As ALS persists, local nonprofit continues to grow impact and foster resilient community
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
Now in its third year as a standalone nonprofit, Big Sky Soul Shine looks to continue building the popularity of its annual country fair as a fundraiser and awareness builder for individuals living with ALS, and as a fun summer tradition for Big Sky residents and families.
The 2026 Soul Shine Country Fair is scheduled for July 11, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Len Hill Park. Attendance is free and open to all, with voluntary donations encouraged from all who can contribute to the nonprofit’s mission. The event is both kid- and adult-friendly, with carnival games, arts and crafts, a rubber duck race and inflatable axe-throwing, ice cream and food trucks, a mechanical bison, and live country-western music from singer-songwriter Kailey Marie and country-rock swing dance band Rocky Mountain Pearls, starting at 6 p.m.
“We feel we have truly designed a good old-fashioned country fair bursting with activities,” Soul Shine founder Jackie Robin told EBS. “We just want people to look forward to the event because it’s fun, the music is good and you’re going to see people you know and love. The kids are gonna have a blast but there are also plenty of things to do for all ages.”
Robin’s vision for the growing event harkens back to the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce’s annual country fair, a family favorite some 20 years ago. She hopes the Soul Shine fair creates a similar experience for kids, while offering a laid-back Saturday that parents and adults can look forward to. Robin plans to schedule the fair on the second Saturday of every July.
She was pleased with the 2025 event, and has been working on improvements for this year.
From 2017 to 2023, the event took place in late June in partnership with Music in the Mountains, and the Hungry Moose Market and Deli—a business founded and formerly owned by the Robins. As years went on, Jackie wanted to “up the game” as a free-standing nonprofit and revive Big Sky’s country fair.
Liz McRae has been celebrating resilience as a Soul Shine volunteer just about every year, and loves seeing the community find a positive outlet to celebrate wonderful individuals who passed away, and who are living lives affected by ALS. Even as the event has gotten bigger every year, she feels the purpose has not strayed.
“I think essentially, it is the same core celebration happening, which is really cool and is kind of a testament to how powerful the meaning of it is,” McRae said in a phone call. “Sort of this emphasis and celebration of life—your inner light, your soul shine.”
‘I could not be more thankful’
Soul Shine began in 2017, honoring Mark Robin, who passed away later that year. The event took on a new meaning with the diagnosis of community member Eric Bertelson just two years later, who passed away in 2022. Unfortunately, another local father, Dan Hoadley, is now living with ALS. He said it’s progressing slowly but surely since his spring 2023 diagnosis.
The Hoadley family is grateful to be involved with Soul Shine, and Dan said it’s “surreal” to now be on the other side of the event.
“I can remember being at the event when Mark Robin was still alive, and it was pretty overwhelming to just watch,” Hoadley told EBS. “I never thought it was going to affect me personally, but here I am. I could not be more thankful for the community and support that the event and Soul Shine provide… It has been very beneficial to my family and I.”
Hoadley receives “wonderful” care from Team Gleason and the ALS Association, and is very proud to live in a community that supports and advocates for a nonprofit like Team Gleason to assist people living with ALS.
Half of Soul Shine proceeds go directly to Team Gleason, and the other 50% goes to local and regional individuals living with ALS, Robin explained.
Some of those individuals from outside Big Sky have found their way into the Soul Shine community in recent years.
Patrick Shaw, a resident of Island Park, Idaho living with ALS, attended the 2023 event and has stayed involved ever since. Furthermore, Missoula resident Greg Wermers came to the 2025 event after being diagnosed in September of 2024. He plans to attend the 2026 event with friends.
Wermers has deep connections to Big Sky, dating back to a college spring break trip in 1978. Living between Helena and Missoula over the years, he’s always tried to ski Big Sky 15 or 20 days every winter.
ALS began affecting him in January of 2024, but he’s grateful the symptoms have plateaued for the past year, affecting only his arms and hands—that means, for now, he can still enjoy skiing with a little help from his friends.
“I think my body and my mind and my spirit just need that skiing to have something to look forward to,” Wermers told EBS “… I certainly need help getting up to the hill. Once I’m on the hill, I’m good.”
He learned about Soul Shine in 2025, and he attended last year’s country fair where he met Soul Shine co-founder Tracy Jacobson. She gave Wermers a big hug, “like I’ve known her forever,” Wermers recalled.
“They took me under their wing, like I was family,” he said. “And it was just a really sweet, sweet thing, and I was happy I was there. And they were happy I was there.”
Wermers said Robin has been a great resource for his journey, and has even offered her home for him to stay on ski trips.
He’s impressed by how well organized the event is, and believes Soul Shine offers unmatched support and camaraderie.
“I mean, ALS has really affected the Big Sky community… It’s just a big number, like six or seven people,” Wermers said. “In a small community like that, that’s a big impact… The support that they’re showing to try to combat this disease—I feel like I’m with family when I’m there… They take me under their wing, and they just want the best things to happen.”
Robin thanked sponsors for helping cover event costs to maximize fundraising impact. She said Soul Shine is looking for volunteers willing to support setup and take-down on the day of the event.
In addition, Soul Shine is looking for one or two new board members for a three-year term. Ideally, candidates have a background in logistics or event planning and can help with day-of coordination of the event. Robin noted it’s a much lighter lift than many other nonprofit boards in Big Sky, and the primary responsibility is to grow the impact of the annual event.
“If you or someone you love is living with ALS or if you know someone who has passed away from the disease, Soul Shine is your big hug,” Robin said. “It’s a way to say, ‘we understand.’”
It’s the same hug Wermers experienced at his first Soul Shine, and it means a lot to families like the Hoadleys.
“Jackie Robin, she’s just such a wonderful person who goes above and beyond to help people navigating ALS,” Dan Hoadley said. “She’s certainly helped my wife and I, and we’re very appreciative of her help and friendship.”
For those unable to attend the 2026 event, donations can be made online.
