traveling with his wife, Doree. In the fall you can find him glued to his TV watching college and NFL football, especially when his beloved UM Griz take to the field. It is also not uncommon to see Grant in the confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium at least once during the football season.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday! We have some special bouquets for all of the important moms in your life. Below are our special Mother’s Day flower arrangements.

Pre-order flowers by Wednesday, May 5 to be picked up either Thursday or Friday this week at the Great Falls Clinic Hospital.

If you are interested in purchasing flowers, order at our online boutique here!

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We have May Day baskets available! Please email or call Audrey Phillips at audrey.phillips@GFClinic.com or (406) 216-8057 to purchase some for pick up at the GFC Hospital!

Small baskets are available at $15, medium baskets are $20 and large baskets are $22!

This week is Volunteer Appreciation week! This is a perfect opportunity to share about two of our Volunteers, Bernie and Sandy Power! They have been volunteering for the last three years as Hospital greeters and help patients navigate the Great Falls Clinic.

We appreciate all of our volunteers!

If you are interested in volunteering at the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation, please contact Audrey Phillips at (406) 216-8057 or email her at audrey.phillips.com

Jill Tanner is a pharmacist at the Great Falls Clinic Cancer Center. She first heard about the Legacy Foundation from her job, and started donating in 2017. When asked what Jill enjoys the most about donating to the Foundation, she answered, “[I love] seeing the progress of raising the funds and the building itself. I appreciate the dedication of all the people and the organizations who have worked to make the building happen.”

Jill said her favorite fundraiser that the Legacy Foundation has done is the #GivingTuesday fundraiser from 2020 where the Foundation would send flowers and a card to a person of the donor’s choosing. “[The #GivingTuesday fundraiser was good] because it not only benefitted the building but it also made my friend’s day.”

When asked what inspired her to start donating, Jill replied, “Our patients of course. We ought to love one another and it’s a small thing to bear some of their burden. They are in the fight of their life and having a place to stay during their treatments will ease the worry of traveling long hours on potentially terrible roads and will spare them the expense of a hotel. Being so close to their doctor will be a great convenience if they need extra medical support. Another benefit will be the encouraging fellowship with other patients who will stay in the facility with them. I like getting to be part of something that will really benefit people who are suffering.”

“Working in the cancer center, you see the suffering of patients and their families in their battle against cancer. They feel terrible, they are scared, and far from home and family.” Jill shared, “Their lives are turned upside and all I want to do is help. When our daughter was born she was in the hospital for ten days. We lived two hours away and had the opportunity to stay in a similar facility close to the hospital. It was a great blessing.”

“I would ask people who have never contributed to consider donating. If they had cancer and lived hours away, wouldn’t it bless their heart to stay in a place close to their doctor at no charge? It is a privilege to contribute to something that will make a difference to many, many people. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Mark 12:31.”

My name is Peggy Gould and I was diagnosed with cancer at 84 years old. This was not the first time I had been diagnosed with cancer, and I have successfully beaten cancer three times before. The first time I was diagnosed with cancer, 30 years ago, I was treated for breast cancer with surgery and chemotherapy in December 1991 and January 1992. The second diagnosis I had was in January 1998. I had two CAT scans and they found a spot in my right lung. A bronchial test was performed to try and get a biopsy of my lung, but they could not get one. My doctor decided because of my cancer history to do surgery to remove my right lower lobe of my right lung.

Most recently, I knew something was wrong early in the morning in late February 2021. I went to the ER in my hometown of Havre for some pain that I thought was related to a blood clot. After running some tests and a CT scan, I learned I had cancer for the third time. They had found a mass in my left lung. I had been treated successfully at the Great Falls Clinic before, and so decided to seek treatment there again.

When I received my most recent diagnosis, it was a shock after so many years of no cancer. I was diagnosed again with lung cancer. Fortunately, I had no symptoms, but I knew I still needed to seek treatment for this diagnosis. I will be receiving chemotherapy for approximately five weeks and radiation for approximately seven weeks, although that is subject to change. I was lucky, I had people who could drive me from Havre to Great Falls for my treatment. My family drives me so I can try and recover at home. Even though I am not using the housing opportunity available to me, I know it will benefit those who aren’t as fortunate and need to drive themselves.

