Montana Tech community members volunteer as Snow Buddies to help with Butte snow removal

Winter weather is back in the Mining City, and a few dedicated members of the campus community are volunteering their time with Snow Buddies, a local program that provides shoveled walks to those with physical limitations or disabilities.

Stephanie Cook, Chancellor Les Cook’s wife, participates in the Snow Buddies program, and shovels two properties in the area near campus.

“After coming from somewhere that receives over 300 inches of snow during the winter, I was very experienced in shoveling so the Snow Buddies program was a natural fit for me,” Stephanie said. “We are lucky to have a wonderful grounds crew that maintains our sidewalks so this is a way I can give back to our community.”

“The time it takes to shovel is minimal and rewarding. One of my past ‘buddies’ would come out and visit if she could, I really enjoyed my time visiting and getting to know her, she called me her snow angel. I have never seen or spoken to my other ‘buddy’, but I know she appreciates my help. I would encourage anyone to help out your neighbor, whether you adopt a Snow Buddy or not; it helps to keep the sidewalks clear and safe from snow or trash and doesn't take much time.”

Dawn Anderson, a clinical lab specialist in Montana Tech Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center, signed up for Snow Buddies three years ago. She participates because she enjoys walking to campus and wanted to help keep pathways clear.

“I like to walk as much as possible, but Butte can be hard to get around, even in the best conditions, as an able-bodied person,” Anderson said.

Icy, snowy sidewalks on Butte’s hilly landscape make travel by foot more difficult. The past two seasons, Anderson has shoveled the front sidewalk for two separate properties. She’s never spoken to the occupants. Shoveling usually takes between 5 to 15 minutes. Sometimes her partner shovels if she can not make it out. One property had a very cracked walkway not conducive to shoveling, so she swapped to a push broom to do a better job. Total effort required to remove the snow is variable.

“The first year I did it, it snowed all the time,” Anderson said. “I shoveled my sidewalk and shoveled their sidewalk every day. Then last year I shoveled maybe 10 days … It depends on the snow. Sometimes it’s very light and sometimes it’s a lot more of a workout.”

Whatever effort is required, the satisfaction is immediate.

“I do think the impact is so much bigger than the effort, and that is really special,” Anderson said. “Sometimes we contribute to projects and programs that are doing good, but the impact feels a little bit more ethereal, but this is immediate. It’s also fleeting; it might snow later that day, but I do think that having a program that allows me to immediately see and feel the impact of my efforts is rewarding in a way that a lot of things aren’t.”

Anderson thinks of her own aging parents nearly every time she shovels.

“I think about how useful this would be in their community,” Anderson said.

Anderson enjoys being active in the community. She’s spent more than 15 years volunteering for community radio, including five years at Butte’s KBMF, where she recently took some time off.

Whether it’s shoveling snow or volunteering in some other capacity, Anderson says connecting with community is important.

“There’s a lot of injustice, and I think volunteering helps you see and understand where some of those disconnects live,” Anderson said. “Interacting with people, understanding all the different types of people and all the different needs of people is useful.”

Anderson encourages members of the campus community to volunteer with Snow Buddies.

“There are many unshoveled sidewalks in Tech’s neighborhood,” Anderson said.

Anyone interested can contact Ability Montana at (406) 782-4834 or email snowbuddiesbutte@gmail.com.