Inlander 08/24/2023

FIRE ALL AROUND

The destructive weekend and how you can help

AUGUST 24-30, 2023 | FAMILY OWNED AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED FOR 30 YEARS

Elevations aims to help children with special needs

CELEBRATING THOSE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE INLAND NORTHWEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

If this weekend’s fires proved anything, it’s that tragedy can come quickly and unexpectedly.

For our readers and neighbors who lost homes, belongings, loved ones or pets, our hearts go out to you. But keep in mind that we live in a region that has a long record of lending a helping hand and not just when it’s needed most, like this harrowing week.

Our roundup of ways you can help those who’ve been hurt by the fires on page 15 shows we’re ready to help right now. And by we, I mean everyone from our readers to restaurant owners to big, local institutions. In one extraordinary example, Rick Clark’s Giving Back Spokane raised more than $400,000 for the local Wildfire Emergency Response Fund.

But here in the Inland Northwest, as our annual philanthropy issue GIVE GUIDE attests, we’re ready to give not just when the unexpected inverts our world, but throughout the year. The work done by the many nonprofits we feature — notably Mujeres in Action, Elevations, Crosswalk and Save Our Wild Salmon — helps those who need it most, and not just when their plight is in the headlines. Their stories, and more, begin on page 23.

So please consider opening up your hearts and wallets, and do your part to make a difference.

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

A NEW WAY TO ROCK

COMMENT

STAFF DIRECTORY

PHONE: 509-325-0634

Ted S. McGregor Jr. (tedm@inlander.com)

PUBLISHER

Jer McGregor (x224)

GENERAL MANAGER

EDITORIAL

Nicholas Deshais (x239) EDITOR

Chey Scott (x225)

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Derek Harrison (x248)

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Seth Sommerfeld (x250)

MUSIC & SCREEN EDITOR

Samantha Wohlfeil (x234)

BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

Madison Pearson (x218)

LISTINGS EDITOR

Eliza Billingham (x222) Colton Rasanen (x263)

Nate Sanford (x282), Summer Sandstrom (x232)

STAFF WRITERS

Chris Frisella

COPY CHIEF

Young Kwak, Erick Doxey

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sylvia Davidow, Ben Vandehey INTERNS

Josh Bell, Lawrence B.A. Hatter, Will Maupin CONTRIBUTORS

ADVERTISING

Skip Mitchell (x247)

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Carolyn Padgham (x214), Kristi Gotzian (x215),

Autumn Potts (x251), Claire Price (x217)

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Tracy Menasco (x260), Stephanie Grinols (x216), Meghan Fitzgerald (x241)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Tamara McGregor (x233)

ADVERTISING OPERATIONS MANAGER

Kristina Smith (x223)

EVENT & SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER

PRODUCTION

Ali Blackwood (x228)

PRODUCTION TEAM MANAGER,

CREATIVE, DIGITAL & MARKETING

Tom Stover (x265)

PRINT PRODUCTION & IT MANAGER

Derrick King (x238)

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Leslie Douglas (x231)

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Colleen Bell-Craig (x212), Raja Bejjani (x242)

ADVERTISING ASSISTANTS

OPERATIONS

Dee Ann Cook (x211)

BUSINESS MANAGER

Kristin Wagner (x210)

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

CIRCULATION

Frank DeCaro (x226)

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Travis Beck (x237)

CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DEALING WITH THE SMOKE?

RICHARD HUBER

We flew in yesterday. We couldn’t see anything.

Where are you visiting from? Germany.

Do you get wildfires there?

Oh yes, last year we had a lot of them. We never saw an amount of smoke like this. It’s a little strange.

ALEX LOVE

Staying inside, using a HEPA filter.

Can you remember the last time it was this bad in Spokane?

Like three years ago, ’20 or ’21. It was like 400.

I saw it was above 500 yesterday. Pretty off the scale.

MICAH GOODMAN

I’ve been staying inside except for when we do our walk. The headaches, wet eyes, even up to this morning, it’s been constant.

Just stepping outside to walk the dog? That’s basically it. Yesterday I made the mistake of thinking if I get out earlier it’ll be better. But the smoke settles over the night… I felt like I was breathing in wet ash, really.

BOB ELLIOTT

We brought masks. It’s normally a three-hour drive from Cle Elum, it took us six and a half yesterday. There were 8- or 10-mile backups.

Do you have much experience with outdoor exercising in Cle Elum when it’s smoky?

I think we’re conscious of it. We haven’t masked yet because the smoke wasn’t as hazardous and intense as it was here.

ANNIKA SCHILKE

Well, we were supposed to be camping, so we checked into a hotel instead.

Are you from around here? I’m visiting from Iowa.

Is there smoke in Iowa? Not like this. But we’ve gotten the incursion from the Canadian wildfires.

INTERVIEWS BY NATE SANFORD 8/21/2023, RIVERFRONT PARK (AQI: 177, UNHEALTHY)

FromSea to Land

History tells us that maritime skirmishes, like the fight over Ukrainian wheat, can escalate

BY LAWRENCE B.A. HATTER

The Russian invasion of Ukraine drew nearer to NATO territory last week when Russian naval forces fired warning shots and boarded a commercial vessel in international waters off the northwest coast of Turkey. Russia recently pulled out of a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey in 2022 to allow Ukraine to export its grain harvest. Ukraine is a major supplier of the world’s grain, and the end of the deal with Russia threatens a humanitarian crisis in food insecure regions in the Middle East and Africa. Russia followed its withdrawal from the agreement by hammering port and grain storage facilities in Ukraine.

Russian authorities claim that the Palauregistered cargo ship Sukru Okan was bound for

Ukraine and failed to stop for inspection. Russian sailors opened up with small arms fire to warn the Turkish-owned ship before boarding the vessel from a helicopter. The ship was actually bound for the Romanian port of Sulina, which has become a critical backchannel for exporting Ukrainian grain since the end of the deal with Russia. Romania and Turkey are both members of NATO, whose members are bound to defend one another’s territory from attack.

latest example of reflexive Russian bel-

This

Russian troops have started boarding cargo ships bound for NATO countries.

ligerence threatens the misery and starvation of countless people and the apocalyptic escalation of the war. In keeping with Putin’s glittering record of strategic failure in his war, the Russian blockade of Ukraine will ultimately prove self-defeating.

The early history of the United States helps us to see how maritime blockades can quickly escalate into armed conflict. During the Revolutionary War, the British Empire hoped to starve the Continental Army of supplies by using the mighty Royal Navy to interdict America’s overseas trade. This meant not just searching and seizing cargoes from American ships, but also boarding neutral ships from any country trading with the United States. This strategy ended up causing headaches for the British government, as a long list of European nations, from Russia and Norway in the north to Austria and Portugal in the south, formed the League of Armed Neutrality to resist the Royal Navy’s heavy-handed intervention in maritime trade.

The British Empire did not learn its lesson. When the French Revolution plunged Europe and its colonies into a quarter-century of war, Britain and France became locked in a death struggle that forced the nations of the Atlantic world to pick sides. The United States refused. President George Washington issued a neutrality proclamation in 1793. American merchants exploited their neutral status to pick up trade from their European competitors. But it also meant that U.S. cargo ships fell prey to both the French and British navies, who were determined to starve one another into submission.

After Great Britain’s victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Royal Navy became the lead aggressor. British sailors boarded American vessels to search for contraband cargoes bound to or from France and its colonies. They also sought deserters from the Royal Navy among the American crews; many genuine deserters obtained bogus U.S. passports and worked in the American merchant marine. British violations of American neutrality led to public outcry, which President Thomas Jefferson looked to manage, before his successor, James Madison, was left with little option but to ask Congress to declare war on Great Britain in June 1812.

The British Empire never intended to go to war with the United States. London’s eyes were fixed firmly on the war against Napoleon in Europe. The last thing the British government wanted was the costly distraction of fighting in North America. Yet, this is exactly what they got. While the main effort of the British Army remained in fighting the French in Spain, the American theater wasted manpower and resources that would have been better spent on defeating Napoleon.

No one who values the rule of law wants to see Russia win this horrific war of aggression in Ukraine. Russia’s strategic errors are usually something we can celebrate. But in the case of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, Putin’s foolhardy decision to exit the grain deal with Ukraine is a blunder with potentially catastrophic consequences. The grain blockade cannot succeed in breaking the Ukrainian economy, given the weakness of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. But Russian interference with neutral shipping might end up dragging Russia into a broader conflict with NATO that threatens the possibility of nuclear war. n

Lawrence B.A. Hatter is an award-winning author and associate professor of early American history at Washington State University. These views are his own and do not reflect those of WSU.

This latest example of reflexive Russian belligerence threatens the misery and starvation of countless people and the apocalyptic escalation of the war.

IN FLAMES

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL AND NATE SANFORD

After days of record heat that soared into the triple digits — 14 degrees higher than normal — high winds kicked up last week, and Spokane County became a tinderbox. In 48 hours, the county saw more than 20,000 acres go up in flames, with at least 265 structures destroyed, two people killed and hundreds of Inland Northwest residents left wondering what to do next.

The first signs of trouble came at 12:27 pm on Friday, Aug. 18, as a fire was reported in a field off Gray Road southwest of Medical Lake. In just 30 minutes the fire grew to around 300 acres, with the wind pushing the blaze to the northeast.

Within an hour, a “Go Now” evacuation order was issued for the area just south of Medical Lake, while captive residents at Eastern State Hospital, Martin Hall Juvenile Detention Center and Pine Lodge Correction Center were told to shelter in place. Evacuation orders were given to Silver Lake (located just southeast of Medical Lake), and, a bit farther east, those in the Four Lakes area were told to get ready to leave their homes. By 2:20 pm all of Medical Lake was told to evacuate immediately. State resources started arriving to help battle the flames, and then more bad news arrived by 4:30 pm, when a two-acre timber fire was reported near Elk, off Oregon Road 30 miles north of Spokane. Within 15 minutes, evacuations were issued north to the county line as the fire quickly swelled. By 6:45 pm it was estimated to be larger than 1,500 acres and growing.

By Saturday, the Gray Fire and the Oregon Fire were estimated around 9,000 acres each, and thousands of evacuees who had fled their homes waited to learn if they’d be able to return.

On Sunday, yet another fire started near Thorpe Road — an area within Spokane city limits. Luckily, crews got that 15-acre blaze under control quickly, avoiding a third disaster that could’ve led to mass evacuations in the city of Spokane.

By Monday, much of Medical Lake remained without power, and residents were still waiting to learn when they could return to check on their homes, if they had homes to return to.

...continued on page 14

Destructive and powerful fires swept through Spokane County last weekend, destroying dozens of homes, killing two people, and choking the region with the worst air quality in the world

A view of the Gray Fire from Spokane’s High Drive on Friday, Aug. 18.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

IN THE PARK 42

Azar’s Café, Azar’s Deep Fried Haven, Azar’s Elotes, Azar’s Fresh Press, Azar’s Thai, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Baja Babes, Best Buzz Coffee, Berry-Ka-Bob, Bibby’s Italian Sausage, Boba King, Charlie’s Cheese Cake, Deano’s Grill, Deano’s Grill & Catering, Dippin Dots, Flaco’s Tacos, Gourmet Soul, Elle’s Huckleberry, Greek Flame, Have Beans Will Travel, Hot Dog del Sur, Island Noodle, JB’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Langostino ‘s, Lemonade Guy, Longhorn Barbeque, Lonny Bill’s Hawaiian Ice, Lylo’s Asian Cafe, Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle Desserts, Mongolian Grill, NW Noodles, Old Fashion Kettle Corn, Oyster Bay, Philly Bros! Fry Guys!, Philly Express/Cheese Curds, Piggly’s BBQ, Pizza Rita, Porteus BBQ, Raspados Ceviche, Raspados del Sur, Roamin Pizza Chariot, Shishkaberry’s, Southern Roasted Corn and Potatoes, Stizzy’s Roasted Corn, Stizzy’s- Sweet Tea, Sweet Snack Attack, Sweet Wheels, Taco Camargo, Taco Camargo Mobile, Taqveria del Sur, Terry’s Breakfast, The Bearded Ginger/The Black Diamond, The Churro Hut, The Doner Haus, Three Twenty Below, Westmoreland Concessions

Cary Fly, Bobby Paterson, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, Justyn Priest, Meghan Sullivan Band, Samantha Fish Featuring Jesse Dayton, Nixon Rodeo, Young Neves, COASTER, Cordell Drake & Alley Cocaine, Digital Underground, Fine Line, Civilized Animal, Monika Kozmik, BC/DC, Allison Joy Williams, Karma’s Circle, Funky Unkle, Snacks at Midnight, NOT. GREENDAY, Pat Coleman Underground, Atomic Jive, Pipers Rush, Tamarack Ridge Band, Soul Proprietor, Zoramena, Pamela Jean and the Boys, Redneck Bees, Eternal Jones, Nu Jack City, Bourbon and Burrows, Victims of Love, Tuck Foster & Tumbling Dice, Los Vigiles, Gospel Mission Blues Band, The Shift, Grand Avenue Band, Rusty Jackson’s Highwaymen Tribute, Santa Poco, Sundown Sinners, Trailer Park Girls, Agents of Rock, Austin Carruthers, Loudmouth, Kosta La Vista, “Lonesome” Lyle Morse, Thirsty Boots, Shawnna Nicholson, Just Plain Darin, Jonathan Gallegos, Tim Snodgrass, Ed Shaw, Gil Rivas, Nate Ostrander, Jovie and the HoneyChuckle, Jake Rozier, Brian Hoffpauer, Steven King, Austin Carruthers, Deb the Wolf, Pamela Jean Solo, Anthony Ray, Retro Roger, Starlite Motel, Steve Schennum, Howie King, Jeremiah Banks, Randy Campbell, Rick Lillimon, Joel Haugen, Nick Seider, Mica Clay Luebben, Ben Vogel, Jessica Haffner, Justin Harris, Randy Campbell Trio, Mel Dalton, Kari Marguarite, David Larsen, Redhawk and the Lamentations, Jason Evans, It&i, Jim Elvidge, Meghan Sullivan, My Own Worst Enemy, Heather King Duo, Redline Syndicate, Gil Rivas/Rhythmic Collective, Hasenpfeffer, In Flux, Rosie Cerquone, Rusty Jackson, Sweet Rebel D, James Motley, Doghouse Boyz, Gabriela, AA Bottom, Barking Katz, Blue Canoe, The Colourflies, Tufnel, Jacob Roundtree Duo, Kenny James Miller Band.

2007 - 2008

Innovation was the name of the game in 2007 and 2008. Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone, NASA’s New Horizons space probe launched to gather information about the newly demoted dwarf planet Pluto, and Barack Obama became the first African-American president-elect. Meanwhile, at the Inlander, the Jan. 11, 2007, issue marked the first full-color issue of the paper. Readers were — finally! — able to see beautiful, full-color images of then-staff writer Luke Baumgarten in full Jazzercise workout gear as he embarked on a fitness journey, and Inlander general manager Jer McGregor in basketball regalia as he and other Inlander staffers competed against other Spokane media outlets in the 18th annual Hoopfest.

IN THE NEWS

On Aug. 28, 2008, then-intern Daniel Walters published a story titled “Highway to Hillyard” discussing, you guessed it, the NORTH-SOUTH FREEWAY

Yes, the topic is still relevant 15 years later because the freeway is still not completed despite being proposed in the mid-1940s. Hillyard community activist Paul Hamilton stated that the freeway would bring more consumers and tourists to the area, while William Grimes, the founder of planning firm Studio Cascade, said that the freeway would direct traffic off of Market Street and away from Hillyard. Who was right? We’ll follow up when the freeway is done — sometime in the 2030s. We think.

CULTURE BEAT

If there’s one thing Spokanites are proud of, it’s the fact that our beautiful city has been the backdrop for quite a few Hollywood films. 1985’s Vision Quest features some stellar shots of downtown in the ’80s. In 1993, Benny & Joon was shot in Peaceful Valley and introduced the world to pre-Captain Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp. But in 2007 it was all about Home of the Brave, a war film featuring Samuel L. Jackson that was filmed almost entirely on location in Spokane by NORTH BY NORTHWEST PRODUCTIONS. “The thing about Spokane is that we offer a lot of architectural diversity,” said NXNW president Rich Cowan. “That’s what makes it such an attractive place to shoot a film.”

ON THE COVER

The world is so cyclical. Especially the world of local politics. On Oct. 18, 2007, staff writer Kevin Taylor reported on the Spokane mayoral race between Dennis Hession and Mary Verner — “TALE OF TWO CITIES” — and how this particular race was the most expensive Spokane had ever seen, with incumbent Hession raising $278,497 and challenger (who won the race) Verner $117,605 throughout their campaigns. Our recent coverage of the 2023 mayoral race by staff writer Nate Sanford details how Mayor Nadine Woodward set a new record by raising $417,441 in total by mid-July, weeks before the August primary.

LOCAL FOLKS

I’d be remiss not to mention that the first ever Terrain happened in 2008. The one-night art extravaganza celebrates its 14th go-around this upcoming October (with some notably missing years — thanks a lot COVID!). There, from the beginning and still leading the Terrain nonprofit and its flagship event, is GINGER EWING. But before any of that happened, on April 10, 2008, the Inlander published a story profiling 20 people under 30 who were “doing kick-ass work in the Inland Northwest.” Ewing made the list for her work as a repatriator at the MAC. Now, all these years later, she’s a juggernaut in the Spokane art scene.

— MADISON PEARSON

Mayor Prayers

Nadine Woodward attended a Matt Shea event before calling him a ‘threat.’ Plus, fighting hunger at Spokane schools; and yet another change to city park rules.

While parts of Spokane County still burned on Sunday evening, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward appeared onstage at a Christian nationalist event and accepted a prayer and endorsement from far-right former state Rep. Matt Shea, a Spokane Valley Republican Shea, a pastor with fringe religious beliefs who has been linked to extremist groups, spoke against “homosexual marriage” and “transgender issues” one minute before inviting the mayor onstage, and he hugged her as she left. In a Monday damage-control statement, Woodward said that she didn’t know Shea would be there, that she regrets attending and that Shea’s political beliefs are a “threat to our democracy.” In a tweet, Shea suggested Woodward knew what she was getting into and accused her of politicizing the event. Shea is closely associated with Sean Feucht, the musician and political figure who headlined the concert and worship event on Sunday as part of a nationwide “Kingdom to the Capitol” tour. Shea appeared at a previous stop on Feucht’s tour in Olympia last month, and shares many of Feucht’s well-documented Christian nationalist beliefs. “We want God to be in control of everything, we want believers to be the ones writing the laws,” Feucht said in a speech last spring. (NATE SANFORD)

FREE MONEY?

In an effort to ensure no children go hungry, Spokane Public Schools students can expect to receive $120 per child for groceries, regardless of a family’s income level. These Pandemic EBT cards, as they’re officially known, have been sent to all K-12 students — and even 2023 graduates. More than 700,000 students got the benefit throughout Washington. Confusion arose as people who don’t qualify for food assistance still received the cards, leading some to believe the cards were a scam. These cards can be used at grocery stores and some restaurants. They can also be used at the Spokane Farmers Market where shoppers can receive tokens to buy food and plant starts. Since the onset of COVID, all SPS students can receive a free meal. This policy comes from a 2022 state law that says if more than 40 percent of students in a district are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program, the entire district’s student body can have a universal free meal program. (COLTON RASANEN)

PARKS AFTER DARK

In June, the Spokane City Council passed a controversial law making it an arrestable offense to be in city parks after hours. The parks originally closed from 10 pm to 6 am, but in passing the law, council changed it to 11 pm to 5 am. After the law passed in June, the Spokane Parks Board said changing the hours would be prohibitively expensive because of increased staff time and replacing more than a thousand signs citywide. The board said they had asked for tougher penalties — not new hours. So, on Monday, council members went back to the drawing board and updated the law, making it an arrestable offense to be in parks between 10 pm and 6 am. The change passed 5-2, with City Council members Zack Zappone and Betsy Wilkerson opposed. Council President Lori Kinnear said the law “feels a little draconian,” but that something has to be done to address safety issues. (NATE SANFORD)

Get the latest on Inlander.com

Matt Shea and Nadine Woodward. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

The fast-moving fires sparked a state of emergency. A rainy Tuesday brought relief but was small solace for the hundreds left without homes.

“We’ve all got to pull together now more than ever,” said Gov. Jay Inslee, who visited on Sunday to meet with families, first responders and area officials. On Monday, Inslee said he spoke to President Joe Biden, who shared his concern about the fires and “agreed that worsening wildfires are a consequence of a changing climate bringing hotter and drier conditions to our region.”

MOVING LIKE A TRAIN

Jerry Hamilton thought he was hallucinating.

When he looked out his Medical Lake apartment window on Friday afternoon, Hamilton says he saw 20-foot-tall flames just 15 feet away. His building, Hearthstone Senior Apartments, sits on the eastern edge of Medical Lake, next to the local middle school where the town meets the forest.

The fire was as loud as a hurricane, Hamilton says, and moving like a train. Vibrant orange and red hues twisted and roared with the wind. He could hear neighbors screaming.

“I ain’t never seen nothing like it in my life,” Hamilton says. A police officer — Hamilton thinks it was Spokane city police — banged on the apartment door.

“Hey, you’re going now,” the officer told him.

Hamilton grabbed a few things. He tried bringing a heavy suitcase, but the officer told him to leave it.

“Dude, you’re not pulling it out. We gotta go,” the officer said.

Hamilton says he was mesmerized by the fire, and that the officer had to literally drag him out of there. It wasn’t until Hamilton got outside that he realized how bad it was.

“I looked over the apartment and I go, ‘Oh my God, I wasn’t hallucinating — that was fire!’” Hamilton says. The officer drove Hamilton and three others to Medical Lake High School. But the fire was following.

Fifteen minutes later, Hamilton says they were back on the road toward Cheney High School, where he stayed for four hours or so. Then the winds shifted, and Hamilton had to flee once more, this time to Spokane Falls Community College on a Spokane Transit Authority bus. The driver told him she’d been working since 4:30 that morning. She’s a hero, Hamilton says. (The schools survived the fire.)

Hamilton and other evacuees spent the night at the college, but Hamilton says he couldn’t sleep.

“I’m still wired,” Hamilton says on Saturday evening. Hamilton’s neighbor, Taylor Ellis, was in Spokane when the fire started. But her mom was at the apartment building and told Ellis that an officer had to kick down the door while evacuating her.

Ellis has three service animals — two cats and a dog. Her mom managed to grab the dog and one of the cats, but her tortoiseshell cat Mandy is missing.

TRYING NOT TO REPEAT HISTORY

On Saturday morning, the state Department of Natural Resources reported that at least 185 structures had been destroyed in Medical Lake and at least one person had died, noting that it was unclear whether a medical issue had played a role.

The state agency was on-site at Cheney Middle School helping coordinate information among dozens of fire departments that had arrived from across the region.

Firefighters pitched their tents along the fenced lawns of the school, where support staff had set up shower trailers and portable toilets.

Some firefighters leaned against their rigs Saturday afternoon as they sharpened their axes in preparation for digging fire lines to stave off the Gray Fire’s growth. With dense smoke making it difficult for firefighting aircraft to respond, crews focused on the ground.

South of an eerily empty Interstate 90, crews battled flames that licked up the trees where the fire had jumped the freeway near Willow and Granite lakes.

Traffic was detoured, with a closure from Tyler through Geiger that later expanded to Sprague. U.S. Route 2 and Cheney-Spokane Road backed up for miles, as interstate traffic merged with fleeing residents who’d loaded up trailers and truck beds with their possessions.

Still, even as hundreds of firefighters battled the two wind-driven fires in Spokane County, DNR public information officer Eric Keller said he didn’t think the situation was looking to be as bad as Firestorm ’91, which he was there for.

On Saturday morning, Ellis and Hamilton learned that their apartment building had miraculously survived. Some of the neighboring buildings weren’t as lucky. Ellis says it’s a relief, and she hopes her cat is still somewhere in the building. ...continued on page 16

“IN FLAMES,” CONTINUED...

Downtown Spokane on Saturday, Aug. 19, as air quality readings reached hazardous levels. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

HOW TO HELP

GRAY AND OREGON FIRE RELIEF COMMUNITY HELP

With volunteers staging at the Yoke’s grocery store parking lot in Airway Heights, people are working to go into the burned areas to rescue large and small animals. Lauri Cline is helping dispatch volunteers who’ve got horse trailers and other equipment, and says the group already found places for about 20 to 25 animals as of Monday. Four trucks were dispatched to the Medical Lake area on Monday to keep looking for animals, and the group is helping place animals on volunteers’ pasture land as well as coordinating veterinary care as needed. The group says they can help with horses, cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats and more. Contact them through their Facebook page if you need help or can volunteer.

LITTLE NOODLE AND GARDEN PARTY

In a partnership with Giving Back Spokane (formerly Spokane Quaranteam), Lumberbeard Brewing and YaYa Brewing, Little Noodle and Garden Party will be donating 10 percent of all sales this week and $5 from every draft beer sold at the restaurants. Those who bring canned food donations will get 5 percent off their tab. Little Noodle is located at 713 W. Garland (open Tue-Sun noon to 8:30 pm) and Garden Party is located at 107 S. Madison (open Wed-Sun 11 am to 11 pm).

AMERICAN RED CROSS

redcross.org/local/washington/volunteer redcross.org/donate

The Northwest Red Cross has asked the community to please hold off on donating more clothing, food or hygiene items. Monetary donations can help get the items that fire victims need most, as well as help them with longer term shelter as they start over.

NO-LI WITH RED CROSS

No-Li Brewhouse is joining with KREM2, Bison Printing, chef Chad White and David’s Pizza to raise money for the Red Cross. They hope to raise $50,000 in relief funds for the local Red Cross efforts, and No-Li will match dollar for dollar up to $25,000. Cash or checks made out to Red Cross Northwest can be dropped off at No-Li or David’s Pizza.

INNOVIA WILDFIRE EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND

innovia.org/wildfire-relief

The Wildfire Emergency Response Fund is accepting tax-deductible donations for wildfire relief and recovery efforts throughout the region. Some big local institutions — STCU’s Here For Good Foundation, Washington Trust Bank, Premera Blue Cross and Innovia Foundation — seeded the effort with a combined total of $200,000. In an incredible fundraising effort, Rick Clark’s Giving Back Spokane worked with KHQ to raise at least $402,000 for the fund.

