Aug 18, 2022
Behind-the-Scenes with Zero to Five Lincoln County
An important part of Headwaters Foundation’s approach is going beyond grantmaking to raise awareness and strengthen nonprofits in Western Montana. One way that we do this is through grantee storytelling. We partner with local filmmakers who work with our grantee partners to craft short documentaries about their work and mission.
We recently traveled to Libby, Montana to help filmmaker David King and Zero to Five Lincoln County conduct interviews and create a video about their important work to support children and families in their community.
Zero to Five Lincoln County is a multi-sector, county wide collaborative working together with a variety of partners, agencies, and community members to make a positive impact in the lives of families with young children. They strive for a county in which all families with young children are valued, connected, and empowered because they believe that “every kid in every corner of Lincoln County counts.”
The collaborative’s strategies include connecting families with resources and creating safe, fun spaces for them to congregate to learn new skills and engage in games, crafts and free play. We got to participate in and document one of their engagement activities, Story Time at the Troy Branch Library, where kids and families gathered to read, create and have fun together.
Local leaders who are part of Zero to Five Lincoln County came from all over the county to participate in filming the video. In between takes, we were able to sit down with Dorey Rowland, Local Collaboration Coordinator for Zero to Five Lincoln County to talk with her about the project.
What do you most hope to convey through this video about Lincoln County and Zero to Five?
That it really is possible to make magic happen if you build trusting relationships, no matter who you are or what you believe or where you come from. We all came together to support families with kids, and we all always come back to the idea that families with young children are important. By keeping that front and center and sharing resources, we are able to dream big and multiply our efforts. We are modeling what it looks like to work together, even when times are tough.
What made you excited to participate in this video project?
Having the opportunity to share the work that we do and celebrate the contributions of all of our partners and all of the people that have been a part of this from the beginning. To have an opportunity to show the work that we are always talking about is awesome. It will be amazing to have a beautiful promotional piece that we and all of our partners can use as we share our work and write grants.
How do you think that foundations offering this service (grantee storytelling) helps nonprofits?
It’s tremendously helpful – we are so busy trying to do and implement the work, and for me to find someone to make a video and do all of the coordination – I just wouldn’t know where to start. To have someone prepare us to tell our story and who knows how to film it and amplify it is a gift. To have Headwaters fund it is also appreciated, otherwise we might have to choose to pay for it instead of something else.
Thank you to Dorey and all of the leaders involved in the Lincoln County Zero to Five Collaborative for their important work in their community, for helping us experience and understand it, and for working with us on this video production process. We loved being behind-the-scenes with this group!
View the video here. To see other examples of videos David King has filmed and learn about other Zero to Five collaboratives in Western Montana, check these out: