Before moving to Coeur d’Alene last year with husband Tim Heggem, Whitney Holley called Las Vegas home.
“We didn’t have neighbors,” she said.
But they have found plenty of new ones since settling at Riverstone Village.
“I love the village, I love Coeur d’Alene,” Heggem said.
And they found potentially many more friends at a "Project Neighborly" workshop Wednesday evening at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce, as reported by our news partner the Coeur d'Alene Press.
“Being in the atmosphere of creation, that’s why we’re here," Holley said.
About 35 people came together for nearly two hours to share thoughts, ideas and hopes about making their community even better, more welcoming, more open. And they could receive grant funds to make those things happen.
CDA 2030, The Idaho Community Foundation and other community partners are launching an effort “to foster civility and neighborliness in local communities throughout North Idaho.”
It seemed to be working Wednesday. Attendees often smiled, laughed and praised each other’s pitches. It was a light, festive atmosphere of positive vibes, almost like old friends — and no one brought up politics.
“It’s really nice to be in a group like this, where everyone is really supportive of each other’s ideas,” said Shawny Le, a local business owner and volunteer with CDA 2030.
Steve Burns, president and CEO of ICF, agreed.
“How cool is this?” he said
Burns said they want to build thriving communities throughout Idaho.
“There’s no rocket science to this. There’s no magical formula,” Burns said. “It’s just about this. It’s about shaking hands, introduce yourself. Put this away,” he said, as he placed his phone in his pocket, “and just have a conversation."
Project Neighborly and ICF will ignite efforts by awarding grants up to $5,000 “to support inspiring, actionable, relevant projects and activities that develop a sense of community and promote neighborliness” in Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties.
ICF has $45,000 for this round of grants. Deadline to apply is April 8.
A pilot project in Ada and Canyon counties last year attracted more than 50 grant applications, and several were funded.
“The whole purpose of this is to inspire kindness and neighborliness,” said Cara Nielsen, ICF vice president, philanthropy and impact, who led the high-energy workshop.
Art Elliot of Hayden said it won’t be easy.
“We have some major challenges in our area that go against neighborliness,” he said.
But he liked what he heard.
“I really applaud this effort. It’s a heavy, heavy challenge to do it,” he said. “The fact that you got this much interest is fantastic.”
Heggem said they were thinking about a supper club of sorts, where people of all walks of life could gather to cook, serve, eat and talk — in other words, get to know each other.
“It was Hippocrates who said, ‘Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food,’” Heggem said.
Others spoke of shared community gardens and integrating artwork by kids to beautify walkways.
Sarah Mann said she moved here 20 years ago from San Diego with her mom. Many told them of local churches and restaurants to try.
“We just felt really supported,” she said.
Mann suggested that instead of welcome baskets, they could throw parties with food and music to greet and educate new arrivals, “in a friendly, loving way.”
It would be a time they could hear about volunteer opportunities with nonprofits to establish roots.
“It would be just kind of this spiderweb of support,” Mann said.
Dave Phifer attended with wife Lyndi. He said he came here as a kid in the 1970s, has owned property here since the 1990s and still has people tell him, “You’re not from here.”
He would like to see a project that would promote “being of here.”
“I don’t care if you moved here yesterday,” he said. “If you’re of here, you’re my neighbor.”
City Attorney Mike Gridley said one of the things that makes Coeur d’Alene special is that “there are folks like all of you that care about it.”
They may have different interests and beliefs, he said, “but there is this overlapping common ground that we all have.”
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.