'I think Joan Kroc would be proud of us'

Coeur d'Alene was once a town surrounded by water with no public pool for kids to learn to swim, which created a void in services seen by many.

Sue Thilo saw that void, and with other like-minded locals, she helped change the course of history by ensuring Coeur d'Alene was selected as a Salvation Army Kroc Center site.

"It was a long-recognized need in our community,” Thilo said Monday, while seated at a coffee shop table near the Kroc Center's main entrance. "We needed a community center. We certainly needed a public pool. We didn’t have either one of them and for a town our size, that’s pretty unusual. To not have a place where kids can learn to swim, living here, with lakes, that was astounding to me."

Even as a mom whose daughter was a competitive high school swimmer, Thilo recalled it wasn't just about a pool.

“I started working and dreaming of a community center in 1998, 1999,” she said. "For a town as wonderful as this is, with the quality of life here, this was a big missing piece of our infrastructure."

Coeur d'Alene had a community center that closed in 1993 and a YMCA that closed in 1999. After these closures, Thilo said she worked on legislative possibilities, looked at the possibility of a recreation district and spoke with the Coeur d'Alene School District about installing a pool when Lake City High was built in 1994, but all to no avail.

Then one day, Thilo saw a tiny article in the newspaper announcing the death of philanthropist Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc. Joan Kroc left $1.5 billion of her fortune to the Salvation Army to build community centers.

“I thought, 'Here’s maybe our best shot yet,'" Thilo said.

The wonderful thing about this opportunity, she said, was that Joan Kroc had built a community center in San Diego as a first-class operation that was affordable and accessible, where everyone was welcome.

"It’s a place where kids can dream to be Olympians because they’re not turned away and they don’t have to belong to a health club," Thilo said.

Thilo and then-Mayor Sandi Bloem saw the same article and wanted to make a Kroc community center a reality for Coeur d'Alene.

“It was ironic, or a miracle," Thilo said. "The first of many, where we both said, 'Maybe we should look into this.'"

Thilo and Bloem organized the first grant-writing team to raise $8 million when Coeur d'Alene had never seen a capital campaign a third that size.

Their team jumped hurdle after hurdle, pitching every reason why Coeur d'Alene was deserving of a $38 million center and $38 million in an endowment fund to sustain the operation.

“We defined what Joan Kroc put on her will," Thilo said. "She wanted it to go to underserved areas, in neighborhoods, walking distance to schools, where no kid is turned away. We defined the stipulations in her will, and I think that’s why we got the grant.”

And the rest is history.

"It proved that the need was here,” Thilo said. “I think Joan Kroc would be proud of us."

Thilo is retiring from her role on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, but her dedication and tireless work have not gone unnoticed. This evening, she will be honored as the first life member through the advisory board, which requires a minimum of a 15-year commitment.

"Sue’s influence of excellence is felt every day by those of us fortunate enough to have worked alongside her," said Stacy Barney, assistant center director. "Her commitment to the Salvation Army Kroc Center, and her community, have laid a foundation that we strive every day to build upon. Joan Kroc expected a world-class facility to be built and operated, and it has been achieved because of world-class leaders like Sue.”

Advisory board member Dave Barnes said Thilo has been an inspiration to people around the Northwest.

"When it comes to community involvement, everyone wants Sue on their team," Barnes said. "She has been an advocate for numerous public initiatives and has been a driving force for many of the efforts that have made this such an attractive area to live and work. Her involvement has been crucial to many of the projects that have shaped this community. The Kroc Center is a prime example.”

Although Thilo is stepping aside from the board, she will continue to be active with Coeur d’Alene Rotary and the North Idaho College Foundation board. She also plans to keep ringing bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign at Christmastime.

"I’m lucky I’ve had the opportunity,” Thilo said. "We are lucky. We have a vast resource of people in this community that are ridiculously generous, not just with their money, but with their time and their abilities.”

Thilo reiterated she feels it's a miracle Coeur d'Alene was chosen for a Kroc Center, which has impacted countless people through the years.

"It’s not just a fitness center," she said. "It’s a comprehensive community center that touches lives of all ages and all walks.”