AAA Awards Grants to Nine Rural Montana Fire Departments

Helena, Mont. 8/31/2010 – AAA is proud to announce nine rural volunteer fire departments in Montana will receive one thousand dollar grants for their youth programs from the AAA Endowment for Prepared Youth Programs.

Rural fire departments play a key role in their communities. Their youth programs teach life saving skills about fire, emergency and traffic safety that reach far beyond those sitting in the classroom. Students, from elementary through high school, share what they learn with their parents, siblings and friends. These programs also instill a desire to volunteer and participate in their communities now and for years to come. 

“As a not-for-profit corporation, AAA understands how vital it is to receive proper funding,” says Denice Harris, AAA Spokeswoman. “The AAA Endowment will give these nine rural fire departments the tools they need to build awareness among children and youth of fire prevention and safety education.”

The rural fire departments receiving the AAA Endowment include:

Broadus Volunteer Fire Department, Custer County Rural Volunteer Fire Company, Glendive Fire Department, Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department, Madison Valley Rural Fire Department, Paradise Valley Fire, Silver Bow Fire Training Center, St. Labre Volunteer Fire Department and Wise River Volunteer Fire Company.

The AAA Endowment is made possible through a partnership with the Montana Community Foundation. Since 1988, the foundation has worked aggressively to expand endowed philanthropy and build stronger communities. Their work with donors, charitable organizations, cities and towns plays a critical role in both philanthropic and community development.

“These fire departments provide an essential service to their communities,” said Linda Reed, President and CEO of the Montana Community Foundation. “Many of these organizations are staffed entirely by hardworking volunteers. We’re so pleased to partner with AAA to provide grants to enhance their safety education programs.”

AAA MountainWest is dedicated to providing its over 170,000 members in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services. A fully tax-paying, not-for-profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. works for the improvement of motoring and traveling conditions and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues. In 2008, AAA was voted the #1 socially responsible business brand in America by Landor’s BrandAsset® Valuator. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com. To have up-to-date news and safety information from AAA delivered right to your desktop, sign-up for the new RSS Feed at http://mtw.aaashare.com/index.php#rss.

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