The Holiday Season Means Busy Time for Area Fundraisers

The holiday season is approaching and soon the calendar will be filling up with parties and events to celebrate the season. But in Sandpoint the holidays mean much more than office parties.

It is a time when the community comes together to answer the appeal of several area nonprofit groups who desperately need financial help – whether it is to help the homeless through a cold and snowy winter, keep the shelves stocked at the local food banks, or assist the group home for abused and neglected children fund its ever increasing needs.

One of the holiday events, Holly Eve, is a favorite among residents. Its founder, Marilyn Sabella, first hosted Holly Eve 29 years ago – when she raised $1,500 – and hasn’t missed a year since. Over the years, countless nonprofit organizations have benefited from the Holly Eve Foundation. Sabella says last year was a milestone for the event.

“We broke the million dollar mark last year,” said Sabella, who attributes the success of the event to the extreme generosity of the people of Sandpoint. “I do not think this event could happen in very many communities. But in Sandpoint so many individuals and businesses come together to make it work.”

Due to its popularity, the event outgrew its previous venue and will be held at the Sandpoint Events Center for the second year. Proceeds will be donated to the Festival at Sandpoint, the Panida Theater, Pend Oreille Arts Council, Community Cancer Services and Bonner Community Hospice.

Sabella said the board of directors for Holly Eve Foundation typically funds programs that have difficulty obtaining funding from other sources.

“All of our board members have had personal experience with these organizations,” said Sabella.

This year’s event will take place on Nov. 21 and tickets are $25. There will be food from 18 area restaurants, champagne, live and silent auctions as well as entertainment and a fashion show. Tickets go on sale Monday and are available at Eve’s Leaves, the Festival at Sandpoint office and the downtown branch of Panhandle State Bank.

Another popular seasonal event is Kinderhaven’s Festival of Trees. Kinderhaven, a privately funded group home for abused and neglected children, held its first Festival in 2000. The staff and board of directors were thrilled when they raised just over $6,000. As the community learned more about the mission of Kinderhaven, the event rapidly grew in popularity and now typically makes around $150,000.

“We have made a name for ourselves in the community,” said board member Jacinda Bokowy. “It is too bad that a place like Kinderhaven has to exist, but that is the reality. There are children who are not safe in their own homes.”

Kinderhaven’s annual budget varies between $216,000 to $240,000, depending upon the number of children living in the home. During the past year Kinderhaven cared for an average of eight children each month.

According to Phyllis Horvath, Kinderhaven’s executive director, one of the biggest expenses is liability and worker’s compensation insurance which runs around $18,000.

“That’s a significant cost that most people probably wouldn’t intuitively think about,” said Horvath.

But organizers of this year’s event said that despite a struggling economy, the support of the community remains.

“Even in these hard economic times for a lot of our local businesses, it’s amazing to me that all they have to hear is, ‘I’m working on an auction package for Kinderhaven’ and they ask ‘what can I do?’ ” said Bokowy. “It just proves that we’re doing something right at Kinderhaven. This community really comes together when the children need us.”

The festival begins on Dec 3 with a free family night from 4 to 7 p.m. when the community is invited to view the decorated trees, wreaths and gift baskets. On Friday, Dec 4 there will be a holiday luncheon. Dec. 5 will be the progressive gala which will feature two events in one – a silent auction with hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar followed by dinner and the live auction of decorated trees. More information on how to get tickets to this event can be found at www.kinderhavensandpoint.com.

These are two of many fundraisers this community puts on during the next few months, and each year the same sentiment is echoed through this town: people are amazed at how much money can be raised in a town of just 8,000 people. But Sabella says these fundraisers are successful not due to a few people but because of many.

“People give what they can and when you put it all together it makes a big impact,” said Sabella

It is that spirit of giving that has earned Sandpoint the reputation of being more than a small town – it is the very definition of a community.

Sandpoint High School Students Plan for Model United Nations Trip

For the second year in a row, students from Sandpoint High School will travel to New York City in March to participate in a Model United Nations conference. The trip is the culmination of a yearlong course that focuses on international issues including trade, terrorism, poverty and the control of nuclear weapons.

Sandpoint High School teacher Debbie Smith said the 27 students who attended last year came away with not only awareness of international issues but also a significant improvement in public speaking skills.

“They and I really learned how powerful learning through simulation is,” said Smith. “After the conference they had to give class presentations describing their experience and what they learned, and it was amazing how intelligently and comfortably they spoke on the really complicated international issues they debated in their committees, including topics such as weaponization of space, land mines, HIV-AIDS and other illnesses that affect the world.”

The International Relations/Model United Nations class is categorized as a social studies course, incorporating history, geography, government and economics. Through the course the students learn about several international issues while developing skills in public speaking, negotiation and debate.

