Chili cookoff to help children

It's time to bring it.

Your best chili recipe, that is.

In a few weeks, the Coeur d'Alene Powersports' 16th Annual Chili Cookoff is on.

It takes place Sunday, Sept. 16 at 2745 Seltice Way, Coeur d'Alene.

All proceeds from the event are donated each year to Children's Village, a Coeur d'Alene nonprofit that provides a safe home for children who would not otherwise have one.

Rita Sims-Snyder, of Coeur d'Alene Powersports and Coeur d'Alene Honda, said the chili cook-off was initiated years ago as a way to bring people together, mainly members of motorcycle clubs.

"We had more and more people showing up who were not affiliated with the clubs, so we decided to make it a community event, a fundraiser," Sims-Snyder said. "It just kind of grew from there."

Sims-Snyder said Children's Village was the first charity they thought of.

"Children in need were forefront in our minds, and Children's Village fulfills a need that really isn't filled in our community. They have the only crisis nursery in the area," Sims-Snyder said.

Last year, the cookoff brought in $5,000 and has raised $45,000 for the Coeur d'Alene nonprofit to date.

"This event not only brings us thousands of dollars that we use for the care of the children, it also provides the opportunity for hundreds of people to become educated about what we do here," said Janie Givas, Children's Village development director.

The agency provides a safe home for children who do not otherwise have one, Givas said.

Kids are brought to them by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, when the children have to be removed from their homes because they've been abused or neglected. Sometimes children are brought to Children's Village by the police, after a parent has been involved in a drug bust or is arrested on some other charge.

They also provide a crisis nursery for families who voluntarily seek a temporary safe place for their children to stay, when there is no other reliable, responsible adult available.

The agency has 12 kids living there right now, and those beds are always full, Givas said.

"We have 12 more beds available in our second house that we can't open due to funding. We keep having to turn people away," Givas said. "Our prayer is that someday we'll be able to open up for 12 more."

The cookoff raises funds by collecting a $5 chili-tasting fee from those who attend the event. They also sell prize drawing tickets for $2 each.

Prizes include a pair of cruiser bikes, a pair of kayaks, a television and an Android tablet.

There is no cost to sign up to throw a concoction in the ring, and there are some big cash prizes for the winners. There is an $850 purse, with $350 going to the first-place winner.

"Last year we had 26 chili-cooking teams. That was the most ever," Sims-Snyder said. "It's a lot of fun, good music, fantastic chili and great prizes."

Sign-up sheets can be downloaded from Coeur d'Alene Powersports' website, www.cdapowersports.com. Click on the "Annual Chili Cookoff" link on the left side of the page.

Drawing tickets can also be purchased now at Coeur d'Alene Powersports and at Children's Village, 1350 W. Hanley Ave.

Information: 765-5005