Meet Christmas for All's Unsung Heroes

Christmas for All's referring partners are Kootenai County's unsung heroes. 

They walk alongside clients in need and refer them to Charity Reimagined for specific assistance from Christmas for All, the Coeur d'Alene Press holiday charity campaign that, through the great generosity of our readers, helps recipients throughout the year. 

It is an honor to work with these outstanding organizations, and we are excited to introduce them to you in these days leading up to Christmas.

The Kootenai County Mental Health Court — with a mission of helping participants transform their lives by changing their criminal behavior and addressing their mental health, addiction and past trauma — is one of those partners. 

Mental Health Court participants are individuals in our community with serious mental illness who either do not volunteer for treatment or they are not compliant with the treatment they do receive. These individuals may be homeless, abuse drugs and/or alcohol and engage in criminal behavior. They often have a history of recurring hospitalization. Increasingly, those treatment-resistant clients find themselves incarcerated in local jails and state prisons. The program started in Kootenai County in September 2004 with Judge John T. Mitchell presiding over the court from its inception.

The four-phase program consists of: intensive supervision of clients by a mental health probation officer, frequent appearances before the Mental Health Court judge, mandatory mental health counseling, regular attendance at group counseling sessions, as well as attendance at substance abuse classes and drug and alcohol testing.

At the beginning of the program, staff control the participant’s risk through frequent drug testing, meetings with the probation officer and treatment team, and frequent court attendance. As the participant moves through the program, they will begin to understand and learn about their mental illness, addiction, and how to control their own life. Once this is accomplished, the participant moves from risk-control to self-risk management.

“Christmas For All helps our participants in a variety of ways. One of the most requested is eye exams and eyeglasses. Many of our participants struggle with their vision. We realized that this was causing them to struggle with class work, and it caused headaches and other issues,” said Mental Health Court Coordinator Mary Wolfinger. “Through CFA, we are able to help our clients get an eye exam and obtain glasses. This allows them to move through the program, and have fewer physical issues.”

Some Mental Health Court participants have received extensive dental work with assistance from Christmas for All. This has allowed them to feel better about themselves, which in turn creates more confidence. This has led several of those to obtain better employment, ultimately leading to needing fewer resources in the future. 

CFA has also provided car repair on several occasions to Mental Health Court participants. This has allowed them to get to treatment, support meetings and their job. It also allows them to provide safe transportation for their children to school, doctors’ appointments, etc.

“Christmas for All has been such a blessing. Since they are not tied to any government funding, they are able to provide resources that are ‘out of the box,’” Wolfinger said. “They are truly providing a missing link to many of our community members who need a hand up, not simply a handout.”

To donate to Christmas for All, visit cdapress.com and click on Christmas for All at the top of the page.