4-H clubs help family in need

Time for friends to lend a hand.

The 4-H clubs of Kootenai and Shoshone counties are combining forces to provide a benefit car wash and dinner this weekend for a Wolf Lodge family that recently lost a child.

The Wilsons and their extended family were prevalent in their involvement with 4-H, said Tina Bothwell, organization leader for the Clover Kids 4-H program.

Everyone in the local clubs knew the Wilsons, Bothwell said, including Julie Wilson, the 4-year-old who died earlier this month.

"You've never seen a family dedicate so much to youth," Bothwell said. "This is a chance to pay some of that back."

The May 29 event will begin with a car wash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, with the club's younger members doing the scrubbing, Bothwell said.

"I think it means everything to them (to help). They understand that in this kind of a tragedy, there are no words," the 4-H leader said. "Whether they're young or old, people need an outlet to feel they're helping a family face a tragedy."

The car wash will follow with a benefit dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. in Building 1 on the fairgrounds, where a Mexican dinner will be served in honor of Julie's love for spicy food, Bothwell said.

There will be live entertainment and a silent auction during the meal, she added, and a live auction will follow.

"4-H families are really stepping up to the plate," she said of members who have donated auction items like livestock, meat and handmade furniture.

All proceeds will go toward funeral expenses for Julie Wilson, who died on May 9 after climbing onto her father's semi-trailer and falling between a tire and mudflap.

"Funeral expenses are terribly expensive," Bothwell said. "We just wanted to raise as much as possible so that's not a worry at this time."

Julie's grandmother Linda Rider was the 4-H program assistant for many years, Bothwell said, and spent endless hours mentoring youth, whether by coaching kids on speaking skills or helping soothe finicky steers.

Likewise, Julie's mother Sharla became the Kootenai/Shoshone 4-H program coordinator after Rider died.

Although Julie wasn't old enough to participate in 4-H programs yet, her family often brought her to events, Bothwell said, where she was easily recognized by her bright pink boots.

"You've never seen a child happier. She just laughed and smiled, and if you asked her 'How are you doing, Julia?' she'd say 'Fine!'" Bothwell remembered. "Obviously, she knew she was very well loved and taken care of."

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids ages 5 to 10. Children younger than 5 are free.

Folks can purchase tickets or donate items by calling the Extension Office at 446-1680, or by calling Bothwell at 755-6204. Folks can also call any 4-H Club organizational leader.

Tickets will also be for sale at: Cenex Cooperative Supply Inc. locations in St. Maries, Post Falls, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene; the UPS Store in Hayden; Huckleberry Nursery in Hayden, Rathdrum Country Store in Rathdrum; Columbia Tractor Inc. in Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry; the Three-Mile Corner Cafe in Bonners Ferry; and Tim's Special Cut Meats in Coeur d'Alene.

Donations can also be made to the Julie Wilson Memorial Fund at Mountain West Bank.

"This is a way that allows all of us to help without being intrusive," Bothwell said. "It means a lot to all of us to work together on something for a unified cause."