EAT GOOD GROUP

The Eat Good Group restaurants in Washington and Idaho are accepting donated items and offering 15 percent off tabs in exchange. Participating restaurants include Baba, Yards Bruncheon, de España, Gilded Unicorn, Française, Honey Eatery and Social Club, and Republic Kitchen + Taphouse. People can also purchase a gift card for their own use and the restaurant group will donate one of equal value to someone affected by the fires.

GOFUNDME

The crowdfunding donation site GoFundMe has created a centralized hub where people can find verified fundraisers supporting those who lost their homes in the fires. Find verified campaigns at gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/washington.

— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

King of the Cage

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 TH

7 PM | $50 & UP

The ultimate MMA showdown returns to Coeur d’Alene Casino! On Thursday, September 14TH, fighters will duke it out to see who’s crowned King of the Cage. Watch the region’s best fighters compete including Tylor "Redbird" SiJohn, Cameron Robinett, Theo Doukas, and Jordan Currie.

Purchase tickets at cdacasino.com, the Casino Box Office, or through the CDA Casino App. Call 1 800-523-2464 for more details.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

FLAMES,” CONTINUED...

One of the worst disasters in recent memory, “Firestorm” kicked off on Oct. 16, 1991, destroying 114 homes and killing two. Firefighters faced communications problems as more than 80 fires popped up around Eastern Washington and North Idaho, burning 50,000 acres, according to the Spokesman-Review. Similar to this weekend’s fires, high winds and a lack of rain also played a factor that day.

“I would say that you’re comparing apples and oranges,” Keller said Saturday afternoon. “It’s a different time of year, although it was both wind-driven fires. Firestorm was not just in one place, it was here, in the Valley, up north, on the West Plains.”

Keller said that Firestorm was a turning point in how fire agencies around the Northwest communicate and work together.

“Firestorm ’91 drew everybody together,” Keller says. “We work together a lot more. We train together, so that when stuff like this does happen we’re able to respond better.”

MOBILIZING HELP

Smoke from both fires, and another massive blaze near Kelowna, B.C., drove the air quality index in Spokane County upward, from 150 to 350 to more than 500 on Sunday morning, making it hazardous for anyone to spend time outside.

Spokane directed homeless residents and those who couldn’t access clean air to the TRAC shelter on Trent and to city libraries.

Thousands of people who’d evacuated from the fires filled hotel rooms, stayed with family or found shelter at the Red Cross evacuation sites at Spokane Falls Community College and Riverside High School.

The Oregon Fire reportedly burned at least 80 structures and killed one person, according to public safety officials.

The community quickly rallied to help. People offered their trailers and properties to help house horses and other large ani-

mals. Donations of food and clothing poured into the Red Cross sites so quickly that by Saturday night, the relief organization posted to social media asking the community to please donate money instead, as they had more physical donations than they had space for.

“We are actively looking for some place to warehouse all this stuff we are getting,” Betsy Robertson, communications director for the American Red Cross Northwest Region, said on Sunday evening. “We have folks volunteering to come to the shelter and work, and they’re spending all their time going through bags of items. Every single one of those is wrapped up with good intention, but the reality is it’s not what we need.”

Robertson said the local Red Cross was not yet offering direct financial assistance to fire victims — most hadn’t been allowed to go see their properties and learn what their needs were yet — but that work was likely to start this week.

“As we get further into the recovery process, we start talking about financial assistance and more permanent solutions and places to go,” Robertson said. “You can give to our general disaster response, and we will do whatever we need to meet the needs of the community.”

DEVASTATING LOSS

Catherine Swan lived in a trailer near a boat launch in Medical Lake, and recalls being evacuated by a sheriff’s deputy on Friday afternoon.

“The Medical Lake Fire and Rescue, the STA bus system, the school bus system, the police, the sheriffs, the EMTs — all of them worked in harmony,” Swan says. “There was nobody panicking, everybody was accommodated.”

That evening, Swan and her husband tried driving back into town — they’d heard the property had survived unscathed.

They took Brooks Road south off Route 2, but decided to

People fleeing the fires. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

turn around when they got closer to the town.

“You could just feel the heaviness, and there was this red glow,” Swan says. “I’ve never been that scared before.”

The couple made a U-turn and ended up spending the night at the Spokane Falls Community College evacuation site.

Many Medical Lake residents learned what happened to their homes for the first time on Saturday morning. The dawn brought relief for some, and devastation for others.

Daniel Hall, a professional musician who’s been performing around Spokane for years, was out of town when the fire started. But on Saturday morning, his niece sent him pictures of his former home on the edge of Silver Lake.

There was nothing left.

Hall’s house is rubble. His RV is destroyed. So are the guitars, keyboards and recording equipment that fuel his livelihood.

“I didn’t have homeowners insurance, so it’s like a total loss for me,” Hall says. “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s been extremely overwhelming and devastating.”

Swan was eating breakfast at Spokane Falls Community College on Saturday morning when her husband came to her in tears. He had just gotten off a video call with his mom, who had somehow managed to return to the property.

“It’s all gone, baby,” he told her. “It’s all gone. Everything.”

Swan is devastated. But she also has hope. On Friday, before she knew their trailer had burned down, Swan was walking around the grounds of Medical Lake High School — still soaking wet from spraying the property down and unsure of what would come next — when she found a peach pit on the ground.

“That was my sign to plant and start again,” Swan says. “I’m going to go back there, and I’m going to clean it up. And I’m going to get back down to the barest minimum and start all over again. She’s gonna come back.” n

Pretty in Plastic

Spokane’s Kari Johnson began collecting Barbies well before the hit film spurred a pink renaissance

Some people collect records. Others amass trading cards. Action figures. Shoes. Tchotchkes. Glassware. Art. Houseplants. Books. Vintage Pyrex. For Kari Johnson, it’s Barbie dolls.

Well before hype for the eponymous summer blockbuster began intensifying, Johnson started assembling her poseable plastic posse. In the three years since, her collection has ballooned to more than 300 dolls, from retro Barbies of the early 1960s to Mattel’s much more inclusive characters of today. About half of Johnson’s collection consists of Monster High dolls, another Mattel line, introduced in 2010 and inspired by sci-fi, horror, folklore and pop culture.

Each is carefully styled, accessorized and posed.

An early ’60s blonde beauty with a sweeping updo and sky-blue eyeshadow is ready for a night out in her pale pink satin gown. She stands serenely next to a dark-skinned fashionista in a black-and-white strapless dress. The latter doll’s scarlet-red, bobbed haircut contrasts her lush, rooted eyelashes (versus painted on), a feature of some vintage Barbies. On the shelf below, a Black Barbie doll smiles broadly as she reclines in a wheelchair. A doll nearby has alopecia, and another

BY CHEY SCOTT

a prosthetic leg. Judging by their confident permasmiles and enviably cute outfits, these differences don’t hinder, but empower.

“I’m not that kind of collector where no one can touch them,” Johnson says of her collection. “When I get the dolls, I don’t keep them in the box. I take them out right away, because one of the joys of collecting for me is being able to touch them and play with them.”

As such, her fashionable — and mostly female — force is proudly displayed in white, Ikea-style bookshelves along one wall of her home office. Some are arranged in scenes, perching on tiny upholstered sofas, wine glasses in hand. “Overflow” dolls that can’t squeeze in with all these Barbies of honor are neatly tucked into file boxes on the bottom shelves with labels like “holiday,” “childhood dolls” and “reproductions.”

“It seems like I’m constantly reorganizing and changing their clothes, and I mean, to me, that’s part of the hobby — decluttering, dusting and freshening everything up,” Johnson says.

Since beginning her Barbie collecting journey, Johnson launched a YouTube channel (youtube.com/@ kadawalden) aimed at fellow enthusiasts. There, she

uploads Q&As, cleaning and restoration how-tos, and doll unboxing videos. Viewers love watching her reveal “mystery hauls,” bulk lots with unknown contents, which she opens for the first time on camera.

Besides simply admiring her collection and the thrill of seeking out hard-to-find Barbies from across the doll’s 64-year existence, Johnson and her husband, Dave, an artist and musician, also enjoy the hobby together as a creative outlet.

For the past three years, the couple has hosted their “Barbie Art Show,” for which Dave produces miniature pop-art style paintings. Kari dresses the dolls to the nines for the big show opening, which is staged on bookshelf “rooms.”

“It’s like a Manhattan-style party, and he’s got it all sectioned off, and I can’t see it until he’s ready, and I get the dolls all dressed and ready to attend,” she says.

While it’s a tradition they’ve so far enjoyed privately in their home, friends who’ve seen photos of the dressed-up dolls admiring Dave’s art have urged them to make the event public. (Maybe someday they will, Kari says.)

...continued on page 20

Mattel’s iconic doll is timeless and ageless.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“Photography is really big with people who collect dolls,” she says. “I’m not on social media with the exception of YouTube, and I’m new to photography, too. I mean, since I started collecting the dolls, I started asking myself that very same question of, ‘What am I going to do with these?’”

The couple also have fun re-creating some of their favorite retro movie scenes with the dolls, posting them on YouTube.

For most women born any time during or after the 1960s, Barbies were a childhood rite of passage.

Whether you loved or hated Barbie, Ken and friends, you either had some, or knew friends or relatives who did.

Johnson’s first doll as a girl was the 1976 ballerina Barbie. The same doll also reignited her love for the beloved toy more than four decades later.

“It was the COVID pandemic, and I think a lot of people went through a sort of nostalgia phase,” she says. “I read somewhere that toy collecting and collecting in general just skyrocketed during the pandemic, so I wasn’t the only one who went towards comfort, and for me, that was things of my youth and childhood. That was my excuse to buy my first Barbie” as a collector.

She found the white tutu-clad doll and all her original accessories on eBay.

“At first, it just started out as, oh, I’ll just get my favorite childhood Barbies, so just these five,” Johnson recalls. “And then that’s when I realized the evolution of Barbie during that time, and I was like, ‘Whoa, these are incredibly amazing and diverse and beautiful.’”

Johnson has the brand’s first nonbinary doll, and

several Black dolls with culturally accurate hairstyles. Curvy-bodied Barbies and several queer characters are also represented in the modern chapter of the doll’s history, and in her collection.

“I mean, I was blonde and blue-eyed, so when I was a kid it was like, oh yeah, I love this,” Johnson says. “But there were kids who never got to see themselves in Barbie, and now, just the thought that Mattel put into their dolls — you gotta give them credit for that. So that really appealed to me. And plus, I’m really into beauty, and come on — they’re just so gorgeous!”

Johnson’s collection truly covers every spectrum of

like drag queen Trixie Mattell (one of the few non-Mattel pieces she has), artist Keith Haring, David Bowie, Catwoman and others.

Once bit by the Barbie-collecting bug, Johnson’s doll acquisition rate exponentially exploded. She finds dolls everywhere: big-box stores, online, garage sales and thrift stores. While it’s gotten a little harder to find secondhand Barbies — prices for many sought-after dolls have also skyrocketed since Barbie’s promotional push and release — Johnson says friends and family are often on the lookout for her. Many of her dolls were gifts from people looking to downsize their own childhood collections.

With about 150 Barbies and 150 Monster High dolls — an offshoot she loves for its characters inspired by Universal’s Classic Monster movie-verse — Johnson has become more selective and willing to pass on less-favored dolls to make room for new must-haves. Several of her most treasured pieces, for example, are Mattel’s Silkstone dolls, a highend line made expressly for collectors.

“I was just buying whatever I thought was beautiful, and I had to slow down,” she says. “Really, I can look at every single one of these dolls and tell you how I got it, and there’s something special about every single one of them and how they came to be part of my collection.

“That’s part of the fun — the story that goes behind

Johnson’s treasured dolls are often posed in miniature scenes. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

WE REWARD GREAT FINANCIAL HABITS

As a not-for-profit credit union, BECU is dedicated to supporting your financial journey — and to putting money back in your wallet.

Each year, we review members’ loan accounts for signs of healthy financial management. Then we reward members who have significantly improved their financial habits.*

18 YEARS REWARDED

559,861 RATES REDUCED

Learn more about our Reprice program at becu.org/reprice

Not a member? Learn more about the benefits of being a BECU member at becu.org**

This QR code should lead you to becu.org/reprice. If you see another URL, avoid entering your personal information and contact BECU.

*BECU periodically evaluates the credit rating of each member who has an auto, boat, RV, credit card, line of credit, or personal loan with BECU. If your score has improved sufficiently and your account is in good standing, we will look at reducing your rate (if you didn’t get our lowest published rate initially).

**Membership required. Restrictions apply.

Federally insured by NCUA.

The Power of Story

The new, two-day Roots Experience showcases BIPOC performers and filmmakers from across the greater Pacific Northwest

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

Storytelling is a deeply powerful tool, connecting people from all walks of life and helping new ideas flourish. Locally and across the globe, many artists from racial or cultural minorities lack a platform to share their stories, a barrier this weekend’s The Root Experience festival aims to dissolve.

“What we really want to honor in this festival is the power of story,” says James Pakootas, co-founder of The Root Experience Collective. “Our biggest impact that we want to leave with this festival is to inspire and wake up the artists of the city.”

The two-day festival showcases 14 short films, three music videos and two feature films created by artists who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC) from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, with six live performances taking place each day.

“Yes, Spokane is the center of this vision, but let’s open this up to these different cultures,” says Pakootas. “Let’s be really intentional about doing border erasure and reconnection, and healing of nations that have been divided from these borders of both Alaska and the Yukon, and lower Canada and the Pacific Northwest.”

The festival originally began as an effort to highlight Indigenous artists, but Pakootas and Root Experience Collective co-founder and director Olivia Evans opened it to all BIPOC artists in order to provide more creatives from marginalized communities with a platform. As a result, the production team

grew to include musician Devonte “T.S” Pearson and artist Jáiz Boyd.

Evans is a multidisciplinary visual artist who combines traditional and modern mediums, creating art that echoes her experiences as a Black, Indigenous and Italian woman. From the Colville Confederated Tribe, Pakootas is a hip-hop artist and filmmaker who uses words as a vessel to create change.

“We’re going outside of the box. We’re saying ‘No, when you think of BIPOC, don’t think of tradition only,’” Pakootas says. “Think of our living being, our fullness, our spirit and the presentness of the world that we’re in as well.”

He wants the festival to change how BIPOC communities address the deeprooted racist and patriarchal institutions still ingrained everywhere.

“There is a strong story thread already woven in this country about intergenerational trauma,” he says. “By creating a platform that celebrates each other’s culture, we are beginning the new cycle and a new narrative of intergenerational resilience.”

The Root Experience begins Saturday evening of Aug. 26 at A Place of Truths Plaza in downtown Spokane, next to City Hall, which was designed by Spokane Tribal member Jeff Ferguson and Colville Tribal member Virgil “Smoker” Marchand. Part of the event’s opening ceremony honors Marchand, who died earlier this year. His sculptures of Indigenous figures can be seen throughout

the plaza and park below.

On Saturday, vendors with art, beauty products, and information about their organizations are posted in the Central Library, along with free Thai and Mexican food from Feast World Kitchen. The second day of The Root Experience Festival takes place at the Magic Lantern Theater and the Saranac Commons, where vendors and food will be set up on the sidewalk connecting the two buildings.

At the Magic Lantern, attendees can view short films, music videos and a feature film. The film slate includes informative pieces like Indigenous Resistance: Now and Then by Wáats’asdiyei Joe Yates, which tells Indigenous peoples’ stories of the challenges they face and their resulting resilience. Other more experimental films being shown include the stop-motion documentary Ajjigiingiluktaaqtugut (We Are All Different) by Lindsay McIntyre, which tells stories of BIPOC individuals feeling disconnected from their cultures.

“You don’t have to stay in a specific medium to tell your story,” Evans says. “People are just breaking down that barrier altogether of just staying in their lane. They’re naturally coming out and saying what they want to say.”

Both Evans and Pakootas hope people attend the festival with an open and receptive mindset, preparing to reflect on the various pieces while celebrating the artists and cultures being showcased.

“I just hope they really let it absorb into their minds and into their energy,” Evans says. “It’s also a teaching environment at the same time, but celebratory really is what we’re going for.”

This two-day festival is only the beginning of what The Root Experience Collective team hopes to accomplish.

Pakootas says their work is currently being funded by Omprakash, a nonprofit focused on fostering communication and education among communities across the globe. A 2022 Spokane Arts Grant Award also helped cover costs of this year’s event.

Evans says the team hopes to create a space for all BIPOC artists to feel seen and heard, providing extra support for young, emerging artists, while simultaneously encouraging more people to share their stories and attend workshops or participate in future events.

Pakootas notes how stressful the last few years with COVID-19 have been, but he wants people to attend the festival with the goal of recognizing the beauty of life.

“We just want people to come into the doors and just let go of that stress, let go of that worry, let go of the inflation, let go of racism, let go of all of that, and sit down and go, ‘Damn, it feels good to be human,’” he says.

“We want to shake them awake with art.” n

Featured Root Experience performers (from left) CarliAnn Forthun, Coaster and Olyvia Babinski.

Helping Hands

It’s been a rough few years, and it’s hard to know how to help. The Inlander’s Give Guide, our annual philanthropy issue, is a great place to start. This year’s issue is filled with stories about nonprofits and people doing good work in our community.

People like Hanncel Sanchez, whose group, Mujeres in Action, provide bilingual crisis intervention and culturally specific care, safety planning, emergency housing and companionship services to families facing abusive relationships at home. And David Owan, who was instrumental in founding Elevations, a Spokane-based nonprofit that helps families pay for their children’s physical, emotional

or speech therapy. Or the work being done by Crosswalk helping teenagers who are homeless; and Save Our Wild Salmon, which seeks to return salmon to the waterways of the Inland Northwest.

This year’s advertising pages includes a directory of even more local nonprofits, where you can learn more about the important work they do.

Above all, Give Guide celebrates the vital role being played by these indispensable organizations. Read closely, and if you have any time, money or passion to spare you’ll find ways to give back to your community and make a difference.

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

Crosswalk Crosses Town

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

Recently, the mantra around the downtown Volunteers of America offices has been, “Can’t wait for Crosswalk 2.0. Can’t wait for Crosswalk 2.0,” says Bridget Cannon, senior vice president of shelters for VOA.

For nearly 40 years, the nonprofit has sheltered runaway homeless teens in downtown, mostly from a periwinkle blue building at Howard Street and Second Avenue. At night, kids as young as 13 may sleep at the shelter, while services like meals and GED classes are open to youths up to 21 years old during the day.

The passionate staff members have managed to make the ground floor of the building work as a classroom, day shelter, dining room/kitchen, meeting space and — through the magic of Murphy beds — a place for up to 18 young heads to rest at night, but it’s time for an upgrade.

Soon, they’ll get one.

VOA will break ground in mid-October on a new building next to Spokane Community College that will not only house the new 18-bed shelter, but also bring VOA staff into one office. Currently, administrators work out of the upper floors of Crosswalk and some other leased spaces.

In the new building, the nonprofit will also launch a new transitional housing program for young people who are in school or working, with a floor of dorm-style rooms to help 16- to 20-year-olds as they get on a path to independence.

When VOA started planning for a new shelter years ago, Cannon says the staff asked what the teens wanted in a new space.

“The first words out of their mouth were ‘Not downtown,’” she says. “They said, ‘Because if you don’t want us doing drugs, don’t put us next to the drug dealers. We want green. We want trees. We want grass. We want to be in a residential area. We want to be by parks.’”

This fall, the new Crosswalk youth shelter near Spokane Community College will break ground

Crosswalk is still downtown, but its new building will be near Spokane Community College.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

The stars aligned for the new location with the opportunity to build on a property that will be shared with a new CHAS health clinic that’s already under construction.

Although the area near the community college is somewhat industrial — a possible perk for those who want to train in the trades, Cannon says — the new shelter site at 3024 E. Mission Ave. is just a block from Chief Garry Park and sits in the middle of the neighborhood with the same name.

With the CHAS clinic next door, youths will be able to access health care, and the proximity to the college will offer an easy commute for those who want to train for a career or get a degree.

Crosswalk operates under a housing first model, prioritizing basic needs by first offering a safe space to sleep, shower and eat.

to another state, so, “Here you go,” says Rae-Lynn Barden, communications director for VOA.

If parents aren’t an option, staff ask about other relatives who could take the teens in.

“What does grandma need to successfully house you? Does she need help with groceries, rent? And then we work on all those things,” Barden says.

Those who stay in the shelter can decide which services they need help with, whether that’s education, finding a job or accessing mental health and substance use treatment.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

For more information, or to donate to Crosswalk, visit voaspokane.org/donate

“A lot of times when we’re doing an intake on a young person, the first thing they’ll say is, ‘I need food. I need a place to stay,’” Cannon says. “Once they have that, that’s when you can go back and say, ‘OK now what do you want to work on?’”

Staff try to contact a parent or guardian for any teen who comes to the shelter, and last year 44 percent of the 652 different teens they served were reunited with family.

But family reunification isn’t always an option. Some parents have actually dropped their kids off at the shelter, with at least one mother offering the excuse that she was moving

SPOKANE

“That’s when the real change starts happening,” Cannon says. “If you can’t meet them where they’re at, if you can’t welcome them in, it’s really hard for anybody to make a change.”

Those welcoming options are expanding: At the same time ground is broken on the new Crosswalk shelter, VOA will hold a ribbon cutting for its new 44-bed young adult shelter a block away that serves ages 18 to 24 with 24/7 options, including nightly shelter space and case management.

Cannon says the new Crosswalk will offer the opportunity for more teens to access help, since young people from outlying areas like Spokane Valley or Deer Park aren’t likely to come to the downtown shelter, which will be sold to help fund the new building.

“This is a scary place,” Cannon says from her downtown office. “So I think it’s going to allow us to actually help a lot more young people.” n

NORDIC SKI ASSOCIATION

RUN BY VOLUNTEERS, FUNDED BY MEMBERS, COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY

OTHER WAYS TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE

TREEHOUSE offers one-on-one academic coaching, money to participate in extracurricular activities, new clothes and school supplies, and assistance getting a driver’s license for the thousands of youth around Washington in the foster care system. The statewide nonprofit (which has a large presence in the Spokane area) accepts financial donations as well as donations of new (not used) socks, underwear, blankets, stuffed animals, school supplies, hygiene items, and bikes, scooters and skateboards.

More information at TreehouseForKids.org

FRAME YOUR FUTURE wants to train the next generation of builders. The construction industry faces the looming retirement of a quarter of its workers, and high school shop classes have gotten the ax due to funding issues over the years. Through the Spokane Home Builders Association’s nonprofit, Frame Your Future, experienced laborers can take the new “Skills That Build” trailer to different groups to offer hands-on mobile workshops. Through construction camps, the nonprofit has been able to train high schoolers how to build sheds, and the hope is to hire a full-time instructor who can use the trailer to teach shop skills around Spokane County.

More information at FrameYourFuture.org

LIGHT A LAMP focuses on a few different areas supporting youth, including helping families with children born with cleft lip and palates, but their new Project Lift Up is focused on suicide prevention. Recognizing that kids and teens have especially struggled with mental health in the wake of the pandemic, the project offers mental health care packages to school counselors to share with students in need. In addition to mental health resources, the packages include food and drink coupons, snacks, hygiene products, fun items like journals and tumblers, and even fidget spinners or anxiety rings.

More information at LightALamp.org

— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

SNSA MEMBERSHIP

$40 FOR INDIVIDUALS - $60 FOR FAMILIES

LEARNING

SNSA organizes ski lessons and teams for all ages and skill levels.

EVENTSSTEWARDSHIP

SNSA hosts several annual races and events that are open to everyone.

SNSA provides maps, waxing advice, signs, trail maintenance, firewood & more.

SNSA members gain access to all of SNSA’s lessons, teams, virtual learning center, weekly wax tips, and discounts at local retailers. You’ll also get the good feeling of knowing that you supported the future of Spokane’s Nordic skiing community!

SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT: spokanenordic.org/snsamember

“CROSSWALK CROSSES TOWN,” CONTINUED...

The new Crosswalk building will have 44 beds for homeless youth.

Give Guide

Kids • Social Services • Civil and Human Rights • Education

How To Give

READ THE GIVE GUIDE

Read all about the goals of local nonprofits in this special section; make a note of the ones you connect with most.

AHANA – Multi-Ethnic Business Association

Mailing: 2525 E. 29th Avenue Suite 10B #368

WHAT WE DO

• Spokane, WA 99223

GO ONLINE Grab your credit card, scan a QR code or log on to the charity websites found in these pages and make a contribution.

509.503.1024 ahana-meba.org

ahana@ahana-meba.org

AHANA is an acronym for Asian, Hispanic, African, and Native America and represents all multi-ethnic businesses in Spokane.

We advocate to make BIPOC businesses an economic engine in the region

We help BIPOC business start ups and existing businesses expand and become successful AHANA is a proud member of the Washington State Dept of Commerce Small Business Resiliency Network.

GET INVOLVED

• Support BIPOC owned businesses

• Visit our online business directory

• Volunteer on the AHANA Board

Breast Intentions

11305 S. Fairway Ridge Lane • Spokane, WA 99224

WHAT WE DO

509.995.1295

breastintentionsofwashington.org

christine@breastintentionsofwa.org

Provide women in need with professionally tted bras in a fun and caring environment.

We achieve our mission by partnering with organizations in the greater Spokane and inland Northwest community to hold monthly events where we reach women of all ages and diverse backgrounds, complete a professional bra tting, and send each woman home with new 2 bras, a garment bag, care instructions, and new found con dence.

VOLUNTEER

VOLUNTEER as a tter or helper and see the di erence a tted bra makes!

PICK UP YOUR PHONE

Call your nonprofit of choice via the numbers listed here and make a pledge of cash or volunteer hours.

The Arc of Spokane

320

WHAT WE DO

We promote independence and choice and enhance the quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families.

e Arc of Spokane provides many programs to fully engage people with IDD in their communities.

• Transition and Young Adult programs for teens and young adults as they transition into adulthood.

• Advocacy and Family Support programs including Parent to Parent support groups for parents of children with IDD, and Spokane County Parent Coalition to advocate for people with IDD though public education and legislative advocacy.

• e Community Center provides adults with IDD a place to build friendships through games, enrichment classes and group outings around Spokane.

• Supported Employment matches people with IDD to jobs in the community that t their needs and abilities.

• e Investment Recovery Center is an over 30-year partnership with Avista that employs adults with IDD to perform jobs such as sorting cast-o wiring and equipment for recycling.

• e Supported Living program serves about 50 individuals with IDD who live as housemates in homes they own, lease, or rent together.

GET INVOLVED

• Donate and shop at e Arc ri Stores in Spokane and Spokane Valley.

• Attend our fundraising events, Rock the Runway and the Jim-Isaac Chua Bene t Concert.

