Myni Ferguson spends most of her waking hours on community projects. Of Scottish origin, she was born in Bombay, India, moved to Singapore, and attended boarding school in Scotland and business school in London.

She came to the United States, made her way to Colorado and fell in love with the country. She indulged herself as a 'ski bum" while modeling for catalogs, traveling for Head skis and waiting tables. She discovered Whitefish, and having seen most of the world, she selected this as the place where she wanted to live.

Glasswork, a family tradition, was her chosen profession. During her first six years in Whitefish, she worked as a waitress to support her fledgling glass business and her passion for skiing.

Myni loves animals and loves her community. Her activities are too numerous to mention but include donating glass work, spearheading the Loose Moose campaign, establishing Whitefish's new dog park, and establishing and maintaining Marvin's Fund (named after a cat of hers that died) for public education and assistance to law enforcement agencies.

She serves on various boards and committees and serves at least 25 hours per week as chairwoman of the Flathead County Animal Advisory Committee, which provides education and advice to the Flathead County Commissioners and others.

Friends say "if it has to do with animals, Myni is involved," and that if something needs to be done, Myni is the one who steps up and does it. She confesses that "the Flathead County Animal Shelter has always had my heart," and she derives much comfort from the fact that because of the cooperation among all agencies, the kill rate has been reduced to the point that no healthy animal is ever put to death

Myni, your friends refer to you as "a gem." We agree and thank you for your efforts in making our community such a wonderful place to live.

— Jake Heckathorn

This column is dedicated to those who give freely of their time and energy to worthwhile community projects, but whose efforts often go unnoticed. If you know such a person, please e-mail [email protected].