Granting opportunities throughout the community

Coeur d’Alene Rotary distributes $30,000 to local causes

COEUR d’ALENE — A gift of $700 can buy a lot of boots that can help a lot of people get back to work.

"There are a lot of barriers for homeless people to find sustainable employment," said Gar Mickelson, executive director of Kaleidoscope Community Services. "Just being out in the weather, not having good nutrition, not having good sleep. We help them get into housing, we work with community partners to get their eyes checked. Last year we had 13 hires and generated about $60,000 worth of payroll, stabilizing people, getting them back on track, getting them into housing."

Kaleidoscope offers a services training program that was launched last year to help people emerging from the homeless community find employment.

"We're helping people climb out of the hole and prepare them to get better jobs in the future," Mickelson said.

Kaleidoscope, like every nonprofit, stretches its dollars and appreciates every grant and donation.

"It's always a blessing," he said.

The Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club was pleased to distribute $30,000 in Youth and Local Community Services Grants during its meeting Friday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

"We're so thankful to the Rotary," Mickelson said. "It's $700. It's a huge impact for us. It always seems like a vote of confidence.”

Rotary members celebrated about 15 local causes during the first in-person meeting the club has had since the coronavirus pandemic struck. Everyone was in lighthearted and lively moods, happy to see friends and colleagues.

Rotary, a service organization, conducts projects and raises money throughout the year to distribute to selected applicants during an annual celebration.

"The funds that flow into the community from our club is pretty significant," said Sam Hunter, chair of the Youth Grants Committee. "What that means is we have touched many different lives."

Local Community Service Grants Committee co-chair Emily Moses said it's never an easy process narrowing down the many applicants, "but the nonprofits that we've supported this year are really going to be great and doing really good things with the funds we've provided."

"And never more important than right now," she said.

Hunter said it's amazing how community groups were able to pivot when needed to provide programming for those they serve, "even in this challenging time."

"They really stepped up to do amazing things, especially with youth in our community," he said.

Kimber Gates, club president, said Rotary is always "service above self."

"This is the moment of service," she said. "This is extremely exciting, all of our hard work paid off right here, seeing it go back out into the community and directly affecting people. And it's great to be back as a group."

Other Coeur d'Alene Rotary Youth and Local Community Services Grant recipients:

• Safe Start

• St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho

• Lake City Center

• Post Falls Food Bank

• CDAIDE

• Turkeys and More

• Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County

• Quest Summer Day Camp

• Opening Books, Opening Doors

• Children's Village

• Panhandle Health District

• Kroc Center

• First Judicial District CASA