Toys & Tires

COEUR d’ALENE — A toy for a hospitalized child reminds them that someone out there is thinking of them.

A toy is something, for an ill or injured child, that brings life back to normal, said Coeur d’Alene Police Department Lt. Johann Schmitz.

“Sometimes we lose perspective of that as adults,” he said. “For the kids, it means everything. It literally changes that moment in time. That’s something we’re super proud to be a part of.”

Schmitz is on the board of the Coeur d’Alene Police Foundation, which recently received a $5,000 donation from Les Schwab Tire Centers in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum.

The money will go to its annual toy drive, which provides toys for children at Kootenai Health and Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

The focus of the drive is on Christmas time, but toys are provided year-round.

“It’s a great cause,” said Dwayne Glemser, manager of the Coeur d’Alene Les Schwab. “All the managers hopped on board.”

He said having a child in a hospital affects people differently.

“I’ve personally had children long-term in the hospital so it just resonates,” Glemser said.

Schmitz called Les Schwab a “fantastic sponsor” of the program that contributes time, labor, equipment, transportation and money to the program to help children going through tough times.

And that enables the foundation to do what it does.

“It has elevated the event to a level where we can impact significantly a lot of kids' lives year-round, so that’s huge,” he said.

To donate, drop off toys or monetary gifts at local Les Schwab Tire Centers. Donations can also be made at cdapdfoundation.org.

The foundation will also be accepting donations at the Hayden Walmart from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18, and toy donations are accepted in the Coeur d’Alene Police Department lobby, at Anchored Coffee Company and at Cosmic Cowboy in Coeur d’Alene.

Many contribute, Glemser said.

“Toys come from all the great people in our community,” he said.