CREC connects community's vulnerable to needed services
For the past 13 years, the Community Resource EnVision Center, formally known as the Sandpoint Resource Center, has been connecting our most vulnerable populations to the people, places, and programs that help them overcome the obstacle(s) they are facing. We EnVision a stronger community together. And support that vision by empowering the community through connection, service, and support.
So what qualifies as a community? And how exactly are we providing connection, service and support? Let's break it down.
Community. We define community as every human being in Bonner and Boundary counties. From those in need to those meeting needs and everyone in between. In 2023, women constituted 67% of our clientele, seniors comprised 43%, and individuals with disabilities accounted for 23%. In addition to the clients who walked through our doors, we had 97 volunteers serve alongside us, grew our service provider information network to over 550 organizations, and met monthly with nonprofit leaders so that we can better understand the community we serve.
Connection. We practice connection in three ways. First, we connect clients to resources. Three rural resource specialists (in Priest River, Bonners Ferry, and Clark Fork) and our dedicated Sandpoint resource specialist, meet with those in need; actively listen to their stories, help make a tactical plan, gather resources, and then follow up. Second, we connect volunteers to the many opportunities around our community. Our newly hired nonprofit specialist is leading these efforts and relaunching a program called Volunteer Connect which was halted during the pandemic. Lastly, we connect nonprofit/service providers to each other and to the community. This is done organically on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and is the most fun part of our jobs!
Service. Outside of serving our clients and connecting volunteers to service opportunities, we are excited to share our most recent area of service, the Festival of Trees. Last year was our first year hosting the event after Kinderhaven passed the tradition to us. While the Festival of Trees may sound more like a fundraiser than a service opportunity, we beg to differ. The event allowed us to serve nearly 1,000 people at our free friends and family night, raise $17,870 for our nonprofit partners, and collect over 250 Christmas gifts for local foster family children.
This year, we are thrilled to announce that we will be extending Friends & Family night to an all-day free event from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Hive on Saturday, Nov. 30 with the hala to follow the following Saturday, Dec. 7. We are revamping the events structure to better fulfill our mission and represent our organization's desire to connect with the entire community. Stay tuned as details are released!
Support. The Community Resource EnVision Center actively looks for opportunities to maximize impact, optimize resources, and effectively collaborate with the community at large. Our newly appointed Executive Director, Katie Begalke, sees this particular area as the organization's future. She is asking her board, our nonprofit partners, and the community at large to imagine an interdisciplinary hub where nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and local businesses work side by side to create community-driven solutions and catalyze collective change. You’re invited to catch the vision at CRECidaho.com/dreambig.