Uniting the community

COEUR d'ALENE - Maria-Cristina Jenicek and Kelly Davis can't say enough about the amazing young people they work with.

"I can't believe how it's just affected my heart," said Davis, of Post Falls. "Watching them and the smiles on their faces, in my opinion, you cannot be paid enough, the reward is so huge."

Davis, the fundraising chair for Specialized Needs Recreation (SNR), accompanied SNR administrative assistant Jenicek of Post Falls to the United Way of Kootenai County's Community Care Fund Grant Awards Luncheon at the Elk Point private event facility Wednesday.

There, the duo accepted a check for $8,000 to support the Camp Allstars program, which provides socialization and activities for their special campers, who range in age from 5 to 20.

"It's so rewarding. Here, I'm bawling, because this is for our kids," Jenicek said. "It's such an honor to be able to do something for them that we take for granted every day."

SNR was one of more than 20 community agencies or organizations that received a portion of the $200,000 in grants United Way gave at the ceremony, which was attended by more than 80 people, who enjoyed lunch compliments of Crosswalk North Idaho.

United Way identified three areas for which to create councils to examine the needs of local nonprofits and how to distribute funds: Education, Health and Income and Basic Needs.

Joy Rogers, of Rathdrum, has been involved with United Way for 11 years. As the co-chair of the income and basic needs council, she said she is seeing a higher need for support and resources in Kootenai County. As someone who once experienced tough times and relied on food banks and fuel vouchers, she knows firsthand the importance of those resources.

"If I didn't have United Way and the agencies available to me, I don't know what I would have done," Rogers said. "When you have something like that, that you have to do in your life, I think it really opens your eyes to, like, 'Look how many others are in a similar situation, but even worse.'"

The United Way Community Care Fund grant distribution occurs every two years with funds meant to support recipients for that window of time. A rigorous application process allows United Way community volunteers to thoroughly scrutinize an organization's request, conduct interviews and site visits, and ultimately decide where the funds would be best used.

Corporate and individual sponsors account for much of United Way's financial support.

"We've changed from just a grant process to really developing what is going to make the largest impact on our communities," Rogers said. "We survey our donors and we ask them, 'What's the most important need you see in our communities?'"

Cedric Clark of Coeur d'Alene has been a delivery driver for We've Got Stuff for three years. We've Got Stuff volunteers find furniture and donations to deliver free of cost to those in need. We've Got Stuff, facilitated through New Life Community Church in Rathdrum, received $3,000 for truck maintenance and fuel. Clark said the funds may also help purchase items such as new mattresses.

"It feels awesome. I just think it's a great blessing, because it helps me out so much," Clark said. "You go to a place and you have a mom and a child, abused or something like that, and the little girl comes out and she says, 'Mom, we have a bed now.' I love volunteering."

One of the presenters at the awards luncheon was Mark Tucker, the new executive director of United Way of Kootenai County. He said a big goal is communication between agencies and within the community, and he encouraged volunteers to find the stories of those they are assisting in order to serve them better.

"You are the ones that are face-to-face with the need in the community," he said. "Right here are the people who really understand what is going on in this community, and I think United Way would love to take a role in sharing that need and figuring out the need in a bigger picture."

Among the recipients were Big Brothers, Big Sisters, $5,000 for one-on-one mentoring; First Judicial District CASA Program, $15,000 for advocacy training; Community Action Partnership, $11,000 for the Coeur d'Alene food bank; Family Promise of North Idaho, $14,000 for the Day Center; Idaho Legal Aid, $18,000 for its domestic violence program; Heritage Health, $18,069 for its Mary Ellen Scholarship, which supports patients' co-pays; and Trinity Group Homes, $14,931 for its life-skills program.