Nate Ramsbacher
Much of his volunteering started when he began going to the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line
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BY JOHN KELLEHER
s long as he can remember, Nate Ramsbacher has been helping out one way or another. It’s something he learned early in life from his parents. He has developed that skill of volunteering over his 18 years, and the recent Havre High School graduate has received several awards from different groups for his work. Volunteering has made him keep up his positive attitude, he said. “Always keep your head up high,” he said. “Always look for the best in things.” That attitude has prompted him to take part in numerous civic projects, in the community and at school. He will keep up his volunteering tradition when he attends the University of Montana in Missoula this fall, where he will study psychology and biology. Much of his volunteering started when he began going to the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, just as it opened more than a decade ago. At first, he did what every other young person did at the club — played pool and basketball. But soon he got into the study room, did his work and started helping others with their homework. Then came the Torch Club and Keystone Club, groups that encourage community service and leadership. These groups got him involved in service inside and outside the club. With Keystone Club, he was involved in several projects, including raising money for a homeless shelter in Great Falls. He went to Florida to help clean up a children’s school “to make it a safe place for them.”
Fighting tobacco use
At the Boys & Girls Club, he joined reACT!, a youth group that fights tobacco abuse. They took part in several anti-tobacco projects, but the key effort for him was going to Helena, where his group succeeded in convincing legislators to support the Indoor Clean Air Act that further limited smoking indoors. Today he hopes to guide young people and help them make good choices as they grow up. “I really love children, so I enjoy this,” he said. His love of children continued on page 21
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