Record-high $170K raised for Montana Hope Project at Yellowstone Club golf event 

Proceeds will support 15 critically or chronically ill Montana children 

By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR 

A Sept. 23 charity golf tournament at Yellowstone Club raised nearly $170,000 for the nonprofit Montana Hope Project, which works to fulfill the dreams and wishes of Montana children suffering from a terminal, critical, or chronic illness. The annual golf outing is not exclusive to club members, and primarily includes sponsors and individuals involved with the nonprofit. 

Montana Hope Project was founded in 1984 by Montana Highway Patrol and is sponsored by the Association of Montana Troopers, with volunteer staff comprised of active and former MHP troopers, their spouses and other volunteers. Thirty businesses and 104 golfers participated this year, and the golf tournament is typically the largest fundraiser for the nonprofit, according to an Oct. 2 MHP press release.  

“We strive to make dreams come true for critically ill children in Montana,” Trooper Nick Navarro, president of the nonprofit, stated in the release. “The amount of support for the Montana Hope Project witnessed in Big Sky was incredibly moving and will directly help children across the state. We thank the players, sponsors, and our generous host, the Yellowstone Club.” 

Navarro has been serving as Hope Project president since February, with 12 years of prior involvement as a coordinator and vice president. He said the nonprofit’s regional fundraising efforts have struggled since COVID, but large events like the YC golf tournament have helped compensate.   

“This has been the biggest year yet, and this will help be able to grant many, many wishes,” Navarro told EBS in a phone call.  

Since 1984, the Hope Project has supported 537 Montana children between the ages of 2 and 18. The average value of each wish is $8,800, and wishes have included trips to Hawaii, professional sports events, computers, shopping sprees, camping trips, hot tubs, vehicle restorations, Caribbean cruises, a horse buggy, adaptive equipment, entertainment centers, video games, and dream bedrooms, according to the release. The Hope Project is not associated with any national wish-granting organizations.  

“The health conditions the children face typically require medical intervention and are physically, emotionally, and financially exhausting for the children and their families,” the release stated. “Eighty-three percent of all proceeds from fundraisers, corporate and private donors, and memorials go directly to wishes for Montana children.” 

The proceeds from the September golf tournament will fund the wishes of 15 critically ill Montana children.  

‘A natural partnership’ 

Tom Butler, now VP of public safety and privacy for the Yellowstone Club, has been helping lead the golf tournament since it began in the early 2000s—the tournament stopped in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis amidst YC’s financial troubles and ownership change, but resumed in 2011 or 2012, Butler said.  

“It’s been going strong ever since we picked it back up and it’s really taken off over the past few years,” Butler told EBS in a phone call.  

Butler spent 29 years with MHP, serving as Bozeman captain from 2006 to 2009, and retiring in 2020 after seven years as chief. Butler said the golf tournament is the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser, and this year’s outing raised a new record which they hope to build on in 2025.  

“You know, the Yellowstone Club has always looked at benefitting Montana charities,” Butler said. “And the Montana Hope Project … the work they do is just fabulous. It’s just a natural partnership.” 

Both Butler and Trooper Navarro encouraged the public to visit the Montana Hope Project website to learn more, and to look for volunteer opportunities by contacting regional coordinators. 

This year, the tournament saw its first-ever hole-in-one by Mark Taylor, who has lobbied for Association of Montana Troopers since 1999. Butler said it was well-deserved in light of Taylor’s years of support.  

Butler shared his email, Tom.Butler@yellowstoneclub.com, inviting anyone interested in sponsoring or participating in the 2025 tournament to reach out.