Sandpoint community has tremendous heart
It's easy to get excited about the Hebert family's good fortune and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" reality TV show. After a few short hours at the volunteer tent at the old LP site on Monday, I was both touched and overwhelmed by the amount of local people wanting to volunteer their time to help the Heberts' dreams come true.
Most of us have known for a quite some time that Sandpoint is one of the best places to live in the whole United States. The lake is beautiful, our mountains are stunning, and the seasons here are lovely. But it's not any of these things that make it great. It's our community spirit.
People look you in the eye and smile a hello when you walk down the street. We take the time to chat at the farmers' market and attend our traditional holiday parades. The whole town shows up en masse to Bulldog football games, no matter the weather. Our small-town spirit shows in everything that we do. Following are a few stories that I've heard recently that help our town stand out from the rest.
A few weeks ago, at Bonner General Hospital, a man overheard one of our employees say that she would love to purchase some Hospice roses for herself, but couldn't afford them on her single person's salary. As soon as she had gone back to her duties, the man handed over the $20 for the flowers and said, "Please make sure that girl gets her roses!" The girl got her roses last Friday and happy tears spilled down the faces of all who were present. We never got the man's name, but whoever you are, thank you for making someone's day!
I have a friend who, whenever she spots a stray dog, can't help but stop, check for a tag, and either return the dog to its owner or make sure it's delivered safely to the humane society. An animal lover through and through, she just can't bear the thought of a dog getting hit by a car or being alone and hungry, lost in the woods.
As you know, Sandpoint has quite a few elderly residents. Not so long ago, a grandmother was out walking and lost her way. She knew that she lived on Pine Street, but had no idea how to get there from where she was. She wandered a little bit, and then stopped a lady to ask for directions. Well, it was determined that she had wandered quite a ways from home, so the stranger simply bundled the grandmother into her minivan and delivered her safely to her front door.
When someone gets ill in Sandpoint, they are never alone. Families rally round each other in support through difficult times. To ease the pain, we bake for each other, make casseroles and pots of soup, and make sure things are taken care of to help the sick person get well. Or, if a loss occurs, we help the family through as best we can and let them know that we care.
Some of you may know that Habitat for Humanity works hard to provide homes for area residents. We may not all be able to help the Hebert family, but there are plenty of families in and around Sandpoint that still need our help. When the dust has settled here in our little town, we'll let you know how to get involved.
We are and hopefully always will be a very caring community. If we grow in area and population — and even if we get on TV — it still doesn't change who we are at the core — a town full of people who want the best for each other and take care of our own.
Bonner General Hospital would like to thank all of the people who have helped the Hebert family and who have helped a community to realize its strength.