Large Grant request awarded

First, the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d'Alene would like to thank the many organizations who submitted an application for our most recent large grant request. We truly wish that we could have awarded more than one. With so many worthy organizations serving the community of Coeur d'Alene, it was a labor of love.

This recipient for the $5,000 large grant request was "The Backpack Program" through the Coeur d'Alene School District.

Community statistics:

• According to the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau, the median annual household income for Kootenai County is $47,431.
• In order to qualify for The National School Lunch Program, a family of 4 must earn less than $40,793 (reduced) and $28,665 (free) annually.
• The CdA School District currently has 9667 students.
• 37% or 3574 are currently receiving free lunch—which means that a family of 4 has an annual income of less than $28,665.
• Many of these 3574 students do not have access to a dependable food supply while not in school.
• The District Office has identified 200 homeless students this year.

The Backpack Program History:

• Founded in 1995 through Feeding America.
• It has fed 1000’s of students across American since it’s start.
• Based on the CdA School District numbers, our community has a substantial need.

Key Elements of the Backpack Program:

• Benefits school age children who live below the poverty line and often do not have any food source during weekends and holiday vacations.
• Children are identified by school staff and asked if they wish to participate in the program.
• Each Friday, children are sent home with a non-descript bag filled with non-perishable, child friendly, nutritious food for the weekend.

History in Kootenai County and goals of The Backpack Program:

• In November, 2010, the Pilot Program began at Lakes Middle School.
• The Backpack Program will provide students with the most basic need:  FOOD
• Without proper nutrition, students are less likely to perform well in the classroom and on state mandated tests
• Programs, such as the Backpack Program, help to alleviate some of the pressure put on families
• Children should not be forced to suffer because parents are unable or unwilling to provide for them
• Will  keep kids in school
• Better community/less crime

If you are interested in learning more about The Backpack Program, please visit their Facebook page.

Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County: work day

This Saturday the three area Kiwanis Clubs (Coeur d'Alene, Panhandle and Post Falls) will be working together to help the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County.

The Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County is currently collecting donations in order to build their own facility. But, in the meantime, their current facility is in desperate need of a facelift.

All three area clubs will be meeting at the Church of the Nazarene in Post Falls (see google map below for directions) at 9 a.m. and working until 3 p.m. to paint, tear up carpet, clean and otherwise bring the space up to snuff.

If you are interested in helping out, please feel free to stop by anytime on Saturday, March 6th. Wear your working clothes as manual labor is bound to be involved!

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Alive at 25 - Young Driver's Education in Coeur d'Alene

When Sheriff Deputy Jack McAvoy visited our meeting this week, I was prepared to hear that a lot of young people get into auto accidents. What I wasn't prepared to hear was this (taken directly off the Aliveat25.us website)...

You may, also, click the image to the right to view a PDF version:

• Young drivers are involved in fatal crashes at more than twice the rate of all others
• The first year for a newly licensed teenage driver is the most dangerous, with more than one in five involved in crashes
• Each year nearly 6,000 teens are killed in vehicular accidents; more than 3,800 are drivers aged 15-20
• Annually, more than 326,000 young drivers are seriously injured
• More than half the deaths occurred between Friday and Sunday; 41% occurred between 9:00pm and 6:00am
• Exceeding the posted speed limit or driving at an unsafe speed is the most common error in fatal teenage accidents
• More than 1,000 young drivers lose their lives each year in crashes because of an impaired driver, be it themselves or someone else
• Although this group represents about 7% of the nations’ licensed drivers, they are involved in nearly 15% of all fatal crashes

Research shows the leading cause of young driver accidents involve one or a combination of the following factors:

• Lack of awareness to the consequences of risk-taking behavior
• Inexperience with complexities of driving
• Peers in vehicle with the youthful driver
• Driving as a social activity
• Impaired driving to due road conditions, including driving at night
• Speeding
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

The "Alive at 25" program assists young drivers in understanding the risks associated with driving and goes beyond just your average "driver's ed" class.  At "Alive at 25," participants get to role-play dangerous situations and are offered ways to escape them. Some driver's ed programs in the CdA area offer discounts to those individuals who first participate in an "Alive at 25" class.

If you're interested in learning more, or getting your teen signed up for an "Alive at 25" class, contact with Deputy Jack McAvoy or Deputy Kevin Smart at the Kootenai County Sheriff Department at 208-446-1300.