• Make a gi through a one-time donation or become a sustainer and give on a monthly basis.

VOLUNTEER

Apply to become a volunteer to make a di erence for individuals with IDD!

Volunteer with:

• Community Center

• Transition & Young Adult Programs

• Community Connector

• Parent to Parent

WHAT WE DO

509.325.4489

Artisans is a non-pro t agency providing services necessary for individual job development, employment support, and employment opportunities in the community for persons with disabilities.

Artisans provides Supported Employment, Community Inclusion, and Independent Living services in Spokane, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties for persons with varying disabilities. Each person we serve is unique and has speci c skills, abilities, and talents. Because of this, our agency prides itself in o ering services and employment opportunities as diversi ed as those we serve. ese services are provided through DDA, DVR, FCS and private contracts.

Supported Employment: O ers services throughout the entire employment process including resume building, interview skill building, job development, job coaching, and training. Sta members work diligently to o er job placements in the community and personalized support, centering e orts on each person’s interests and abilities. We pride ourselves in hiring sta with diverse backgrounds to support individuals in various work industries.

Community Inclusion: O ers services focused on community engagement activities and goals. It is designed for individuals who have reached retirement age, or for individuals in need of skill building and community integration to prepare for employment through volunteerism, social outings, and other community-based activities.

Independent Living: O ers services to assist individuals with accessing and utilizing the public support systems including, but not limited to housing, food, clothing, and nancial resources. Specialized skill training is also available.

GET INVOLVED

Businesses:

• Reach out to us for your hiring needs

• Host mock interviews for job seekers

• Provide volunteer or work trial opportunities for job experience. Sta support provided

Individuals:

• Mentor individuals by teaching job skills and so -skills

• Donate monetarily or with services to support clients in their interview and employment endeavors

Camp Fire Inland Northwest

1014 N. Pines Road Suite 110

WHAT WE DO

• Spokane Valley, WA 99206

509.747.6191 camp reinc.org camp re@camp reinc.org

Young people want to shape the world, Camp Fire provides the opportunity to nd their spark, li their voice, and discover who they are. We want kids to thrive!

Camp Fire owns and operates Camp Sweyolakan on Lake Coeur d’Alene and Camp Dart-Lo in North Spokane. Kids can learn and grow at our camps and school-year programs where they develop leadership skills and have the opportunity to just be a kid while in an inclusive and outdoor environment.

GET INVOLVED

A donation from $25 to $25,000+ will make a di erence in shaping the lives of our local kids throughout the Inland Northwest. Call us to discuss estate planning, major gi s or Share Our Dream: Nurture Our Nature Auction and Fundraiser.

The City Gate

170 South Madison • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.455.9670 thecitygatespokane.org thecitygate@qwesto ce.net

e City Gate exists to Reclaim, Rebuild and Restore, Lost and Broken Lives, transitioning from homelessness

e City Gate was initially formed as a church to serve the homeless and low-income of inner-city Spokane. Over the years we have become more holistic adding a client choice food bank and clothing bank, a social drop-in center and 28 low-income studio apartments, including 2 emergency shelter rooms. We now serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday-Friday for anyone in need.

GET INVOLVED

Donations of all kinds are always welcome to support our clients. Donations of seasonal clothing, non-perishable food and paper products, co ee, and cash all of which will go to support those we serve. Cash donations may be made on our website or directly via PayPal or Venmo.

Family Promise of North Idaho (FPNI)

501 E. Wallace Avenue • Coeur d’Alene, ID • Mailing: PO Box 3682 • Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816

WHAT WE DO

208.777.4190 www.familypromiseni.org

6% of children under 6 experience homelessness in Idaho. Family Promise of North Idaho provides HELP, HOPE and a HOME to homeless families with children in our area.

Family Promise of North Idaho is a shelter which provides dedicated guidance and support to families with children in our community by providing temporary shelter, meals, transportation and training while seeking a ordable housing.

GET INVOLVED

Your donation of anywhere from $25 to over a thousand dollars will help shelter and feed families who are seeking help, hope & home. Automatic monthly giving will provide stability the program thrives on. Your time is a valuable gi , contact us today!

Every Woman Can

3120 S. Grand Boulevard, #8433 • Spokane, WA 99203

WHAT WE DO

509.939.8715 www.EveryWomanCan.org ICan@EveryWomanCan.org

Every Woman Can is at the heart of the women’s cancer ght. Providing awareness, advocacy, education; encouraging informed health choices; and serving women who are experiencing cancer.

We’re known for our Pink Ribbon Run scheduled annually on the rst Sunday in October. It’s the space where we recognize and celebrate women with cancer as Powerful, Passionate, Ferocious. e Spokane Chiefs partner with us for their Chiefs Fight Cancer Night in February, our “Puck Cancer” event. We also collaborate with other agencies to pass important legislation. is year EWC helped to pass the Access to Diagnostic Imaging Bill in WA State. As of July 2023, this bill eliminates patient cost-sharing for diagnostic testing for breast cancer which is performed when there is an abnormality in the screening mammogram or instead of the screening mammogram for high-risk patients. EWC supports the the passage of the national Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act. is Act calls for the passage of legislation to waive the 24-month waiting period for Medicare and the 5-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance bene ts for eligible individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Please visit our website for additional ways we serve our community (Every Woman Can LOVE Totes, online support community).

DONATE

Together we can do anything – except stand by. Because of our community partnerships life-saving mammogram costs $150. A monthly gi of $15 can provide a woman in the Paci c Northwest with a resource that can help her detect breast cancer early and that can make all the di erence. Your donation supports our agency as we continue to do this critical work. Your generosity pays for life saving mammograms, supports women in treatment with our Every Woman Can Love tote, and helps create community with our online support groups. Every single dollar stays local.

GET INVOLVED

e truth is, when it a ects you or someone you love, breast cancer becomes a statistic of one. ONE in eight women will develop breast cancer. e two main risk factors are (1) being born female and (2) having the privilege to grow older.

How can you make a di erence?

1. Encourage and support women in their healthcare advocacy.

2. Talk to your doctor and discuss your risks for breast cancer. Know your own normal.

3. Understand when you should get your rst mammogram. If you’re 40 or older, schedule your annual mammogram as part of your wellness plan. Mammograms Save Lives.

Family Promise of Spokane

2002 E. Mission Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

We’re on a mission to end family homelessness.

509.747.5487 familypromiseofspokane.org admin@familypromiseofspokane.org

We prevent families from becoming homeless through rental assistance and landlord engagement, provide holistic, expert care for currently homeless families and prepare families for life a er homelessness with two years of ongoing support and life skills training... all while keeping the entire family together (including pets!).

GET INVOLVED

• Invest $44 each month to provide one day of holistic care for a homeless child

• Attend an Info Night

• Follow us on social media to see the success

Global Neighborhood

919 E. Trent Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509-868-0001 global-neighborhood.org info@global-neighborhood.or

O ering pathways to employment for our neighbors who came to Spokane as refugees, providing job training, English classes, and work via our thri and vintage store..

At Global Neighborhood, refugees receive job training, income, language classes, and a community of support to rebuild their lives in the U.S. We provide these opportunities through Global Neighborhood ri & Vintage which houses our Job Readiness Program, and on-site, free English classes.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer: We need volunteers to assist with English and technology skills.

Donate: Global Neighborhood turns every $1 donated into $4 paid to refugees. ank you for your help!

Generation Alive

418 W. Sharp Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

Generation Alive activates youth to lead with compassion.

509.747.6054

generationalive.org

hello@generationalive.org

We live out our mission by creating a sense of belonging, promoting understanding and empathy, igniting a passion for service, encouraging youth leadership, and nurturing a lifelong commitment to compassion. rough our programs, we equip youth to make a tangible di erence in their communities and build a more compassionate world. Every year, Generation Alive works with schools and other youth-serving organizations. What started in 2012 with one program and 200 participants has grown to nearly 30 programs and 20,000 participants every year!

Our programs include:

Action Teams: 15-20 students leading school assemblies, fundraisers & service projects.

Leadership Development: Additional initiatives designed to continue a student’s leadership compassion journey.

Serve Camps: Annual camps for local community involvement & non-pro t volunteering.

e Kid Next Door Podcast: Amplifying youth voices and acts of compassion.

DONATE

One-time Contribution: $100 invests in one student’s leadership potential.

SPARK GIVING CLUB: Commit with a monthly donation of $10+.

Sponsor an Action Team: Fund a local school’s program for $2500.

GET INVOLVED

IGNITE the FUTURE: Attend our Annual Fundraiser & Auction.

e Kid Next Door Podcast: Tune in and be inspired.

Stay Updated: Sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Quarterly Open House: Engage and learn at our regular events.

Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest

130 E. Third Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.838.4246 discovergoodwill.org

Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest has changing lives since 1939. We help people with employment, training and education, housing support, and financial stability.

Do you need to learn computer and digital skills to get a job, or even just connect with family? Do you need help getting a job? Are you struggling to pay rent? Visit our website at discovergoodwill.org/i-need-help to find a program that might help you or a friend. There are thousands of stories behind our Goodwill stores, stories of lives who are changed by the help they get at Goodwill. In 2022, we served more than 4800 people in eastern Washington and north Idaho.

Visit our website at discovergoodwill.org/i-need-help to find a program that might help you. You can also call 509-838-4246. Some of our programs require a referral. Other services are available on a walk-in basis.

Our programs are funded primarily by our Goodwill stores and online sales, and from customers who donate a few cents when they Round Up their purchases. We also receive funding from grants and donations. Out of every dollar earned from our stores and online sales, more than 85 cents support our programs.

GET INVOLVED

There are thousands of stories behind our Goodwill stores, stories of lives who are changed by the help they get at Goodwill. In 2021, we served more than 4300 people in eastern Washington and north Idaho. We’ve helped more than 55,000 people in the last ten years. Scan the QR code below to read some of their stories. You can also visit discovergoodwill.org/news or watch these stories on our YouTube channel at GoodwillINW.This additional paragraph expands how to get involved with your organization.

GET INVOLVED

• Support our programs by giving a donation on our website at DiscoverGoodwill.org/monetary-donations/

• Invest in one of our programs.

• Contact our team if you have property you could rent to someone looking for a home or apartment.

• Provide a job for someone Goodwill is helping with employment.

• Invite us to speak to your group, or contact us for a tour.

“GREAT SCOTT!” It’s time to IGNITE THE FUTURE at Northern Quest Resort & Casino on ursday, NOVEMBER 9TH, 2023 FROM 5:30-9:00PM. For more information, visit give.generationalive.org/ignite23

Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels

12101 E. Sprague Avenue

WHAT WE DO

• Spokane Valley, WA 99206

509.924.6976 www.gcsmealsonwheels.org info@gcsmealsonwheels.org

Prolong the ability of elderly in Spokane County to remain living independently in their own homes by providing nutritoius meals, daily health checks and companionship.

When a volunteer from GSC Meals on Wheels knocks on the door, vulnerable seniors open it with a smile. Headquartered in Spokane Valley, we serve the entire 1,800 miles of Spokane County delivering companionship, independence and dignity with every meal. Volunteers needed!

DONATE

A donation of $35 provides a week’s worth of meals along with a daily wellness-check by our volunteers. Across Spokane County, seniors are being forced to choose between paying a bill or eating. Help us make sure no senior across the 1,800 square miles we serve goes hungry. Be a part of something Greater - Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels.

Hutton Settlement

9907 E. Wellesley Ave. • Spokane, WA 99206

WHAT WE DO

509.926.1027 www.huttonsettlement.org

Hutton Settlement Children’s Home nurtures, educates and prepares children who are in need of a safe and healthy home.

For over 100 years, we have operated without any government funding, providing hope, opportunity and life to children and families in our community.

GET INVOLVED

To support Hutton you can

1) help fund our transformative learning opportunities, educational scholarships, extra-curricular activities/programs for students and critical transitional alumni support, 2) volunteer by sharing your time and talents, or 3) If you are interested in a career of purpose at Hutton Settlement, please visit our “Serve with Hutton” page to learn more.

Meals on Wheels Spokane

1222 W. 2nd Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.456.6597 MOWspokane.org Gail.Golden@MOWspokane.org

100% local & privately funded through donations and fundraising, Meals on Wheels Spokane provides food, support, and human connection to homebound Spokane seniors.

Meals on Wheels Spokane provides so much more than a meal. With the help of over 500 volunteers, we provide hot meals, human connection, and even food and medical care through our partnership with SpokAnimal for their pets. We are feeding bodies, nurturing souls, and saving lives.

DONATE

$5.00 provides one meal for a homebound senior.

$35.00 feeds a senior for an entire week

91 cents of every dollar donated supports Spokane’s homebound seniors.

Nuestras Raices

1214 E. Sprague Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.557.0566 hbpaofspokane.org

Nuestras Raíces is a community center that is committed to increase public awareness and pride in the depth and diversity of Hispanic / Latino culture through our 501c3 and our 501c6.

Our mission is to provide a sense of belonging through well-being and holistic services to empower our community and promote a more equitable economy.

We o er 3 core programs that o er direct services in the following areas: social services, economic development and youth engagement.

VOLUNTEER

Sta our table at community events

Volunteer at our major cultural events (3 a year)

Sign up to help with our soccer youth program

Volunteer ursdays at our food pantry

Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington

104 S Freya St, Yellow Flag Bldg #207 • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509-458-2618 Wish.org/akwa

e mission of Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington is simple and clear: Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses like Kai who wished to go on a trip to Hawaii with his family.

You see, a er undergoing life saving treatment for cancer, Kai was tired. And so was his family. e daily struggles of ghting a critical illness took a toll on them. A vacation thousands of miles away from reality is just what Kai and his family needed to reinvigorate their souls, restore their mental health and give them a fresh start.

You can be part of making moments like these come true in your local community when you support Make-A-Wish by becoming a volunteer, donating cash or frequent ier miles, or referring a child.

It’s our vision to grant a wish to every eligible child because wishes matter but we need YOUR help! Right now, we have more kids waiting for wishes than ever before in the history of our local Make-A-Wish chapter. ose wishes require money, volunteers and resources to make them come true.

GET INVOLVED

• Become a Volunteer! Transform a child’s life in as little as two hours a month. We’re desperate for volunteers who speak English and Spanish! We will grant at least 100 wishes to Eastern Washington children this year and another 170 are waiting.

• Donate Now! Become a monthly donor or give a one-time gi and make a big di erence for local children.

• Attend an Event! Join us for our Spokane Happiness Hour event every fall. To register or sponsor this event, contact Angela Miller at amiller@akwa.wish.org.

• Fundraise! Whether it’s through athletic events, lemonade stands or birthday fundraisers, passionate supporters rally their networks to grant wishes in their communities.

• Refer a Child! If you know a child between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 years old who has a life-threatening critical illness and has not previously received a wish, you can refer them.

Wishes have physical and emotional bene ts that can give children with critical illnesses a higher chance of survival. But we can’t provide this tremendous gi without you and your support! Wish kids need you. Will you help?

To learn more about how you can help be a part of this life-changing and transformational mission, visit wish.org/akwa.

MiA Mujeres in Action

318 E. Rowan Avenue, Ste. 208 • Spokane, WA 99207

WHAT WE DO

509.869.0876 o ce 509-795-2028 24/7 miaspokane.org info@miaspokane.org

MiA advocates for survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault, helping them reach their full potential and educating our community from a Latine perspective to end family violence.

MIA’S MAIN PROGRAMS:

Mente y Corazón WA State certi ed victim advocates provide crisis intervention, safety planning, medical advocacy, legal advocacy, resource navigation. e work is survivor-led and trauma informed while meeting participants where they are.

Puerto Seguro MiA’s mobile housing advocate supports survivors with navigating and securing emergency, transitional, and/or permanent housing for people eeing DV/SA in Spokane. We leverage our strong partnerships with housing programs and private landlords to help stabilize families who are homeless/at-risk of homelessness.

Primera Conexión Spokane’s rst bilingual 24/7 helpline 509-795-2028. Connecting survivors to bilingual advocates for support with crisis intervention, safety planning, resource navigation, and a listening ear when it seems like a survivor is most alone. ComUnidad y Acción MiA’s policy advocacy team. Advocating for survivors rights, addressing barriers within the systems and building community power.

GET INVOLVED

Eradicating violence from our communities is collaborative work. We welcome volunteers, donors, and partners to participate in the work towards a community free of violence.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Answering the helpline one day a month during the weekend.

• Helping out in the o ce or participating in community events.

• Help develop a community resource

• Provide support to survivors

• Engage in power building through policy advocacy

VOLUNTEER

ere are many needs that can be ful lled by community support. Survivors are many times in need of many basic needs;

• Transportation in the form of a bus pass

• Gi cards to local grocery stores

• New sheet sets for the emergency apartment

• Supporting operational costs to sustain long term funding for services provided

• Investing in the capital campaign funds towards the building of Casa MiA, a supportive culturally-responsive, low income housing development for survivors

Celebrate survivor’s resiliency by participating in the online silent auction: Sequins and Velvet. JOIN US ONLINE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH AT 5:30, CLOSING ON SEPTEMBER 15TH AT 8:30PM

Auction items at www.givebutter.com/miaspokane

North Idaho College Foundation, Inc

1000 W. Garden Avenue • Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

WHAT WE DO

208.769.5978 nic.edu/foundation foundation@nicfoundation.org

North Idaho College is committed to meeting the diverse educational needs of students, employers, and the communities of northern Idaho.

NIC Foundation, Inc. is an independent, non-pro t charitable organization. rough contributions and prudent stewardship, the NIC Foundation provides scholarships for students and invests in programs and services to enhance educational excellence and student success at North Idaho College.

GET INVOLVED

Gi s of any size help provide scholarships for students, enriched educational opportunities, and innovative and creative teaching tools.

North Idaho Pride Alliance

PO Box 741 • Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816

WHAT WE DO

208.352.3518 www.nipridealliance.com info@nipridealliance.com

NIPA is a nonpro t organization of LGBTQIA+ people, allies and community groups working together to create a more inclusive North Idaho.

e North Idaho Pride Alliance envisions a safe and inclusive community where LGBTQIA+ individuals belong, can connect and are empowered to thrive in North Idaho. We will accomplish this through Networking, Educating, and Advocating with the help of our amazing volunteers and supporters.

DONATE

Every dollar helps! Donate $10, $25, $50, or more to the North Idaho Pride Alliance and help ensure the rights of all LGBTQIA+ Idahoans. Together with strong community partnerships, NIPA can help hundreds of North Idahoans live authentic lives where they can thrive and have the critical life-saving resources they need.

Passages Family Support

1700 S. Assembly Road, Ste. 300 • Spokane WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.892.9241 passages-spokane.org info@passagesfs.org

At Passages Family Support, we welcome adults, families, youth, and children who are enrolled in Washington’s Apple Heath program, and are facing behavioral health challenges.

We are a licensed outpatient behavioral health clinic that provides recovery support, peer services, therapy, care coordination, medication management, WISe services, Intensive Residential Treatment, substance use disorder services, and health home programs.

GET INVOLVED

Passages accepts donations and we also utilize volunteers. If you’d like more information, please contact us during business hours from 9-5PM Monday- ursday and 9-Noon on Fridays.

Partners with Families & Children

106 W. Mission Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.473.4810 www.partnerswithfamilies.org Partners@partnerswithfamilies.org

Our mission is to prevent, interrupt and repair cycles of abuse and neglect within families.

Partners provides mental health services, substance use disorders treatment and parenting classes for parenting adults and the children in their lives. rough our Children’s Advocacy Center, Partners is a safety net for abused and neglected children with the ability to provide holistic supportive services like medical exams, forensic interviews, and child legal advocacy.

GET INVOLVED

• Donate funds today or give monthly

• In-kind donations

• Follow us on social media

• To learn more visit www.partnerswithfamilies.org

Project Beauty Share

2718 E. Sprague Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.455.3537 projectbeautyshare.org info@projectbeautyshare.org

Project Beauty Share is a 501(c)(3) non-pro t that provides personal hygiene and beauty products to women and families overcoming abuse, addiction, homelessness, and poverty.

Project Beauty Share is a pass-through agency that collects, sanitizes, and donates personal hygiene, cosmetics, and beauty products to over 100 non-pro t organizations in the Northwest, including Catholic Charities, YWCA, Rural Resources, Communities in Schools, and many more.

DONATE

• Host a hygiene drive.

• Donate funds or supplies directly to Project Beauty Share

• Purchase Hygiene supplies via Amazon Wishlist

Spokane Youth Action Board

157 S Howard, Suite 102 • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.321.7500 betterhealthtogether.org/spokane-yab yab@betterhealthtogether.org

e Spokane YAB plays an essential role as the Youth Action Board for our community’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP)

e Spokane YAB is a group of youth and young adults ages 12-24 with live experience of homelessness and housing instability. Members work to change systems by collaborating with local organizations on homelessness prevention, diversion, and developing solutions to address youth housing instability.

GET INVOLVED

Join the YAB and help us recruit new members! Individuals ages 12-24 with lived experience of housing instability are invited to contribute their voices & perspectives. Members are paid a stipend for participation in YAB meetings and activities.

Thrive International

110 E. 4th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

rive International is empowering multicultural communities to THRIVE.

509.553.560650 thriveint.org emily@thriveinternational.org

rive International is based in the rive Center downtown Spokane—a 90 room facility that provides a ordable housing, programs to empower women and youth, and educational workshops for over 2,000 newly arrived refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Congo, and many other nationalities.

GET INVOLVED

rive International hosts an annual Gala in November to celebrate the resilience of multicultural communities. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities by scanning the QR code.

Transitions

3128 N. Hemlock Street • Spokane, WA 99205

WHAT WE DO

509.328.6702 help4women.org info@help4women.org

Transitions works to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane.

Our six unique programs, reaching over 1,000 women and children annually, include: the Women’s Hearth daytime drop-in center, New Leaf Kitchen & Cafe job training, Transitional Living Center for moms and their kiddos, EduCare licensed trauma-informed childcare, Miryam’s House transitional housing for single women, and Home Yard Cottages permanent supportive housing.

GET INVOLVED

Donate: From money to bus passes to diapers, our participants depend on the generosity of our dedicated donors. Volunteer: Whether regularly on-site, in a committee, or at a single event, we heavily rely upon our wonderful volunteers. Advocate: Help ensure that housing, poverty, and domestic violence issues are in the forefront of our representatives’ policy-making.

Women Helping Women Fund

3704 N. Nevada Street, Ste. 201 • Spokane, WA 99207

WHAT WE DO

509.328.8285 whwfspokane.org info@whwfspokane.org

We are grantmakers, changemakers and go-getters. We educate. We advocate. And we help our community come together to support women and children.

Why We Do It: We are strongest when we learn, grow, and give together. With your support, WHWF has invested $6.4 million through grants and scholarships to support local women and children.

GET INVOLVED

WHWF is building a new kind of giving community across Spokane! Team up with other Giving Circle Members with a pledge of $25 or $50 per month. Visit: whwfspokane.org/give-together or scan the QR code for more!

Women & Children’s Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen

1408 N. Washington Street

WHAT WE DO

• Spokane, WA 99201

509.324.1995 wcfrspokane.org philanthropy@wcfrspokane.org

WCFR is a vital safety net lling nutritional gaps for women and children in need while fostering dignity and respect, within our restaurant and in the community.

At Women & Children’s Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen, we believe that access to not just food but healthy food is a basic human right. We serve women, children, seniors, and teens who struggle with nutrition insecurity and poverty stemming from various root causes. Now in our 35th year, we are a two-time AGORA award recipient for nonpro t excellence. In March 2020, we made a transformative shi to address our community’s growing need for nutritional support. Since then, we have provided more than 3.8 million meals to our community.

We also prepare and deliver nutritious meals to organizations throughout our community, working collaboratively with agencies providing housing, DV support, childcare and protection, job training, and LGBTQ+ support. ese unique partnerships connect our most vulnerable citizens with basic needs for improved quality of life.

Please consider donating or volunteering with us. Together, let’s ensure that no woman or child goes hungry in our community.

DONATE VOLUNTEER

• Fresh Protein - $2,500

• Fresh Dairy - $1,000

• Fresh Produce - $500

• Breakfast for Kids - $250

• Package & Delivery - $100

Give online at wcfrspokane.org/donate

• Curbside meal and grocery distribution team member

• Kitchen team assistant or meal packager

• Food inventory team member bag & stock food

Learn more at wcfrspokane.org/volunteer

NOW!

AgWest Farm Credit presents Dinner on the Farm, a taste of farm life celebrating 35 years of service to women & children. September 15, 2023, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. For more information, visit farmdinner.org

YMCA of the Inland Northwest

1126 N. Monroe Street • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.777.YMCA (9622) ymcainw.org jzumbro@ymcainw.org

We give everyone a safe place to learn, grow & thrive by strengthening the foundations of our community through healthy living, youth development & social responsibility.

e YMCA is addressing major challenges facing our community, including:

• Lack of childcare and early learning which impacts children’s potential and parent’s ability to remain in the workforce

• Signi cant health disparities which increase the risk of illness for more vulnerable groups

GET INVOLVED

Your donation helps ensure all families in our community can access high quality childcare and every individual can pursue their health journey regardless of their nancial constraints. Make a di erence today at ymcainw.org/donate

YWCA Spokane

WHAT WE DO

Provide free & con dential services focused on safety, healing, education & skill development for people of all genders & their children who are impacted by domestic violence, poverty, homelessness & unemployment.

For over 120 years, YWCA Spokane has worked to disrupt cycles of violence and strengthen communities by working to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

In 2022 we walked alongside over 14,000 individuals experiencing intimate partner domestic violence (DV), homelessness, and unemployment through our trauma-informed services.

Our Services:

24hr DV Helpline & Emergency safe house, Housing advocacy & support, Safety planning, resource referrals, education, & supportive advocacy, Mental health therapy for survivors & their families, Legal advocacy to navigate the civil protection order process & support in the courtroom, Legal assistance with divorces, separations, custody & child support for survivors of DV, Free women’s clothing boutique, Holistic healing center supporting women with job readiness, skill development, & healing classes, Free preschool serving income & environmentallyeligible children & their families, Community education & prevention classes

DONATE

Together, we can create a sustainable community where everyone is able to live with dignity & respect. Your gi helps a survivor of domestic violence nd hope, safety, stability, & success.

Give A One-Time Gi or Become a Monthly Donor: You can help meet the immediate needs of women, men, and children eeing violent relationships.