“They not only spoke about these issues but they also could eloquently discuss the proposed solutions that their committees came up with,” said Smith. “It really would impress any adult who does not realize the potential of high school students to really think.”

The conference is typically attended by students from all 50 states and around the globe. The students will debate on the floor of the United Nations and cover issues which they have researched throughout the year.

The students are assigned one or two countries at the beginning of the year and study world issues as they pertain to those countries. Last year the Sandpoint students were assigned Ethiopia and Djibouti.

“It was eye-opening for the students to see U.S. foreign policy through another country’s eyes,” said Smith.

The cost of this year’s trip is $1,200 per student, $300 of which is funded by a grant from Panhandle Alliance for Education. This year 17 of Smith’s 19 students will travel to New York for the conference.

The first fundraiser will be held Nov. 14 at the Panhandle State Bank’s atrium in downtown Sandpoint. The students, dressed in international costume, will serve hors d’oeuvres, and there will be music performed by different groups including the Sandpoint High Steel Drum Band.

In keeping with the theme, international-food appetizers will be served. There will also be wine, beer and juice available.

The event is not only a good opportunity for students to raise money, but it also offers them an opportunity to educate the community on what they are doing in class and how they will benefit from this trip.

According to Smith, the success of the Model United Nations program requires a significant amount of community support.

“The challenge of fundraising is ever-present and we really need community sponsors,” she said.

Information:

A fundraiser for Sandpoint High School Model U.N. class will be Nov. 14 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Panhandle State Bank in Sandpoint. Tickets are $25 and are available at Outdoor Experience, Eichardt’s Pub and Monarch Mountain Coffee or by contacting the school.

To donate funds to the class, send a check to Sandpoint High School, SHSMUN, Attn: Lyn, 410 S. Division, Sandpoint, ID 83864. Donations are tax deductible.

For inquiries about the program, contact Debbie Smith at(208) 263-3034 or e-mail debbie.smith@lposd.org. The students are also looking for items to be donated for a silent auction

Bonners Ferry Community Reaches Out to Businesses in a Time of Need

At a time when things were at an economic low for the auto industry, an unexpected setback struck Riverside Auto in Bonners Ferry. On Aug. 3, the community watched as the 6,500-square-foot building which housed the dealership’s sales department and accounting offices went up in flames. But the fire did not discourage the dealership owners.

“The next morning we were out digging through our stuff and setting up our sales department,” said Wendy Hawks, daughter of owners Bill and Linda Hiatt. While officials were never able to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire, it is believed to have been caused by an electrical cord in one of the offices.

The dealership, which sells Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge as well as used vehicles, was closed for half a day as community members stopped by offering condolences, bringing flowers and volunteering to help in any way possible. An accountant who also had an office in the building, said she experienced the same outpouring from the community, according to Bill Hiatt Jr., president of Riverside Auto.

Area businesses donated trailers to temporarily house the sales and accounting departments and the Chamber of Commerce sent pizzas.

According to the Hiatt family, rebuilding will take approximately 120 days.

“We are trying to hire as many local people as we can for the subcontracting,” said Linda Hiatt, explaining that their definition of local encompasses the area where much of their customer base comes from – Boundary and Bonner counties.

The mother-daughter team of Linda Hiatt and Hawks have offices temporarily set up in an RV – one that Linda and Bill typically take down south for part of the winter. This year, that will have to wait until construction of the new building is complete.

It’s a challenge to do the everyday work and meet with contractors to organize the rebuilding, but the staff of 24 is keeping a positive attitude.

When they designed the new building, Hiatt Jr. said they kept the needs of their customer in mind. They will have covered space outside for the delivery of new vehicles as well as a nice waiting area.

“It’s centered around the needs of our customers,” he said.

When the town was still recovering from the fire at Riverside Auto, another blaze shook it up on Aug. 27. TrussTek, a business operated by Bill Byler and his four sons, also went up in flames. The 41,000-square-foot building was a total loss. But like Riverside Auto, TrussTek was up and running in no time.

“We actually had at least part of a manufacturing line that was not in the building,” said Byler. “We were able to continue to build at a reduced level immediately.”

When the construction industry was booming, Byler said the company employed approximately 80 people.

“Of the business we did have (before the fire), we are operating at at least 50 to 75 percent.”

Because of the slow economy, Byler said they considered not rebuilding, but because of the community they knew they had to.

“That was the positive part of this whole thing,” said Byler. “The community came in and supported, encouraged and blessed us.”

He said two days after the fire approximately 100 people worked at their business from morning to evening to help clean up.

“The community offered us anything we needed,” said Byler.

