Get STOKEd on Valentine’s Day
 | Author:
Patrick Plantenberg, STOKE Supporter
Townsend Tree Board Chair, Townsend Rotary Club |
Get STOKEd on Valentine’s Day
Patrick Plantenberg
STOKE Supporter
STOKE (Science, Technology, Outdoor Knowledge, and Entrepreneurship) is doing amazing things with the youth of Broadwater County! Last year, they served 180 kids and 68 of them would be considered socially or economically disadvantaged. In 2025, STOKE spent over $72,000 on their children’s programs. And all their kids’ programs are free of charge!
STOKE is a community-based organization that has been offering after-school programs for six years, including robotics, sewing, cooking, pottery, jewelry making, fly tying, safe sitter classes, First aid/CPR classes, photojournalism, and outdoor activities like horseback riding and skiing. STOKE is hoping to expand activities by securing more space, working with a part-time grant writer, hiring a program director, offering more outdoor knowledge programs, expanding photojournalism activities with a new video camera, trying to set up a recording studio, developing podcasting, continuing to cooperate with Broadwater Community Theater, and maybe even teaching glass blowing.
Other new developments include having a van donated to facilitate travel to outdoor programs and robotics tournaments. They have set up a high school youth advisory board to help them plan activities desired by youth. They are also offering three $500 scholarships this year.
If you haven’t been involved with them, it’s time you learned more about this organization. Valentine’s Day is the date of their annual fundraiser. So come to the Lodge of Townsend at 131 S. Spruce on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 2026, from 5-8:30 pm. The night will be filled with Student Presentations and a Tri Tip Beef Roast full course dinner catered by John and Missy Rauser and served by STOKE youth. Youth presentations will be from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. There will be entertainment, silent and live auctions, and play Heart Hole and Heads & Tails to try and win great prizes.
Bring your spouse and have a great dinner and spend a little money to help this great organization. You can buy tickets online at: https://stokemt.org/valentines/ or at The Bird’s Nest on the corner of Broadway and S. Pine Street.
If you can’t make it to the fundraiser and want to donate to STOKE, go to: https://stokemt.org/
See the STOKE ad in this issue for more information.
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PhotoCredit: STOKE
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