Silverwood's heart of gold

COEUR d'ALENE — Silverwood’s famous lawman, Marshal Jack, whispered in a low voice to a group of youngsters at Children’s Village on Saturday morning.

Then, in a flurry of excited squeals, the kids turned around and ran to Silverwood Theme Park owner Gary Norton, who smiled as the little ones piled on the hugs.

“I love kids, it’s one of the reasons why I built Silverwood,” Norton said. “These are kids who have a harder time sometimes having fun, so I really like to do whatever I can to help out.”

Gary and Jeanne Norton once again donated $100,000 to Children's Village, funds that will aid the nonprofit in its mission to provide a safe haven, services and care for children who have been abused, neglected or are in severe family crisis.

More than $57,000 of the money was donated by guests who were “robbed” by bandits this season during the train robber skit on Silverwood’s Steam Train No. 7. The skit is orchestrated by Marshal Jack, played by Chris Tortora, who always saves the day and procures passengers’ pocket change for the donation fund. The Nortons added an additional $43,000 to round the total out to $100,000.

“It’s so amazing,” said Christina Hull, development director for Children's Village. “It’s hard to even express our gratitude to Silverwood, because it’s not just the $100,000. Obviously that's huge, and that helps with operations, it helps with staff training, it helps with everyday costs, but they also support us on a monthly basis and have for a long time. They support us by treating the kids every year to trips to Silverwood, and that is so impactful to them. They talk about that throughout the year, and when you ask a past resident what some of their favorite memories are, at least one of them will tell you every time, ‘Trips to Silverwood,’ because that's something they would have never been able to do.”

Tortora sparkled with enthusiasm as he distributed colorful toys and interacted with the kiddos. He said donating to Children's Village is something park guests and employees look forward to. He said Silverwood employees will donate their gratuities and he has even witnessed park guests bringing ATM-fresh cash to the train to contribute to the fund.

“To come through those doors with a giant bin of toys on my shoulder is an absolute privilege,” Tortora said. "Working for Silverwood, and specifically Gary, Jeanne and Paul Norton, I have the best job in the world."

He said being able to have a positive impact on the residents of Children's Village "re-establishes your faith in humanity."

“These kids, they have tough lives,” he said. “You can see how hesitant they are, they’re almost afraid to have a good time, and the next thing you know they’re laughing and they're playing. The community really needs a place like Children’s Village.”