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Service
North Idaho stakes celebrate Pioneer Day with service project
By Gloria Warnick, Staff WriterShare:  
July 26, 2010 — In the April 2006 General Conference, David F. Evans quoted a piece of advice President Gordon B. Hinckley's father gave him while he was on his mission, "Forget yourself and go to work."
When President Hinckley took this advice, he wrote what he discovered:
"The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people."
This weekend, in celebration of Pioneer Day, between approximately 900 people from the Coeur d' Alene and Hayden, Idaho stakes joined together as the fog lifted over Lake Farragut. They cleared underbrush, leveled uneven soil and trimmed tree branches from the pine trees as they rediscovered the beauty of the lake and surrounding area.
Pioneer Day, a unique celebration to Latter-Day Saints held every July 24, honors the months-long expeditions endured by 80,000 pioneers who migrated to the Utah Mountains from 1847 to 1869. Today, a trans-Atlantic flight from France to Salt Lake City can complete this journey in eight hours.
More than 350 wagon trains and 10 handcart companies delivered early members of the Church to the Utah Territory during that 20-year period before the railroad was completed in 1869. Following several relocations in New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, thousands of Church members, under the direction of Brigham Young, settled more than 400 communities in the western territories. An online library of stories depicting life on the trail is available through the Church History Department.
Those historic pioneer journeys are celebrated throughout the Church each year with parades, picnics, dramatic and musical pageants or actual trekking re-creations, by young and old, newly baptized and long-term members who take the time to pause and acknowledge the pioneer heritage of the early Church.
Volunteers gathered at the shooting range for some words of welcome and instruction. Photo by Rhonda Paulson.
The Coeur d' Alene Stake and the Hayden Stake chose to honor the memory of our forefathers with a service project benefiting their beloved Farragut State Park.
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Service
Middle East deployment a reunion for Spokane brothers, friends
By Kara Houser, Staff WriterShare:
July 6, 2010 — Captain Merrill Alley said goodbye to his wife and children in November of 2009 to start his deployment training and then left the states on Christmas Day for Bagram, Afghanistan. Throughout the difficult process of saying goodbye to his family, one thought gave him comfort - his brother would be joining him soon.
Bagram Military Branch. Contributed Photo.
Major Mitch Alley found out shortly before his brother was deployed that he would be assigned to the same base. When he arrived, they immediately found each other and were even able to make arrangements to bunk together on the weekend so they could attend church together on Sunday mornings.
"We had to send a picture of us sleeping in bunk beds to my mom; it was just like when we were kids," said Merrill. "We thought it was pretty funny."
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Service
Foster parents provide supportive homes, foundation for life
By Sarah Moss, Staff WriterShare:
June 14, 2010 — In a 2006 survey, an estimated 510,000 children in the U.S. were placed into the foster care system. The number of children being removed from their homes is increasing every year while the number of licensed foster families needed to care for children is decreasing. Many feel as though this drop in potential foster families is due to financial strain and emotional fatigue. Unfortunately, the need for healthy, happy foster parents doesn't change.
With increasingly alarming circumstances surrounding the removal of children from their biological parent's homes, it is no surprise that foster parents can, at times, find themselves emotionally spent, physically strained, and generally burned out. So where do some families find the strength to continue this selfless work? Many men and women draw upon the strength and support they receive from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in this strength that many LDS foster families were given the promptings to start their foster journeys in the first place.
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Service
Kootenai fire chief dedicated to service, safety
By Gloria Warnick, Staff WriterShare:
April 12, 2010 — For Ronald Sampert, the art of providing service to his family, church and community is an ongoing theme.
Ronald Sampert, Fire Chief of Kootenai Country Fire and Rescue is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contributed Photo.
Concerned about the welfare of his community, Sampert has worked in fire protection for 35 years and currently serves as chief of the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue department. Starting as a firefighter, racing on fire engines to provide emergency help, Ron has worked his way through the ranks of the fire and rescue business. His work, these days, is mostly administrative.
"I get to oversee a budget of over $9 million, 60 full time personnel, 30 volunteers, seven stations and over 40 pieces of apparatus," Sampert said. "We responded to about 4,600 calls last year and covered 114 square miles, give or take a little bit."
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Service
Spokane doctor brings hope, healing to Haiti
By McKay Allen, Guest ContributorShare:
February 8, 2010 — Dr. Mathew Rawlins is a trauma surgeon at Sacred Heart Medical Center. He was already at work when his home phone rang.
