Counting our lucky stars

What’s better than a million-dollar donation?

Why, two million-dollar donations, of course.

Back to back last week, the top story in this newspaper involved massive gifts from two of the region’s most generous families. First up was the Parkers, led by a colorful patriarch and a bark. The patriarch would be Doug; the bark would belong to Sunny, the popular pooch appearing in Parker Toyota marketing campaigns.

Recipient of that cool million is North Idaho College. More specifically, the gift is for the college’s Building the Future Campaign, which will help ensure the brand new Career and Technical Education Facility has the necessary equipment and scholarship support for students enrolled in nine career and technical programs offered there. Doug, Jim and Diane Parker — sorry, Sunny, you’re cute but your personal contribution is negligible — have long been major supporters not just of our community, but of our community college. Their substantial contribution will go a long way in improving the lives of many students and the local economy at the same time.

Next up was Gary Schneidmiller, who donated $1 million to Hospice of North Idaho. It’s the largest single gift in HNI’s 35-year history. Schneidmiller, whose success in the real estate industry goes back decades as founder and owner of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty in Coeur d’Alene, made the gift in honor of his parents, Gladys and Mannie. The beneficiary is near and dear to Gary’s heart — and many others’. Hospice of North Idaho has helped thousands of people, both the living and the dying, through the difficult end-of-life transition. Among those comforted by the organization was Gary’s mom.

You already know our region is blessed with more kindness and generosity than most. Where there’s need, the people of Kootenai County always seem to come through, in whatever ways they can. In the past 10 months alone, Lola and Duane Hagadone have donated more than $2 million to the Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County; Ron and Joanne McIntire gave $1 million to Kootenai Health; and the mega-gifts have kept coming thanks to the Parkers and Gary Schneidmiller. Meantime, countless charitable campaigns, including Press Christmas for All, have met or exceeded their goals through many thousands of contributions, large and not quite so large.

Whether you’re part of the 99 percent or the 1 percent in this place we call home, we’re all pretty darned lucky to live here.