Kathy Van Tighem has been selected for the 2023 Paris Gibson Award.

Van Tighem’s career started in the mid-1990s earning her bachelors in English education, with a minor in art K-12 from Northern Montana College.

She earned a Masters of Education in counseling and development from Northern Montana College.

Since 2000, Van Tighem has been a counselor with the Great Falls Public Schools. During this time she has been involved in a wide variety of committees and leadership roles that have included but not limited to: department chair since 2006, assistant coordinator for the GFPS crisis team, PIR facilitator, collaborative solution committee member, district differentiated diploma committee member, Leadership High School facilitator, school improvement committee member, student council advisor, crisis prevention intervention district trainer, and Heisey Award school coordinator, according to a release.

Van Tighem is involved in several community service groups such as, Peace Hospice of Montana, GFPS CARE Program, Great Falls Pre-Release Center, Darcy Lynn Dengel Foundation, Compulsive Eaters Support Group, and more.

She also leads Camp Francis, an annual camp for children ages six to 12 who are grieving the loss of a family member.

To be eligible for the award, selected by previous Paris Gibson Award winners, a nominee must meet the following criteria:

• currently a resident of Great Falls;
• provided significant impact to the City of Great Falls;
• provided leadership for the community through volunteerism; and performed selfless action for the betterment of the community.

The award winner receives a $500 check provided by Jimmy and Debbie Filipowicz of Steel Etc, which may be given to a local charity of the winner’s choice; a tree, donated by Steve Tilleraas of Tilleraas Landscape Nursery, planted in West Bank Park in their honor, with a granite marker donated by Montana Granite; a plaque donated by Greg and Leanne Hall; a dinner for two at P. Gibson’s, donated by P. Gibson’s Sports Grill; and a ride in a 1918 Model T Ford at the Fourth of July Parade provided by Kurt Baltrusch of the Skunk Wagon Club.

Tighem will be honored during the first concert of the Great Falls Municipal Band’s season at 7 p.m. June 28 at the Mansfield Convention Center.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Former winners are:

• Doug Wicks, 2010
• Norma Ashby, 2011
• Greg Hall, 2012
• Ian and Nancy Davidson, 2013
• Gene Thayer, 2014
• Bill and Joan-Nell Macfadden, 2015
• Arlyne Reichert, 2016
• Sheila Rice, 2017
• Brad Talcott and Linda Caricaburu, 2018
• Chuck and Gerry Jennings, 2019
• Judy Ericksen, 2020
• David and Tanya Cameron, 2021
• Bud Nicholls, 2022

For more information about the award, contact Susie McIntyre at 406-453-0349 or Jay Russell at 406-799-8183.

Jenn Rowell

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