One of the most rewarding aspects of Kiwanis service is finding new ways to connect people, encourage growth, and build community. Recently, the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene had the opportunity to do exactly that through a special partnership involving our Club’s sponsored Kootenai County Aktion Club, Specialized Needs Recreation (SNR), and the North Idaho College Head Start program.
For the first time, a member of SNR and our Kiwanis Aktion Club visited a Head Start classroom as a guest reader. Ursula, an Aktion Club member, spent time reading to the children and interacting with the class during story time. While the experience was something of an experiment for everyone involved, it quickly became clear that it was a success. The children were engaged and enthusiastic, and Ursula did an outstanding job connecting with them throughout the visit.
Specialized Needs Recreation is a Coeur d’Alene nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities through recreation, socialization, and opportunities for personal growth. Aktion Club, sponsored by Kiwanis International, is the only service club in the world specifically for adults with disabilities, helping members develop leadership skills while serving their communities. Through our local Kiwanis sponsorship, Aktion Club members are encouraged to participate in meaningful community activities that build confidence, independence, and relationships.
The reading visit also beautifully complemented the mission of the Head Start program, which provides early childhood education and school-readiness opportunities for young children and families in our area. For Ursula, the experience represented an important personal growth opportunity, and she has already expressed excitement about returning to read again next school year. Encouragingly, other SNR and Aktion Club members are now interested in participating as well. What began as a simple idea may very well become a meaningful ongoing partnership — one that benefits not only the children being read to, but also the readers themselves.
The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene is proud to support programs that create inclusion, leadership, and connection within our community. Sometimes the most meaningful service projects begin with a single small step — and this one was a wonderful start.
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Posted: May 21, 2026 by Matt Palmer
A New Voice for Story Time: Aktion Club Member Reads to Head Start Students
One of the most rewarding aspects of Kiwanis service is finding new ways to connect people, encourage growth, and build community. Recently, the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene had the opportunity to do exactly that through a special partnership involving our Club’s sponsored Kootenai County Aktion Club, Specialized Needs Recreation (SNR), and the North Idaho College Head Start program.
For the first time, a member of SNR and our Kiwanis Aktion Club visited a Head Start classroom as a guest reader. Ursula, an Aktion Club member, spent time reading to the children and interacting with the class during story time. While the experience was something of an experiment for everyone involved, it quickly became clear that it was a success. The children were engaged and enthusiastic, and Ursula did an outstanding job connecting with them throughout the visit.
Specialized Needs Recreation is a Coeur d’Alene nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities through recreation, socialization, and opportunities for personal growth. Aktion Club, sponsored by Kiwanis International, is the only service club in the world specifically for adults with disabilities, helping members develop leadership skills while serving their communities. Through our local Kiwanis sponsorship, Aktion Club members are encouraged to participate in meaningful community activities that build confidence, independence, and relationships.
The reading visit also beautifully complemented the mission of the Head Start program, which provides early childhood education and school-readiness opportunities for young children and families in our area. For Ursula, the experience represented an important personal growth opportunity, and she has already expressed excitement about returning to read again next school year. Encouragingly, other SNR and Aktion Club members are now interested in participating as well. What began as a simple idea may very well become a meaningful ongoing partnership — one that benefits not only the children being read to, but also the readers themselves.
The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene is proud to support programs that create inclusion, leadership, and connection within our community. Sometimes the most meaningful service projects begin with a single small step — and this one was a wonderful start.
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The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d' Alene meets every Wednesday except the last of the month from noon to 1pm at MacKenzie River Pizza , 405 W. Canfield Ave.
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The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene is proud to announce that the recipient of its 2026 $5,000 Large Grant Award is City on a Hill Behavioral Health Center.
City on a Hill Behavioral Health Center is a Christ-centered nonprofit dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and biblically integrated mental health care. Serving youth and families throughout North Idaho, the organization offers professional, evidence-based services—including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and family and marital counseling—while integrating spiritual support to care for the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. In partnership with Real Life Ministries, the center continues to expand its impact in addressing critical mental health needs in the region.
Grant funds will be used to purchase a vital psychological assessment tool that will enable clinicians to provide comprehensive diagnostic testing for children suspected of having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Specifically, the funding will support acquisition of the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-2 CPT), a clinically validated instrument that provides objective measurement of attention, impulse control, and self-regulation in children and adolescents.
The addition of this evidence-based assessment system will address one of the clinic’s most pressing needs. Requests for psychological testing—particularly to assist with differential diagnosis among school-age children experiencing attention, behavioral, or learning challenges—have grown significantly. At the same time, there is a severe shortage of providers in our region with access to tools like the IVA-2 CPT, often resulting in long wait times or limited access to timely evaluations for families seeking help.
Until now, City on a Hill has not had access to this essential instrument. The Kiwanis grant will help close that gap—expanding local capacity, reducing delays in diagnosis, and ultimately enabling more timely, accurate care for children and their families. ... See MoreSee Less
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Bill Bell is officially a member. Welcome to the club. ... See MoreSee Less
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Marked graves today ahead of National Wreaths Across America Day on December 13th. Thank you to all who came out to help ... See MoreSee Less
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