Hidden demographic: population group coming together
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POLSON — For people around the ages of 20 to 45, it seemed like their demographic was missing from the community.
“I didn’t think there were many young professionals here,” Megan Beard said of people in Lake County.
Jake Baumann and Roxanne Duckworth decided to find out just how many young professionals were spread across the county and get them together with a focus on sharing ideas, interacting, and working on community service projects. They called the group the Mission Valley Young Professionals.
“We didn’t know how many people would get involved,” Baumann said.
Surprisingly, 20 people joined the first meeting in August. Since then, more than 70 people joined the group’s email list.
“There were a lot more people than I thought,” he said.
Young professionals of all kinds got involved with the group.
“We are very diverse,” he said. “We have nurses, dentists, lawyers, teachers, everything.”
The group meets once a month at different locations in Polson in an effort to support a variety of businesses. As the group develops, they plan to have meetings across the county.
“We don’t have membership fees or requirements like that,” he said. “If people think this will benefit them, please join.”
Josh Morigeau recently joined the group.
“All of us make a living here and we wanted to do something for the community,” Morigeau said.
He explained that people start developing their careers and it’s difficult for busy people to connect.
“People might not meet outside of work,” he said. He anticipates that the group will continue to add members.
“I think there are a lot of professionals starting out in this valley,” he said. “I’d like to see more people get involved.”
And during those meetings, they discuss ways to support the community.
“We started this as a way for young people to build relationships and give back,” Baumann said.
The group is currently working on a project funded by a grant through the Polson food pantry to fill bags with toiletry items to help teens in need. The bags will go to the Polson School District. Teachers will discretely hand out the bags.
“This is a project through the Backpack program for kids,” said Roxanne Duckworth, group member. The group got together and filled 30 bags during their Thursday meeting.
“We’d like to continue this and maybe bring it to different schools,” she said. She added that the group is thinking about additional service projects.
The group meets the second Thursday of each month, although the December meeting will be skipped due to the holidays. For more information, contact Baumann at 406-883- 3746 or jacob.baumann@ edwardjones.com or email Duckworth at rduckworth@ glacierbank.com.
