Madison Haagenson recalls the day in October of 2016 when her father’s back was crushed by a 400 lb. truck grill guard at the Billings warehouse where he worked. After major surgery and an exceedingly difficult year and a half, doctors finally declared her dad permanently disabled. What that meant for Haagenson was that money was tight for her family, and the prospect for college tuition from her parents was slim.

However, that all changed when she received a Kid’s Chance scholarship. Kids’ Chance is a non-profit that provides higher education scholarships to the children of workers who have been injured or killed on the job. Montana is one of 47 states or districts affiliated with this organization.

Recently, Montana State Fund presented a $25,000 check to Kids’ Chance of Montana.  This donation assists students like Haagenson, who is a sophomore at Montana State University pursuing a civil engineer degree.

 “Historically, Montana has been among the highest in the nation in workplace accidents and fatalities,” said Laurence Hubbard, MSF President and CEO. “That is certainly not a category we want to lead, and we are committed to improving the workplace safety culture by driving awareness. At the same time, it is equally important to continue to help injured workers and their families through programs like Kids’ Chance and Montana State Fund’s independent scholarship program.

Peter Van Nice, Chairman of the Kids’ Chance Board of Directors said, “We are grateful to Montana State Fund and to all of our generous donors for their commitment to this important cause. Thanks to contributions like this, Kids’ Chance of Montana will have a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of many students.”

Since the start of Kids’ Chance of Montana in 2017, 11 scholarships have been awarded to the children of injured workers—six in 2018, and five in 2019.