The Friendship Center

10/19/2026

Happening this Thursday! Help us spread the word with friends and neighbors in Broadwater County! 👇☕🥐

We’re headed to Townsend later this month to visit with friends, neighbors, community partners, and supporters in Broadwater County!

Come by Reading Leaves Books Thursday, October 22, between 8:30-10:30 AM for some coffee and pastries on us and a visit with some members of our staff and board. Take some goodies to go or stick around to connect with us in-person and chat about our work.

All are welcome, so bring a friend or two if you want! No RSVP needed!

10/16/2026

Join us tonight!

Our partners at Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office are game night sponsors for Helena Bighorns Hockey Club's Friday night matchup with the Great Falls Americans, and they'll be offering raffle prizes with proceeds benefiting The Friendship Center as part of the nationwide Man Up Crusade program. Wear purple to show solidarity with survivors of domestic violence and enter raffles benefiting TFC's services for those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in our community.

Every material item from our Needs & Wish List (find it at thefriendshipcenter.org/needs) donated gets an entry into a prize drawing for one of two Bighorns jerseys, and regular raffle tickets will be sold for a belt buckle and 50/50 cash prize. Doors open at 6 PM with puck-drop at 7:05 PM.

Visit helenabighorns.com for tickets.

The Bighorns are teaming up with Man Up Crusade at this Friday night’s game to help bring awareness to end domestic violence! 🟪

We will be taking donations for the Friendship Center and we’ve got two Bighorns jerseys to raffle off during the game! 🎽🎽

Each donation brought in will get you a raffle ticket into the jersey drawing 🎟️

Visit our website https://www.helenabighorns.com to see what items can be donated (new items only please) 🎁

10/15/2026

The Friendship Center is seeking a full-time Direct Services Advocate to provide trauma-informed crisis intervention, advocacy, and support to victims/survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

​This a full-time, hourly position. If you have experience in human services and the ability to coordinate with team members and community partners to ensure clients seeking assistance can access the best services possible, consider applying to join our awesome client services team!

Visit thefriendshipcenter.org/employment to learn more and apply.

10/12/2026

Just for the Helena of It is almost here!

Profits from this day of races benefit TFC and Girls Thrive. In its first four years, this event has raised about $110,000 for our vital services and there's still time to get involved in the 2026 edition!

In addition to the traditional 5k, 10k, and half-marathon, this year's event includes virtual options at every distance AND a kids mini mile. And don't forget—there's a costume contest, so dress your best (or spookiest) and bring your little goblins along for a super family-friendly day of festivities.

Visit runhelena.com to learn more. That's also where you can get yourself signed up to run or volunteer with the event. We hope we see you all at the finish line party on Sunday with food trucks, live music, prizes, and more!

10/12/2026

The Bighorns are teaming up with Man Up Crusade at this Friday night’s game to help bring awareness to end domestic violence! 🟪

We will be taking donations for the Friendship Center and we’ve got two Bighorns jerseys to raffle off during the game! 🎽🎽

Each donation brought in will get you a raffle ticket into the jersey drawing 🎟️

Visit our website https://www.helenabighorns.com to see what items can be donated (new items only please) 🎁

10/09/2026

Join us Friday, November 13, at noon for our last Friendship Friday of 2026!

Friendship Friday is an excellent time to meet some of our staff and learn about our services and efforts to prevent future instances of violence through education in our tri-county area. Capacity is limited to 12 and lunch is provided.

Visit thefriendshipcenter.org/friendship-friday to see all our upcoming Friendship Friday dates and save your spot.

10/07/2026

We’re headed to Townsend later this month to visit with friends, neighbors, community partners, and supporters in Broadwater County!

Come by Reading Leaves Books Thursday, October 22, between 8:30-10:30 AM for some coffee and pastries on us and a visit with some members of our staff and board. Take some goodies to go or stick around to connect with us in-person and chat about our work.

All are welcome, so bring a friend or two if you want! No RSVP needed!

10/05/2026

It takes more than 120 volunteers to ensure the safety and success of Just for the Helena of It. Want to be a part of the fifth iteration this October 18? If you have time before, after, or during this year's races, Treasure State Runners could use your help! They still need course guards, setup/teardown and water station helpers, parking attendants, ham radio operators, photographers, and more.

Along with instructions, training, and any safety equipment needed, all Just for the Helena of It volunteers get a free beverage at the finish line party!

Visit runhelena.com/volunteer to learn more and register to volunteer at this year's event!

10/02/2026

Originally published in October 2024, we're bringing one of our past partner spotlights back into the limelight ahead of this year’s Just for the Helena of It! Now in its fifth year, this day of races and irrepressibly good vibes has become a beloved October tradition here in Helena while raising over $121,000 for its beneficiaries, including $110,000 for The Friendship Center’s services and education efforts.

Launching a new race of any size is a monumental task. Creating one as successful as Just for the Helena of It has been, and in just a few years? Suffice to say, it’s a huge achievement, made all the more impressive by the impact it’s had for both The Friendship Center and Girls Thrive—the two Helena nonprofits that all event proceeds support. The nonprofit behind Just for the Helena of It, Treasure State Runners, brought this event to life in 2022 and what they’ve built year over year is nothing short of impressive.

Back in 2024, we invited Treasure State Runners Vice President and co-founder Kathleen Koford to respond to a few of our questions about their journey to that point and some of the nonprofit’s future aspirations going into what was year three of Just for the Helena of It. Like the entire Treasure State Runners crew, Kathleen wears many hats, serving as both Vice President and Fundraising and Volunteer Director. Kathleen is instrumental in securing the support and community partnerships necessary to maximize the proceeds that go directly to race beneficiaries. She also handles the monumental task of orchestrating the 120+ volunteers needed to pull this event off each year.

Check out our Q&A with Kathleen to learn a little bit about the passionate folks behind the whole Just for the Helena of It production and be sure to come join us for the fifth iteration this October 18—whether it’s to run/walk any of the races, cheer on your friends, volunteer to help make this event a success, or join us at the finish-line party to celebrate.

Kathleen Koford discusses Just for the Helena of It’s success and growth through the years and the vision of Treasure State Runners to continue expanding its support of the community through their love of running.

10/01/2026

In abusive relationships, survivors are often blamed for provoking or enabling violence, especially when they resist or fight back. The term "mutual abuse" is sometimes applied to relationships where both parties appear to simultaneously be abusers and victims. In reality, domestic abuse is never present between equals because it stems from one partner’s need to own and control the other by any means necessary—making mutual abuse impossible.

Even so, the concept of mutual abuse has gotten traction in popular media and within the court system, causing more fallout and confusion for victims. At times, the perception of co-abuse impacts the way cases are handled at the investigative level, prevents prosecution, and clouds civil proceedings. While experts in the field of domestic violence agree there is no such thing as mutual abuse, it’s woven into many of the stories we hear.

Back in 2024, TFC Client Services Manager Jaime Gabrielli discussed some examples of situations that fuel the popular misperception that abuse can be "mutual." In the two years since we published this piece, it has become one of the most visited on our blog! We take that as a testament to a hunger well beyond our community for information on this topic that doesn't get enough attention.

Visit thefriendshipcenter.org/myth to learn about some scenarios that are often and easily misunderstood—sometimes even by survivors themselves—as mutual abuse.