For decades, Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork has prided itself on providing unique Western vacations in a family-friendly atmosphere. To celebrate its 75th anniversary next summer, the guest ranch will welcome a very special group of guests.

Twenty children with life-threatening medical conditions and their families will enjoy an all-expenses stay at the lodge from June 7-14, 2020. During the Week of Hope, they’ll enjoy all the amenities the ranch has to offer, including sailing, horseback riding, mountain biking and more.

“We’re not the type of people that want to toot our own horn, we just wanted to figure out a way to give back,” General Manager Chase Averill said. “We joke here a lot that we cater to the kids and tolerate the adults.”

To facilitate the Week of Hope, the lodge will partner with HopeKids, a national organization that provides activities for families and children with serious medical conditions, along with Montana Children’s in Kalispell, which will provide medical care for the attendees. The majority of participants likely will be from other states, but Averill said Montana Children’s will also identify a number of local families to participate in the experience.

“I think a big part of it also is the families, having the families here to connect and realize that they’re not on this island alone — there’s 20 other families here that are going through this terrible, challenging experience together,” Averill said. “Hopefully they can build relationships.”

He also hopes the children will enjoy the same liberty he’s observed in other young guests during their week-long visits.

“They have a sense of freedom and a sense of independence here that kids don’t have nowadays,” he said. “It’s really cool to see what happens to a kid in one week here.”

Flathead Lake Lodge was founded in 1945 by Les Averill, a B-52 pilot in World War II who purchased the property with a partner after returning from the war. The lodge initially opened as a hunting and fishing supper club, but evolved over the years into the guest ranch that it is today. Chase said if things go well this year, he plans to make the Week of Hope an annual event.

“I think the interest is there and if we can do this successfully, I think it would be really cool to keep rolling this forward,” he said. “It comes back to kids and families and relationships and that’s what this place is all about.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.