$200 provides food for one victim of domestic violence for a full week while staying at our safe shelter

$100 provides a survivor with free, trauma-informed child care while they access services so no matter what, their child has a safe place to go

$50 provides a survivor eeing a violent relationship with household essentials like hygiene products, cleaning supplies, bath towels, or other necessities

$25 provides one new pair of shoes for the school year for a child in our early education program

Consider making a gi in your will: Your gi can ensure a future of dignity, empowerment, & justice while planning for your own

Give Stocks and Securities: Donating stock can have an enormous impact on our mission while providing you with excellent tax-bene ts

Give from your IRA: If you are 70.5+ or older, donate from your IRA & make an impact without dipping into your taxable income

Give through your DAF: A grant from your Donor Advised Fund means that there is always someone to walk alongside a survivor when they need it most

Or mail a check to YWCA Spokane, 930 N. Monroe Street, Spokane, WA 99201

“The YWCA helps women who are discouraged nd courage, who are broken to feel hope, who are weak to know their strength, and to understand they are worthy.” - Debra Hayes, Donor

Love Languages

Local nonprofit Mujeres in Action serves domestic violence survivors in Spanish

When Hanncel Sanchez was earning her degree in women and gender studies at Eastern Washington University, she volunteered her extra time at a sexual assault helpline. Even though she knew sexual assault was an issue for Spanish speakers, she noticed that they weren’t the ones calling in.

In 2018, Sanchez founded Mujeres in Action, or MiA, a nonprofit that provides bilingual crisis intervention and culturally specific care, safety planning, emergency housing, and companionship services to Latinx families facing abusive relationships at home. (MiA prefers the non-gendered term Latinx, which will be used throughout this profile.) They are advocates for survivors at doctors appointments, in legal advice and

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

with employment searches, while also trying to hold government agencies responsible for language access to public information.

About 7 percent of Spokane County’s population is Latinx, but the community is spread out and often isolated, says Ana Trusty, communications director for MiA. That isolation makes communication difficult, plus it puts community members more at risk for abuse.

One of the first steps MiA takes is raising awareness within the Latinx community about what abusive relationships can look like.

“There’s a perception that domestic violence has to be physical,” Trusty says. “[But] we look at the Power and Control Wheel, which is something that I would highly recommend. It changed my life, and it changes the way that I view all the -isms — racism, sexism — all of it.”

Created by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota, the Power and Control Wheel is a diagram that shows how abusers can use isolation, intimidation, guilt, children or money to harm and trap their families.

While abuse can happen to anyone, most domestic violence is aimed at women. The people coming to MiA reflect that. MiA staff and volunteers create welcoming, safe spaces for women to talk about their experiences at home.

One of Trusty’s favorite days recently was a spa day in which Spanish-speaking volunteers gave free pedicures to anyone who stopped by. While the women were being pampered, they also talked about experiences at home.

...continued on next page

Hanncel Sanchez founded Mujeres in Action to serve the Inland Northwest’s Spanish speakers. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“That’s how we got people to listen about consent and healthy relationships and birth control,” Trusty says.

One of MiA’s main programs, Mente y Corazòn (or Mind and Heart), is an evaluation service that listens to each woman and gives her control over what services to request.

“A person comes in, and they need maybe housing, or they need help with immigration law, or they have a case at the courthouse that they need support with, or they need a protection order,” Trusty says. Or it might be helping make a doctor appointment, getting their child services at school or learning about food stamps. “We meet survivors where they’re at.”

OTHER WAYS TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY

RIVER CITY YOUTH OPS uses urban gardening to educate and empower teenagers in West Central. Paid summer programs expose young people to organic food from seed to table, plus build skills in community engagement and job readiness. Participants help beautify the neighborhood by transforming vacant lots into community gardens. Donations go toward sponsoring a participant or building the capacity of the program. Volunteers can also help on the farm or at events, like the Emerson-Garfield farmers market, as individuals or groups.

More information at YouthOps.org

KYRS THIN AIR COMMUNITY

HOW YOU CAN HELP

capital funds campaign to build eight to 12 new housing units for women in need of an emergency place to stay.

Also, to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage month and the nonprofit’s fifth anniversary, MiA is hosting a Sequins and Velvet gala in September. Tickets are sold out, but volunteers are still needed, and the silent auction is available to everyone online.

To donate to Mujeres in Action, text DONATE to 509-383-8038 or go to their website, miaspokane.org. To view the silent auction, visit givebutter.com/c/ miaspokane/auction. To ask how you can volunteer your time, email anovoa@ miaspokane.org or call 509-869-0876.

The number of people coming to MiA doubled last year, leaping from about 150 to nearly 300 people served in 2022.

As MiA gains trust in the community and the word of their work spreads, they’re hoping to add more robust, inhouse mental health services, eventually as a provider with the state Department of Health. MiA is also working on a

Even though MiA seeks to serve the Latinx community, anyone can come to them for help. Trusty notes that people from various immigrant and minority backgrounds are turning to MiA for support, because the staff understands what it’s like to navigate complicated systems as nonwhite or non-English speaking people.

“In Spokane County, there is no access to justice unless you speak English,” Trusty says.

While legal advocates push for better language access to government information, Sanchez also made sure to create another 24/7 abuse hotline, this time staffed by English and Spanish speaking volunteers, to make sure her community always has someone to call for help. n

RADIO is a local radio station broadcast from Spokane’s Central Library and dedicated to filling gaps in local media. Reporting spans local environmental, LGBTQ+ and women’s issues, plus national public broadcasting like Democracy Now! and the Bioneers’ podcast. DJs also spin deep dive indie rock, blues and hip hop music. KYRS is volunteer run and listener funded. Donations go toward the $20,000 the station needs every month to keep the airwaves full. You can also link your Fred Meyer Community Rewards card to KYRS to support local stories with every grocery run.

More information at kyrs.org

CATCH SPOKANE runs basketball leagues to mentor young hoopers and catch kids at risk of falling through the cracks. Coaches are dedicated to player development, emphasizing confidence, teamwork and longterm growth through leagues, tournaments, and a college recruitment mentoring program. Programs are available for boys and girls from elementary to high school. Donations help cover gym fees, equipment and individual player scholarships.

More information at CatchSpokane.org

— ELIZA BILLINGHAM

“LOVE LANGUAGES,” CONTINUED...

Hanncel Sanchez, left, and Ana Trusty seek to help non-English speakers navigate complicated legal systems. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Coeur Connections

COEUR D ’ALENE CASINO IS A PR OUD S UPPORTER OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

At Coeur d’Alene Casino, giving back to our community represents one of our longstanding Coeur Values. Over the years, we’ve given more than 33.3 million to schools in our region. In addition, employee team members lend a hand at community charity events such as Blessings and Beyond, Tools 2 Schools, and more. Starting in 2021, donation boxes have been added to our ticket redemption machines collecting small change for a different organization or charity selected monthly. Coeur d’Alene Casino gives hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to sponsorships, non-profits, organizations, and deserving individuals. In late 2019, we launched “Coeur Connections,” giving our community work a formal name. Giving is a part of our culture and we will continue to expand our efforts to lend a helping hand to the people of Idaho and our Inland Northwest region.

READ

Read

How To Give

GO

Grab

PICK

Call

509.995.5431 acco.org/inlandnw lesliewood ll@accoinlandnw.org

We are rebranding our organization e ective 9/30/23. Please see the Childhood Cancer Coalition listing for future contacts. (See listing in Give Guide) Our ACCOIN site and emails will remain active until 9/30/23. A er that time, please use cccnw.org for the website and leslie@cccnw.org for an email contact.

How can you make a di erence in the life of a child with cancer?

We’d be honored to accept your donation of time, talent, or treasure. https://www.acco.org/inlandnw/donate/ For more information, contact Leslie Wood ll @ 509-995-5431 or lesliewood ll@accoinlandnw.org

American Red Cross, Greater Inland Northwest

315 W. Nora Ave • Spokane, WA 99205

WHAT WE DO

509.326.3330 redcross.org/northwest lacie.clark@redcross.org

e American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human su ering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

e American Red Cross Northwest Region brings together local volunteers to care for their neighbors, trains hundreds of thousands of people each year in life-saving skills, and responds to a local disaster almost daily. We serve the people, businesses and communities of Washington and North Idaho.

GET INVOLVED

Visit redcross.org/donate to make a nancial gi and make a di erence in someone’s life Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Red Cross. Join us at redcross.org/volunteer Schedule a blood donation appointment by visiting redcrossblood.org

Better Health Together

157 S Howard, Suite 102 • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.321.7500

betterhealthtogether.org cvc@betterhealthtogether.org

Better Health Together tackles health inequities throughout eastern Washington. We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at being healthy.

We work with more than 100 organizations across seven counties to promote practical solutions to meet the needs of the people and communities we serve. Our Community Voices Council is a chance for our region’s Medicaid bene ciaries to be heard, inform local leaders, and foster change in healthcare.

GET INVOLVED

Join our Community Voices Council and help us recruit new members to collaborate at monthly meetings. Members are paid a stipend for participation.

The Blood Center Foundation of the Inland Northwest

210 W. Cataldo Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.995.7603 bloodcenterfoundation.com tcheevers@vitalant.org

e Blood Center Foundation of the Inland Northwest moves people and organizations forward that enhance health and wellness for blood banking, transfusion and transplantation medicine.

BCFIN was founded in 2013 to raise funds and provide nancial support to blood banking and related services in eastern Washington and north Idaho. Grants provide nancial support in Education, Technology, and Research. Sometimes our support is direct, other times it is broadbased, uniting technologies and equipment to enhance programs.

GET INVOLVED

Epicurean Delight: Spokane’s longest running and largest formal culinary gala. Epicurean on the Green: We’ve taken the formal gala to the golf course! Culinary and Libation talents merge with a fun round of golf. Visit www.epicureandelight.org

Carl Maxey Center

3114 E. 5th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.867.3043 carlmaxeycenter.org cmc@carlmaxeycenter.org

e Carl Maxey Center (CMC) is a neighborhood cultural center, gathering place, and community based non-pro t organization located in the East Central neighborhood of Spokane.

CMC provides programs and services focused on addressing the needs of Spokane’s African American/Black community. Our mission is to inspire, empower, upli and advocate for the Black/African American community by focusing on economic development, education, racial equity, justice, and cultural enrichment.

GET INVOLVED

A donation to the Carl Maxey Center provides support for one of our current programs including the Sandy Williams Justice Center, Eviction Prevention, Black Business Support and Development, Digital Equity and Community Resource Navigation. Donations may also be designated to support the remodel of CMC building which is a cultural hub and gathering space in the East Central neighborhood.

509.358.4250

Catholic Charities Eastern Washington

12 E. 5th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

CCEW empowers Eastern Washington: compassionately serving and upli ing communities through holistic care, safe housing, and equitable pathways to health and wellbeing.

Since 1912, our legacy of service to our community has rooted itself in our call to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, and heal the hurting.  rough collaborative partnership with parishes, businesses, government, and nonpro t organizations in Eastern Washington, we advance innovative programs that bring hope to our clients.  Inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, we serve and advocate for the whole person as we continue expanding our understanding of the diversity of the human experience.

VOLUNTEER DONATE

Help us create an Eastern Washington where every person can thrive. For volunteer opportunities, please email volunteering@cceasternwa.org.

To support programs and services that help community members move toward healthy and stable lives, please visit cceasternwa.org/donate.

Catholic Charities invites you to join us for an evening of celebrating the legacy, history, service, and generosity we have created in Eastern Washington.

PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2024, AT THE DAVENPORT GRAND

“Catholic Charities a rms the dignity of every person, partnering with parishes and the greater community to serve and advocate for those who are vulnerable, bringing stability and hope to people throughout Eastern Washington.”

Catholic Charities Foundation

12 E. 5th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.358.4266 cceasternwa.org annmarie.byrd@cceasternwa.org

e Catholic Charities Foundation was established in 2005 to support the programs and services of Catholic Charities Eastern Washington.

By putting Catholic Charities Eastern Washington in your will, you will be joining our Legacy Society, which allows you to create a lasting impact on the lives of those in need. Remember, your legacy can be a testament to your compassion and generosity, ensuring that your values and beliefs continue to make a di erence long a er you’re gone.

GET INVOLVED

For more information on the Catholic Charities Legacy Society and to explore the various ways you can contribute, please contact Ann Marie Byrd, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Foundation at 509-358-4266 or annmarie.byrd@cceasternwa.org.

CDAIDE

PO Box 1042 • Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816

WHAT WE DO

208.719.7106 cdaide.org/ serving@cdaide.org

CDAIDE supports Coeur d’Alene-area hospitality workers by meeting their immediate needs, connecting them with resources for long term self-su ciency, and ensuring they feel valued, respected, and loved.

Hospitality workers form one of the hardest-working yet most fragile groups in the Coeur d’Alene region. Servers, cooks, cleaners, and others o en struggle with limited income, lack of insurance, and an absence of necessary resources. Unexpected medical expenses, auto breakdown, or an increase in rent can spell crisis, even homelessness.

DONATE

$25 Keeps lights and heat on for hospitality workers.

$50 Supports workers facing unexpected medical bills.

$100 Provides rent assistance, keeping working families housed.

Childhood

Cancer Coalition

202 E. Spokane Falls Boulevard Ste. 301 • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.995.5431 cccnw.org leslie@cccnw.org

e Childhood Cancer Coalition is thrilled to unveil our new name and logo as we rebrand.

Our new logo & name symbolize the light, hope, and resilience that characterize both our non-pro t organization and the children we support from Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and Western Montana who are undergoing cancer treatments. Your partnership will provide direct nancial support, education, patient advocacy, support groups, and more.

VOLUNTEER

How can you make a di erence in the life of a child with cancer?

We’d be honored to accept your donation of time, talent, or treasure. cccnw.org For more information, contact Leslie Wood ll @ 509-995-5431 or leslie@cccnw.org

Christian Youth Theater Spokane

WHAT WE DO

509.487.6540 cytspokane.org o ce@cytspokane.org

CYT Spokane aims to serve our community by providing quality, educational theater arts programs and productions at an accessible price to all interested families.

We believe in validating and celebrating the artistic expression and hearts of our youth in a safe, compassionate environment. Unfortunately, ticket sales and tuition cover only a portion of our operating budget. We need loving, service-minded donors who believe in our mission to partner with us.

3901 E Main Avenue, Suite A • Spokane, WA 99202 GET

INVOLVED

Every dollar contributed assures that CYT will continue to deliver top-notch a ordable programming to all who need it. Please consider joining us as we continue to develop character on stage at a time.

Companions Animal Center

10275 N. Atlas Road • Hayden, ID 83835

WHAT WE DO

208.772.4019 companionsanimalcenter.org

info@companionsanimalcenter.org

Companions Animal Center (CAC) is an independent, nonpro t 501c3, non-government, privately funded organization dedicated to the welfare of animals. ey practice the No-Kill Philosophy.

Formerly Kootenai Humane Society, CAC has been serving the Coeur d’Alene area for over 43 years. O ering adoptions, medical services, low-cost and free services, and a safe haven for unwanted pets are just a few ways CAC supports our animal population.

DONATE

rough your generous monetary donations, CAC can:

$25 – vaccinate an animal

$100 – spay/neuter an animal to prevent unwanted litters

$300 – one-view x-ray from a local vet clinic

Innovia Foundation

818 W Riverside Ave # 650 • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

As the community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, Innovia Foundation ignites generosity that transforms lives and communities so that every person has the opportunity to thrive.

We believe strong communities are inclusive, built on diverse backgrounds, perspectives and participation. Since 1974, we’ve been partnering with people who want to make our world better. We work together to address and solve our region’s problems, help those in need, identify and respond to our greatest opportunities and leave a lasting impact.

• We partner with generous individuals, families, businesses and charitable organizations to establish funds that empower our communities.

• We invest over $10 million each year into our communities through grants and scholarships.

• We unite with volunteers, local leaders and trusted voices to identify community priorities and advance transformational efforts.

• We improve access to education, promote health and wellbeing, support arts and culture, create economic opportunity and enhance quality of life.

• We bring people together, elevate diverse voices and create opportunity for all.

GET INVOLVED

People in Eastern Washington and North Idaho are committed to this place - giving time, talent, passion and energy to help our neighbors and improve our region. We are invested with one another to create a better future. By committing to leave 5% in end-of-life generosity to your community and local organizations that reflect your passions, you can make sure your personal investment continues to grow for generations to come. Contact us to learn more.

DONATE

We provide opportunities for donors of all income levels to direct funding to their favorite charitable organizations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. When our donors are passionate about a cause, we help them find ways to make a lasting difference. Innovia offers different fund types, each with unique characteristics and opportunities to maximize impact. Give to an existing fund or contact us to start your own charitable fund.

$32 to Union Gospel Mission provides three meals and a bed

$30 to Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank provides a month’s worth of diapers for a baby

$50 to NAMI Spokane provides a group counseling session for one adult and their family

KSPS PBS

3911 S. Regal Street • Spokane, WA 99223

WHAT WE DO

At KSPS PBS, we take pride in being Spokane’s beacon of thoughtful, thought-provoking programming. Our mission is to entertain, engage, educate, and enrich all the communities we serve through on-air, online, and multimedia programs.

Each day KSPS PBS invites people in two million households in the Inland Northwest and Canada to experience the worlds of science, history, and nature; listen to diverse viewpoints and trusted reporting; and take front row seats to world-class performances. Beyond our free television broadcast and online streaming, KSPS PBS deepens our local public service through four major community initiatives:

• Education: We work with public libraries and schools to serve marginalized communities and families with pre-K to grade 3 children via our proven curricula and camps.

• Workforce: We create online regional career exploration resources to support workforce and economic development. (Seewww.careerexplorenw.org)

• Arts & Culture: We curate local arts and culture to improve access, amplify cultural diversity, and inspire and enlighten. (see Inland Sessions)

• Civic Health: We foster civic engagement and health with state and local government coverage and programming that explores vital issues. (see Civics Bowl)

GET INVOLVED

WATCH OR STREAM FREE: Tune in to our 4 captivating HD channels of PBS programs on TV or watch online. Immerse yourself in thought-provoking documentaries, explore diverse cultures, discover groundbreaking science, and indulge in captivating dramas. Expand your horizons, gain knowledge, and be inspired. Get KSPS PBS (and dozens of other local channels) FREE with an antenna or download the PBS app on your phone, tablet, or smart TV to stream public television programs ondemand.

BECOME A SUSTAINER: “Viewers Like You” make public broadcasting possible by donating to your local PBS station. A sustaining membership of just $5 a month or more helps keep KSPS PBS on the air and entitles you to PBS Passport, our library of PBS series like Masterpiece, Nature, NOVA, Frontline, and hundreds more to stream on the PBS App. Donate any amount and make a vital contribution to ensure engaging, enriching, educational programs are there for you and your neighbors!

DONATE

$5 monthly keeps KSPS PBS on the air and includes PBS Passport.

$25 monthly contributes to KSPS PBS educational camps.

$50 monthly expands PBS access for marginalized households.

$100 monthly puts you in the KSPS PBS Leadership Circle.

$1,000 monthly allows KSPS PBS to acquire bold new programs!

JOIN US AT COMMUNITY EVENTS: Join the KSPS PBS email list to be invited to community events like FitKids Day and Future Day, summer concerts, arts receptions, premiere screenings, lectures by public broadcasting personalities, holiday concerts and more.

VOLUNTEER

Give your time and talents to support public media! Become a valued volunteer at KSPS PBS and make a meaningful impact. Join us in promoting educational programs, facilitating events, assisting with o ce work, and engaging with our vibrant community. Visit www.ksps.org/support-ksps/volunteer/ to explore rewarding opportunities and contribute your unique skills. Together, let’s inspire, educate, and entertain through the power of public broadcasting.

“KSPS PBS gave me a connection—a thread of consistency and familiarity when moving alone to a new state. Thank you, KSPS PBS.” -Barbara

Habitat for Humanity-Spokane

1805 E. Trent Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

509.534.2552 habitat-spokane.org info@habitat-spokane.org

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Since 1987, Habitat-Spokane has built, rehabbed, and sold over 400 a ordable homes. Families empowered to help themselves: Habitat for Humanity is a partnership — families help build and renovate their own homes alongside volunteers and community partners. A er completing the program, they BUY their home and pay an a ordable mortgage.

WHAT WE DO

GET INVOLVED

SHOP - DONATE - VOLUNTEER. With your support, we can tackle the a ordable housing crisis in Spokane County. Shop at the Habitat Store. Donate goods or funds. Volunteer and help build a ordable homes!

Latinos En Spokane

1502 N. Monroe Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201 | O ce hours: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm

509.558.9359 www.latinosenspokane.org info@latinosenspokane.org

Latinos En Spokane is a Latino and immigrant-led 501C3, Non-pro t organization centered on supporting citizen participation, culturally led community development, and empowerment of the Latino and immigrant population in Spokane County. We do our work through our Center for Latinos, our Community Comadre social worker program, El Mercadito outdoor cultural market, and our Emprendete- Business Incubator Center.

WHAT WE DO

At Latinos En Spokane you can: Attend cultural events • Participate in educational workshops • Housing support & energy assistance • Immigration assistance • Legal clinics • Reserve a public computer • Talk to a Community Comadre • y mucho, mucho más ! [and much more]

GET INVOLVED

Donate to help sustain our Center for Latinos and Immigrants and programs. Volunteer with us at El Mercadito! Participate in our cultural events! Our collective e orts make our community stronger in Spokane!

Lutheran Community Services Northwest

210 W Sprague Ave • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.747.8224 lcsnw.org lcsnwSpokane@lcsnw.org

Behavioral Health, Crime Victim Advocacy, and Refugee Foster Care services for trauma recovery. Partnering with individuals, families, and communities for #HealthJusticeHope

We believe all children deserve safe and loving homes, stand with refugees who’ve endured the unimaginable, and support crime victims along their healing journey. We partner with thousands to break generational cycles of trauma and make positive impacts on people and communities.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer on our 24/7 support line. Learn about becoming a foster parent. Join our Client or Youth Advisory Boards. Attend an event, Join our Team, or Donate.

Mission Community Outreach Center

1906 E. Mission Ave • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.536.1084 4mission.org mcoc.spokane@gmail.com

Mission Community Outreach Center is a free clothing, housewares, hygiene and diaper bank dedicated to serving those in need in our community.

Mission Community Outreach Center provides gently used clothing, basic household goods, and hygiene items every 60 days as well as diapers and wipes every 30 days. We operate an independent, 501(c)(3) nonpro t organization intent on reaching out with care to those in need in the Spokane community.

DONATE

Your nancial support and donations of gently used clothing, kitchenware, and bedding items, and of new diapers and hygiene items keep our shelves stocked. Email mcoc.spokane@gmail.com for interest in volunteering, donate online, or drop o donations Mon & urs 1:00-4:00pm and Wed 10 am-1 pm.

Morning

WHAT WE DO

509.448.1202

msbr@msbranch.org

Morning Star, answering God’s call to love and serve those in need, is dedicated to building responsible adults by believing in youth and providing programs to strengthen families and the community.

MORNING STAR WELCOMES OUR FIRST FEMALE RESIDENT!

We are beyond thrilled to share a groundbreaking moment in Morning Star’s history. Since our establishment in 1957, we have proudly welcomed our rst-ever female resident! is marks a signi cant milestone in our mission to expand our reach and support for families in our communities.

Our commitment to inclusivity has taken a giant leap forward by opening our doors to young girls. We recognize the immense potential and talent that exists in every child, regardless of gender, and we are excited to shape our programs to cater to a more diverse range of needs, experiences, and perspectives.

With this pivotal change, we aim to broaden our impact and support systems for families, ensuring that they have the resources and assistance they need to thrive.

Transforming

lives with love, respect, and family care for bright futures.

DONATE

Your donation to Morning Star ensures we can continue to serve and support children, youth, and families participating in our programs, providing them with love, care, guidance, resources, and hope to build responsible kids who grow into stable, successful adults while strengthening communities and making the world a better place for all.

Join Us! To unite as a superhero team to raise funds to support the critical programs Morning Star provides to help children, youth, and families. Leave your mask and cape at home and arrive at the Spokane Convention Center in civilian clothing. You’ll enjoy an evening of excellent food, local wines, a silent auction and ra e, and fun with friends while supporting Morning Star’s resilient kids.

Inlander.com/GiveGuide

Local thrift shops, including Goodwill or the Arc of Spokane, are powered by charity and give back to those most in need.

Mobius Discovery Center

331 N Post Street • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.321.7121 mobiusdiscoverycenter.org @mobiusdiscovery

Mobius sparks curiosity and ignites imaginations of all ages through exploration and play, hands-on exhibits, and STEAM learning experiences.

Mobius Discovery Center (formerly Mobius Children’s Museum and Mobius Science Center) continues to provide experiential learning to our region. We o er eld trips, STEAM-based educational workshops, outreach experiences, birthday parties, classes, and a erhours adult events.

DONATE

$0 Donate your time by volunteering

$15 Provides one STEAM Kit to a student or organization in need

$160 Give back by becoming a member and enjoying unlimited admission

$200 Gi a classroom an opportunity to visit Mobius for a no cost eld trip

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture

2316 W. 1st Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.456.3931 northwestmuseum.org visitorservices@northwestmuseum.org

e MAC collects and preserves objects and stories that serve as the “memory” of our region and presents exhibitions that enrich and inspire people of all ages.

Our collection of over 1 million artifacts, works of art, photographs, and texts includes the largest known Plateau Indian collection and the historic Campbell House, which continues to create fond memories of childhood and family visits. An a liate of the Smithsonian Institution.

GET INVOLVED

Buy a membership! Help bring exhibitions such as Minecra : e Exhibition to the MAC, fund educational programs and preserve historic objects for future generations. You’ll enjoy free admission and other great bene ts.

The Salvation Army Spokane

222 E. Indiana Avenue • Spokane, WA 99207

WHAT WE DO

509.325.6810 makingspokanebetter.org

rough numerous programs and services, e Salvation Army Spokane helps transform the lives of local vulnerable families and individuals so that they can become self-su cient.

Since 1891, our commitment has been to help the whole person physically, emotionally, and spiritually without discrimination and always with dignity and respect. Presently, 92 cents of every dollar donated to e Salvation Army goes to life-changing programs that bring hope and results to those in need.

GET INVOLVED

$50 provides food for a week for a local family

$300 provides one week of transitional housing for a family of three $1,000 provides a month of safe and loving care for a foster child, age 2-12, at Sally’s House

Donate

$50 to CDAide supports restaurant workers facing unexpected medical bills

$25 to Companions Animal Center vaccinates an animal

$50 to Salvation Army provides a week’s food to a local family

SAN - Spokane AIDS Network

1103 W 5th Ave • Spokane, WA 99204

WHAT WE DO

509.844.1758

www.sannw.org

support@san-nw.org

To empower people at risk of, or a ected by, HIV/AIDS through education, outreach and advocacy.

