Montana Shrine Game Makes Large Local Impact

On Saturday, June 20, the 79th Montana East-West Shrine Football Game took place in Butte, Montana. As one of the longest-standing high school competitions in the United States, it is an honored tradition for graduating high school football players and cheerleaders, along with their families and coaches.

Since 1947, the best players from the west and east regions of Montana have competed head-to-head in a football game supporting Shriners Children’s mission. Earning a spot on the roster is considered a huge honor, as only the finest talent from high schools across the state is selected to play.

Throughout its long history, the game’s core mission has remained the same: raising funds to help Shriners Children’s Spokane provide pediatric orthopedic care across the Pacific Northwest. To date, the Montana East-West Shrine Game has donated nearly $2 million to Spokane's hospital.

The game’s festivities begin the night before the big day with a banquet celebrating the year’s players, cheer teams and coaches. Staff from the hospital attend and share the positive impact their participation is making on other kids in their communities.

Shriners Children’s Spokane sees many kids throughout Montana and travels monthly to the state to provide care through outreach clinics in Missoula and Kalispell. Kids receive the same specialized orthopedic care they would at the Spokane hospital, just at a location closer to home. These clinics allow families to avoid the time and cost of traveling across state lines to visit Spokane.

The day’s festivities kicked off with a parade through Butte. Community members cheered on players, cheerleaders, coaches, local and imperial Shriners – including Imperial Sir Tim Forbis – alongside Shriners Children’s Spokane staff such as physician and Montana native Thomas Halvorson, M.D. Throughout the broadcast of the game, a telethon aired across the state to raise additional funds for Shriners Children’s. This year’s donations reached over $50,000.

During the game, Spokane staff and Shriners International representatives spoke with Montana Sports to answer questions about Spokane’s specialty orthopedic care and the impact the Montana East-West Shrine Game makes in the region. This year, the West players bested the East players by a score of 20-6 – making this the West’s sixth consecutive win.

Events like these prove that when communities come together, they can make a transformative impact. Shriners Children's Spokane's staff eagerly looks forward to attending next year's 80th game.