L O C A L A G ENC I E S I N NORT HE RN I D AHO T E AM UP
Putting Hope into Action
By AndreaNagel
It’s not
every day local churches,
health care providers, career
services and other community
businesses partner to offer
free services in one location.
But, thanks to the hard work
of area leaders, thousands of
northern Idaho residents received
everything from free groceries
to health screenings at Coeur
d’Alene’s first Day of Hope on
Sept. 6.
“One thing we really like about
an event like this is the ability
to pull us all together as a com-
munity,” Rodney Wright, one of
the many Day of Hope committee
leaders, said. “We’re blessed to live
in a city where the hearts of our
leaders have always been centered
on helping other people.”
Well over 3,000 residents
benefited from the Day of Hope,
with over 800 volunteers helping to
make it happen. This event, about
a year in the making, was brought
to the area through Convoy of
Hope, an organization that provides
disaster relief, feeding programs
and communitywide outreach
events to those in need.
“As a community hospital, we
feel it is important for us to sponsor
and participate in events like the
Day of Hope,” said Todd Putren,
director of critical care at Kootenai
and Day of Hope health services
team leader. “There were multiple
areas that this day represented, but
as our local hospital, we had an op-
portunity to reach outside the four
walls of Kootenai Health.”
Todd enjoyed participating in
the Day of Hope and hopes his
excitement rubs off on fellow care
providers.
“We always want doctors and
nurses to volunteer their time
in our community,” he said. “I
volunteered to help because first
and foremost I believe in what the
Day of Hope brought. It brought
hope in a tangible way for people.
Whether it was a shoulder to lean
on, a haircut, medical care or just
groceries, it made a difference.”
Day of Hope brought families to-
gether for a day of fun as well as an
opportunity to connect with impor-
tant resources. Health screenings
(including breast screenings),
dental services, job and career
services, prayer, counseling
services, free lunch and entertain-
ment, children’s shoes, haircuts,
and family portraits were offered to
attendees by local organizations, as
well as free groceries brought in by
the Convoy of Hope semi-truck.
“This event covered all of north-
ern Idaho, not just Coeur d’Alene,”
Deb Ayers, event coordinator, said.
“People from Spirit Lake, Rath-
drum and as far down as Plummer
had access to the Day of Hope.
Some of the school districts even
volunteered to bus people over.”
Rodney explained that this
event was just as important for the
donors and volunteers as it was for
those who received services.
“The Day of Hope mobilized a
community like nothing else I’ve
witnessed,” he said. “It all came
down to bringing us all together to
inspire compassion and service.”
L E A R N M O R E
about the Day of Hope
at
convoyofhope.org/
northidaho
.
COMING TOGETHER
KH . ORG
7