SAN provides support and services to those living with HIV, their families, and the greater 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Our services include peer support, food pantry, HIV prevention, HIV housing services, emergency support and so much more!

GET INVOLVED

SAN needs your help! Volunteer your time or talents, donate to support our programs or attend an event! Visit our website to stay informed!

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

P.O. Box 2906 • Spokane, WA 99220-2906

WHAT WE DO

svdpspokane.com svdp.spokane@gmail.com

A Catholic lay organization, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul helps neighbors in need directly in any way possible, with the primary focus being on preventing homelessness.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which has been helping those in need in Spokane for over 100 years, develops its members’ spirituality through service to others. While our informal motto is ‘No work of charity is foreign to the Society,’ our main goal is to help our neighbors remain housed by assisting with rent, mortgage, power, food, and in other ways.

GET INVOLVED

Donate: Monetary donations are our sole funding. Remember us in your will: Contact us to find out how to support our work into the future. Start a Society conference in your parish!

Second Harvest

1234 E Front Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.534.6678 2-harvest.org info@2-harvest.org

Second Harvest has been building healthier communities through food since 1971. As the largest charitable food distributor in the Inland Northwest, Second Harvest brings volunteers, donors and community partners together to provide food assistance and nutrition education to our neighbors in need throughout 26 counties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Right now, 1 in 10 people in the Inland Northwest, including 1 in 7 children, faces hunger. To serve thousands of families experiencing food insecurity, Second Harvest provides food at no cost through a network of 250 partner food banks, meal sites and other programs, as well as Mobile Market free food distributions and Bite2Go weekend food supplies for schoolchildren in need. Second Harvest also shares free nutrition resources and cooking classes to help people make strides toward better health and self-sufficiency.

Food is often the first thing people forego when trying to make ends meet. Nutrition should not be an impossible choice for families. With persistent inflation stressing food budgets, more people are turning to local food banks and our Mobile Market for help. Your partnership with Second Harvest supplies food when and where it’s needed most. Thank you for helping to end hunger right here in the Inland Northwest.

GET INVOLVED

You can help serve people facing hunger in our community.

• Volunteer – Sort donated food, build Bite2Go kits or help at a Mobile Market or community cooking class.

• Donate – Every donation serves people facing hunger.

• Leave a legacy – Consider leaving a portion of your estate to help future generations access healthy food. Learn more at 2-harvest.org/legacy.

Spokane Arts: Amplifying the Arts

PO Box 978 • Spokane, WA 99210

509.321.9614 spokanearts.org artshelper@spokanearts.org

Build and support arts and culture in the Spokane region through ongoing programming, grant opportunities, and advocacy work. Spokane Arts is a 501(c)3 nonpro t dedicated to amplifying and supporting arts and culture in Spokane. We lead public art programs including murals, sculptures, and signal boxes around town, curate the Chase Gallery at City Hall, manage the Spokane Poet Laureate and Poetry Out Loud Programs, and organize the city’s annual Arts Month and Spokane Arts Awards celebrations, along with so much more. We invite you to explore everything this creative city has to o er!

WHAT WE DO

GET INVOLVED

Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated! Check out cool artists (or add yourself) on the Spokane Artist Roster or apply for a SAGA grant. You can also help out as a volunteer with Spokane Arts or attend an arts event found on our website. And hey, if you like what we’re doing, you can donate to help us keep going. Find more at spokanearts.org!

Spokane Children’s Theatre

2727 N. Madelia Street #5 • Spokane, WA 99207

WHAT WE DO

509.328.4886 spokanechildrenstheatre.org o ce@spokanechildrenstheatre.org

Spokane Children’s eatre provides enjoyable, educational, and a ordable live theatrical entertainment for children, adults, and their families.

Spokane Children’s eatre (SCT) is Spokane’s oldest theatre organization and is a 501(c)3 non pro t. SCT produces six full length productions a year that includes a wide age range from ages 5 and up! We provide programs and camps focusing on dance, music, and theatre skills that are a ordable and accessible for everyone in our community.

Our 77th season will include:

e Wizard of Oz

Elf the Musical Cheaper by the Dozen

DONATE

Tuck Everlasting You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown Disney’s Tarzan

• Donate! Anything helps keep our theatre a ordable.

• Love a speci c show? Become a show sponsor

• Love all of the shows? Sponsor the season!

• Place an Ad in our programs!

GET INVOLVED

Education:

• Sign up for our Fall Classes!

• Spring Break Camp (April 1-5, 2024)

• Spring Classes (Stay tuned for details!)

• Summer Camps (2024)

Join us on and o stage:

• Audition for a show

• Sign up to become a volunteer

Attend our Annual Fundraiser SPRING OF 2024.

Check our website for updates and details. spokanechildrenstheatre.org

Spokane Civic Theatre

1020 N. Howard Street • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.325.2507

SpokaneCivic eatre.org

Spokane Civic eatre, founded in 1947, is an award-winning nonpro t community theatre. e organization is a fundamental part of the arts community in the Inland Northwest and a xture in downtown Spokane’s North Bank area since 1967.

Including three musicals, a Paci c Northwest-premiering mashup of classic holiday tales, acclaimed dramas, and innumerable performing arts classes, predominantly for the youth of the community, Season 76 includes 130 performance dates and features distinct stories and dazzling music: eAddams Family, Dracula,ASherlock Carol, She Loves Me,Amadeus, and more.

GET INVOLVED

Become a Civic Member today - Pick the package that is best for you. Choose from available dates and seats when you are ready — all at once or one by one. Flexibility always included. Service fees waived for Members. Members get rst access to Part 2 tickets (details to be announced fall 2023). Single Tickets Now On Sale!

SNAP

3102 W. Whistalks Way • Spokane, WA 99224

WHAT WE DO

509.456.SNAP (7627) snapwa.org/give fundraising@snapwa.org

SNAP guides neighbors along their journey to exit poverty from crisis to stability – and has for over 55 years.

SNAP demonstrates our values of community, respect, justice, and equity by nurturing client-focused partnerships that build community, recognizing the dignity and inherent worth of all individuals, and advocating for what is fair, honorable, and equitable. Last year, we served 43,902 neighbors.

GET INVOLVED

1. Donate to SNAP: snapwa.org/give

2. Include SNAP in Planned Giving. We’ve partnered with FreeWill to o er a free online resource to create an estate plan at no cost. Scan the QR code to learn more!

3. Volunteer with SNAP: volunteer@snapwa.org

Spokane Public Radio

1229 N. Monroe Street • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.328.5729 spokanepublicradio.org kpbx@kpbx.org

SPR stations KPBX 91.1 FM, KSFC 91.9 FM, and KPBZ 90.3 FM provide news, discussions, music, and information from here and around the world to the Inland Northwest.

Serving as the area’s only NPR a liate station, SPR brings local, national, and global news and information as well as music, entertainment, and arts to the Inland Northwest.

Spokane Public Radio provides regional coverage on arts happenings, music spanning a wide variety of genres, and news.

DONATE

Get involved by donating to SPR. Listener gi s pay for programming, and pledges are SPR’s chief source of income.

Spokane Valley Partners

10814 E. Broadway • Spokane Valley, WA 99206

WHAT WE DO

WE GOT YOU.

509.927.1153 svpart.org admin@svpart.org

FOOD+Homeless Outreach, Food Express, Diaper Bank, Food for ought, Emergency Assistance, and Clothing Bank are services Spokane Valley Partners provides to support our region through the complexities of hunger and poverty.

DONATE

What Your Donations Can Do:

$20/Month Provides 20 Healthy Meals

$30/Month Provides Diapers for One Baby for a Month

$50/Month Provides Meals for a Family of Four for a Month

$100/Month Provides Weekend Food Security for One Student for 6 Months

Inlander.com/GiveGuide

READ THE GIVE GUIDE

Read all about the goals of local nonprofits in this special section; make a note of the ones you connect with most.

GO ONLINE

Grab your credit card, scan a QR code or log on to the charity websites found in these pages and make a contribution.

PICK UP YOUR PHONE Call your nonprofit of choice via the numbers listed here and make a pledge of cash or volunteer hours.

Spokane Symphony at The Fox Theater

1001 W. Sprague Avenue

WHAT WE DO

• Spokane, WA 99201

509.624.1200 Spokanesymphony.org donate@spokanesymphony.org

e Spokane Symphony, led by Music Director James Lowe, is a 70-piece orchestra committed to providing music to everyone in our community to enrich and transform lives.

We believe the power of music impacts everyone regardless of their background. We believe music has the power to ignite passions, nourish us and inspire us, and connect us to our world and each other.

Now in its 78th season, the Spokane Symphony extends beyond the Fox eater stage. Musicians visit schools, hospitals, retirement communities and community centers to share the joy and power of music.

Our Education programs are developed to inspire learning, creativity, and collaboration. ey allow educators and students to work together with professional musicians to build a relationship with music.

Your donations directly impact the Spokane Symphony. You make free community concerts possible. You help bring musicians into the classroom. You help us reach underserved communities. You help us bring music to those who need it the most.

DONATE

• Keep FREE concerts in our Parks at Comstock, Liberty Lake and Riverfront Park Pavilion.

• Send a 4th grader to Symphony Day at e Fox.

• Send a musician to your school to enrich music curriculum.

• Keep the historic Fox eater a vibrant, treasured landmark in our community.

Union Gospel Mission

1224 E. Trent Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.535.8510 uniongospelmission.org info@uniongospelmission.org

Partnering with the Inland Northwest to reach the poor with the love and power of the gospel so they may become Goddependent, contributing members of society.

UGM has been meeting the needs of those experiencing homelessness in the Inland Northwest since 1951. What began as a soup kitchen, downtown Spokane, has expanded into a comprehensive ministry spanning two states and including four shelters, three recovery programs, three transitional housing complexes, three thri stores, an automotive enterprise, and a summer camp for low-income kids. Available, free-of-charge to anyone in need:

• A safe, clean-and-sober environment

• ree meals a day and clean living accommodations

• Basic medical care

• Counseling and case management

• Life skills classes and job training

GET INVOLVED

• Long-term, residential recovery programs

• Trauma-informed care

UGM accepts no government funding and operates debt-free. erefore, we rely on the generosity of the community to provide these lifechanging services. By volunteering, donating goods, shopping at UGM enterprises, signing up for monthly giving, or providing a one-time gi today, you can make a di erence for your neighbors in need.

DONATE

$32 for 3 meals and a bed

$224 for a week of shelter, food, and care

$365 for a week of holistic recovery

88% of all contributions go toward program services.

Volunteers of America (VOA) Eastern Washington

525 W. Second Avenue • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.624.2378

voaspokane.org info@voaspokane.org

We specialize in providing care to youth and adults with housing rst solutions and low barrier access to services because homelessness shouldn’t be a life sentence.

For 127 years, VOA has been upli ing individuals and communities to provide services and whole-person care to the greater Spokane homeless community. With more than 15 programs, serving young mothers, veterans, teens, young adults, foster youth we are here to meet people where they are on their journey of becoming housed.

We also own and operate three low barrier emergency shelters - Crosswalk Youth Shelter (13-17), Hope House shelter (18+) and the young Adult Shelter (18-24).

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer your time, talent or treasure! Volunteers are key to our success and make a di erence in our participants’ lives. Your treasure helps us to provide front door keys to those in need with 92¢ of every dollar raised going directly to programs.

All gi s are meaningful and transformational to someone experiencing homelessness. A gi of $25 can provide a youth at Crosswalk with funds needed to take their GED exam and a gi of $250 can provide a month’s worth of groceries to someone newly housed. To learn more about our volunteer opportunities or to give and help us reach our donor match please visit our website.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer in the kitchen once a month

Attend our signature fundraising event Eye Contact on 9.14.23

Host Parties - Bingo, Barbeques, and Birthdays!

Spring Cleaning, Provide Haircuts

Meal Providers for Crosswalk or Young Adult Shelter

Meal Service and Kitchen Help at Hope House

Shelter Support Sta , Front Desk Help at Crosswalk

Front Desk Help at Hope House, Art Teachers/Facilitators

VOA’s Annual Fundraiser, EYE CONTACT: ART EXHIBIT 09/14/2023

One-night event that brings together local artists of all kinds to showcase their work. e evening includes food and beverage, live music, a silent auction of artwork by local artists, performance art pieces, and a gallery show of work created by youth and women who are experiencing homelessness.

West Central Community Center

509.326.9540 westcentralcc.org info@westcentralcc.org

e West Central Community Center serves the West Central, Emerson-Gar eld, and Audubon/Downriver neighborhoods of Spokane providing childcare, health and nutrition services, programs for developmentally disabled adults, and recreation activities for youth and adults.

We welcome volunteers - please come in and let us know you’re interested. Join our online newsletter to learn more about our programs and community events throughout the year.

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE

RIVER’S WISH ANIMAL

SANCTUARY is saving one barnyard animal at a time, through rescue, education and advocacy. The volunteer-run refugee houses more that 100 animals on its 65-acre property in northwest Spokane. In its care are rabbits, horses, cows, donkeys, sheep, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigs, dogs and cats. (If you’re reading aloud this is a good time to take a breath). The sanctuary’s co-founders Kit and Peter Jagoda believe that every creature can live a full and joyful life, which is why they founded the organization. The pair have worked in the field since 1995, when they joined a local pet rescue group, but River’s Wish — named after their canine companion River, who died in 1999 — was incorporated as a nonprofit animal sanctuary in 2004.

More information at RiversWishAnimalSanctuary.org

SPOKANE POTTERS’

GUILD knows that sometimes getting dirty is a necessary act. And there’s no way to get closer to nature other than digging your hands into the mud… well clay technically. Whether you’re into handbuilding clay creations or molding masterpieces on the wheel, the Spokane Potters’ Guild is the perfect place to be. The volunteer-led nonprofit studio offers the Spokane community a space to first learn about the craft and then to appreciate it. Eight-week classes are offered on a quarterly basis and grant folks access to use the facility any time afterwards.

More information at SpokanePottersGuild.org

Saving the Snake

BY COLTON RASANEN

Fish are in danger and it’s our fault. Between pollution, poaching and damming infrastructure, the depletion of freshwater fish nationwide is human-made and, in most cases, preventable or reversible.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are close to 200 endangered and threatened fish species throughout the country, many of which are salmon that have

called the Pacific Northwest their swimming grounds since time immemorial. These Pacific salmon are considered a keystone species, which means their existence benefits the health and function of the ecosystems they occupy.

For the past three decades, a coalition of Northwest and national conservation organizations, fishing associations and environmental advocates have worked together — as the Save Our

GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA has — as we all know — its yearly, delicious cookie campaigns. But the organization provides more than tempting treats. More than a century ago, the founding members of the Girl Scouts redefined what’s possible for girls nationwide. By engaging in outdoor recreation, millions of girls have shared a sense of adventure and a belief that they could make a difference in the world. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho cater to youth in the Inland Northwest.

More information at gsewni.org

COLTON RASANEN

Save Our Wild Salmon has been working for more than 30 years to salvage the future of salmon and steelhead populations in the Pacific Northwest

Salmon once plied the waterways of the Inland Northwest — and may well do it again.

OUR COMMUNITY’S ONLY NONPROFIT HOSPICE, SERVING PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES SINCE 1977.

Wild Salmon coalition — to not only protect wild salmon and steelhead populations, but also to prevent this shrinking population from further dwindling.

While this fight encompasses the entirety of the ColumbiaSnake River Basin, recent efforts have targeted removal of four dams on the lower Snake River.

“Bipartisan policymakers are very much realizing that salmon extinction is not acceptable and replacing these four lower Snake River dams is doable,” says Tanya Riordan, the coalition’s Spokane-based director of policy and advocacy.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

To find out more, volunteer or donate to Save Our Wild Salmon, visit WildSalmon.org

The four dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite — are all in the southeast corner Washington and were built by the federal government in the 1960s and early 1970s. These hydropower facilities have all but decimated the once-thriving salmon population, Riordan says. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the dams, new technologies have been implemented in the past 25 years to maximize the survival of these fish, but Riordan says it’s not enough.

“The science is clear. There is no debate on the science. Every single scientist has said the dams have to be removed,” she says. “We’ve spent upwards of $30 billion in salmon recovery efforts in this country. Clearly we have done everything we can think of and it just hasn’t worked.”

However, breaching these dams is no easy task. Coalition advocates have swam upstream, so to speak, in local, state and federal legislative bodies since 1998 seeking to restore a freeflowing lower Snake River. Much like for the plummeting salmon populations, several roadblocks stand in the way.

These dams provide hydroelectric power to surrounding areas like Clarkston, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho, so before breaching them, alternative energy options must be secured.

as much peace as they can possibly have.”

Riordan says much of the opposition to dam removal is based on disinformation that overstates the actual impact these dams have on energy production. The river’s flow is slowest in the dead of winter and the middle of the scorching summer, meaning less energy is produced when it’s arguably needed most.

Since these types of dams usually have about a 50-year lifespan, Riordan says millions of dollars must be spent to keep them viable — money that she believes could be spent to secure clean-energy alternatives. The coalition urges the use of alternative sources like wind, solar and rail, which it says would be more reliable and cost-effective than barges.

Restoring the lower Snake River will also help meet treaty obligations with the numerous Native American tribes in the Columbia Basin, Riordan says.

“You can’t talk about protecting salmon without talking about tribal rights,” she explains.

The reasons to restore salmon populations are many, but when it may occur is difficult to pinpoint. Work to protect existing populations is underway. For instance, the fishing season that opened in early May only allowed folks to fish for two days of the week in two separate locations along the lower Snake River. Other rules prohibited barbed hooks and nighttime fishing.

“There are so many benefits to restoring these populations,” Riordan says. “We want people to feel optimistic and envision what they want in their community following a restored ecosystem.” n

$1,000!

SPECIAL OPTIONAL DESIGN FOR 2024

Spokane will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Expo.

Feel free to include colors, design elements that pay homage to the Spokane Expo/World’s Fair and how it helped shape the Spokane we all enjoy today!

“ The science is clear. There is no debate on the science. Every single scientist has said the dams have to be removed.”

“EACH PATIENT AND FAMILY WE SERVE IS UNIQUE, and I feel it’s our job to customize the care that we provide because this is their journey. We want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help them navigate this time with as much comfort, as much dignity, and

– Gina DrummonD, rn, mSn, CEo

Give Guide

Pets

2BU Youth Ranch

17412 E. Foothills Road • Spokane WA 99217

WHAT WE DO

Wildlife

Public Lands

509.922.1981 2buyouthranch.org tobeuyouth@aol.com

Our mission is to help youth grow into healthy adults as they nd faith, healing , hope and trust with horses.

Environment

2BU Youth Ranch mentors at risk youth ages 8 to 18 from our community, while teaching basic safe horsemanship. We teach responsibility, life skills and healthy friendships during 90 minute sessions once a week. We provide a safe and positive environment for them to be themselves and reconnect with the family. Our program is o ered free of charge.

GET INVOLVED

$50 Sponsor a Youth for six weeks

$220 Donate cost of 1 Ton Hay (delivered and stacked)

$350 Adopt a Horse for one month

$2,100 Adopt a Horse for 6 months

Donate In Kind Items such as Senior Feed, Horse Treats, Water & Treats for Youth.

Cat Tales Wildlife

17020 N. Newport Highway • Mead, WA 99021

509.238.4126 CatTales.org mail@cattales.org WHAT

WE DO

Our Mission is Wildlife Rescue, Compassionate Care, and Education Ambassadorship - Serving the Inland Northwest and beyond - Since 1991

Cat Tales provides lifelong refuge to non-releasable wildlife and exotic animals, ensuring their well-being through compassionate care. We also serve as education ambassadors, raising awareness about wildlife rescue and fostering a deeper connection between people and the natural world.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer where needed most to support our mission. Donate to fund animals’ needs.

Join educational programs for wildlife and conservation awareness.

Dishman Hills Conservancy

P.O. Box 8536 • Spokane, WA 99203

WHAT WE DO

509.598.0003 Dishmanhills.org ed@dishmanhill.org

We protect land for wildlife and recreation. You can TAKE A HIKE on over 3000 acres of land in the “Wild Heart of Spokane” on 22 miles of trails from 6 di erent trailheads all close to home.

Dishman Hills Conservancy, is a local, non-pro t, started in 1966, and is the oldest land trust in Washington State. Our mission is to connect and protect Dishman Hills through conservation, education, recreation, and stewardship.

GET INVOLVED

Go bird watching, join guided hikes, and on our website, view “Nature at Home”. Become a volunteer, Board member, or Trail Steward.

Any donations made help preserve Dishman Hills for people and wildlife in the “Wild Heart of Spokane.”

Join our auction and dinner. Sign up at the website.

Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County

222 N. Havana • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

Teach Grow Protect

509.477.2181 mgfsc.org mgardener@spokanecounty.org

e Foundation provides nancial support to the Master Gardener Program of Spokane County. We educate the public about sustainable gardening practices. Our 50th anniversary will be celebrated in 2024!

e Program o ers a variety of services to the community. Our Plant Clinic is sta ed by Master Gardeners, providing free-of-charge, research-based information. It is located in the WSU Extension Spokane County building (222 N. Havana), or can be reached by phone (509.477.2181) or email (mgardener@spokanecounty.org). e Plant Clinic is open weekdays, March-Oct.

Also at Shadle and Cheney libraries.

Community-based svcs and education include: Waterwise Demonstration Garden, including drought-tolerant plants, drip irrigation, various types of mulch, and is open to the public. e Community Gardens Project teaches community members how to grow their own food in community gardens in several areas of the city. e Youth Program is active in a er school programs teaching children about growing their food and environmental stewardship. Master Gardeners teach classes to the public including the annual Cabin Fever Symposium in February. See us at the Spokane County Interstate Fair in September.

GET INVOLVED

• Attend Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium

• Buy plants at Garden Fair & Plant Sale

• Buy bulbs at Fall Bulb Sale

• Utilize the Master Gardener Plant Clinic

• Apply to become a WSU Master Gardener

Spokane Riverkeeper

35 W Main Avenue, Ste. 308 • Spokane, WA 99201

509.464.7650 spokaneriverkeeper.org hello@spokaneriverkeeper.org

Spokane Riverkeeper ghts for clean water and broader community access to a healthy Spokane River as we protect communities and our watershed for current and future generations.

We use advocacy, science, education and outreach to protect and restore the health of the river and its ecology through river clean ups, clean water defense, river ow protection, river science, native sh recovery and watershed restoration.

WHAT WE DO GET INVOLVED

Attend our annual bene t, Spoken River, on November 16th, 2023.

Spokanimal

710 N. Napa Street • Spokane, WA 99202

509.534.8133 Spokanimal.org miracles@spokanimal.org

SpokAnimal leads communities in humane/proactive ways to promote and preserve the human-companion animal bond. SpokAnimal o ers cat and dog adoptions as well as low-cost spay/neuter, dental, vaccinations and adoptee wellness exams. Our foster homes care for over 2,000 animals annually. Please consider adopting, fostering, and donating to help SpokAnimal place over 4,000 cats/dogs into their forever homes.

WHAT WE DO

DONATE

SpokAnimal is funded by the generosity of donors like you! More dollars mean more second chances for thousands of cats and dogs every year.

Conquering the Copay

When insurance won’t cover critical therapy for Spokane children with special needs, Elevations helps

David Owan is no stranger to the byzantine depths of the American health insurance system.

When he was working as a physical therapist at Youthful Horizons Therapy in the early 2010s, Owan recalls families regularly coming into his office in tears — wondering how they could possibly afford therapy for their kids while also paying rent and putting food on the table.

“I did not think that in this country, the United States of America, people should have to make those choices.” says Owan. “The richest, most powerful country in the world, and we couldn’t take care of the kids.”

BY NATE SANFORD

Regular physical, emotional or speech therapy sessions are often a medical necessity for kids with special needs. But many insurance plans don’t cover such sessions. Or they charge outrageous co-pays and deductibles. And it’s not just therapy. A simple piece of equipment — like an exercise ball or crash pad for a child on the autism spectrum — can also be prohibitively expensive for many families.

Kelly Lynch was noticing the same problem in her work as a pediatric physical therapist.

“As a therapist, you’re the one writing a justification letter saying this is what this kid needs to thrive right now,” Lynch says. “And so when you keep getting ‘No, no, no, we’re not going to pay for that,’ it’s really frustrating.”

Families can appeal the insurance company’s decision, but that process sometimes drags on for years, Lynch says. Families with special needs children in crucial developmental phases of their life can’t afford to wait that long. They need care today.

United by shared frustration, Lynch, Owan and a group of other medical professionals and community members came together to found Elevations, a Spokanebased nonprofit that gives grant funding to families struggling to pay for their children’s therapy.

“I literally just got tired of parents coming into my office in tears,” Owan says.

...continued on page 64

Adaptive devices are necessary for children with various needs and abilities — and Elevations is here to help. COURTESY PHOTOS

Members Michael F., Matt N., & Christa S.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP PEOPLE BE HEALTHY

During its first grant cycle in 2013, Elevations gave away $6,000 to families. The nonprofit has been growing ever since. Owan, who now serves as Elevations’ treasurer, says the organization has three annual grant cycles and gives away about $120,000 a year. It serves families who have children with a range of needs, including conditions like autism, Down syndrome, sensory processing disorder and apraxia.

Lynch, who serves as Elevations’ president, says the grant application process is intentionally streamlined and straightforward. They don’t ask for financial information. Families are already overwhelmed by paperwork, and Elevations doesn’t want to add more hoops to jump through.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

have multiple children who have to sacrifice things like soccer or gymnastics so the family can afford care for the sibling with special needs.

“It really affects the whole family when a child has a disability, and our goal is to really help the whole family,” Owan says.

To donate to Elevations, call 509-385-2116 or go to elevationsspokane.org/donate

The organization is always looking for volunteers, and is currently seeking auction item donations for the Oct. 28 Ghost Ball fundraiser at the Spokane Convention Center.

Owan says Elevations has 85 applications that the grant committee is reviewing this cycle. He expects that the organization will be able to help the vast majority of them cover at least part of their health care expenses.

The most difficult part of the work, Owan says, is not having enough money to help everybody with all of their expenses. Elevations is only able to give a max of about $1,200 per grant cycle, but deductibles for regular therapy visits can soar above $6,000, Owan says.

“We see some pretty tragic cases,” Owan says. “And you just want to help people.”

It’s not just the child with special needs who suffers when a family becomes financially burdened by health care, Owan says. Many of the families they work with

The work is challenging, but the most rewarding part, Owan says, is when a family Elevations has been helping for several years stops sending in applications. It usually means the child no longer needs therapy because they’ve met their goals and caught up with their peers. Elevations often receives letters of gratitude from those families. Some even come back and volunteer with the organization.

