Kelly Hamilton considers herself a good “roper.” Which is to say she’s good at roping folks into doing things, she says with a laugh.

Her roping abilities have her at the forefront of volunteering efforts in the Flathead Valley. This holiday season she organized one of the most successful Toys for Tots campaigns ever in the Flathead Valley, which gave away 19,000plus toys to less fortunate children at Christmas.

“The whole valley did it,” she said of the effort. “I just put it together.”

Hamilton is also active with the Columbia Falls Lions Club, where she’s a “tail twister,” Farm Hands Nourish the Flathead, the Canyon Kids Christmas Fund and the Gap Fillers Club.

For her efforts, she was recently named a Freedom Bank “Hometown Hero.” She was nominated by Michael Burr, a former manager at Whitefish Credit Union in Columbia Falls.

As part of the honor, Hamilton was awarded a $500 check to give to a charity of her choice in her name and Burr received $50.

Hamilton gave the money to the Lions Club.

Volunteering is in Hamilton’s blood, she said last week.

A fifth generation Montanan, she said it was just “how she was raised.”

Her parents, Judy and Rob Hedstrom were active in the community. For example, Rob, a former Plum Creek electrician, fixed all the Lions Club’s Christmas lights a few years ago that are hung around town.

Hamilton lives in her grandmother, Marie Coulson’s, former home in town. Coulson was a well-known school teacher here.

Hamilton graduated in 1990, was gone for a few years living in Corvallis and then Cody, Wyoming. She returned in 2006 and now works at Weyerhaeuser’s MDF plant.

She works three days on and then has three days off, which helps her with her volunteering, she said.

She also gets help from her longtime boyfriend, Mike Prichard.

“He calls it being ‘roped into,’” she said.

When she’s not helping out, Hamilton said she enjoys hiking in Glacier National Park and the local woods.

She said at first she didn’t like social media, but then she saw how helpful it can be.

“Then I realized how

many people you can reach,” she said.

Each month a new Hometown Hero will be named through next January.

To nominate a person visit: freedombankhometownhero. com Selected heroes will receive a $500 donation to the charity of their choice and the person who does the winning nomination will receive $50. The heroes will also be featured in the Hungry Horse News.