Copyright Coeur d'Alene Press
COEUR d'ALENE — Calls for support in North Idaho are often answered. When The Press ran a story Sept. 18 about Lake City Center's need to repair and refurbish its billiard tables, the community was quick to respond. "The very next day, people were donating," Lake City Center Executive Director Nancy Phillips said Tuesday. "Within 24 hours, we had enough money." The goal was to raise at least $3,200 to fix up four tables. Community members Suzanne Metzger and Sid Young immediately donated $3,200 and $1,000, respectively. "Thanks to their kindness, our billiards room, a space that helps reduce social isolation and brings people together, is back in action," Phillips wrote in an Oct. 5 Community Thanks letter in The Press. The center hosted an event Oct. 4, but it was more of a celebration to share the good news with the pool players rather than a fundraiser as previously planned. "We still did the spaghetti dinner, just to tell the guys that we’re going to continue to be sure they're taken care of," Phillips said. "It was nice, and my kids were the ones that served the dinner." The pool tables are scheduled to be refelted this weekend. Metzger, an accountant with Chatters, Metzger and Co., is a former board member for Lake City Center. She said she felt called to help with this need because a few of her clients are avid pool players in the senior community. "When they get together, they truly have a great time," she said. Metzger said she was delighted by what she saw when she went to deliver the $3,200 check. "I've never seen people happier," she said. "That center is such a great place to see people being active, being engaged, staying caught up in friendships. It really adds to the health and quality of life of seniors around here, and I don't know if people know what a gem it is." John Siebern, a longtime pool player and Lake City Center patron, said Phillips is doing an unbelievable job of keeping the center on track. He praised the volunteers and the kitchen crew, sharing a reminder that the nonprofit center has another cause that needs support: Meals on Wheels. "The center is for the entire community and provides services for the less fortunate and disabled by providing nutritious meals for those that need them," Siebern said. Lake City Center's Meals on Wheels provides about 5,000 meals a month for seniors in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Huetter, Hauser and Dalton Gardens. "That is a pretty impressive number, and I'm sure you can imagine how much work it takes," Siebern said. "The kitchen staff works extremely hard to make this program work. In addition to that, they provide healthy lunches three times a week at the center for many other people, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That adds another 2,000 meals a month. All of these meals are provided, asking only for donations." The government shutdown is among the factors contributing to financial uncertainties, Phillips said. "Grants and things are on hold," she said. "Our seniors are one of the largest populations in our area, and it's constantly growing," she said. "They’re financially in a bind, they’re getting their insurance and Medicare cut... A lot of them even lost their insurance. For a senior, that’s a big deal." With a goal of raising $25,000 to feed homebound seniors, Lake City Center will host Dancing through the Decades from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Guests are invited to bring their boogie shoes to twist, jive, hustle and moonwalk through the decades during a groovy night of music, from the 1950s through the '80s and beyond. Prizes will be awarded for best dressed and best moves. Refreshments will be served. Tickets are $50 for non-members and $40 for members. Proceeds will support Lake City Center's Meals on Wheels. "That’s how we make sure we continue to care for our seniors and remind them they're not forgotten; that we’re a community for them," Phillips said. Lake City Center is at 1916 N. Lakewood Drive.