Elevations doesn’t receive any government funding. Most of its money comes from donors and grants from other organizations. Their biggest fundraising source is the annual Ghost Ball — a Halloween party with auctions, costumes and other fun, spooky stuff.

Owan says his goal is to see Elevations grow into a million-dollar organization. The nonprofit is currently limited to Spokane County, but Owan says he’d like to expand into North Idaho and other parts of Eastern Washington in the future.

“We just want the community to know that we’re available as a funding source,” Lynch says. “And even though we can’t pay for everything that a family might need, we would like to help.” n

ASHLEY HOUSE NORTHWEST is a Washingtonbased organization formed in 1989 organization that provides health care in group home settings for medically fragile children. Last year, the organization opened a location in south Spokane, called Ashley House NW. The goal is to provide a welcoming, homelike environment for children, teens and young adults who would otherwise require a long-term hospital stay. People interested in volunteering can contact jallison@ah-nw.org.

More information at ah-nw.org

THE NATIVE PROJECT is an urban health clinic that provides medical, dental, behavioral health and other services. Many of the nonprofit’s clients are native American, but they also serve non-native people. The NATIVE Project operates a clinic in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood and focuses on a “patient-centered care” model that centers on physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The organization has a sliding fee scale program that helps people who are uninsured or underinsured afford services. More information at NativeProject.org

CHAS HEALTH was founded in 1994 and has since grown to include five clinic locations across Spokane. The organization also has clinics in Moscow and Lewiston, Idaho. The nonprofit health center focuses on providing dental, medical and pharmacy services on an affordable, sliding fee program. Last year it served 102,271 patients in the Inland Northwest. More information at chas.org

— NATE SANFORD

Foundations

Patient Support

How To Give

Ashley House NW

4118 S. Cook Street • Spokane, WA 98223

WHAT WE DO

509.863.2197 ah-nw.org

bjohnson@ah-nw.org

When a critically injured or ill child leaves the hospital, they may still need complex medical care. At Ashley House, a child receives skilled nursing care while the family prepares for their child’s homecoming at a much lower cost than a hospital.

Before Ashley House, high-needs children stayed in hospitals longer than needed. O en, they were moved to nursing homes; some were placed out of state, far from their family.

“Mikey was in the hospital for 4 months a er he was born; we knew he would need surgery before he could come home. ank goodness for Ashley House! Not only did he get the care he needed, but we also learned the skills we would need to care for him a er surgery. It felt more like home, where the sta was just part of our family. His 4-year-old brother could visit him, and we could spend more time with him. A er ve months, the doctors said he was ready for heart surgery. We were scared; what if we lost him? But we didn’t. Today, Mikey is home with us. He still needs physical therapy, but he’s going to be ne, thanks in part to Ashley House!”

Today, Ashley House gives each child the care they need while their family prepares to care for them at home. For most of the children and youth in our care, Ashley House is a step on their journey home. For a few who need more complex care than can be provided by their parents, it becomes home. At Ashley House, we believe that every child deserves to live the best, fullest life possible!

DONATE VOLUNTEER

Donate today! Visit our website to donate or scan the QR code provided to go directly to a donation page for our Spokane program!

Volunteer! We can use your help: read a book or dance around the living room with a child. Mow our lawn. Contact Tara at tnewman@ah-nw.org

GET INVOLVED

Join us at the Heartbeat of Hope Breakfast and help us celebrate the work of Ashley House in Spokane. is event is free. Email Beth Ann at bjohnson@ah-nw.org for more information.

Birthright of Coeur d’Alene

1.208.664.1390

birthright.org/coeurdalene

923 E. Sherman Avenue

WHAT WE DO

Birthright of CdA helps women who are worried about a pregnancy.

Birthright is a 501c3 Non-pro t Emergency Pregnancy Service. We help women or girls concerned about a pregnancy. We o er free pregnancy tests, maternity clothes, baby clothes and diapers. We also o er person to person help with referrals to local agencie

• Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 GET

INVOLVED

$5.00 per month helps with pregnancy tests

$10.00-$20.00 a month helps with baby clothes, diapers and maternity clothes

$100 a month helps with advertising or our phone bill. ere are volunteer positions available and also openings on the Board of Directors.

Cancer Care Northwest Foundation

1204 N. Vercler Road Suite 101 • Spokane Valley, WA 99216

WHAT WE DO

509.228.1019 ccnwf.org foundation@ccnw.net

CCNWF is a non-pro t organization that helps Inland Northwest cancer patients and their families through educational, emotional and nancial support.

e CCNWF o ers limited nancial support for basic necessities such as transportation, prescriptions, groceries and rent, counseling for children and families, and community resource referrals. e CCNWF also supports the advancement of cancer research.

DONATE

Your donation helps ensure that Inland Northwest cancer patients and their families have the support they need throughout their journeys with cancer. To make a donation, please visit www.ccnwf.org or text CCNWF to 44321

CHAS Health Foundation

611 N. Iron Bridge Way • Spokane, WA 99223

WHAT WE DO

509.444.8888 chas.org foundation@chas.org

e mission of the CHAS Health Foundation is to create health equity by strategically investing in patients, partners, and communities.

By donating to the CHAS Health Foundation, you are investing in access to quality healthcare for any community member in need, regardless of their situation.

CHAS Health is a non-pro t, federally quali ed health center (FQHC) that provides high-quality medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services to families and individuals of all ages, regardless of ability to pay. Serving approximately 100,000 patients annually across the Inland Northwest, our goal is to provide a brighter, better, healthier future for all families.

If you have questions about the CHAS Health Foundation, it’s work and mission, or making or designating a donation, please email us at foundation@chas.org or call us at 509-444-8888 and ask for the CHAS Health Foundation.

GET INVOLVED

e CHAS Health Foundation has several funds that allow donors to align gi s with their giving passions. As a donor, you may choose to contribute your donation to any of the following funds:

• Greatest Need

• Patient Support

• Health Equity Programs (this includes homelessness outreach)

• Speci c Rural Clinic: Cheney, Deer Park, Moscow, Lewiston/Clarkston

Evergreen Club

2102 E. Sprague Avenue • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.458.7454 facebook.com/ theevergreenclubhouse evergreenclubhouse@gmail.com

e Evergreen Club, an accredited member of Clubhouse International, serves residents of Spokane County age 18 and older whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness.

e Evergreen Club gives people whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness the opportunity to recover meaning, purpose and dignity through work and community. Clubhouses demonstrate that people living with mental illness can and do lead productive, happy lives. e Evergreen Club o ers people opportunities for friendship, employment, housing, and education so they can recover and fully participate as valued and respected members of society.

GET INVOLVED

Donate your new and gently used clothing and household items to our thri store. “Mary Sue’s Bought Before Boutique” provides meaningful work for our members and creates income that enhance the clubhouse. Monetary donations are used to purchase items needed for the Clubhouse, support members needing items for work, and Clubhouse International trainings and seminars.

Excelsior Wellness Center

3754 W. Indian Trail Road • Spokane, WA 99208

WHAT WE DO

509.559.3100 excelsiorwellness.org info@excelsiorwellness.org

We are a homegrown healthcare system where professionals integrate to provide balanced whole-person care.

Excelsior Wellness Center is a Certi ed Community Behavioral Health Center focusing on empowering people to live a life that promotes their overall wellness. We support individuals and families by providing a wide range of services. is includes counseling, peer support, and community health workers who connect people to services. Services are provided at exible times and are available virtually or in person. We also o er recreational activities that connect people to our 40-acre campus, which includes a challenge course and disc golf. Excelsior Wellness Center brings people and their communities together to live happier, healthier, and more satisfying lives.

Health and Wellness

erapeutic Recreation

Certi ed Peer Support

Care Coordination

Community Basic Needs resources

GET INVOLVED

Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Individual Counseling

Group Counseling Substance Use

Assessments

Intensive Care Coordination

WISe Services

Crisis Services

Contributions support the youth and families we serve as they continue to partner with us in their journey to wholeness and health. Donations of any amount directly impact the programs that empower youth and families to live and stay well, such as:

• Basic needs and resources

• Vocational and a erschool programs

• Increases access and a ordability for youth and families who are seeking care

If you enjoy mentoring and promoting wellness, consider volunteering with our organization. You can help by actively participating in our youth camps that happen during winter, spring, and summer breaks!

FailSafe for Life

PO Box 28955 • Spokane, WA 99228

509.475.7334 www.failsafeforlife.org info@failsafeforlife.org

At FailSafe for Life, our goal is not easy, but it’s simple. We want to end suicide attempts and deaths in our community. We provide life-saving education that equips our community to recognize and respond to someone having thoughts of suicide. We host events that promote connection, and we provide activities that instill hope.

WHAT WE DO

GET INVOLVED

• Sign up for one of our upcoming trainings.

• Sign up to volunteer at our next event.

• Purchase items o our Amazon Wish List or from a local store that we can use to promote hope.

• Donate funds to be used to purchase items to support our upcoming activities.

Hospice Of Spokane

121 S. Arthur Street • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.456.0438

Northeast Washington’s long-standing nonpro t hospice, serving anyone of any age with any terminal condition through a holistic approach to end-of-life care.

Hospice of Spokane focuses on ensuring patient comfort and supporting quality of life. From delivering specialized care right in the home day or night, to around-the-clock phone support and grief counseling for family members, we are here for our patients and their family.

GET INVOLVED

NAMI Spokane (National Alliance for Mental Illness)

152 S. Je erson Street Ste. 100 • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

509.838.5515 namispokane.org

o ce@namispokane.org

NAMI Spokane provides free mental health support and education to those who are living with a mental health condition. We also teach concerned partners and family members how to help.

NAMI Spokane serves Eastern Washington and surrounding communities. We empower people to live their most ful lling lives as we build a stigma-free tomorrow.

NAMI Spokane is your local a liate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. anks to donors and volunteers, we provide education and support at no cost to the public. So, you can begin rebuilding hope alongside people who care.

Welcome to a community who “Gets It.”

NAMI Spokane’s free education courses, support groups and advocacy forums are run by trained sta members and volunteers. ese sta members and volunteers have experienced mental health conditions themselves or have a family/friend member a ected by a mental health condition. ey bring to each session a deep, intimate understanding of related challenges and have uncovered many personal paths to healing.

DONATE

$25 Resource hotline support for 3 calls

$50 Support group session for 1 adult and family members

$100 Mental health educational training for 1 group leader

Make Life Sweet Again. A bake-sale fundraiser to provide help to people impacted by mental health conditions. Depressed Cake Shop Pop-Up • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 2023 • 11:00 AM-7:00 PM (or until we sell out of goodies) Riverpark Square 808 W Main Ave. Spokane, WA 99201

Inlander.com/GiveGuide

The NATIVE Project

1803 W. Maxwell • Spokane, WA 99201

WHAT WE DO

Sacred Hospitality For All

509.483.7535 www.nativeproject.org npinfo@nativeproject.org

e NATIVE Project is a non-pro t health facility that provides medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, patient care coordination, wellness, and prevention services for both Natives and Non-Natives in the greater Spokane community. We serve ALL people. Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurances are accepted. You will not be charged your insurance co-pay if you provide proof of tribal enrollment/ descendency.

e NATIVE Project’s Service Delivery Philosophy is a patient centered care model that embraces action, education, culture and spirituality on the road to healing and wellness. Our team commits to providing patient centered care that includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness and healing. Services will be o ered through the practice of “Sacred Hospitality”.

Our philosophy has roots in the medical model of disease prevention, treatment and management that is solution based in the recovery oriented model of care, including drug free lifestyles. We utilize the highest level of care using evidence based and promising practices to promote healing and wellness in individuals, families, sta , and communities.

GET INVOLVED

Everyone can be a patient here. Be informed, go to our website, NativeProject.org, and subscribe to our email list, follow us on social media and check out our events calendar. Join our circle of care, where using one team and one voice, individuals, sta , families and agencies will utilize skills, leadership, cultural and spiritual consciousness to give back to his or her community by living as:

WARRIORS, NURTURERS, SCHOLARS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS

Northwest Autism Center

528 E. Spokane Falls Boulevard. Ste. 14 • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.328.1582

www.nwautism.org

info@nwautism.org

We provide comprehensive services for those with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities through the lifespan, using community-based approaches.

Northwest Autism Center serves the inland northwest and exists to build, facilitate and coordinate comprehensive services for those with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities using community-based approaches. Our vision is to promote the worth of every individual by ensuring access to early diagnosis and treatment; best practices in public education and healthcare; and the social supports necessary for optimal personal growth and the fullest level of participation within family and community. Services through our community connections o ce include free screenings for autism spectrum disorder and providing information and resource referrals to families and providers.

Direct services o ered include early intervention services, community based treatment services provided on-site and in-home and speech and language therapy with specialty in augmentative alternative communication devices. Individualized, data-based treatment is coordinated and supervised by a Board-Certi ed Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who is quali ed to address socially signi cant skills in a variety of settings and is licensed with the Department of Health. Our Behavior Analysts provide families with ongoing training and support and collaborate with other service providers to assist with coordination of care. Additionally, Northwest Autism Center is deeply committed to advocacy e orts improving policy development; participating in local, state and federal committees relevant to the cause of improving services and resources.

GET INVOLVED

On Friday, October 20th we will host a fundraising dinner at Northern Quest Resort & Casino, celebrating our 20th anniversary. We invite you to join us as we aim to raise at least $50,000 to expand our community programs. With your support, we can continue to invest in our community connections programs which o er: free autism screenings, a er-school recreational programs, community awareness events, resources for parents and providers, advocacy e orts within the legislature.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho

123 E. Indiana Avenue • Spokane, WA 99207

WHAT WE DO

We provide exceptional reproductive and complementary health care services, honest education, and fearless advocacy for all.

For over 55 years local people have been turning to Planned Parenthood for the resources they need to be healthy, plan their families and futures, and achieve their dreams. Your support will:

Help over 40,000 people annually get the health care services required to plan their families.

Advocate for comprehensive sex ed in our community so youth have the knowledge they need to be healthy, safe, and plan their futures. Ensure reproductive freedom is protected for everyone during unprecedented attacks on these civil rights.

“As a cancer survivor, my visits to Planned Parenthood help provide peace of mind in addition to health care that is a ordable and attainable. ey genuinely care about my mental health just as much as my physical health.” — Taylor D., Spokane patient

GET INVOLVED

DONATE Your generosity will ensure everyone in our community can receive the care they need. No matter what.

TELL YOUR STORY The best way to promote, practice, and preserve comprehensive reproductive health care and overcome stigma surrounding these services is to share our stories.

VOLUNTEER The gift of your time and energy is invaluable in the fight to protect and advance reproductive rights.

BECOME A PATIENT Receive expert health care from our providers and support the services we provide to our community.

Providence Inland Northwest Foundation

101 W. 8th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99204

WHAT WE DO

509.474.4917 foundation.providence.org/wa/eastern providenceinwf@providence.org

Providence Inland Northwest Foundation funds projects and programs to help ensure comprehensive, compassionate healthcare for all in Spokane and Stevens counties. Your generosity helps us care for the most vulnerable in our community and supports breakthrough technology that saves lives.

“I don’t know where we would be today if the Foundation hadn’t been there to help us,” Mom, who received gas money to help with travel during her son’s treatment

In 2022, more than 400,000 went to help families with basic needs, including transportation and medication

With donor support, we help fund everything from art supplies for the art therapy program to a $1 million surgical robot to ensure state-ofthe-art technology in our hospitals.

DONATE

$50 could help provide patients support for transportation, housing, and other non-medical needs.

$100 could give our nurses scholarships and training opportunities to empower learning and develop new skills that help reduce stress and burnout.

$250 could help purchase infusion chairs for patients with cancer to provide a more comfortable care experience.

$1,000 supports leading-edge technologies and new treatment methods to ensure our patients have the clinical excellence they need, close to home.

Shriners Children’s Spokane

911 W. 5th Avenue • Spokane, WA 99204

WHAT WE DO

509.252.3370

shrinersspokane.org

william.gross@shrinenet.org

Experienced orthopedic pediatric specialty care team brings hope and healing for children in WA, ID, MT, AK, & Canada, and other U.S. & international locations.

Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. They inspire us to continue our mission of improving the lives of children and families. We understand the unique medical needs of children by providing vital, pioneering treatment from birth to age 18. At Shriners Children’s Spokane, children have the opportunity to be evaluated and treated by doctors recognized as the best by their peers.

At Shriners Children’s Spokane, we have a team of physicians and specialists who are highly-trained and experienced in pediatric orthopedics. This team is equipped to treat children with a variety of different orthopedic conditions ranging from mild to complex. Other specialties you will find at our facility include orthotics and prosthetics, scoliosis spine and treatment, sports medicine and fracture care.

Over the last year, we are proud of our accomplishments:

• 15,400 children served

• 16,848 clinic visits

• 1,016 surgeries

• 34 trained medical residents

• 4 Outreach Clinics serving 511 children in their own city

Shriners Children’s Spokane is part of an international pediatric healthcare system of hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and global outreach. We provide wrap around care to our families. We offer a full range of programs, services and support, all in house, caring for children in a welcoming, warm, reassuring environment.

GET INVOLVED

Shriners Spokane stays true to our mission that began with our opening in 1924 to provide care to any child, regardless of their ability to pay. Donations of all sizes are always welcome to assist us daily. At Shriners Children’s, stewardship is one of our core values. Approximately 85% of all funds spent by Shriners Children’s annually is dedicated to patient care, research, and education. We work hard to make sure gifts are used in the most efficient and effective manner.

Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition

104 S. Freya Street Ste. 319A, White Bldg • Spokane, WA 99202

WHAT WE DO

509.242.3155 endtheviolencespokane.org outreach@srdvc.org

Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition’s mission is to empower and educate our collective community to end the violence

We envision a safe, equitable, and thriving community. We value collective action focused on Prevention, Education and Awareness, Accountability, Collaboration, Equity and Social Justice. We value the voices of those most impacted by domestic violence. ese values drive our e orts to end the violence.

DONATE

$25 - helps someone with more education on domestic violence

$50 - helps educate someone on options on how to get out of their abusive environment for a night

$100 - helps educate someone on options on how to get out their abusive environment permanently

$50 to 2BU Youth Ranch sponsors a youth for six weeks

$50 to End the Violence Coalition helps educate someone how to get out of their abusive environment for a night

$50 to Cancer Care Northwest Foundation supports a cancer patient throughout their journey with cancer

WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF ALL.

For generations, the Kalispel Tribe has forged a culture of hospitality and giving. Since 2000, the Tribe has donated over $23 million to local charities and organizations to fund initiatives for education, healthcare, arts, culture, social services, and environmental conservation. Our commitment to giving back only grows as we continue to cultivate relationships with and support more than 300 charitable partners, allowing us to appreciate our incredible impact and know that we’re better together.

We are Kalispel. LEARN

REASONS YOU SHOULD NOT WORK OUT AT MY GYM

Aggressively sarcastic advice from a mediocre athlete

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Ilove working out at Hardcore Gym, even though I am not hardcore, nor a gym fiend, nor actually athletic at all.

Considering I’ve ruined the main reasons you might have for not working out at Hardcore Gym, it seems my duty to provide you with other reasons to avoid the Mattress Firm-turned-fitness-dojo on North Division Street.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am not a personal trainer. I have extremely limited fitness experience. And there are plenty of fantastic gyms out there. Please don’t base your decisions on clickbait or social media or a lone, satirical first-person article. You do you, boo.

But if you’re desperate for reasons not to work out at Hardcore Gym, here’s what I suggest.

REASON 1: You want to be lazy. There are plenty of ways to enjoy life, and being lazy might be your chosen path. I say, own it. No shame. Don’t let your couch go lonely. Just don’t work out at Hardcore Gym. The Wi-Fi password will make you feel immediately unwelcome, and the random sayings plastered on the walls will not inspire you toward your goals. You might be offended by something like, “Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going” in all caps above the leg press. This is obviously a joke, at least to me, since I’m firmly in the camp of “something is better than nothing,” and I consider a workout sesh to be successful if I leave the gym excited to come back. I’ve gotten pretty good at letting uber-intense gym mottos roll off my back, even though my lats are basically nonexistent. But if motivation isn’t your thing, stick to your convictions and stay at home.

REASON 2: You don’t want to be strong. Strength is completely subjective and can be measured in many ways. But if you’d rather avoid any chance of being mistaken for strong, please don’t work out at Hardcore Gym. There isn’t much space to sit down,

THE BUZZ BIN

lay down, roll around, scroll or lounge. Through sheer proximity, you might be tempted to try out the shoulder press, or the calf raise, or — God forbid — pick up a dumbbell (there are many). This might accidentally improve your mental health, build bone density, help fight osteoporosis, or increase your chances of being able to move your body when you’re old, which would be completely counterproductive if you’re trying not to be strong. So better to not risk it and just stay home.

REASON 3: You’re a toddler.

If you are an infant, baby, young child or pre-adolescent, please do not work out at Hardcore Gym. Leave that to the teenagers, twentysomethings, Millennials, moms, dads, retirees and octogenarians who work out at Hardcore Gym. But feel free to accompany your guardian while they get their sweat on. You can just hang out in the play room and watch people at every other stage of life work out. Don’t worry, you’ve got 80 years ahead of you to join them.

REASON 4: You want to be noticed at the gym. If you want people to see you while you work out, don’t even step foot in Hardcore Gym. You will be demoralized by the number of people who do not care that you are there. You’ll feel jealous that people are staring at their own reflections and ignoring yours. You’ll be terrified that no one wants to talk to you, or show you a machine, or check your technique, or give a flying kettlebell that you’re moving your body. If you need the attention of the entire gym to exercise properly, take your ego elsewhere.

REASON 5: You’re a jerk.

I have yet to find a mean person at Hardcore Gym, and I’d rather not. I have only been surrounded by people who don’t make fun of my bench press, who don’t take up a lot of equipment, who don’t care that I look like a troll when I deadlift a new PR, and who go out of their way to help me after a random person breaks my car window. If you’re mean-spirited, arrogant, discouraging or a bully, you probably don’t even lift. But if you do, go lift somewhere else. You don’t belong

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE ABSURD KIND

What a cruel irony that apparently nobody went to the theaters to see one of the better recent critiques of the social class desperation of capitalism. The sci-fi satire LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND earned less than $100K in its opening weekend, but it’s worth seeking out. It tells the tale of a near-future where a gooey alien species called the Vuvv have essentially invaded Earth and teamed up with business people to use their advanced technology to put most people out of work. A high school artist decides to broadcast his courtship with a new girl in town (whose family moves into his basement) to make money because the Vuvv don’t understand love and will pay to watch it. When the pair grows apart, it leads to alien lawsuits, fake husbands, edited art and more wildness that serves as a more cutting social critique than anything in Triangle of Sadness or The Menu. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

TEACH ’EM ALL

Exit light, enter… the workforce with proper training in technical skills? While higher education might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of legendary metal band Metallica, the group is actually doing its part via its All Within My Hands foundation. Spokane Community College received $100,000 from the org’s METALLICA SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE in 2019 to help train students in essential technical and trade fields like manufacturing, and received an additional (but much smaller) influx of cash from MSI this year. That rocks. Alas, SCC doesn’t offer a master’s degree in puppetry… (SETH SOMMERFELD)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on Aug. 25.

WHO IS SHE?, GODDESS ENERGY.

After getting kicked out of Climate

Pledge Arena for making fun of Jeff Bezos, Seattle’s silliest fem supergroup returns with 11 delightfully catchy ditties about MoviePass, Shania Twain, bus rides, Anne Hathaway and more.

OPEN MIKE EAGLE, ANOTHER TRIUMPH OF GHETTO ENGINEERING. The prolific Chicago MC follows up last year’s top-tier Component System with the Auto Reverse with another dense dose of art rap.

TIM McGRAW, STANDING ROOM ONLY. The country music superstar’s 17th LP delivers more songs of sweet loving, heartbreak and whisky-soaked nights. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

Hardcore Gym isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK.

Quillisascut is much more than a goat farm.

DISPATCHES FROM QUILLISASCUT

Notes from a hungry reporter at a food writing retreat in Stevens County

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Iaccepted the job as a food writer at the Inlander when I was living with my parents in Chicago. After stints in southeast Asia and on the East Coast, I thought I was finally committed to staying in the Midwest.

But a job is a job, and this seemed like a pretty cool job, so I got ready to move for the sixth time in four years.

As soon as I started to second-guess, Inlander editor-in-chief Nick Deshais forwarded me a message from Kate Lebo. She and her husband, Sam Ligon, both established and awardwinning authors and teachers, were hosting an intensive food writing workshop at a goat farm in Stevens County. They hoped to connect local food writers and food suppliers over creative writing classes, farm-to-table meals and lots of quality time with goats.

I’ve been glad I took the job ever since.

In the 1980s, Rick and Lora Lea Misterly bought Quil-

lisascut Farm not to make a profit but to build a life. Once I got there, I realized that “goat farm” was too narrow of a description. Quillisascut is 36 acres dedicated to the “slow life” — buildings built by hand, places to camp, a flower and herb garden, pens for goats and poultry, and a couple acres out back with almost every kind of food you can grow in Washington.

Lora Lea started making goat cheese a few years after starting their farm. Today, Quillisascut hosts a school of domestic arts for culinary students interested in farm-to-table cooking, plus any artist looking to connect with land and food.

For four-and-a-half days earlier this month, writers, chefs, brewers, bakers, jam makers and butchers from all over the West Coast ate and wrote together at Quillisascut. I logged notes and took pictures, trying to record how the slow life could be so full, so demanding and so delicious.

...continued on page 74

LEARN MORE

Upcoming events at Quillisascut Farm include Farm Culinary 101, Slow Living Autumn Gather, a lefse class and a tamale workshop. For more information about the farm and its offerings, including an original cookbook, visit quillisascut.com.

ELIZA BILLINGHAM PHOTO

FOOD | ESSAY

“DISPATCHES FROM QUILLISASCUT,” CONTINUED...

TUESDAY, AUG. 8

9:54 pm: Almost ready to leave tomorrow morning. Just finished the readings Kate assigned. Now I can nod knowingly when people mention M.F.K. Fisher and Craig Claiborne. Tent, sleeping bag and barn boots are ready by the door. Copied directions from Google maps in case cell service goes out.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9

2:22 pm: Arrived at Quillisascut. Cell service went out pretty soon after turning off U.S. Route 395. Written directions were vague, so made a couple wrong turns. At Quillisascut, met by Rick. Pointed me to a spot to pitch my tent. Says cheese platter is waiting for us inside.

