8/24 UPDATE: Due to the rising rate of COVID-19 infections in our area, SPAN of North Idaho has wisely cancelled the in-person walk this year. Instead, they are planning a month-long virtual event. More information to come as soon as we get it. As Democrats who care about our community, we are still proud to be a sponsor of the virtual event.
Saturday, September 11th
Starting at 8:30 AM
Riverstone Park
Free
The Kootenai Democrats are once again sponsoring SPAN of North Idaho’s 5k “Break the Silence” walk. This annual event helps raise awareness about suicide in our county and ways to prevent it. The walk also serves to raise funds to help those who’ve been impacted by suicide. You may be surprised to know that Idaho’s suicide rate is among the highest in the country and Kootenai County shares in this grim statistic. The fact is you know someone touched by the tragedy of suicide. Yet, despite the somber theme, the walk and associated activities are very uplifting. In addition, the event offers access to representatives from various mental health care providers and other related resources.
In years past, the KC Dems have had many volunteers working at the event. We hope that this year is no exception. In fact, we want even more people to get involved. The volunteer support not only helps SPAN of North Idaho, but it also helps the Kootenai Democrats. In 2019 about nine hundred walkers participated. These participants also interacted with members of the KC Dems. Through our participation, the walk served as a visibility campaign for our group!
If you would like to volunteer for the SPAN walk, please contact Cathy Kraus. Cathy is the Community Outreach Chair for the KC Dems. She is also our volunteer coordinator. Volunteers must commit to a four-hour shift and have a blue KC Dem shirt to proudly wear at the volunteer stations. You can call Cathy Kraus at 208-818-3030 or email her at catk1994@gmail. She can answer any questions you may have about the event.
To sign up for the walk, go to the SPAN of North Idaho Facebook page. They should have a registration form that you can use. The walk is free but there will be long sleeve tee-shirts for sale. We will post updates about the event on our website and Facebook page once any further details are available.
If you can’t walk or volunteer, then donate to the KC Dem Central Committee and help offset our sponsorship fee. In years past, ALL the sponsorship funds came from generous KC Dem supporters. If you’d like to help in this way, please make out your check to KCDCC and send to KC Dems, PO Box 1297 CDA 83816. Please put “SPAN walk” in the notation line. Again, you can contact Cathy Kraus for any questions. Hope to see you there!!
