Smocks step up (again) for Safe Passage
LOREN BENOIT/Press From left, Safe passage board member Ben Johnson and Safe Passage executive director Chauntelle Lieske accept a $10,000 donation from Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty owners Don and Midge Smock before a fundraiser for Safe Passage Violence Prevention on Wednesday.
COEUR d’ALENE — It’s a nice way to ensure a successful fundraiser: Wrap your arms around $10,000 before the fundraiser even begins.
That big act of benevolence is becoming a habit for Midge and Don “Pepper” Smock.
On Wednesday, shortly before a fundraiser for Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center started, the Smocks bestowed 10,000 bucks on Chauntelle Lieske, Safe Passage’s executive director. It’s at least the fifth consecutive year the Smocks have pitched in at that level.
“For us, that gift means supporting more survivors, being that place they come … where they’ll be helped and their stories will be believed,” said Lieske. She explained that often, “abusers say nobody’s going to believe you, and sometimes survivors get to the point where they begin to believe that themselves.”
Lieske, who was program director under former Executive Director Katie Coker for two years before taking over Safe Passage in July 2017, said the organization assisted more than 1,300 adults and children last year. The number being helped is growing by about 300 each year, she said.
“I think it’s increasing because people know we’re here and understand what we can do for them,” Lieske said.
She said that level of service wouldn’t be possible without the Smocks.
“It’s immeasurable to have community members who care that deeply about the work we do to help survivors,” Lieske said. “It’s just inspiring.”
The Smocks, owners of Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty, are known for their generosity. Their local Windermere Foundation organization has donated $1 million to local nonprofits and needy families, and that doesn’t include some major personal gifts from the family to organizations like Safe Passage.
“We do it because they protect children and they protect women from real danger,” Pepper Smock said. “This is a need in our community that is so real and is often not talked about. It’s often hidden from public view because the work they do has to be confidential.
“The work they do is critical to the well-being of our community. They’re working on this every single day.”