The Montana Hope Project Fulfilling Wishes, One Child at a Time

In the face of life’s most excruciating hardships, hope can be a powerful medicine. Our dreams and aspirations cut through the darkness of our struggles, acting as beacons of light that shine upon the positive and uplifting elements of the human experience, motivating us to forge ahead and persevere.

Though everyone faces challenges, the difficulties experienced by children with life-threatening illnesses or life-altering conditions deeply impact every aspect of their daily lives and require immense resilience, strength, and courage to endure. These challenges also profoundly affect the child’s entire family, requiring them to adapt to a new way of life while simultaneously navigating the complexities associated with being the caregiver and advocate of a child who is living with special needs.

The tenacity and bravery these children and families display in the face of adversity make them exceptionally deserving of opportunities to savor moments of joy, peace, and respite that recharge and reignite the hope within them. After all, every kid needs time to simply enjoy being a kid.

Troopers Supporting Families

Established in 1984 by the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP), the Montana Hope Project aims to fulfill the dreams and wishes of Montana children diagnosed with terminal, critical, or chronic illnesses and conditions. The 501(c)(3) non-profit, now the charity of the Association of Montana Troopers (AMT), is funded solely through private and corporate donations and fundraising efforts.

The organization has granted a staggering 545 wishes as of mid-January, including three since the beginning of 2025.

“Disney World is the most popular wish by far,” says Catherine “Cate” Nelson, travel and reunion coordinator for the Montana Hope Project. “The second most popular request is a hot tub. For a lot of our kids, water therapy is so good for them and for their joints. We also have done cruises, bear hunts, campers – so many amazing wishes!”

A five-year-old with the dream of riding an elephant on a beach will be traveling to Bali with her family this year to do just that. In addition to trips and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the Montana Hope Project has also helped families by modifying homes to meet accessibility needs, among a slew of other wishes.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Once a wish kid and their loved ones become a part of the Montana Hope Project, they’re family for life. For example, any family involved with the program can sign up to attend University of Montana Grizzlies or Montana State University Bobcats football home games all season long. The organization also holds reunions for families at Fairmont Hot Springs twice per year – one during the summer and one during the winter – ensuring kids have at least two weekends per year solely devoted to letting loose and having fun with their friends.

Wiley’s Wish

Elliston resident Katie Parker first learned about the Montana Hope Project years ago through Cate, her longtime friend.

“When Cate started in her position with the Hope Project, she would talk about the reunions and I thought what they were doing was so neat,” Katie recalls. She began volunteering by putting together goodie bags and helping out with table arrangements for the festive gatherings. “I just did anything I could to help out with the little things for two or three years,” Katie explains, “but once my son was born, it got a little harder to help as much.”

Katie’s son, Wiley, was diagnosed with Noonan syndrome by an astute Missoula pediatrician within days of his birth. Noonan’s causes him to struggle with cardiologic, feeding, gastric, vision, and hematologic issues.

“He had no muscle tone at birth,” Katie says of her now seven-year-old little boy. “So, he does occupational, physical, feeding, and speech therapy to get his body to where it needs to be.”

Despite his struggles, Wiley is also a typical, energetic kid who loves dogs, his family, and helping out around the house. But he is especially passionate about orcas.

Katie and her husband, Paul, submitted an application to the Montana Hope Project on their son’s behalf. In September of 2023, the couple traveled to Orlando with Wiley and his now 13-year-old sister, Kacey, to meet the orcas at Sea World.

“Seeing it through his eyes was just unbelievable,” Katie recalls. “Finally, he got to do something he’d always wanted to do and he was so excited. I felt relief in a way because it is hard to watch him constantly struggle through all the medical aspects. He has to be so strong and so tough, and it is so unfair that he has to do that. But this experience was all about fun and it was something he had wanted for so long.”

The Parker family also thoroughly enjoyed their accommodations at Give Kids the World, an 89-acre, non-profit Florida resort that provides cost-free weeklong vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. It takes approximately 2,000 volunteers to operate the resort every week.

“Give Kids the World was so in tune with making the experience inclusive for the whole family,” Katie says. “Our family was able to truly enjoy that time together. So often, medical trips are our vacations, so it was nice for the kids to get a 100%, real vacation.”

Eli’s Wish

Traveling across the country with multiple children can be a challenging feat for any family, but for families with a child living with complex medical needs, such trips require heightened levels of planning and organization.

Prior to applying to the Montana Hope Project on behalf of their son, Eli, Jamie and Casey Buechler hadn’t given much consideration to the idea of taking their three boys to visit Disney World.

“We didn’t think it was even a possibility,” Jamie says. “We were doing five to ten therapies a week and in the midst of that, you kind of forget how to be with one another as a family. We really wanted the opportunity to have our whole family together and to enjoy that time and not have to think about everything else.”

Eli, now a 14-year-old Billings West High School student, was born with HECW2-related syndrome, an extremely rare neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the brain and nervous system, and impacts nearly every aspect of his life.

“Cognitively, he’s at about one year old,” Jamie explains. “He is visually impaired, has a seizure disorder, doesn’t walk or talk, has severe hypotonia, is feeding-tube fed, and is in a wheelchair most of the time.”

Like many teens, Eli enjoys rocking out to his favorite songs. He also adores lights and colors, and has the most stunning blue eyes imaginable.

“I think the best part about him is his smile,” Jamie says. “When you’re having a bad day, you can come home and look at him and all of that negativity just disappears.”

Eli loves being in the water, and his parents knew he would enjoy the bumpy rides, lights, and colors that come along with an amusement park. In 2014, the Montana Hope Project granted his wish and sent the family of five to Disney World to ring in the new year. Like the Parkers, the Buechlers were also guests at Give Kids the World.