It was just two days after the earthquake in Haiti.
His wife Kristin answered the phone call that day. The call was from Salt Lake City - it was the Humanitarian Department of the Church. They wanted to know if Dr. Rawlins would go to Haiti with a team of LDS doctors to help.
Kristin assured them that her husband would love to help.
Dr Mathew Rawlins in the courtyard outside of the hospital in Port Au Prince where many of the injured and homeless have set up temporary shelters. Contributed Photo.
Dr. Rawlins would be part of a team of 14 medical personnel, most of them from the Salt Lake area. The group included nurses, family doctors, trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and ER doctors. It would be the first time the Church had ever sent a medical team to a natural disaster area, the first time LDS doctors at the behest of the Church would be on the ground.
After several travel delays, the group finally met up in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The team from Salt Lake brought duffel bags full of medical supplies to be used in Haiti, and off they went.
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Service
Moving mountains through mentoring - BBBS CEO reflects on value of stewardship
By Craig Howard, News EditorShare:
January 25, 2010 — Darin Christensen will tell you he wasn't the most imposing player on the Wenatchee Valley College football team when he suited up as an offensive lineman around 20 years ago.
A three-sport star in high school, Christensen earned a place on the junior college squad with a steady work ethic that earned him the respect of teammates and coaches. While headlines and post-game interviews were scarce, for Christensen, the experience was less about notoriety than the chance to tackle a challenge.
"I believe in doing your very best, it doesn't matter what you're involved in, or if you win or lose," he said. "For me, that's part of the process of goal-setting."
Gene Baker was the line coach at WVC - a quiet leader who Christensen describes as someone "who was always positive." Whether a player had NFL ability or not, Baker provided the kind of support and encouragement that built champions.
"He had high expectations," Christensen said. "He always brought out the best in people."
Pictured here, Darin Christensen. Contributed Photo.
These days, Christensen is still part of a team effort that emphasizes goal-setting, positive reinforcement and a winning attitude - even though the setting has moved from the football field to everyday life.
In 2006, Christensen was named chief executive officer of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest, a nonprofit agency that helps kids achieve stability and success through constructive mentoring. The Spokane-based office is one of dozens of BBBS branches throughout the U.S.
Christensen said he realized quickly how the organization is having a real impact for hundreds of underprivileged children in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
"It's about helping them see their potential," he said. "And giving them the opportunities to reach it."
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Service
Donation of 'hair care' makes difference for cancer patients
By McKay Allen, Guest ContributorShare:
November 2, 2009 — Many women cut their hair and don't really think twice.
It's just another trip to the salon, more dollars down the drain, some more color, some curls and a new "do."
But that's not how Jenna Coffey, in the Painted Hills Ward, Spokane East Stake treats her hair.
Jenna, for the last half-a-dozen years, has donated her lovely auburn locks to make wigs for cancer patients.
She first donated her hair in March of 2003. There wasn't any specific reason for her first hair donation, she says she just realized that people needed it.
"I thought, 'As long as my hair is long, growing fast, and people need it, why not donate it?'" she said.
When she cut her hair for donation that first time it was down under her arms. She donated about 10 inches of hair. She cut it near chin length. Donating her hair made her feel good. So, two years later she did it again.
Jenna Coffey, pictured here last month with one of her sons, is preparing for another hair donation to Wigs for kids.
"My hair grows pretty fast," she says.
She donated again in 2007. Now it's time for another clipping.
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Service
The trek back to Nauvoo - Spokane Valley couple finds joy in missionary service
By Craig Howard, News EditorShare:
October 5, 2009 — "You are called to represent the Savior. Your calling is to bless lives."
President Henry B. Eyring
When Nathan and JoAnn Howard moved from Spokane Valley to Nauvoo, Ill. in April to begin serving a six-month mission for the LDS Church, they soon realized their new home was located in a distinctive neighborhood.
Nathan and JoAnn Howard of the Evergreen Ward in the Spokane East Stake reported to the Nauvoo, Illinois Temple Mission in April. Photo by Craig Howard.
Just down the street from the Howard's red-brick four-plex stands a home that once belonged to Brigham Young. Houses occupied over 150 years ago by early church leaders like Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball and John Taylor are also included within walking distance.