2:47 pm: Cheese platter was actually cheese feast. Chevres, chipotle-rubbed, herb-crusted, aged and fresh. Met chefs who will cook for us all weekend, from only farm ingredients. My heroes.

4:05 pm: Toured the grounds, met the goats, learned about compost. Goat manure is the most valuable thing the farm produces, Rick says. Garden is loved, not organized. Walnut trees, peaches, plums, apples, almonds, grapes, lettuces, kale, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, corn. Rick says a real farmer would never plant almonds this far north, but he likes them. Rick seems like a real farmer to me?

6:08 pm: Insane dinner. Walnut and goat cheese pasta, lamb chops, homemade focaccia, kohlrabi salad. Overheard chefs talking about a 20 pound kohlrabi from the garden.

7:00 pm: First class. Group tried to decide what food writing is. Recipes? Restaurant reviews? Memoir? Political investigations? All of the above? Students are mostly from Seattle and Portland. C’mon people, where are all the foodies from Spokane?

8:59 pm: Headed back to tent as it gets dark. Have to wake up at 6:45 to help feed ducks and chickens. Opened tent flap to see stars.

THURSDAY, AUG. 10

6:15 am: Alarm goes off.

6:38 am: Got out of sleeping bag.

6:47 am: Ran to barn to meet Rick for chores. Water and feed ducks, hens, meat chickens and turkeys. Ducks smell really bad.

7:15 am: Coffee. Thank goodness.

9:00 am: Kate rings bell with large cow bone

to start class. Discussion on recipes, how to use recipe for other purposes like memoir and essay. Read recipe for frittata, aka a commentary on social media. Tried to write my own recipe for single-serve air fryer tofu, aka how to move to a new city. Metaphor is a little heavy handed.

11:03 am: Help Lora Lea make fresh mozzarella and ricotta. Had no idea you could make cheese in 30 minutes.

1:30 pm: Class with Sam on nonfiction, memoir, how to manipulate time.

4:34 pm: Spent 20 minutes petting goats. Why is goat such an unpopular food in the U.S.? Plan to look for chefs who serve goat in Spokane.

5:33 pm: Students make our own pizzas with the cheese we made this morning. As a recent ex-vegan, still getting used to all this cheese. Made a cheese-less pizza, forgot the salt. Fellow student called my creation the Antichrist.

7:35 pm: Kate and Sam read some published work. Tell us that tomorrow and Saturday night, students will read something that we’re working on. Oh, no.

FRIDAY, AUG. 11

6:35 am: Rush to barn to watch Rick milk goats.

9:00 am: Class with Kate. All about plants, ways of knowing, paying close attention. Spent 20 minutes staring at a stalk of corn.

11:00 am: Help harvest green beans, tomatillos. Tomatillos growing unplanned, have to search entire garden to find all the plants.

1:35 pm: Class with Sam on fiction. Holy cow, I am not a fiction writer.

4:12 pm: Talked to Rick about goats, butchery, capitalism. Other students went swimming.

7:53 pm: Six students read. I read a piece about why we should all be more like goats. Audience laughed politely.

SATURDAY, AUG. 12

6:46 am: Garden chores, only a minute late. Picked fresh sage for the day.

11:08 am: Depart for wild food walk. Ate weeds, berries, pine needles picked from farm and nearby roadside. Learned that a lot of plants won’t kill you. Dodged cars, which could kill you.

2:15 pm: Wrote a coming of age story about black pepper.

7:00 pm: Final feast. Goat and lamb, ratatouille, sweet corn and black currant tiramisu.

11:02 pm: Stayed up late after student readings to watch the meteor shower from the roof. Starting to dread saying goodbye.

SUNDAY, AUG. 13

6:30 am: No chores today, but got up anyway.

9:00 am: Gather around the table for thankyous, suggestions, thoughts on funding.

10:17 am: Car is packed. Hugs all around. Promises to hang next time I’m in Seattle.

12:15 pm: Home in Spokane. Fridge is empty. Stale PB&J for lunch. Tomato plant died while I was away. n

Happy Hour & House Plants

Garden Party opens in downtown Spokane, offering a botanical bar experience

BY SYLVIA DAVIDOW

Do you ever look at a furnished space and think, “This would be perfect if I added a plant or two!”? With more than a few houseplants — about 75 of them, actually — Kadra Evans created the bar of her dreams.

The local entrepreneur, chef and plant enthusiast is now coowner of Garden Party, a new, botanical-themed cocktail bar at 107 S. Madison St. in downtown Spokane. The venue is named after a classic gin cocktail, a fitting choice as the bar doubles as a plant shop.

In large part thanks to its aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed, Evans says people are trekking to Garden Party from around the region and even across the state, often dressed up in tea-party attire, ready to indulge in pretty cocktails while nestled in a lush oasis.

Garden Party began as an idea between Evans and her best friend and co-owner, Kelly Kramer, who also owns a local houseplant accessory business called Wood & Soil. Kramer originally envisioned a coffee shop with plants, but when Two Winey Bitches, a former wine tasting room, closed due to the pandemic, Evans knew she wanted to move in.

As a houseplant collector, Evans needed more space outside her home for her quickly multiplying indoor garden. That’s when she came up with the idea of a bar filled with them, paired with herbal cocktails.

“This gave me a chance to sit here and enjoy the stuff I already loved, but with a cocktail,” Evans says.

Kramer’s Wood & Soil built about 40 pieces of art to showcase around the bar, such as wooden plant stands and hangers. Meanwhile, Two Winey Bitches’ owner, Margaret Anne Walser, came

Lora Lea Misterly harvests in her garden. ELIZA BILLINGHAM PHOTO

on board as co-owner at her tasting room’s successor. Walser’s wine is still offered in one of Garden Party’s current signature drinks, the Winey Bitch Spritz ($10), a blend of iced wine with muddled raspberry and an aftertaste of mint. Walser’s Willow Wind Organic Farms, which grows fruit for the wine, is also working with Evans to provide fruit and herbs for the bar’s cocktails.

Herbs and other ingredients used for Garden Party’s drink menu are grown in the space. Since the bar has only been opened since early June, these plants are still small, but Evans has high hopes.

“Eventually, we’ll just be able to walk out and pull things off the wall and put it in a cocktail,”she says.

Garden Party offers a variety of alcoholic beverages including champagne and wine cocktails, spirits-based cocktails and even mocktails. A bite-sized food menu completes the Garden Party experience.

Stop by with friends and catch up at a woodsy table surrounded by lush greenery. Start with one of Garden Party’s bestsellers, the Elder Honey Kiss ($11), consisting of iced champagne with elderflower and a soft honey throat coat, topped with edible flowers. Then snack on the Flowering Butter Candle ($8), with toasted bread from the nearby Twenty-Seventh Heaven Bakery and housemade compound butter served over a small candle stove. Finish with Rue & Berry ($14), berry gin with amaro, a hint of lime, and pineapple with coconut cream, served with a sugar-coated rim.

Many customers come to Garden Party for the drinks, but stay for the houseplants.

Along with hosting bachelorette, birthday and other themed parties, Evans hopes to start hosting plant classes in the fall. She envisions these classes letting customers try signature cocktails and snacks while learning how to build a terrarium or doing other plant-related activities. She also hopes to host weekly plant swaps.

Locals may recognize Evans’ name, as she also owns Little Noodle and Itty Bitty Buddha Bar in the Garland District. From getting her start by working in the kitchens of restaurants around the area, to launching her own businesses and competing on a recent episode of Food Network’s competitive series Supermarket Stakeout, Evans continues to establish herself as a creative force in the region’s hospitality scene. Garden Party is yet another example of how she’s putting down roots. n

Garden Party • 107 S. Madison St. • Open Wed-Sat 11 am11 pm, Sun 11 am-8 pm • instagram.com/gardenpartyspokane

Find the greenhouse-plus-cocktail bar in west downtown. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

SCAN ME!

Race to Nowhere

The video game-based sports drama Gran Turismo functions mostly as an advertisement for itself

If you’re watching Gran Turismo in a movie theater, it would be perfectly understandable not to realize that the beginning of the movie isn’t just part of the pre-show advertising. Gran Turismo opens with what looks like a commercial for its video-game inspiration, with onscreen text touting the achievements of creator Kazunori Yamauchi, alongside footage of workers at developer Polyphony Digital scanning cars, writing code and testing gameplay for the popular PlayStation racing simulator. The rest of Gran Turismo only feels slightly less like a commercial, although it’s full of promotion for car company and PlayStation owner Sony. Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) is the driving force behind the plot, which is based on the career of real-life gamer and racecar driver Jann Mardenborough. Rather than directly adapt the video game that has no characters or narrative, Gran Turismo follows another recent video game-inspired film, Tetris, to instead tell a related true story.

So Gran Turismo is really a Jann Mardenborough biopic, and as such it follows the familiar beats of any underdog sports story, as teenage Jann (Archie Madekwe) attempts to translate his skill at playing Gran Turismo into success on the actual racetrack. He’s a participant in GT Academy, a publicity stunt that Moore concocts to gener-

BY JOSH BELL

ate interest in Nissan cars from a younger, video gameplaying demographic. Jann’s stern dad Steve (Djimon Hounsou), a former professional soccer player, doesn’t approve of his son’s interest in video games, and, of course, the experienced drivers that Jann faces all dismiss him as a novelty.

vokes a response, though, which is more than can be said for the blatantly emotional bonding moments, including one built around egregious Sony product placement.

The real GT Academy was a long-running reality show, but here it’s a private boot camp run by washed-up trainer Jack Salter (Stranger Things’ David Harbour), a former competitive driver whose own career was cut short. Harbour leans into every cliché about the grizzled, hard-nosed coach, berating Jann and his fellow GT Academy participants before predictably developing a grudging respect for their skills and perseverance. Harbour gives his all to the weak material, but the result is that he consistently overshadows the bland Madekwe, sidelining Jann in his own story.

GRAN TURISMO

Rated PG-13

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Starring Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom

Bloom’s entire role comes off as the human equivalent of product placement, just spouting constant exposition and making corporate pitches. The slick, calculating promoter would often be the villain in this sort of movie, but Moore is almost always on Jann’s side, and the closest that Gran Turismo has to a villain is a cocky, insensitive driver who issues occasional insults and barely registers as a character. It’s hard to care about a sports movie that can’t even muster up a decent rival for the protagonist.

Aside from his boilerplate daddy issues and a severely underwritten love interest, Jann also has to deal with guilt over a deadly accident during one of his early races, and the use of a genuine tragic event — from later in Mardenborough’s career — as fodder for Jann’s hokey triumph over adversity is borderline distasteful. At least that pro-

Director Neill Blomkamp adds some visual touches that bring video-game aesthetics to the driving scenes, but the racing is mostly repetitive, and the stylization is minimal and understated. Blomkamp has spent his career making bold, unique sci-fi movies, some beloved (District 9) and some maligned (Chappie), but there’s no artistic vision to Gran Turismo. It’s competent and anonymous, like a presentation that Moore would show to a boardroom full of his bosses. It follows just the right formula to get the approval from upper management and nothing more. n

You got a fast car, I want a ticket to any... other movie.

Political Theater

Helen Mirren can only do so much with mediocre biopic Golda

BY JOSH BELL

Despite its title, Golda isn’t a full biopic about the life of former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. It’s a focused story that captures just a few weeks in Meir’s life, as she navigates the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Egypt and Syria. Narrowing the parameters to a specific event can often make biopics more effective and less unwieldy, but Golda is so limited that it only offers minimal insight about its subject as a person. Even casting an actor as accomplished as Helen Mirren isn’t enough to bring Golda to life.

Rated PG-13

It doesn’t help that Mirren is buried beneath layers of prosthetics to make her resemble Meir, and her performance struggles to break through that outer shell. She still finds some moments of emotional connection, especially in a confrontation between Meir and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), as Meir recounts the horrors of growing up Jewish in Ukraine and issues an impassioned diplomatic threat. Mostly, though, Golda is a dry procedural about politicians and military commanders sitting in conference rooms discussing strategy.

of high-ranking officials stands out, although Rami Heuberger gets to demonstrate some emotion as rattled defense minister Moshe Dayan.

GOLDA

Directed by Guy Nattiv Starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, Rami Heuberger

Visually, Golda favors a straightforward style that resembles midrange TV movies, and Nattiv’s primary motif is the ever-present cigarette smoke from Meir and her associates. There are a few artistic flourishes as the swirling smoke obscures the action and turns into a representation of Meir’s inner turmoil, but the efforts at symbolism are muddled and weak. Nattiv’s incorporation of archival footage is more effective, although the glimpses of real people and real interactions mostly serve as reminders of how inadequate the dramatic representation is.

ALSO OPENING

THE HILL

The film is framed by another meeting of government officials, a 1974 hearing to address the failures of the Yom Kippur War. As Meir testifies, the movie flashes back to the lead-up to the surprise attack, when the Israeli intelligence service missed the indications of an imminent military offensive. With their forces unprepared, Israel suffers heavy initial losses before making strategic maneuvers to turn the tide of battle. Director Guy Nattiv conveys most of this action via discussions among senior officials as they point at maps, supplemented by archival footage. The movie doesn’t have the resources to directly depict military battles, and the brief onscreen action moments look jarringly fake.

Keeping the war largely offscreen wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if the political intrigue was more engaging, but most of the policy arguments are tedious, and Nicholas Martin’s screenplay fails to convey the scale and positioning of forces via dialogue. When Meir and her advisers listen in on military communications as Israeli units are overrun by the enemy, it’s tough to understand the scope of their losses or how a particular plan fell apart. Scenes that should be devastating are instead baffling.

Mirren fares better in Meir’s smaller, more personal interactions, as she secretly undergoes cancer treatments while also managing the war. Camille Cottin plays the movie’s only other distinctive character, Meir’s patient, kind-hearted assistant Lou Kaddar, who functions as adviser, nurse, secretary and surrogate daughter depending on Meir’s needs in any given moment. No one in the all-male cadre

With its English-language dialogue and casting of international star Mirren, Golda is clearly targeted at a Western audience, and Nattiv tones down any potential political commentary, aiming for an even-handed tone that recognizes shortcomings on both sides. Still, Golda is a celebration of its title character as a shrewd, indomitable leader, and any complex examination of Middle East politics gets left behind. It’s a passable history lesson and a superficial character study. n

Following the inspirational sports movie template, The Hill tells the biographical tale of Rickey Hill — a Texas boy born with a spinal disease that forced him to wear leg braces. Rickey found his passion in baseball, holding onto his big-league dreams in spite of his skeptical father (Dennis Quaid). Rated PG

RETRIBUTION

A bank executive (Liam Neeson) receives a call while taking his kids to school. The caller informs him that they’ve planted pressure bombs under the car seats so no one can leave. Explosive action ensues. Rated R

Helen Mirren is no queen in Golda

STRINGS AS SPECTACLE

Picture a classical concert violinist. What images does your imagination evoke?

Let’s get obvious givens out of the way: a dazzling light show, rock guitars, fantastical choreographed numbers, aerial acrobatics, dubstep beats and countless costume changes.

What’s that? You were picturing a stuffy symphonic hall with players dressed in black formal attire playing music by composers who’ve been dead for centuries as little kids forced to attend squirm in their seats and old folks try in vain to quietly unwrap their hard candies?

Clearly, you need more Lindsey Stirling in your life.

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

The 36-year-old violinist and songwriter has very much carved out a unique musical niche since emerging on the national scene as a competitor on America’s Got Talent in 2010. Right from the jump, she stood out as anything but your runof-the-mill classical musician. Billed as a “hip-hop violinist,” she’d dance across the stage playing to propulsive beats, while also displaying a bright charisma and eclectic fashion sense. She only made it to the quarterfinals, but she’d set the stage for her next chapter — one found by cultivating a large online following.

“I feel like the biggest guiding point for me was actually paying attention to the emergence of social media,” Stirling says. “I started following all these YouTubers when YouTube was a brand new thing. I was like, ‘What are these people doing?’ And even though they were doing obviously a very different art style than me, and it was kind of the guiding post of wow, you can do anything on here and have a career and have

a following doing what you love. You don’t have to be what everybody tells you need to be. There’s a place for anything.”

YouTube unlocked Stirling’s potential. As she began adding more high-energy electronic and dubstep sounds to back her virtuosic violin playing, she also started really focusing on creating a distinctive visual aesthetic to set herself further apart from the pack. Her music videos are dazzling productions: “Roundtable Rival” sees Stirling stomping things up in a high noon Western showdown with villainous bandits. “Til the Lights Go Out” cast Stirling as a leader of cave-dwelling female warriors engaged in a fantasy battle. “Snow Waltz” finds undead skeletal beauties discovering Christmas joys. And all that’s before we get into videos with Mad Max-esque dance-offs, majestic ice enclaves, Beauty and the Beast cosplay, elemental shredding, zombies… you get the picture.

“There’s really not a huge lane for the kind of stuff that I do, and there’s not a lot of precedent. And so it is kind of like, OK, what feels right? What feels exciting to me?” Stirling says. “And I really think any artist can do that, but I’m sure there’s a lot more pressure when you’re trying to chase a radio hit or when you’re trying to appease a label. And I’m just grateful that I just really kind of marched to the beat of my own drum and do whatever feels right at the time.”

By staying true to herself and bridging the timeless and fresh instrumental realms, she appeals to audiences of allages. Her YouTube channel now boasts 13.7 million subscribers, and her videos have racked up over 3.5 billion views, in part because she’s been able to stay relevant on various digital platforms as they emerge.

CLASSICAL x DUBSTEP

Lindsey Stirling

marries classical violin, dubstep beats, dance and more for a musical offering all her own

Ho-hum. Just another “mundane” Lindsey Stirling concert. LINDSAY FISHMAN PHOTO

“I’m incredibly grateful for social media, and what it has allowed artists to do, and what it’s allowed me to do,” says Stirling. “It’s always changing, but that’s the exciting thing about it. I think that’s one of the challenging things about being an artist today — you constantly have to keep up with what is new. Not only like trends that change every day, but it is crazy how many different platforms that I’ve had to learn. You really do have to kind of start from scratch on every single one of them. And it’s both exciting, but very frustrating as well. Like, ‘Oh, no! This new one’s taking over called TikTok, and everybody says that you have to be on that now.’”

Stirling thrives online, but she considers herself most at home on the live stage. Even when she’s working on albums (including a new one due in 2024), she contextualizes everything she does through the lens of how it will feel in-person.

“I didn’t really want to be an influencer, I don’t even like that word. It was never my intention to be someone who made a bunch of content online,” says Stirling. “It wasn’t even about making albums. I wanted music so I could go out and perform for people. And so still to this day, when I’m working on an album or any project, I’m like, ‘How can I see this happening live? How would this song feel with choreography? How would this song feel with a live band?’ Some songs are meant more for that radio listen, others need to be heard live. That’s the way I like to write and the musician, and that’s what gets me the most excited about any new project.”

Seeing the results, you can tell she pours her all into the stage show in order to make it a spectacle of music, dance and more. While it might be an overstatement to call Stirling the Tom Cruise of the violin, good luck finding performers who are more into pulling off on-stage stunts.

“The most recent thing I’ve been tackling is training in aerial art. I love it. I have really enjoyed training on hoop and trapeze. And before I jump to the next thing, I am really enjoying getting more and more proficient in this, because I still feel like I’m a baby art form,” says Stirling. “You know, I played the violin my whole life. I’ve now been dancing for a decade, and putting a ton of work into that. So aerial is newer, and I’m really excited to just kind of keep expanding on that. For the last three tours, every tour, I’ve done a little bit more. The routines have gotten more and more challenging, and it’s exciting to feel more and more competent in something like that.”

The live element also lets Stirling connect with her fans in a much more human way than the digital world allows. It’s even led to some surprising revelations about how her music positively impacts listeners.

“I’ve heard quite a bit that music calms people. Parents have told me that if they have a child with Asperger’s or autism, that it is a go-to tool they use when they need to kind of calm down their child. Or I’ve been told many times by soldiers that have PTSD that they listen to my music to get through PTSD, flashbacks moments. And that has been a really special thing, when people share with me that my music helps them through these anxiety or triggering moments.”

And while she might not have exactly had any clear musical guiding lights on her own journey, Stirling is keenly aware that she now serves that role for young classical instrumentalists. Kids can play a string instrument and not have to only have musical dreams of joining a symphony orchestra or being a background session player — they could be the next Lindsey Stirling.

“I always hope to inspire anybody that, ‘Hey, you can think outside the box.’ Just because this is the way it’s always been done in your field, doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. It took me quite a long time to figure that out. And I’m really grateful that that lightbulb did go off in my head. It is exciting when I see other instrumentalists or just anybody paving their own path with what they feel.” n Lindsey

More! More! More!

Billy Idol’s extreme infatuation with providing souvenirs for his live crowds

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Billy Idol is punk rock Oprah. No, he’s not getting his own daytime talk show. (Though I would watch.) He’s not starting his own book club. (Though I would read.) Nor is he doing a new adaptation of The Color Purple. (I’d pass on that one. Seems problematic!)

Rather, Mr. Idol is a giver much like Ms. Winfrey. You know the forever meme-able moment of Oprah’s Favorite Things giveaway of Pontiac G6 cars to her studio audience? “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!”

That’s kinda what it feels like when you’re close to the stage at a Billy Idol concert.

I first experienced this phenomenon at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings, Montana, back in August 2006. Being a punk-leaning kid, Idol had long been one of my ’80s faves. You simply can’t deny the swift rock-and-roll perfection of singles like “White Wedding,” “Dancing with Myself,” “Mony Mony” and “Rebel Yell.” So my sibling and I ventured to the gig to see if the then-50year-old rocker still had his fastball.

He did.

And while the concert was a blast, there’s one thing that stuck out to both of us more than anything else — Billy Idol throws out so many souvenirs to his audience. Like, so many. An order of magnitude more than anyone I’ve ever seen.

While most bands are content flipping a few picks and the set lists (and maybe a drumstick, if you’re lucky) to the front row at the end of a concert, Idol went above and beyond. It basically felt like a barrage. Yes, there were plenty of drumsticks (we got one) and picks thrown about at a rapid rate, but what will forever stick in my memory is the paper plates.

Yep, paper plates.

It turns out Idol has a propensity for turning the cheap picnic and cookout staples into unique

souvenirs. He autographs each one, sometimes adding city, venue and date info to make them oddly special keepsakes, which he then flings like frisbees into the crowd. I was able to snag one, and even after thousands of concerts it remains my weirdest cool piece of rock-and-roll memorabilia.

Will Billy Idol rock the Pavilion when he swings into town on Aug. 28 with opener Alex Cameron (who made the best album of 2022 — Oxy Music)? Almost certainly. Will he continue his plate-flinging ways? Only time will tell… And while we’re on the topic, here are a few suggestions for other things Idol might consider tossing to his fans in the future.

BILLY IDOL-BRANDED BINKIES

Rocking the “Cradle of Love” is great, but it can get a little loud. Perhaps adding a pacifier to the mix would help soothe your little babies.

DROOPING EYE SPRING GLASSES

The novelty comedic spectacles are the literal embodiment of “Eyes Without a Face.”

FAKE BILLY IDOL DOLLAR BILLS

If you don’t think there are oodles and oodles of people who think “Mony Mony” is “Money Money,” you are gravely mistaken. Besides, Idol is less problematic than some of the men adorning our currency.

BILLY IDOL CDS

Unfortunately, almost nobody buys music anymore. Gotta unload them somehow… n

Billy Idol, Alex Cameron • Mon, Aug. 28 at 7:15 pm • $55-$100 • Spokane Pavilion • 574 N. Howard St. • spokanepavilion.com

Billy Idol is still out here rebelliously yelling.

