Giving back: United Way helps deliver PPE

Giving back

Eric Legvold: From bartender to COVID-19 responder, a lifelong giver

Legvold has worked for United Way for nearly three years. Since his start at the organization, he's tackled several projects including the Imagination Library and The Home Ignition Zone Program.

MAZANA BOERBOOM

mazana.boerboom@missoulian.com

Following his new every-other day routine, Eric Legvold unlocked the padlock on the house-shaped box marked with the words “Donate Masks Here” in bold red text. Gathering up the bags and piles of donated masks, he discovered a note accompanying a donation. 16 MISSOULA BUSINESS • SUMMER 2020

“50 masks. Washable. (Call) Arlene Olson … if you need more,” the note said.

They always needed more masks, so Legvold called the number and talked with Olson. Upon realizing she was at risk for contracting COVID-19, he promised to pick up the masks from her in a socially distanced way the next time she had some to donate.

The next day Olson called Legvold back: She and her daughter had spent the entire day prior sewing 100 masks.

Legvold is the director of impact at United Way of Missoula County. His job is to be the eyes, ears and hands in the Missoula community, said his boss and Chief Executive Officer at United Way of Missoula County Susan Hay Patrick.

Legvold is the type of person who would rather be on a dusty trail or lounging by an alpine lake than working an office job, Patrick said, but he comes to work every day with a smile and a work ethic unlike any other.

“He’s a leader, and you can tell he’s a leader,” Patrick said about Legvold. “He has a very open presence. When you see him, he smiles readily. He listens.”

Legvold has worked with United Way the course of seven years collected more people and organizational skills he learned young kids around Missoula and Mineral for about three years, but has lived in than $125,000 worth of gear, medical with more than 20 years bartending have county to cultivate a love of reading. The Missoula for nearly 16. In that time, he equipment and wilderness medicine carried into the nonprofit work he does latter is a forest fire prevention program that has taken the connections he's built in the training for the people living in the remote now. helps homeowners prepare their property to community and an ethic of giving back to help people at home in Missoula and as far away as India. mountain villages. After nearly a decade traveling to India, Legvold has picked up a few life lessons, Eventually when Legvold was in graduate school working toward a Master of Business Administration, Patrick be forest fire resistant at a more affordable cost. Since March, though, his work has

Legvold moved to Missoula shifted to emergency COVID-19 in August 2004 with no money response. He spearheaded the and no job prospects. He COVID-19 emergency assistance camped out while he searched fund, which offered a $400 grant for work and after a month to service and gig workers who almost gave up to return to the were out of work. He worked long Twin Cities when he landed a weeks, probably 65 hours or more, job busing at Finn and Porter. processing the 1,100 applications. He spent the year working He had help from his colleague hard. He got promoted to at the Human Resource Council, bartender after only a few Lena Negrete. months and gained Montana residency. He started school the next year at the University of Montana and worked toward an undergraduate degree in forestry and recreation management. They were able to distribute $350,000 among 850 people. He had volunteers call each person who received money, and he called those who didn’t qualify. It was difficult for him to do, as he knew

He continued bartending what it was like living paycheck to even after graduating, but also paycheck as a bartender. started part time at a small nonprofit called Nature Link. With Nature Link, he took students on study abroad trips to the Garhwal region of northern India where they would spend a month or two studying and immersing themselves in the Himalayan cultures. Legvold, director of impact at United Way of Missoula County, drops masks into a donation box at Community Medical Center in June. Legvold spearheaded the COVID-19 emergency assistance fund, granting over $350,000 to 850 service industry and gig Now most of his COVID work centers on collecting, washing and distributing masks. People can donate masks to United Way, and Legvold brings them to be washed for free at Missoula Textile Services, and he brings them to organizations around town like the Poverello Center, the school district and

He felt lucky to witness the workers who were out of work. Missoula Aging Services. natural beauty and cultures of places most people will never see. Once a snow leopard wandered through his camp, and even though it was dark he caught a glimpse of the rare cat maybe 20 feet from him. The people he encounter ed in the Garhwal lived often treacherous lives. They guided people up the Himalayan mountains, trekking across glaciers in flip-flops and using umbrellas as ice axes. Hospitals were between five hours and five days away from villages. Legvold realized he could help. He’s a self-acclaimed gear junkie, with more backpacking and mountaineering equipment than he knew what to do with, and he knew there were many others like him in Missoula. He started a gear drive called Gear for the Garwhal, and over one being that he doesn’t need much to be happy. “And that there’s a lot of good in the world,” Legvold said. “There’s a lot of people that would literally give you the shirt off their back when they only really own 10 shirts.” He met a lot of different kinds of people working as a bartender too. He served the musician Sting, many local celebrities and even met his current boss Patrick serving her at Finn and Porter. He forged bonds and friendships and a connection with Missoula. He gained a lot of experience walking the line between a confidant and an enforcer. He listened to and supported the variety of people he met, but also maintained structure and order. The recommended him for an intern position at United Way. He was hired full time right after graduation. Legvold knew he could make more money somewhere else, but felt the quality of life and rewarding work he could do in Missoula was worth it. “There is a quality of life in Missoula that is unparalleled,” he said. “...There’s just not another place on this earth that is like it. And to be surrounded by 10 million acres of wilderness is not too bad either, I got to say.” At United Way, he’s taken on several projects, two of his favorites being Imagination Library and The Home Ignition Zone Program. Imagination Library sends free books every month to One young woman at Missoula Textile Services always washes, untangles and packages the masks with patience and a smile. To Legvold she’s the embodiment of the caring and supportive nature of Missoulians. His parents and his brother all work in the health care industry. He never saw himself going into that line of work, but they always taught him to serve and give back. “If I can provide one avenue of health to the great community that is Missoula, I’ll take it. I’ll run with it and I’ll do it with a smile on my face,” Legvold said. “You might not see it because it’s underneath a mask, but I’m smiling every time that I drop off a group of face masks to organizations.” MISSOULA BUSINESS • SUMMER 2020 17