Hickman takes over as CARE director

The halls at Whitefish High School are a familiar place for Amy Hickman. She graduated from the school and has now returned to serve as the Whitefish CARE director.

“This is my home and it’s nice to be back,” she said.

Hickman took over the job about three weeks ago and has been hard at work to preserve CARE’s programs along with planning for additions in the future. CARE has been a part of the Whitefish school district for more than a decade and works to promote healthy activities for kids through both in-school and out-of-school activities. The director is expected to write grants and do fundraising for the position, but also to fund CARE activities for students.

One of the organization’s most well known events, the Back to School Bash, was canceled this fall because there was no one to pull it together. Former director Michelle Kuntz resigned this summer to pursue other opportunities and the position remained open until recently.

Now, Hickman has taken on the job and hopes she can bring a unique perspective to the position both as a former student herself and what she has learned since.

“I know the challenges that the kids face growing up in a small town,” she said.

After graduating from high school, Hickman went on to earn a business degree, but when she found that line of work didn’t fit she joined AmeriCorps. She spent time working for nonprofits and earned her teaching degree. Most recently she was an aide at Muldown Elementary.

When the CARE director job came available she thought about it for several months and said she “kept coming back to reasons why to apply.”

“I really felt it was a good match for me with my work in nonprofits, having grown up here and having worked in the school system,” she said. “I’m extremely passionate about kids.”

Hickman admits she has a big role to fill left behind by Kuntz, but said the school district is very supportive of the program and provides office space for the director. The volunteers who continue to help with CARE are invaluable too, she noted. The director position is technically volunteer, but fundraisers and grants provide funds for a part-time salary and for CARE’s programs.

To keep the program running after being without a director for a short time, Hickman said she went to work immediately to make sure that CARE’s many programs were continuing. A program that wasn’t certain to continue without the director, the lunch buddies program that pairs high school and elementary students together to have lunch, will continue.

Hickman pointed to two community volunteers for their efforts to keep two of the programs running even without a director. Joyce Murphy took over leading the adult mentoring program and Linda Maetzold for continuing with the holiday food bags, which makes food bags available to students in need.

“The community is always right there to support us,” Hickman said.

She hopes to see both programs continue to expand and grow. CARE will be involved this ski season with the Whitefish Parks and Recreation Friday night ski night at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Hot cocoa and dinner is provided for fifth through eighth grade students in an effort to promote a healthy environment.

Hickman would like to continue all of CARE’s programs and as funding is available expand into new areas.

She points to the CARE mission of “Promoting a safe and healthy environment for our youth and community.”

“The CARE mission is something I feel strongly about,” she said.