On July 22, the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene welcomed Amanda Krier, Executive Director, and Nicole Hammons, Development Director, from Safe Passage as our guest speakers. We were also pleased to be joined by several members of the Kiwanis Club of Post Falls, who visited for the presentation and fellowship. Together, we learned about the breadth of services this remarkable organization provides to adults and children throughout North Idaho, while also hearing about an exciting new partnership with our club.

Safe Passage has been serving our community for nearly 50 years, providing free and confidential support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and child abuse. While many people associate the organization primarily with its emergency shelter, members learned that Safe Passage offers a comprehensive network of services that includes a 24-hour crisis helpline, hospital response, court advocacy, counseling, housing assistance, prevention education, and a Children’s Advocacy Center. Their mission extends far beyond helping people escape immediate danger—they work to help survivors build safe, stable, and independent lives.

The numbers tell the story of the tremendous need that exists in our community. Each year, Safe Passage serves approximately 1,300 to 1,500 individuals and provides nearly 7,000 consultations. Their advocates respond to roughly 100 to 150 hospital sexual assault cases annually, while their emergency shelter offers a safe haven for individuals and families in crisis. As Amanda emphasized, immediate safety is always the first priority, but helping survivors achieve long-term stability and healing is the ultimate goal.

Members also enjoyed hearing about Lucy, Safe Passage’s certified facility dog. Since joining the Children’s Advocacy Center in 2022, Lucy has provided comfort and emotional support to children during forensic interviews and court proceedings, helping young victims feel safe during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Lucy has become an important part of Safe Passage’s trauma-informed approach to caring for children.

One of the most exciting announcements was a new project centered around Lucy. Safe Passage is developing a children’s book titled The Hero and the Helper, featuring Lucy as the central character. The book, along with a companion stuffed “Lucy” dog, will become a therapeutic resource to help children process trauma while also serving as a fundraising tool through online sales.

The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene is proud to be part of this effort. Our club has funded the illustrations for The Hero and the Helper and will partner with Safe Passage to introduce the book throughout the Kiwanis family. With more than 7,600 Kiwanis clubs serving communities around the world, we hope this partnership will help bring Lucy’s story – and Safe Passage’s mission of hope, healing, and empowerment – to children and families far beyond North Idaho.

We thank Amanda and Nicole for sharing their inspiring work with our club. Safe Passage’s dedication to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community reminds us that creating a better future for children often begins by ensuring that families have the safety, support, and compassion they need today. We also wish them great success with their EnVision Gala on October 3 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, an important fundraising event that helps make their life-changing work possible.

Photograph: (left to right) Amanda Krier, Nicole Hammons, Jeannie Nugent

On July 8, our guest speaker was Luann Cummings from Lake City Special Needs. Luann is a Special Education teacher at Lakeland High School and has devoted many years to helping students with special needs. Her compassion and commitment to these young people were evident throughout her presentation.

Luann explained that many of the students she serves face challenges that extend well beyond the classroom. Approximately 70% come from economically disadvantaged households and qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program. She also noted that ADHD is one of the most common conditions affecting the students she works with.

To help meet their everyday needs, Luann has developed a program that provides snacks and drinks for these students. While simple in nature, these items can provide comfort, encouragement, and a sense of security during the school day. The program is funded entirely through donations, and community support plays an important role in helping ensure these resources remain available to the students who need them most.

We appreciate Luann for sharing her inspiring work and for the difference she continues to make in the lives of local students.

Photograph: (left to right) Peter Matousek, Chad Krahn, Luann Cummings, Marty Behm

On May 20, 2026, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Chuck Ethridge addressed the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene with a presentation titled “More Than A Show: What Professional Theatre Does for the Children of Our Community.” His central message was simple but compelling: the missions of Kiwanis and Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre are not as different as they might appear. Both exist to improve the lives of children and strengthen the community around them — and both have been doing it, in their own ways, for a combined 162 years.

Ethridge opened by making the research-backed case for why the performing arts matter for children beyond entertainment. Studies from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences and Nature’s peer-reviewed journal npj Science of Learning have found that children who engage regularly with the arts develop higher self-esteem, stronger academic performance, and greater empathy than their peers. Drama training specifically has been shown to improve collaborative behavior — skills researchers identify as among the most critical for success in the 21st century workforce. For children from lower-income backgrounds, access to the arts has been shown to reduce stress, increase school attendance, and improve social outcomes in ways that other interventions often cannot.

What makes Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s work distinctive is the breadth of how it reaches children in this community — and its commitment to removing every barrier in the way. The organization’s Musical Theatre Training Institute serves over 1,000 youth ages 8 to 16 every year through year-round classes, workshops, private lessons, and camps, with a firm policy that no child is turned away due to lack of funds. The Summer Arts Enrichment program gives 450 youth per season a fully immersive, free theatre experience — including a ticket to a live professional show, a private backstage tour, and a Q&A with the cast and creative team. Pop-Up Workshops bring professional singing, acting, and dance instruction directly into Boys & Girls Clubs and Shoshone County Schools. And programs like Theatre For All and the Princess Performance ensure that cost is never the reason a child misses out.

Ethridge was candid about the financial reality behind all of it. Ticket sales cover only 37% of what it costs to run the organization. Every program for kids lives in the other 63% — funded entirely by grants, sponsorships, and individual donors. He closed by extending an invitation not for money, but for partnership: “The children we serve today are the artists, the leaders, the collaborators, and the community members of tomorrow. What we invest in them now — in their confidence, their creativity, their sense of what is possible — is an investment that this community will benefit from for decades. We are grateful to be doing that work. And we would be honored to do it alongside you.”

Photograph: (left to right) Chuck Ethridge, Freda Campbell