Showing Up. Changing Lives. Celebrating Our 2026 Community Impact Award Winners.
A child with a safe place to sleep. A teenager who feels seen and supported. A family getting a healthy start. Behind these moments are people and organizations who choose to show up—and keep showing up.
Greater Gallatin United Way’s 2026 Community Impact Awards celebrate that commitment. This year’s recipients bring different talents, experiences, and resources to their work, but share a belief that our community grows stronger when we care for one another.
Basic Needs Impact Award
Family Promise of Gallatin Valley
For a child, stable housing means more than a roof overhead. It means a place to feel safe, settle into routines, and simply be a kid.
Family Promise of Gallatin Valley helps families experiencing housing insecurity build that stability, offering support shaped around their individual needs. Its campus provides more than services—it creates a sense of community where families can find encouragement as they work toward independence.
By helping families stay housed and move forward, Family Promise protects childhoods and makes a more secure future possible.
Early Learning Impact Award
Amie Gatterdam, Gallatin City-County Health Department
A strong start can change the course of a child’s life. For 15 years, Amie Gatterdam has worked to make that start possible for families across Gallatin County.
As Maternal and Child Health Services Group Manager, Amie oversees Home Visiting and WIC programs, connecting families with essential support during their children’s earliest years. Her commitment extends into community partnerships that expand access to child care, strengthen home visiting, and encourage early literacy through programs such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Amie brings people and resources together around a shared purpose: giving every child the opportunity to grow up healthy, supported, and ready to learn.
Youth Success Impact Award
Montana State University
Montana State University helps children thrive through a commitment that reaches beyond campus, from supporting their earliest learning experiences to connecting them with role models who inspire them to dream big.
The MSU Child Development Center and ASMSU Early Learning Center provide nurturing environments where young children can learn and grow while their families pursue work and education. MSU also sponsors GGUW’s Child Connect platform, helping families across our community find the child care they need.
That same commitment shines through Bobcat Athletics, whose athletes give their time to local schools and kidsLINK afterschool programs. For children who look up to these players, the chance to play, talk, and connect with them creates lasting memories. Our Bobcat Bash, a favorite night of the year for kidsLINK families, celebrates those connections and the joy of being part of the Bobcat community.
Together, these efforts reflect MSU’s investment in youth (and families) building strong beginnings, encouraging confidence, and opening doors to new possibilities.
Mental Health & Well-being Impact Award
Erik Nelson
After losing his son, Walker, to suicide in 2022, Erik Nelson turned profound grief into a sustained commitment to supporting other young people and families.
He established the Walker J. Nelson Youth Resilience Fund at the Bozeman Schools Foundation and championed an approach that reaches young people before a crisis: strengthening belonging, building connection, and helping them feel less alone.
His advocacy helped lead to the Youth Resilience Project, which equips coaches, mentors, teachers, employers, and other adults with practical tools to support youth well-being, recognize distress, and connect young people with help. Through the fund, Erik has helped generate approximately $200,000 in financial and in-kind support for the project and a full-time prevention and peer-instruction coordinator within Bozeman School District 7.
Erik’s impact reaches beyond fundraising. His willingness to share his family’s experience has helped our community ask a vital question: What can each of us do to help young people feel known, connected, and supported?
Youth in Philanthropy Award
Avery Charlton
Avery Charlton’s story is a reminder that you don’t have to wait until adulthood to make a difference. Sometimes, you can start with a cup of hot cocoa.
Beginning in 2019, Avery sold cocoa to raise money for local charities. By 2024, he had raised more than $8,000 for organizations and initiatives benefiting West Yellowstone.
When he entered high school, Avery passed his stand to another local youth, ensuring the tradition would continue. His generosity has supported his community and opened the door for someone else to discover the joy of giving back.
United in Action Award
Shann Scott
Some of the most meaningful service happens quietly, through years of steady commitment.
Shann Scott has served on Thrive’s board for a total of 13 years, contributing his expertise as Treasurer and a Finance Committee member to help keep the organization strong for the families who depend on it.
At First Interstate Bank, he also encourages staff to put their care into action—as CAP mentors, event volunteers, and helpers on Thrive’s building projects.
Shann leads through both his expertise and his example. His service helps sustain an organization’s mission while inspiring others to find their own way to contribute.
United is the Way Award
Robyn Erlenbush
For decades, Robyn Erlenbush has shown what it means to invest in the place you call home.
Her generosity reaches across Southwest Montana, supporting healthcare, education, the arts, youth programs, and local nonprofits. She has supported Bozeman Health for more than 30 years, helped lead major capital campaigns, and most recently became a major donor and catalyst for a children’s music garden at the Bozeman Public Library.
Since 1990, ERA Landmark has partnered with United Way, creating opportunities for its company and agents to learn, give, and get involved. Robyn’s leadership also reaches through board service, professional education, and support for organizations serving a wide range of community needs.
She brings her time, talents, and resources to the causes she believes in—and encourages others to do the same. Her example shows how one person’s commitment can inspire decades of collective impact.
These honorees remind us that a stronger community is built through everyday choices: to offer support, share expertise, start something new, or invite others to help.
Congratulations to our 2026 Community Impact Award winners, and thank you to every nominee and everyone who shared their stories. Your commitment makes our community a place where more people can thrive.
United is the Way.