“It was pretty amazing, because we weren’t thinking about work or therapies or doctors’ appointments. We were just living in the moment for a change, and it hadn’t been that way for a while,” Casey explains.

The family was escorted to the front of every line, and a staff member would be waiting with Eli’s wheelchair as soon as a ride ended. Back at the resort, volunteers ensured the family had everything they needed so they could simply kick back and relax together.

“Everything was thought of in advance and we didn’t have to be responsible for anything,” Jamie adds. “It was like a fairytale.”

Ryanne’s Wish

When Ryanne Briere encounters a hurdle in life, she doesn’t find a way over or around it; she blasts straight on through. For her, challenges are little more than minor detours on her path to success.

“She’s unstoppable,” Wendy Briere says of her 20-year-old daughter. “She’s never once asked why things have happened to her, she’s never wanted pity for herself, and she just always takes all the negativity and turns it into something positive.”

Ryanne was born with thrombocytopenia absent radius (TAR), a syndrome characterized by a deficiency of platelets and the absence of the long, thin radius bones of the forearms. In addition to having shortened arms, all the joints in her fingers are fused, so she’s unable to make a fist.

“There are about 500 cases of TAR syndrome in the U.S. right now,” Ryanne notes. “I am one of the less severe cases.”

Walking is another significant challenge.

“I have bowlegs, there are no ligaments in my legs, and both of my hips were dislocated at birth. My left leg is two inches longer than my right, so I limp really badly,” she explains. “Since I have no ligaments, it is just bone grinding on bone all the time, so it very painful to walk very far.”

“Actually,” Ryanne casually remarks, “my doctors have no idea how I’m able to walk because you’re supposed to need ligaments to walk.”

Ryanne underwent 14 platelet transfusions during her first four months of life and has undergone nearly two dozen surgical procedures over the past 20 years. Along the way, she worked steadfastly to secure her spot as valedictorian of Harlem High School’s class of 2022 – right down to having perfect attendance and a 4.0 GPA. Today, she works as in intake coordinator at One Health in Chinook and Harlem.

“I write, I drive, I pretty much do everything anyone else does,” she says, “it just takes me a bit longer.”

Ryanne was in junior high when her parents applied to the Montana Hope Project on her behalf.

“She was learning about Pearl Harbor in school at the time,” Wendy recalls. “It was because of that event that her great-grandpa joined the military, and she was really drawn to that.”

Ryanne celebrated her 12th birthday in Hawaii along with her parents and her three younger sisters.

“We went to Pearl Harbor, the Dole plantation, and Polynesian Cultural Center,” she says. “But my favorite part was Kona, our tour guide. He was so cool. After we did the tours, he took us deeper into the island to see the North Shore beach and visit a temple. He didn’t have to do that for us; he did it because he wanted to. That was my favorite part of the trip.”

A Place of Belonging

Among the most impactful elements of the Montana Hope Project are the feelings of inclusion and comradery that continue to flourish long after a child’s wish is granted. Hundreds of family members and wish recipients attend each of the twice-yearly reunions held at Fairmont.

“We always go to the reunions. Always,” says Ryanne, who hopes to bring her own future children to the gatherings someday. “I love them so much. I’ve made so many friends. It is two times a year that kids with disabilities feel like they’re not judged and we can just be kids. We just get to be happy.”

The gatherings are also an opportunity for parents and caregivers to build up their own support systems.

“The people around you just ‘get it’ in some capacity, and that’s priceless,” Jamie notes. “You find yourself in conversations about who the best doctors are, things like that…and you feel like you don’t live life by yourself outside of the reunions because you form such big bonds within those gatherings. This organization has made families feel seen and not so alone on their journey.”

The Montana Hope Project reunion events offer a variety of activities for everyone, including the wish child’s siblings. “They make it about the whole family and all the kids get to be special, not only the wish kid,” Katie says.

Some wish kids are now adults who attend the gatherings with their own families in tow.

“We even have families who lost their kiddos who still come,” Jamie says. “They’re welcome forever, and I think knowing that brings a sense of peace to people.”

Getting the Word Out

A well-designed logo serves as a powerful symbol, helping people easily recognize and connect with the organization's mission and their role in supporting it. While the Montana Hope Project's work may not be known to everyone, the image of their teddy bear in a trooper uniform is instantly recognizable to many Montanans. The original design was created by the late Stan Lynde, creator of the long-running Western comic strip, “Rick O’Shay.”

“Stan Lynde was a longtime supporter of the Montana Hope Project,” explains Justus Johnson, who has created 10 to 15 full reworkings of the cartoon logo for the organization in recent years. “He was an amazing artist who was well-loved and respected throughout the state. He is important to the history of art and Montana overall, and was a heck of an artist of the Western art style.”

Justus created new variations of the design by building off of Stan’s original logo. The updated logos are featured on everything from fundraising merchandise to the organization’s license plates.

Today, Justus is a valued member of the larger Montana Hope Project family. “I’ve probably never been part of a more welcoming community,” he says. “It is very rewarding and uplifting to understand that, as important as this is to me, my involvement is apparently very important to them too. This is a family for people who are on the tougher side of things, but also for anyone who is involved with it. How can you not want to be involved in something like that?”

Get Involved

The Montana Hope Project can only continue to make wishes come true with the help of volunteers, generous donors, and fundraising efforts.

In addition to raffling off a 1967 Chevrolet SS-396 later this year, the non-profit also has an online shop with dozens of options for the whole family. Montana Hope Project license plates are available through your local county treasurer’s office.

The organization is especially excited about its 2025 corporate sponsorship options, which include an invite to the group’s reunions, dinner and accommodations at Fairmont Hot Springs, and advertising components, among other perks.

To learn more about the Montana Hope Project and how you or your business can get involved, visit montanahope.org.