The staff of the Great Falls Clinic Oncology department has been a huge blessing for me and my family. They are compassionate and uplifting and explain things thoroughly. When scheduling my appointments, they are very flexible and accommodating as they know we come from Havre. I know the facility will help people like me who have to travel for healthcare. If the weather was bad for traveling, it would be nice to know I had a place to stay close to my treatments even if only for a night. 

Last month we asked you to share random acts of kindness that have happened to you. Thank you to everyone who responded, here are some of our top answers:

Debbie Martinez shared about her coworker Amanda Cunningham who brightened her day after losing her beloved pet. “My dog Milo passed away a few days ago and I was feeling down. My coworkers knew, and when I came back to my desk one day I found a cute bouquet left to me. I found out that it was from Amanda later on. It meant so much to me that she would go the extra step to make my day better!” Debbie also shared a story about a company in town who donated to a patient at the GFC. “We had a patient that could not get crutches, and while Clarks Orthopedics could not get the crutches through insurance, they were able to get a used set donated to the patient.”

Brittney Ippel shared about a coworker who brightened her day. “She knew I was having a long day, so she brought me a cookie!”

Audrey Phillips shared about her first birthday at the Legacy Foundation. “I was less than a month into working at the Legacy Foundation when it was my birthday. I wasn’t expecting much, but I absolutely thrilled when I came in and my coworkers gave me flowers and a card. It meant so much to me.”

Samantha shared a random act of kindness she experienced,”One day, I ran out of money on my cafeteria card and Sydney Norby was behind me in line and paid for my lunch. It was such a generous act of kindness. I assured her I was on my way to get my card to buy a new one and that it was no big deal, but she insisted on treating me. It was so kind. Thank you Sydney!”

Kari Smith told us about how her neighbors go the extra mile. “When my family first moved into our house here in Great Falls, back at the beginning of October, everyone in our neighborhood made time to come introduce themselves to us. They brought heartwarming gifts such as baked good and flowers picked from their own flower beds. The kind heartedness didn’t stop there. Since we have moved here our neighbors will put our trash can out on the street on garbage day and even shovel our driveway/sidewalks when it snows.”

I was born and raised in Chestertown, Maryland, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I moved to Great Falls 19 years ago when I was offered a position at as the Pastor of Discipleship Ministries at First Alliance Church in Great Falls. When I was 49 years old, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma (stage 4, grade 1) in August of 2020. I had a bulky posterior mediastinal mass (i.e. a tumor) causing a large pleural effusion on my right lung. My lymphoma was discovered by accident when I had a CT scan to diagnose a kidney stone. My only symptom of having cancer was a persistent cough and shortness of breath that presumed to be the result of chronic sinusitis. I underwent six months of combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy. I completed the final round of treatment at the end of January 2021.  

I live in Great Falls, fairly close to the Clinic, in fact! I was, and still am, blessed by a tremendous amount of support from my family and my church community. My wife was able to drive me to my appointments when I was not able to drive myself, and people from our church provided meals, prayed for us, and supported us financially and emotionally. I have found that a support network is vital to the treatment and healing process, which is why the work of the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation is significant for those who may not have the same level of support I have had. I just recently learned about the important work of the Legacy Foundation. While I was not helped by the Foundation personally, I believe it is extremely valuable resources, especially for those who live outside of our community and who need housing and support through the treatment journey. 

Receiving care during COVID-19 was hard, and the most difficult aspect of COVID-19 for me was that my wife could not be with me for most of my treatments due to the protocols designed to keep the other patients safe. Also, I had to delay my last treatment a couple of weeks when my son contracted COVID-19. Thankfully, I did not get sick myself and my son’s case was mild and treatable at home. Nonetheless, the delay when I was so close to the finish line was disappointing. I am deeply thankful for the caring and competent staff at the Great Falls Clinic Legacy Cancer Care. My oncologist, Dr. Guter, and all the nurses and staff in the office and infusion center were sensitive and responsive to my many needs and questions, and showed me such compassion through a frightening and uncertain time in my life. I felt seen, heard, and genuinely loved throughout my treatment journey with the Great Falls Clinic. 