Those at Riverside Auto said many in the community were concerned they would not rebuild.

“Especially with everything going on in the car industry,” said Hiatt Jr. But the idea not to rebuild did not enter their minds.

The Hiatt family says they are grateful to the community and were overwhelmed by generosity. “We would show up at a restaurant to eat and the owners would buy our meals,” said Hiatt Jr.

The kindness extended far beyond the borders of Bonners Ferry, as owners of their biggest competitors called to offer their support. “We heard from everyone,” said Hiatt Jr. “Greg Taylor (owner of Taylor-Parker Motor Co. in Sandpoint) even drove up here during the fire, just to make sure we were all OK.”

“That is the nice thing about living in a small community,” adds Linda Hiatt. “There are a lot of good people.”

The opening of the new building will give the family a chance to show their appreciation.

“We’ll have a big grand opening and make it something special to give back to the community,” said Hiatt Jr.

Harvest Ball Will Benefit Bonner County Food Bank

Asking for help is never easy. But as the cost of living continues to increase, many people – especially seniors – are finding themselves having to make choices no one should have to make. This is something Alice Wallace witnesses almost every day.

Wallace is director of Bonner County Food Bank in Sandpoint. Her mother, Florence Carter, started the food bank in 1980 and Alice took over in 1997, a time when the food bank served approximately 2,100 people each month.

“It’s been a steady increase for years,” said Wallace, who adds that in August they served 4,200 clients – more than 10 percent of the population in Bonner County. Yet, the food bank still has only three employees, the same number as in 1997.

Wallace has many stories of her clients. One story she shares is of an elderly couple who recently visited the food bank for the first time. They held onto each other as their eyes perused the shelves. Wallace said she recognized the couple from the day before, when they came into the bank but left without saying a word. But on this day Wallace invited them into her office, talking to them and listening to their story.

The couple was like many others – having to make a choice between purchasing much-needed medications, paying their rent or purchasing food to put on the table. For the last two weeks they had eaten only bologna and white bread. But after filling out their list of preferred foods, the couple left with healthy food and hearts full of gratitude.

Wallace said she has seen more and more seniors, who are not used to asking for help, find the courage to come into the food bank, and she is grateful that they do.

“They will get by without or try to figure something out. But today they are on a fixed income, prices are increasing and they need our help,” said Wallace, who estimates that the Bonner County Food Bank will distribute at least 500,000 pounds of food this year.

“These are people losing their homes or are unable to pay for medication. It is devastating to a family when they have to go through something like that,” said Wallace.

In addition to food, Wallace has a new-coats-for-kids program. She stretches the grant money she receives, and this year was able to purchase $6,000 to $7,000 worth of coats for $900.

“We have so many families who have never had a new coat, hats or mittens,” said Wallace.

The food bank also distributes Salvation Army gas vouchers to travel to medical appointments, prescription vouchers and vouchers for diapers and infant formula.

Wallace said the process is simple. People only need to show that they are residents of Bonner County and bring proof of income. The application process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

The food bank has an annual budget of $145,000, and is always in need of funds. Its sole fundraiser, the Fall Harvest Ball, will be Saturday night. The event began last year when a group of local chefs wanted to give back to the community that has supported them.

The concept behind the event is to have local chefs cook for those in the community who are hungry.

Local realtor Patrick Werry has the role of recruiting and coordinating restaurants and chefs.

“I am so impressed with the restaurant owners and the chefs with their participation,” said Werry. “The idea was put in front of them and it is awesome to see the passion they have for this event.”

Some of the participating restaurants include 41 South with Chef Jeremy Heidel, Trinity at City Beach with Chef Edsol Sneva and Dish Home Cooking with Chef Lucas Mason. Also participating is Pine Street Bakery.

Each restaurant will feature a course of the five-course meal, and entertainment will be provided by Carl Rey & the Blues Gators.

Last year the group reached its goal of $10,000 and this year they hope to raise even more.

“All of the money goes right back into Bonner County,” said Wallace. The event will be at the Sandpoint Events Center from 6 to 10 p.m. The cost is $50 per person, and Wallace said there are many items for people to bid on, including a bicycle, float plane ride, approximately 50 gift certificates to area stores and restaurants and an autographed shirt from former NFL player Jake Plummer.

The event will also serve as the kick-off to the Easy to Care Program. People can sign up to have monthly donations of as little as $5 automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts.

“Almost everyone has been affected in one way or another with our economy,” said Werry. “A small amount can go a long way in someone else’s life.”


For tickets to the Fall Harvest Ball, Saturday from 6-10 p.m. at Sandpoint Events Center, call Karel Miller at (208) 946-6646 or contact the food bank at(208) 263-3663. Tickets are $50 per person