Whitefish Billionaire Donates to FairBridge Residents
KALISPELL, MONT. — On Wednesday, residents at the FairBridge Inn and Suites received a gift many said was life changing.
Whitefish venture capitalist and tech billionaire Michael Goguen donated a total of $350,000 to 35 families still struggling to find a place to live after being told they have to vacate this Saturday.
"For the first time, I think there was a glimmer of hope," said Tracy Diaz, executive director of NWMT Community Action Partnership.
Diaz started off her morning meeting residents at the FairBridge Inn and going door to door delivering checks to families.
"The money was given in the hope that this would allow them the opportunity to make decisions, be able to move on, find a place to live," said Diaz. "There's no ties to the money, the money is there for them to choose how they want to spend it."
From the very first check handed out to the last, residents were lost for words, many breaking down as they were told what was happening.
"It's a blessing, it’s life changing, it’s all of the above. I was not expecting this at all, and whoever did this has impacted our life," Cheyanne Sciacqua said.