Kiwanis Club named chamber's business of the month

SANDPOINT — The local Kiwanis Club has been selected as the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s business of the month for April.

With a motto of “serving the children of the world” and considering the club’s dedication to the community’s youth, chamber officials said it was an easy decision to select the Kiwanis Club for the honor.

“Kiwanis Club in Sandpoint has been serving youth of our community since their beginning,” said the chamber’s Mack Deibel.

Things the Kiwanis Club sponsors or supports — either currently or in the past — include the Key Club at the high school, scholarships, Boy Scouts, Camp Stidwell Bonner County Fair, Kinderhaven and the backpack program in the schools.

When Boy Scout Troop No. 111 was in need of a sponsor, Kiwanis stepped up to the plate and to this day sponsors that same troop, said Kiwanis Club member Dick Vail. Kiwanis owns Camp Stidwell — 2,000 acres of land around the lower end of Mirror Lake. Last year, more than 1,600 young people took advantages of the facilities at Camp Stidwell, Vail said.

In order to serve local youth and keep the programs running, Vail said the club holds several fundraising activities that include selling cotton candy at major events, selling raffle tickets for a pig, selected at the Bonner County Fair, and tickets for other worthwhile causes.

“When you see someone from Kiwanis selling cotton candy, a raffle ticket for a pig, or an award card to be cashed in at a store of your choice, they hope you look at it as an investment in the youth and young people of Bonner County,” Deibel said.

“It takes a number of various working organizations to make up a whole vital body,” said Vail. “Kiwanis is pleased and proud to be part of the body that makes up a great place to live, work, and raise children.”

Information: 255-6645