7-year-old Stella Bjorkman loves to draw. Though she usually prefers to sketch something out of nature, she jumped at the chance to design something a little more festive ahead of the holidays, creating a big rainbow heart to be turned into wrapping paper.  

“Well, I wanted people to be happy,” she said. 

Bjorkman is one of dozens of children who attend after school programming provided by the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country in Columbia Falls. And she’s also one of many who submitted designs to be part of the Daily Inter Lake’s “Wrap Local, Give Local,” which will offer readers nine wrapping paper designs created by members of the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country.  

Over the next four weeks, two wrapping paper designs will be featured in every Thursday copy of the Daily Inter Lake, with three designs in the final installment. The first designs will be included in the Thanksgiving edition.  

The designs will also be included in the weekly editions of the Hungry Horse News and Whitefish Pilot.  

Bjorkman said she’s looking for rainbows when she picks out a good wrapping paper for Christmas, which is of course reflected in her design.  

When it comes to her Christmas presents, she’s hoping for something pretty big this year.  

“Maybe a puppy?” she said with a small smile. “A boxer puppy.” 

Boys and Girls Club CEO Steven Crews said staff at the club asked their young patrons to draw some fun wrapping paper options in late October. The idea was first pitched by Daily Inter Lake Regional Publisher Anton Kaufer, who sits on the Boys and Girls Club’s board of directors. 

The collaboration was inspired by the Arizona Daily Star’s “12 Days of Cheer,” which featured artist-designed wrapping paper to celebrate local creativity.  

Kaufer said the club’s board loved the concept but wanted to give it a Flathead Valley twist by featuring the young artists of the Boys and Girls Club. 

“The club was a natural partner because of its deep ties to local families and its focus on helping kids grow, learn and dream big,” Kaufer said.  

Each sheet of paper features artwork created by club members on one side, with the back side featuring logos of the sponsors who helped make the project happen. 

There were many great drawings to choose from, but it came down to making sure they offered a few different choices, Crews said. 

Other designs include a palm tree, a sunset and waterfall, an ocean scene, a mosaic and a bear. The artists range in age from 6 to 10. 

“It was just down to choosing a variety, because we did have a couple of kids that did multiple pieces. So, really choosing ones that we felt like might stick out a little bit more,” Crews said. 

Pop-up wrapping paper stations will also be available around the Flathead Valley, with locations and more information to be posted on the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country social media pages.  

It’s not quite Christmas yet, but the club is starting to prepare for its annual festivities. 

“We hold a Christmas party for our members every single year, where we provide a gift for every single member ... So no child is left out. Every kid receives a gift they can crazily unwrap and things of that nature,” Crews said. 

The Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country has seen large growth over the last couple of years — particularly in Columbia Falls, where the organization moved into the former elementary school building, now the Columbia Falls Kids Foundation Building. The Foundation helps support the Boys and Girls Club, Land to Hand, Ruis Wrestling Academy and Gateway to Early Learning Childcare.  

Previously located in a former church building across the street, the capacity for the Boys and Girls Club was at about 65 children, but since moving into the new home that has nearly tripled to 180.  

With the high cost of child care, Crews said keeping rates affordable is a key priority over the next few years.  

“We don't turn away any families with financial hardships. So even if they can't pay our membership cost, which is based on a sliding scale, we still work with the families,” he said.  

The club is also honing in on how to optimize daily programming for members. Columbia Falls is part of the Youth Impact Network, a program used nationally by Boys and Girls Clubs that looks at policies and procedures, as well as surveys from club members, to figure out how to best serve the community.  

“We’re really focused on giving [members] a voice, giving our youth a choice to say what they want to see and what they want to do at our club sites,” he said.  

Though monetary donations are always welcome, Crews said new volunteers are needed. The club also accepts toy and snack donations.   

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country, visit bgcglacier.org.  

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].