Families enjoy winter carnival

Project ASCENT offered free fun for families last weekend at the non-profit organization’s Winter Carnival. The carnival was held Saturday on the practice field at Thompson Falls High School, offering free games, prizes and activities for kids.

The Winter Carnival is not a fundraiser for Project ASCENT, but it is in their mission and they do it for the community that supports them so well. This year, over 100 families participated, over 100 free meals were given, and over 50 volunteers helped set up. Some of their goals are to become more financially stable from year-to-year by securing repetitive yearly funding that they can count on. The number of camps depends on that funding and since COVID, they have only been able to fund three camps each year. Their goal is to get back to the usual five camps a year.

“We would love to be able to hire a few more high school students each summer,” said Project ASCENT Director Rob Christensen. One long-term goal that they have is to secure some land and build a “home base” to run the camps and store their equipment. “I am very grateful for the wonderful community we have, and all the support they give us,” Christensen added.

Along with the Winter Carnival, the organization holds a cornhole fundraiser in the summer, bringing in visitors and community members. They have participated in the Christmas parade and do the “Trunk or Treat" event every year at the local Elks Club. They have had opportunities to help Avista collect data for their mitigation efforts, and were even partnered with Avista to help fund and build the new playground at Pilgrim Park in Noxon.

Project ASCENT founder Christensen has been passionately working on the project since 2003. So far, Project ASCENT has offered over 300 youths a free summer adventure opportunity. They have also funded and provided jobs to five high-schoolers each summer. For more information, visit http://www.project

ascent.org.