Community Thanks

THANKS: Golf/Walk fundraising event a success

Family Promise of North Idaho would like to extend a special thank you and recognition to our supporters of the Third Annual Golf/Walk Fundraising Event May 16 at the Coeur d'Alene Public Golf Course. The day was beautiful, the golf was fun; the walkers were exhausted and everyone felt uplifted for helping to raise funds for FPNI.

Thank you to the leaders and organizers of the event: Andy Storjohann; Randall Henry; Teri Burch; Theresa Gibbons; Ali Miller; Jill Jurvelin; Gail Vanderhoof; and FPNI Executive Director Cindy Wood.

Thank you to our Ace Sponsor: Perfection Tires and to our Clubhouse Sponsors: Windermere Realty; HD Investments LLC; and Drainzit.

Donors and underwriters of specific costs of the event are also appreciated. They were: bankcda; Inland Northwest Bank; Paddy's Sports Bar; Allegra Print and Imaging; Coeur d'Alene Press; Jane Freer; Earl Kendle; Bill and Mary Robinette; and Tim Leadingham.

Donations of food and prizes are always accepted with gratitude. Pastry and More; Randall Henry; LaRae McCarrel; Henry-Griffths Golf; Randy Henry's Dynamic Golf; Twin Lakes Village Golf Course; Circling Raven Golf Course; and Marla McWilliams-Lopez enabled us to have treats and awards for the participants.

This year the event had more golf teams and walkers and we are expecting to grow again in next year's event. Thank you to all the participants.

TERI BURCH

FPNI Board president

THANKS: Trinity Group Homes receives award

On April 29, Trinity Group Homes, Inc. was presented a check by Daniel T. Harbeke, director, Public Affairs and Corporate Relations for Union Pacific Railroad. The presentation occurred in front of our leased semi-independent group home in Hayden. Mr. Harbeke noted that this award to Trinity Group Homes, Inc. was one of the sixth largest grant awards for 2014 across the Union Pacific community - out of a total of more than 80 some grants awarded across their service area in this grant cycle.

Since 1979, Trinity Group Homes' goal has been to ensure that adults with a severe and persistent mental illness have safe affordable housing in a supportive environment. The mission is to provide caring, community-supported housing for adults with mental illness with programs that teach life skill to residents, all of whom have nation-wide background searches prior to acceptance in the program.

Residents live in duplex group homes in buildings owned or leased by Trinity. The current facilities include two semi-independent group homes owned by Trinity in Coeur d'Alene, and one leased home in Hayden, which provides 24 beds. The eight bedrooms in the new home in the Tullamore community of Post Falls were dedicated in September of 2013. These rooms increased capacity from the 24 to 32 bedrooms for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.

Trinity Executive Director Runkle expressed appreciation for this Union Pacific Foundation grant. A portion of the grant will help upgrade the infrastructure in the office in Coeur d'Alene, providing printers and support office equipment. The balance of the award will support the Life Skills Program. The full-time staff primarily works with each resident, focusing on developing life skills for independent living.

They also conduct Life Skills groups in the homes, which are resident driven. The crux of the program is the weekly groups that meet in one of the group homes once or twice per week. We usually have an average of six to 12 residents voluntarily come to learn about and discuss a topic of their choosing. Popular topics have been specific mental illnesses, navigating social service programs, nutrition management, eating on a budget, and communication.

Refer to the Trinity website for details of the operation and additional photos of the new Trinity Group Homes building in Post Falls: www.trinitygrouphomes.net.

REV. ROBERT S. RUNKLE, DEACON

Executive Director, Trinity Group Homes, Inc.