On Wednesday, July 27, 2005, The Provider Pal Program awarded the Revett Silver Company, Troy Project, with a 2004/2005 Educational Service Award and a Revett employee, Bruce Clark their Provider of the Year Award.  The awards are the first of their kind given to honor organizations and individuals for “their active part and unwavering belief in natural resource education.”

 

Provider Pals is an award winning non-profit organization with a mission to build a bridge of understanding between the cultures of urban youth, rural youth, and their natural resource providers.  The program uses a unique, yet practical approach to natural resource education along with a series of student exchanges to accomplish this mission.  Piloted in Montana, Libby based Provider Pals^TM began receiving national attention when Ford Motor Company made a generous donation that enabled the program to expand into 20 cities throughout the nation such as New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Washington, DC.

 

The program includes classroom ‘adoption’ of rural resource workers in the fields of farming, ranching, mining, logging and fishing.  The students and Provider Pal communicate via video, internet, and mail throughout the year and get the chance to meet face to face during the spring when the ‘Pal’ travels to their respective classroom.  Montana Provider Pals travel expenses to cities around the nation are funded by the Montana Ford Dealer Association.

 

Each summer, Provider Pals hold week long camps at Historic Raven Ranger Station.  Partnered with USFS, and with the generous aid of the Lincoln County Commission, Provider Pals^TM has spent the past 8 years restoring the CCC built Raven Ranger Station into a functioning Natural Resource Learning Center.  Provider Pals was honored with one of four 2004 Preserve America Presidential Awards for protecting and preserving America’s cultural and natural heritage.

 

Students from participating cities such as Washington DC, New York City, Little Rock, Detroit and Los Angeles join Libby, Eureka, and Troy students to learn about the people, land and the environment that provides for them.  Hundreds of students and teachers from various cities have had the opportunity to see a working mine because of Revett Silver.  In addition to the summer camp, during the spring of each year, students from Libby, Eureka, and Troy spend a week in New York City or Washington, DC.  They get a taste of their peers inner city reality by spending a day in their inner city schools, visiting local attractions, attending Broadway plays, and much more.

 

Margeaux Zwang, Trista Berget and Jimmy Mee, Provider Pals Alumni from Libby, presented the awards to Clark and to Revett Silver’s Doug Miller of Troy.  Miss Zwang said, “I was very happy to be able to give something to the mine because of how much I learned when we visited there during camp.”  Trista Berget said, “I’m thankful that companies like Revett and people like Bruce Clark take time to share their knowledge with kids around the country.  They are very nice people with tons of knowledge on mining.”  Jimmy Mee added, “They were also very proud of their restoration efforts [tailings] which made me respect their work a lot.”

 

Bruce Vincent, Provider Pals Executive Director, said “Revett Silver has gone to great extents to help our community thrive environmentally, economically and educationally.  Outside of the other multiple groups of people that the mine hosts they have greatly enriched the Provider Pals natural resource learning camp by taking the time to talk with and gives tours to the groups of teachers and students attending each camp.”

 

Bruce Clark is a production manager at Revett Silver Company, Troy Project.  He has been in the mining profession for 23 years and is an active member of his community.  Echo Vincent, Provider Pals Communications Director said “Bruce was one of the original ‘Provider Pals’ and proved to be a major asset to the program.  His knowledge of the mining profession and passion for his lifestyle has made a huge impact on hundreds of students nationwide.”

 

“Being part of Provider Pals has been an amazing experience.  I have not only been able to share my lifestyle and profession with students in inner-city schools, but I have personally been able to experience urban life for the first time.  Provider Pals is making a difference.  This program should have been around 20 years ago…but we’re not too late.  It’s never too late for education on such vital issues.” Bruce Clark said.

 

“Giving our youth the opportunity to watch natural resource production from environmentally conscious, educationally supportive companies and individuals such as Revett Silver and Bruce Clark are vital to our future in rural America.  We are very thankful for all that they do.” said Vincent.