New year notes big changes for SCRC

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series detailing the new leadership and changes at the Sandpoint Community Resource Center, as well as its three programs — Volunteer Idaho Panhandle, Service Provider Information Network, and the resource center itself.

By MARY MALONE

Staff writer

SANDPOINT — In just under a year, the Sandpoint Community Resource Center will celebrate it’s tenth anniversary.

In the meantime, however, SCRC is seeing growth and change with two new paid employees, new board leadership and a strategic plan.

“I think we are attracting some amazing talent,” said Linnis Jellinek, who was hired in January as the organization’s first executive director.

Jellinek moved to Sandpoint recently from the Lake Tahoe area, and was named executive director of the center in January. Jellinek is an entrepreneur with a background in finance with Charles Schwab & Co., and later as the CFO for an outpatient surgery center. She has a “strong” background in nonprofits and community service, she said, which includes serving as president of the Tahoe chapter of Soroptimist International, a global volunteer organization that works to improve lives of women and girls through programs that lead to social and economic empowerment.

In addition to the paid executive director position, Gwen Victorson was hired as a part-time productivity coordinator.

Victorson, a Sandpoint resident since 2006, is a co-founder of her own family nonprofit, True North Treks, where she serves as the program director. Victorson is also a former member of Americorps Corporation for National and Community Service, a Sandpoint Parks and Recreation commissioner since 2010, and a newly appointed member of the Litehouse YMCA advisory board.

The other “big” change in the organization, Jellinek said, is that Rich Crettol, SCRC co-founder, has stepped down as president of the board after a six-year run, though he is still on as an executive member. Local attorney Denise Stewart took over as board president in January.

“We are very fortunate to have Denise,” Jellinek said. “These are big changes — to go from all volunteers to two pretty serious paid positions and a new president of the board.”

Two new board members will be joining the team soon as well, which will bring the number of board members to seven, she said, with plans to grow to nine in the future.

Jellinek said the new positions will help the organization carry out the “solid” strategic plan for 2019-2020 to help more people throughout its service area of Bonner and Boundary counties. The only measurement of growth for SCRC, she said, is “are we helping more people?” In the last five years, Jellinek said SCRC has helped 1,400 families. SCRC is a nonprofit with the goal of helping people locate resources for various needs within the community. While the organization doesn’t directly provide funds or other resources, SCRC uses its network of service providers to get people the help they need. Resources include anything from financial assistance and employment, to veteran assistance and suicide prevention, among others.

A “self help” button was added to the organization’s website as well, where those in need of resources can browse the list of service providers in each category. Jellinek said last year, more than 400 people took advantage of the “self help” button.

“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is a lot,” Jellinek said, adding that for every one person the organization can help, it makes a difference. “... What I want to be known for is not just bridging the gap of people in need with people who serve those needs, I want to be known as all that with just one call — that with just one call we can set a chain of events in place and help them fix it.”

As an example of what the organization does and initiating a chain of events, SCRC recently reached out to let people affected by Monday’s fire know they could find assistance through the resource center. As the fire destroyed five downtown businesses, a number of people were left without jobs. Jellinek said a representative of a large foundation saw the article and mention of SCRC in the Daily Bee and offered to help financially. While SCRC does not distribute money directly, they are now working with another local organization to receive the money, and SCRC will remain as the connector for those in need financial assistance.

“That’s how this community rolls ... stronger together,” Jellinek said.

SCRC also oversees the Volunteer Idaho Panhandle program, which provides a central place where volunteers can go to get connected with volunteer opportunities. The other program through SCRC is the Service Provider Information Network, which brings together the community’s service providers together quarterly to discuss different topics, such as housing, healthcare and more.

For information or resources, visit sandpointcommunityresource.com, call 208-920-1840, or visit the resource center at 231 N. Third Ave, Ste. 101, Sandpoint. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.