Meet our March Business Donor of the Month, My Viola Floral Studio and owner Kari Johnson!

We are honored to recognize a small business in Great Falls for the month of March! Kari Johnson owns My Viola-Floral Studio located in downtown Great Falls. My Viola-Floral Studio has previously sponsored the GFC Legacy Foundation before and they host our flower cooler in the Great Falls Clinic Hospital. My Viola donates 25% of all flower sales from the cooler to the Foundation. My Viola was also a major sponsor of our #GivingTuesday event last year. My Viola has also supported other nonprofits in Great Falls, including the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art’s annual Art Auction for the past ten years; the MacLean Animal Foundation; The Children’s Museum; The Police Gala; and more!

My Viola-Floral Studio History

My Viola-Floral Studio was opened on December 1^st, 2010. Originally located at 319 Central Avenue – where Electric City Coffee is today. My Viola rented for four years before outgrowing the space and purchasing their new building at 716 Central Avenue. They moved into their 716 location in November of 2014 allowing them their retail shop, class space, design room, and consultation area.

Kari’s Story

Kari’s first job as a florist was at Riverview Floral in Fort Benton, Montana. While working there, the owner Don Hazen, liked the planter combinations that Kari assembled and asked Kari if she was interested in floral design. Don took Kari under his wing, which then inspired her to later take a course through the Floral Design Institute in Portland, Oregon. Kari completed training and received a Certificate in Basic Floral Design. A few years later, she went back in-person to the Design Institute and completed training to become a Certified Wedding Florist.

Kari loved working at Riverview Floral, but the commute from Great Falls and back proved to be too much, especially in the wintertime. A year later, Kari started working at Sally’s Flowers when they were located in downtown Great Falls and worked there for five years delivering and designing flowers. She then went to Electric City Conservatory when it was purchased by the Flower Farm in 2003 and worked there for seven years. Kari was promoted to Assistant Manager and three years later she was promoted to manager. After her promotion to manager, she felt it was time to open her own business.

Kari first opened My Viola-Floral Studio in 2010. In the beginning, she only had one full-time employee and her mom to help her. Today My Viola has four full-time employees and one part-time employee. Kari shared one aspect of her job that she loved, “I love the social aspect of my job and getting to meet people from the community who come in to buy my flowers.” Kari also said that since opening her own business, she can set her own hours and has the freedom to decide what she would like to sell and create.

Kari is very passionate about designing flowers for people. Her favorite event to design for are weddings. Although she shares, the spark that keeps her love of floral design really going is how every day there is something new. “One week may start by filling business orders,” Kari shared, “Then there will be a shipment of flowers and then we will need to fill the cooler, or unpack new merchandise and set up displays. A family may come in for sympathy pieces that need to be created. And then, by the end of the week, there could be another wedding!”

My Viola-Flower Studio on Mom and Pop Business Owners Day!

Mom and Pop Business Owners Day is on Monday, March 29, 2021. We want to encourage you to support small businesses like My Viola-Floral Studio! You can find them at 716 Central Avenue in Great Falls, MT. Check out My Viola-Floral Studio on their website their Facebook or Instagram!

Do you wonder what the Legacy Foundation staff has been up to lately? Here are a few of our recent activities:

Picking up trash: (Pictured) Samantha Shinaberger (Executive Director) and Audrey Phillips (Foundation Assistant) joined the Great Falls Clinic staff in picking up trash from around the campus.

We want to give a big thank you to Wayne Gillis (Great Falls Clinic CEO), Haley Denzer (GFC CAO), and Kari Smith (GFC Environment of Care) for picking up, too!

Planning for the building: The Foundation has been working on finalizing the furniture that will go inside of the Foundation. Thank you Dave Cantley, our architect, for helping us pick out color schemes for the new facility!

Grant Applications: Samantha has been working hard to secure more funding for the Harold and Carmen Poulsen Legacy Housing Facility!