Along with the impressive list of historic residences, the town features an array of traditional businesses and cultural sites that provide visitors with an opportunity to experience what the town was like after LDS settlers, led by Prophet Joseph Smith, established Nauvoo - a Hebrew word meaning "beautiful city," in 1839. There is the Scovil Bakery where gingerbread cookies are still served warm from the oven; the Webb Brothers Blacksmith Shop where horseshoes are churned out daily and the old print shop that, years ago, published reliable periodicals like the "Nauvoo Neighbor" and "Times and Seasons." Site missionaries dress in authentic clothing from the era and work as tour guides at the various venues.
The Howards live a short walk from many of Nauvoo's historical sites, including the home of onetime President of the Church John Taylor. Photo by Craig Howard.
There are around 1,100 residents of modern-day Nauvoo, tucked in the southern corner of Illinois not far from the border of Iowa. In the summer, cardinals and blue jays dart among the cornfields. By autumn, flocks of geese are soaring above the marshland that comprises the fringe of the Mississippi River.
"It's basically a one-street town with no traffic lights," Nathan said. "If we had a crop, we'd be thankful for it."
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Service
Charity never faileth - Volunteers bring hope to halfway house
By Craig Howard, News EditorShare:
July 13, 2009 — It was a simple line in a patriarchal blessing that described how Trudy Reese would be "a light to those who walk in a dark mist."
At the time, the new convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wasn't sure what the phrase meant.
Years later, Reese has a better idea. Each week, she is part of a contingent of LDS volunteers who provide hope and illumination for inmates at the Eleanor Chase work release site in downtown Spokane, a Washington State Department of Corrections facility that serves as a halfway house for prisoners in transition. Those who live here are finding their way back to productive and enriching lives. Reese helps them forge a path.
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Service
Hayden Lake Stake contributes to community with Helping Hands
By Gloria Warnick, Staff WriterShare:
July 6, 2009 — Hammers pounded, saws buzzed and paint sprayed as more than 150 volunteers participated in the Hayden Lake Stake Helping Hands service project on June 27, comprising three separate improvement efforts throughout the Coeur d'Alene community.
One of the projects, at the Children's Village, a mission serving abused, neglected and troubled children and their families, included backhoes, Bobcats and dumptrucks moving grass and dirt to create a 10-foot wide by 1000-foot long bike path. A total of 80 volunteers smoothed and raked the path for 300 tons of gravel. The new trail marks the first one-third of a bike path that will run around Children's Village.
Steve Gatten, organizer of the projects under the direction of the Hayden Lake Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, noted that several local businesses donated equipment and material. The Children's Village project completed on Saturday also included leveling and grading an undeveloped portion of a 15-acre lot for the planting of grass and the addition of a future house.
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Service
Ross family goes the extra mile to help Meals on Wheels
By Craig Howard, News EditorShare:
June 15, 2009 — Along with subjects like reading, writing and math, Sandy Ross felt it would be important to teach her children the value of service.
So, one day in April of 2001, Ross and her three homeschooled kids - David, Jacob and Joshua - hopped in the family car and paid a visit to the office of Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels near the intersection of Pines and Mission in Spokane Valley. This lunch hour would be spent delivering food to the elderly and disabled, most of whom were confined to their homes or apartments.
Sandy Ross (back row, second from left) and her children (from left to right: Rebecca, Joshua and Jacob) volunteer with Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels, delivering food to homebound seniors and disabled residents. The Ross family has been donating of their time since 2001. Photo by Craig Howard.
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Service
Hayden Lake service project set for June 27
By Gloria Warnick, Staff WriterShare:
June 15, 2009 — The Hayden Lake Idaho Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is planning a "Helping Hands Stake Service Project" on Saturday, June 27, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Fresh Start, a Coeur d'Alene homeless shelter, will be painted and cleaned as part of a community service project sponsored by the Hayden Lake Idaho Stake on June 27. The effort will also include the installation of a bike/walkway at Children's Village and the painting of a duplex at Trinity Group Homes.
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Service
Elk, WA group brightens day with service project
By Dennis West, PublisherShare:
June 1, 2009 — The weather was beautiful on the morning of Saturday, May 30.
With the temperature in the high 70's and hardly a cloud in the sky, the conditions were perfect for a young person to enjoy a refreshing day at the lake, swimming in a pool or participating in a variety of outdoor activities.
That is, unless you're one of Sister Dru Coleman's Beehive girls from the Riverside Ward in the Colville Stake.
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