Dare to Imagine Coalition looking for community input

The Dare to Imagine Coalition is gearing up for their annual volunteer appreciation dinner and is looking for the community’s help in picking the award recipients.

Last year’s event was well attended and saw winners from the eight different regions in Shoshone County, as well as the volunteer of the year award.

The coalition is looking for nominations of residents from these local communities: Kellogg, Wardner, Mullan, Wallace/Silverton, Osburn, Pinehurst, the North Fork area and the Cataldo/Rose Lake area.

Volunteers can be nominated by any member in the community. It is preferred they write a simple paragraph highlighting the volunteering the individual, or couple, has done in the area and then send the paragraph to either the mayor in each city or a representative for the area.

The North Fork area should send their recommendations to the Volunteer Fire Department in Pritchard and the Rose Lake/Cataldo Area recommendations should be sent to Tarita Harju, the president of the Canyon School parent organization. These individuals will choose from those nomination paragraphs to select one individual or couple.

"The volunteer Recognition Dinner is a great way to honor the hard work of the dedicated volunteers in our valley. It recognizes these volunteers' work and encourage others to join in,” Woody Woodford with the DTIC said.

From among these nominations, one individual or couple, will be selected for the Volunteer of the Year Award.

That award will be selected by a working group of the Dare to Imagine committee members and will receive special recognition at the dinner.

Beside recognizing individuals for their volunteerism, groups in the area are invited to highlight their local work at the dinner. The groups will have a table to display information and have their representatives provide information to people who may want to join them.

In 2014, the three Silver Valley school districts partnered with the Silver Valley Ministerial Association and the Dare to Imagine Coalition was created. DTIC brought the valley school districts, community members, organizations, businesses and churches together to provide a variety of supports to the children of our community.

One of DTIC’s roles is to identify volunteers, provide a summer enrichment camp for students and promote volunteerism.

Beside putting on an annual free youth summer camp, in October 2016 DTIC was also involved with the Silver Valley Day of Hope.

The volunteers will be honored at the Dare to Imagine Volunteer Dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at the Kellogg School District's Community Center Cafeteria (the former Kellogg Middle School).

Last year’s winners were as follows:

- Kellogg — Millie Savage

- Wardner — JoAnn Groves

- Mullan — Mike Summerkamp

- North Fork Area — Terran Tester

- Rose Lake/Cataldo area — Gail Chatfield

- Osburn — Julie Robbins

- Wallace/Silverton — Jennifer Carrico

- Pinehurst — Nancie Burkhart

- Volunteer of the Year — Verne and Judy Blalack