Like most hot tub dealers, Mountain Hot Tub in Bozeman, Montana, has been busy with spa sales. The company realized it was going to be busy with or without advertising, says general manager Max Blaser, so earlier this year, Mountain Hot Tub ceased internet advertising and redirected that budget to pay for internet access for struggling families.
“Distance learning and the ever-growing need for students to have high-speed internet at home creates enough struggles and complexities without having to worry about how you’re going to afford the service,” Blaser says.
Mountain Hot Tub partnered with Thrive (a Bozeman organization that helps children in the community) and obtained fundraising help from Greater Gallatin United Way. Through this project, Mountain Hot Tub has ensured no Gallatin County family will go without home internet service for the next six to 12 months. “We felt like this was an innovative way to give back,” says Blaser, who worked on the project personally, “taking money that would normally go to internet ads and instead using it to make sure children have internet for school.”