J

COUNTRY DIERKS BENTLEY FOLK BAILEY ALLEN BAKER

Thursday, 8/24

J ADELO’S PIZZA, PASTA & PINTS, Brassless Chaps

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Pamela Benton

J BOOMERS CLASSIC ROCK BAR, Ken Davis Trio

J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Kyle Richard and Friends

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

COEUR D’ALENE PARK, Soul Proprietor

THE DISTRICT BAR, Aspen Kye

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin

J MAGNOLIA BRASSERIE, B

J MCCRACKEN’S PUB AND BBQ, Justin Harris

J THE NEST AT KENDALL YARDS, The Bootstrap Band, The Secret Beach

NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Pastiche

J PARK BENCH CAFE, Just Plain Darin

J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Rebelution, Iration, The Expendables, Passafire, DJ Mackle

J PINE STREET PLAZA, Music on Main: Soulstice

J RIVERSTONE PARK, Justin James Band, Sydney Dale

J STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Theresa and the Bobs

TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Jerry Lee Raines

ZOLA, Mister Sister

Friday, 8/25

J AK ASIAN RESTAURANT, Justin Harris

J THE BIG DIPPER, Mo’ynoq, Propagate The Rot, Acalvaria, Bonemass, Locust Cathedral

J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Jona Gallegos

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Bobby Patterson & the Two Tones

CUTTER THEATRE, The Matchetts, Don Lope, Dan Shegrun

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Sacha Boutros + Brent Edstrom Quartet

J KNITTING FACTORY, Metal Mayhem: Enemy Mine, Outer Resistance, Mezzanine, Fate Defined

KNITTING FACTORY, Broadway Rave

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Alcohol & Feelings

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Bailey Allen Baker

J NIGHTFALL LIVE, Steve Starkey

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Kosta La Vista

PACIFIC AVE PIZZA, Touch of Evil, Burns Like Hellfire, Tyler Aker

J PANIDA THEATER, The Travelin’ McCourys

PARK BENCH CAFE, Three Lane Highway

J J PARK BENCH CAFE, Under the Trees Concert Series

Here’s a good way to start your musical career: Have your first single go to No. 1 on the country charts. Simple! Why doesn’t everyone just do that?! That’s what Dierks Bentley did back in 2003, bursting onto the scene with “What Was I Thinkin’.” He’s kept his pickup at full throttle ever since, amassing 18 chart-topping singles and releasing 10 albums, including Gravel & Gold earlier this February. Considering Northern Quest’s outdoor summer stage is the best place around to catch a country concert, nobody’s gonna question what you were thinkin’ if ya roll up to watch Bentley’s hits-filled live show.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Dierks Bentley, Kameron Marlowe • Sun, Aug. 27 at 7 pm • $60-$342 • All ages • Northern Quest Resort & Casino • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • northernquest.com

As we head toward the final days of Lucky You, why not venture to see a standout local take the stage? Coeur d’Alene singer-songwriter Bailey Allen Baker boasts a deceptively husky voice for his wiry frame, and he employs that timbre to great dramatic effect. In July, BAB released his sophomore LP, Grab a Bucket, which is packed with 10 songs that dabble with a darker side of folk. There’s plenty of charm in these fully fleshed out arrangements, but there’s also an unmistakable brooding vibe unpinning everything — from the There Will Be Blood grandiosity of the opener “Daniel Plainview” to the forlorn lyrical reflections of the album-closing “Out Since the Recession” that maintain a sliver of downtrodden romantic hope. Sometimes the best way to cope with a bummer is by soaking in some bummer tunes.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Bailey Allen Baker • Fri, Aug 25 at 8 pm •  $10-$12 • 21+ • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • luckyyoulounge.com

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Nobody Famous THE RIDLER PIANO BAR, Just Plain Darin

SPOKANE VALLEY EAGLES, Stagecoach West VANTAGE POINT BREWING CO., Caswyn Moon & Faith Kelly

Saturday, 8/26

BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Daniel Hall

J BING CROSBY THEATER, Tab Benoit, The Rumble CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Rusty Jackson Band

J THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, Sean Kavanaugh

CUTTER THEATRE, Trailer Park Girls

THE DISTRICT BAR, Voicecoil, Watch Clark, Electro Grave DJs

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Sacha Boutros + Brent Edstrom Quartet

J IRON GOAT BREWING CO., Little Gospel Devils, Light in Mirrors

KNITTING FACTORY, Gimme Gimme Disco

LIVE AT ANDRE’S, The Paperboys

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Sweet Water, Purusa

J NOAH’S CANTEEN, Just Plain Darin

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Kosta La Vista

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Matt Lome

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW

= ALL AGES SHOW

J PINE STREET SLED HILL, SledFest

J PONDEROSA BAR AND GRILL, Rhythmic Collective Duo

NORTH, Rock the Block

MARKET, Kekoa STEAMBOAT GRILL, The Rising J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Jimi Finn

ZOLA, Blake Braley

Sunday, 8/27

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Side Step

BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Joey Anderson

J THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, Red Books Trio

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Paul Grove

HOGFISH, Open Mic

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Noah Cyrus

J J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Dierks Bentley, Kameron Marlowe

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Mel Dalton

J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

Monday, 8/28

J EICHARDT’S PUB, Monday Night Blues Jam with John Firshi

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, The Beach Boys

J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Billy Idol, Alex Cameron RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night

J STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Steve Starkey

Tuesday, 8/29

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, Jake Rozier

LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs

J J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Lindsey Stirling, Walk off the Earth

J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Dallas Kay

J TWIGS BISTRO, Carli Osika

ZOLA, The Night Mayors

Wednesday, 8/30

COEUR D’ALENE, Rhythm & Blues Sunset Cruise

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, Chuck Wasileski

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic

J JJ’S TAP & SMOKEHOUSE, Brassless Chaps

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Hannah Dasher MCEUEN PARK, Royale

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Paul Taylor

J PONDEROSA BAR AND GRILL, Jessica Haffner

RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents

J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Pamela Jean ZOLA, Brittany’s House

Coming Up ...

J RIVERFRONT PARK, Pig Out in the Park, Aug. 31-Sep. 4.

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin, Aug. 31, 6-9 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Decayer, Saltwound, Inferious, Midnight Drive, Aug. 31, 7:30 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Bryce Vine, Aug. 31, 8 pm.

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Mo Lowda & The Humble, Trash Panda, Aug. 31, 8 pm. COLVILLE, WASH, FarmJam 2023, Sep. 1-3.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Dave Matthews Band, Sep. 1-3.

THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, Pirate Yacht Party, Sep. 1, 6-10 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Made In Basement, Sep. 1, 8 pm.

J WALLOWA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, Juniper Jam 2023, Sep. 2, 11 am-10 pm.

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Boris, Melvins, Sep. 2, 8 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Snuffed On Sight, Dead Low, Black Force Energy, Cyclone, Sep. 3, 7:30 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Bay Ledges, Mishegas, Sep. 3, 8 pm.

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Band of Horses, Sep. 4, 8 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Modest Mouse, Pixies, Cat Power, Sep. 6, 6 pm.

J STATELINE SPEEDWAY, Easton Corbin, Sep. 6, 6 pm.

J J FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Bonnie Raitt, Sep. 6, 7 pm.

J BING CROSBY THEATER, Daughtry, Ayron Jones, Sep. 7, 7:30 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Sölicitör, Xingaia, Grave Depression, Toxic Vengeance, Sep. 8, 7:30 pm.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Rick Springfield, The Hooters, Paul Young, Tommy Tutone, Sep. 8, 7:30 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Josh Ward, Sep. 8, 8 pm.

J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Eric Church, Sep. 9 & 10, 7 pm.

MUSIC | VENUES

219 LOUNGE • 219 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • 208-263-5673

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS • 4705 N. Fruit Hill Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-927-9463

BABY BAR • 827 W. First Ave. • 509-847-1234

BARRISTER WINERY • 1213 W. Railroad Ave. • 509-465-3591

BEE’S KNEES WHISKY BAR • 1324 W. Lancaster Rd.., Hayden • 208-758-0558

BERSERK • 125 S. Stevens St. • 509-315-5101

THE BIG DIPPER • 171 S. Washington St. • 509-863-8098

BIGFOOT PUB • 9115 N. Division St. • 509-467-9638

BING CROSBY THEATER • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-227-7638

BLACK DIAMOND • 9614 E. Sprague Ave. • 509891-8357

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL • 116 S. Best Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-891-8995

BOOMERS CLASSIC ROCK BAR • 18219 E. Appleway Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-368-9847

BUCER’S COFFEEHOUSE PUB • 201 S. Main St., Moscow • 208-596-0887

THE BULL HEAD • 10211 S. Electric St., Four Lakes • 509-838-9717

CHAN’S RED DRAGON • 1406 W. Third Ave. • 509-838-6688

COEUR D’ALENE CASINO • 37914 S. Nukwalqw St., Worley • 800-523-2464

COEUR D’ALENE CELLARS • 3890 N. Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-2336

CRUISERS BAR & GRILL • 6105 W Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-446-7154

CURLEY’S HAUSER JUNCTION • 26433 W. Hwy. 53, Post Falls • 208-773-5816

EICHARDT’S PUB • 212 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-263-4005

FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • 509-279-7000

FOX THEATER • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-624-1200

IRON HORSE • 407 E. Sherman, Coeur d’Alene • 208-667-7314

IRON HORSE BAR & GRILL • 11105 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-926-8411

JOHN’S ALLEY • 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow • 208-883-7662

KNITTING FACTORY • 911 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-244-3279

LEFTBANK WINE BAR • 108 N. Washington St. • 509-315-8623

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • 509-474-0511

MARYHILL WINERY • 1303 W. Summit Pkwy. • 509-443-3832

THE MASON JAR • 101 F St., Cheney • 509-359-8052

MAX AT MIRABEAU • 1100 N. Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-922-6252

MILLIE’S • 28441 Hwy 57, Priest Lake • 208-443-0510

MOOSE LOUNGE • 401 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-7901

MOOTSY’S • 406 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-1570

NASHVILLE NORTH • 6361 W. Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-457-9128

NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • 877-871-6772

NYNE BAR & BISTRO • 232 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-474-1621

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY • 301 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-265-8545

THE PODIUM • 511 W. Dean Ave. • 509-279-7000

POST FALLS BREWING CO. • 112 N. Spokane St., Post Falls • 208-773-7301

RAZZLE’S BAR & GRILL • 10325 N. Government Way, Hayden • 208-635-5874

RED ROOM LOUNGE • 521 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-7613

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR • 718 W. Riverside Ave. • 509-822-7938

SEASONS OF COEUR

GRAMMY NOMINATED DELTA SWAMP BLUES LEGEND

FOOD THIS LITTLE PIGGY

Does it even need an introduction? Pig Out is here! Stop your diet, take a cheat day — do whatever you need to do, and get to chowing down. This year’s Pig Out in the Park features over 50 food booths, live entertainment, three (count ’em, three!) beer gardens and over 35 public market booths. Menu highlights include wood-fired pizza from Roamin’ Pizza Chariot, root beer floats from Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle, alligator fried rice (?!) from the Black Diamond and, a personal favorite, some delicious Chinese food from Lylo’s Asian Cafe. Whatever you decide to eat at Pig Out this year, it’s gonna leave you full, happy and anticipating next year’s food festivities before you even leave the park.

— MADISON PEARSON

Pig Out in the Park • Wed, Aug. 30 to Mon, Sept. 4; daily from 11 am-10 pm • All ages • Riverfront Park • 507 N. Howard St. • pigoutinthepark.com

FOOD ¡VIVA TEQUILA!

Bienvenidos a todos to Tacos y Tequila, Spokane’s official Latino festival. Come downtown to celebrate the Hispanic/Latino communities in Spokane and support Nuestras Raíces Centro Comunitario, a community center that’s been supporting the city for almost three decades. Sip tequila distilled from the blue agave of Jalisco, sample an Acapulco-style piña colada, savor Colombian, Caribbean, and Mexican spices, or sweeten up with esquites, pastries, and homemade ice cream. Sway and step to rhythms from all over the world, like salsa, flamenco, mariachi and psychedelic electro-cumbia. Bring your family, toast your friends, and help fund scholarships for Hispanic youth. What could be more delicious than that?

— ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Tacos y Tequila • Sat, Aug. 26 and Sun, Aug. 17 from 1-10 pm

• Free • All ages • Central Library • 906 W. Main Ave. • tacostequilaspokane.com • tpgeventsnw@gmail.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS READY, SET, GLOW

Get ready for a fast-paced, heart-pumping night of fun at Negative Split’s annual glow-in-the-dark 5k run. The route loops through Riverfront Park, and participants can choose to complete it once for a 1.5-mile run, or twice for the full 5k. Before the race, runners can check out vendors and participate in a pre-race party with a DJ, contests, prizes and giveaways to prepare for the upcoming circuit. The course itself is filled with a ton of lights and music, leading everyone to a foam party at the finish line, featuring music, vendors and more fun activities.

— SUMMER SANDSTROM

Run the Night: Glow Run 5k • Fri, Aug 25 from 5:30 pm-10 pm • $25-$40 • All ages • Riverfront Park • 507 N. Howard St. • nsplit.com

GET LISTED!

Submit events online at Inlander.com/getlisted or email relevant details to getlisted@inlander.com. We need the details one week prior to our publication date.

ARTS MEME-TASTIC

“You can’t do this on purpose.” This succinct affirmation from Spokane artist Charlie Schmidt, creator of one of modern pop-culture’s most beloved memes ever — Keyboard Cat — sums up the artform perfectly. After all, Schmidt had no true intention back in 1984 when, just for fun, he recorded on VHS tape his orange tabby cat, Fatso, wearing a baby-blue baby shirt with his legs outstretched “playing” the keyboard. In 2009, Schmidt landed it big with Keyboard Cat, whose likeness was revived with the late Bento, another docile orange tabby who carried on the meme’s legacy in more recent years. While known for these cat culture touchstones, Schmidt has always been making art, mainly paintings, which are now the focus of an exclusive, one-night-only showcase at downtown Spokane’s Kolva-Sullivan Gallery. The exhibition promises to be “a night of revelry with an overflowing cornucopia from Charlie’s fertile imagination.”

— CHEY SCOTT

Charlie Schmidt: Anatomy of a Meme • Tue, Aug. 29 from 6-9 pm • Free • Kolva-Sullivan Gallery • 115 S. Adams St. • kolva-sullivangallery.com • 509-458-5517

FILM CINE-MAGIC

During childhood, we all looked forward to sunny summer days. But the older I get, the more I agree with that one Grease song. “But ohhhh those summer nights!” I can’t think of a better way to spend a warm night than catching a movie while basking in that sweet air. The MAC is showing Back to the Future on Friday, Aug. 25, at 8 pm, and it’s BYOSCB (bring your own snacks, cushions and blankets). Now for a tough decision: The Super Mario Bros. Movie or The Goonies on Saturday, Aug. 26? You can see Mario and Luigi at the Pavilion in Riverfront Park (8:30 pm) or that band of adventurous kids at Olmsted Park in Kendall Yards (6 pm). If you’re really dedicated, you can probably catch both showings if you can make it across the river fast enough. Summer is slipping away fast here in the Inland Northwest, so catch an outdoor flick while you still can!

— MADISON PEARSON

Summer Outdoor Movies • Aug. 25-26, times vary • All ages • Details at inlander.com/events

CHEERS

THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE WITH YOU To. Mr. Jason c/o City Code, Ms. Dani c/o The Woman’s Hearth, and Ms. Delaney c/o Northwest Justice Project...Thank you

RE: DOGS OFF LEASH This is actually a cheers to the person who posted the “Dogs Off Leash” comment a few weeks ago. I really appreciated reading it! Yes, there is a county leash law, and yes, there are plenty of dog owners who think that they and their dogs are special and don’t need to follow the law. I’m so sick of offleash dogs heading for me while their owners say things like “Oh, don’t worry — he’s friendly!” I’ve been attacked by off-leash dogs, bitten once, so I don’t care about your totally lame reasons for having your dog off leash. I don’t want your dog approaching me, sniffing at me, jumping on me, or trying to interact with me in any way, “friendly” or not. You aren’t special, your dog isn’t special — follow the law and keep your dog leashed!

SKATE RIBBON HERO At Numerica Skating Ribbon, a heartwarming act of heroism unfolded as the sun set and skates glided. A willing helper, donning a stylish HYPLAND shirt, became a real-life superhero when disaster struck. With smooth moves and exceptional kindness, this roller-skating dynamo swiftly transformed into a guardian on wheels. Undaunted by panic after a bag theft, they embraced the role of relentless detective. Zipping around the rink and beyond, they tirelessly scoured for the thief and even explored nearby

gas stations. Their unyielding dedication provided hope and comfort to the victim amid distress. In a world where kindness can be rare, this roller-skating savior illuminated the spirit of selflessness and courage. Here’s to the roller-skating hero in the black HYPLAND shirt — your actions resonate. Your hand of help, commitment to what’s right, and unwavering support for the community are truly remarkable. Last night, you embodied a guardian angel on wheels, igniting hope in our community. May your kindness ignite collective goodwill. Your actions remind us that in a world on wheels, lending a helping hand truly enriches the journey.

FOR THE NEWCOMERS TO SPOKANE

Welcome! Drive slow. Or better yet, not at all. Take the bus or ride a bike.

SPOT ON I want to thank Nate Sanford and the Inlander for the article about 2nd and Division. It was SPOT ON. I have tried to get the police more involved there at night, but think they might be too scared to go there as well.

SECOND AND DIVISION What a fantastic issue of the Inlander this current one is! Thanks for keeping the beat going!

EDITOR’S NOTE You have hope...Great. The article describing mayhem downtown could have gone further. It could have mentioned the fact that Washington was the first in the nation to legalize dope in 2012, and now leads in Fentanyl O/Ds. A correlation? Naaawww. No gateway drug to see here!! Move on! Cannabis is great... The state reaps big dollars on the taxation thereof... and publications like yours sell full page ads promoting it. Not to mention it has now created a cottage industry of “providers” to treat the afflicted. WHAT COULD GO WRONG????

THANK YOU FOR BEING NICE I was paddleboarding at the Plante’s Ferry area, and I got out after a long paddle, fully expecting to do everything by myself. I’m a single woman who’s 43, and I’m never looking for attention or help (just excersize and pleasure). I only ever hope to have a casual interaction with strangers (male or female) talking about whatever water body I am in. Today, a man (with his family) offered to help carry my board up a big hill. I didn’t know what to do. Tears came to my eyes just over this simple act of kindness. So many “men” nowadays have the mtfu stickers, and then they slam

doors in my face. I feel the very opposite of chivalry with those “people.” I am just a woman going about my business, fully expecting to be treated like absolute shit from any “Christian, family man” because those “men” are just horrible people. I have no idea why this person helped me, but he was a family man with kids and a wife, and he must have felt I was a valid lady, too. Also, shoutout to his wife who saw the situation as it was. I shouldn’t be floored by the

terminology around “COVID-19” is wrong! First, it’s getting really tiring hearing people who don’t know what they’re talking about say “due to COVID this or that happened.” First of all, COVID is an acronym for a viral disease. Viruses don’t have the ability to make decisions. They don’t have existential capability. When the virus began to circulate, humans made decisions to try and limit spread of the disease. This is a natural response every time any virus circulates (including

not do this if the words were “LGBTQ+ rights,” “Native American rights” or “A woman’s right to choose” And you certainly should not! Between this story and Al French’s fluff piece on the STA, it’s evident that the Inlander is no longer an independant news voice and has become just a tool of the administrative state.

aWOKEn Dear Spokane County and Eastern Washington voters, will this extremely large and local climate tragedy

kindness, but I am. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am a woman, too, and it was amazing to have someone help just because of that and manners. I’m shook.

JEERS

JUST STOP IT! The blind devotees of Trump, now you have yet another indictment to ignore or attack with yet more lies. Just stop! The grand juries that have indicted this thuggish mob boss are not part of some great conspiracy. The conspiracy was and is between Trump and his Trumpists continuing to lie about the 2020 election and its aftermath.

$HITTY CAMPERS Jeers to the everyone who poops in the woods without regard to either the next camper or the wildlife. Dig a hole, find a rock to smother it, but at the very least, take your gd toilet paper back to your fire or garbage. We’re sharing this lovely space with each other, responsibly and with our maker. Don’t do it dirty. Dan Savage calls it “the campsite rule” wherein you leave everything better than you found it. So leave your campsite pristine, and your partner better than you found them. P.S. I’m tired of busting out gloves to clean up your poop so that I can make camp. $hit in your own woods.

THANKS A LOT, COVID! Have time for a lesson? The way many are using

seasonal influenza). People change their behavior. Second, people use the phrase “during COVID.” This doesn’t make any sense at all. Again, this is an acronym for a disease. The disease still exists. So, when you use that tired phrase, you’re saying that the virus is gone. It’s terrible when people who don’t know what they’re talking about go ahead and let their mouth spew forth anyhow. Third, people talk about “the pandemic” as if one has never happened before. Read up on your modern history. For example, TB kills milions of people around the world every year. Try reading about it at the TB Alliance. While you’re at it, look up HIV/ AIDS and malaria. Even though many are too dense to use the term “pandemic” with them, they still fit the bill and have for many years. Really dumb.

TALK TO MORE POCS Jeers to the Inlander for rarely (if ever) interviewing POCs for the question of the week. These past few years, it has become apparent that the Inlander needs to consider diversity in its writing and its engagement with readers. Maybe the question of the week is a good place to start.

QUOTATION MARKS AS A WEAPON Jeers to the Inlander for using quotation marks for the two words “parental rights” in the sub headline of your story on the Central Valley School District. Doing that is a way to indicate some doubt as to whether such rights actually exist. I am sure you would

be enough to have awoken you to the “agenda” the scary blue man has been trying to do something about for a not so inconsequential amount of time?

NEW LEADERSHIP NEEDED Some people suspect Spokane is cursed. You can lift that curse at the ballot box. Let’s replace the mayor with someone who’s not owned by monied interests. Someone who isn’t in bed with domestic terrorists like Matt Shea and other bad faith evangelicals. Someone who loves Spokane and its people and wants to improve the quality of life here. It’s time for livable wage jobs, light rail, homeless solutions, improved police presence and response time, etc. We can’t continue as old Spokane, and Lisa Brown knows this. That’s why she has my vote. n

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

BENEFIT

EPICUREAN ON THE GREEN A nine-hole two-person scramble with food and libation samples throughout the course. All proceeds benefit elementary and middle school STEM scholarships. Aug. 24. $125$250. MeadowWood Golf Course, 24501 E. Valleyway Ave. epicureandelight.org

NESTFEST A fundraiser for the Nest Community School featuring hands-on music, nature and art experiences guided by local artisans. Aug. 26, 6-10 pm. $100. Nest Community School, 4418 E. Eighth Ave. spokanenest.com/nestfest

SALMON BARBECUE DINNER PICNIC A dinner of salmon, potato salad, green salad, baked beans and more. All proceeds go toward the Western Dance Center. Aug. 27, 12-4 pm. $12-$17. Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Rd. SquareDanceSpokane.org (509-329-8825)

WOMEN’S WEEKEND A fundraising event for Girl Scouts of EWNI supportting scholarships, camperships and leadership programs. 21+. Sep. 8-10. $325. Camp Four Echoes, 22270 S. 4 Echoes Rd. gsewni.org

COMEDY

SAMUEL J. COMROE Comroe appeared on season 13 of America’s Got Talent and finished in 4th place. Aug. 24, 7:30 pm, Aug. 25, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and Aug. 26, 7 & 9:45 pm. $20-$33. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

MEDIUM-AT-LARGE Improv based around the life and adventures of the Blue Door Theatre Spiritualist. Aug. 25 at 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com

NURSE BLAKE Nurse Blake shares comedic stories about the ins and outs of working in healthcare. Aug. 27, 8 pm. $40-$190. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.org

SHANE MAUSS: A BETTER TRIP Mauss blends comedy and science in his standup routines. Aug. 27, 7 pm. $25-$35. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

JON “POLAR BEAR” GONZALEZ Gonzalez is an entertainer living in the heart of Texas. Aug. 30, 7:30 pm. $25-$35. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

MADDY SMITH Smith is a cast member on MTV’s Wild N Out. Aug. 31, 7:30 pm. $20-$28. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

KEVIN NEALON Nealon first gained widespread attention during his tenure on Saturday Night Live. Sep. 1, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and Sep. 2, 7 & 9:45 pm. Price TBD. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

THE REAL BLANKS OF BLANKVILLE

An improvised show based on the audience’s favorite reality TV shows. Sept.

1-29, Fridays at 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (747-7045)

DUNGEONS & DRAG QUEENS Three draq queens play the tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. Sep. 2, 8 pm. $32. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague. bingcrosbytheater.com

INTRO TO IMPROV Learn the basics of improv. For adults. Pre-registration required. Two sessions available: Sept.

5-Oct. 24, Tue from 7-9 pm or Sept. 11Oct. 30, Mon from 7-9 pm. $200. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. spokaneschoolofimprov.org

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY JOKE JOKE

JOKE A monthly night of comedy featuring comedians from across the U.S., hosted by Josiah Carlson. First Thursdays from 7:30-10 pm. $15. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

COMMUNITY

MILLWOOD DAZE The two-day celebration features a movie in the park, a car show, a pancake breakfast and more. Aug. 25-26; Fri, 8:30-10 pm, Sat, 9 am-3 pm. Free. millwooddaze.millwoodnow.org

EXPERIENCE VR: BRINK TRAVELER Immerse yourself in the natural wonders of the planet using VR. Aug. 26, 2-5 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org (509-893-8350)

PLAY FOR ALL Individuals with special needs and their families are invited to the Providence Playscape to play in a safe environment. Aug. 25, 10-11:30 am. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. spokaneriverfrontpark.com (509-625-6600)

IGNITE RELEASE PARTY Celebrate the release of a teen-edited art and literary magazine with readings and more. Aug. 26, 6-7 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org

PALOUSE PRIDE Moscow’s Pride celebration featuring vendor booths, performances and more. Aug. 26. Free. East City Park, 900 E. Third St. inlandoasis.org

MOORE-TURNER HERITAGE GARDEN

TOUR Experience the garden as it looked in 1915 and hear stories about the two influential families who made it their back-

yard. Aug. 27, 11 am-noon. Free. MooreTurner Heritage Gardens, 507 W. Seventh Ave. heritagegardens.org

SHARING THE DHARMA DAY An opportunity for newcomers to explore the Buddha’s teachings and share in community fellowship. Aug. 27, 9:45 am-3:30 pm. By donation. Sravasti Abbey, 692 Country Lane Rd., Newport. sravastiabbey.org

SPOKANE CIVICS SALON: WHY NOT CAPITALISM? A monthly salon centered around the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States. Aug. 27, 2-3:30 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org

SCHWEITZER FALL FEST Four days of live music, wine, craft beer and cider, kids’ activities, and the final weekend of summer mountain operations. Sept. 1-4. Free. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com

COASTER CLASSIC CAR SHOW A car exhibition featuring classic cars from across the Northwest. Admission to the park includes admission to the show. Sep. 2-3. $34-$49. Silverwood Theme Park, 27843 U.S. 95. silverwoodthemepark.com (208683-3400)

UNDER THE FREEWAY FLEA MARKET

More than 80 vendors with unique items, food and drink. Sep. 2-4 starting at 8 am. Free. Northern Pacific Depot Museum, 219 Sixth St., Wallace. npdepot.org

FALL PEANUT BASKET Create a fall peanut basket with the Ritter’s design team. Sep. 6, 4-5:30 pm. $75-$240. Ritters Garden & Gift, 10120 N. Division St. 4ritter.com

HISTORIC SEVENTH AVENUE TOUR

Walk along Spokane’s historic Seventh Avenue and learn about the influential families who lived here and their impact on the region. Sep. 9, 10-11 am. Free. Corbin Art Center, 507 W. Seventh Ave. slporter727@gmail.com

HOT ROD BLUES A classic car show featuring live music and a beer garden in the center of historic Browne’s Addition. Sep. 9, 12-5 pm. Free. Browne’s Addition, West Spokane. (509-844-2187)

MURDER ON BAKER STREET Sherlock and Watson are hosting a dinner party with an intriguing group of guests at their flat on Baker Street. Solve this murder mystery with the other guests. Sep. 9, 6-9 pm. $29-$39. Crime Scene Entertainment, 2775 N. Howard St., CdA. crimesceneentertainment.com

SILVERWOOD GRANDPARENTS’ WEEKEND Grandparents get into the park at no cost when accompanied by a paying grandchild. Sep. 9-10. Free. Silverwood Theme Park, 27843 U.S. 95. silverwood-

themepark.com (208-683-3400)

SOIL HEALTH FIELD DAY Learn how to determine the state of your soils without equipment or expensive testing. Sep. 9, 10 am-noon. Free. Vetter Farm, 5281 Hattery-Owns Rd. stevenscountywa.gov

FILM

MOVIES ON THE MOUNTAIN A movie at twilight. See website for schedule. Aug. 25, 8 pm. Free. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com

OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT: BACK TO THE FUTURE Marty gets blasted back to 1955 and accidentally triggers a chain reaction. Aug. 25, 8-10 pm. $5. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

AFIRE A group of friends are on vacation by the Baltic Sea. Emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire. Aug. 26, 4 pm and Aug. 27, 4 & 7:30 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

MOVIES AT THE PARK Watch the new Super Mario Bros. Movie under the Pavilion. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and your own food and drinks. Aug. 26, 8:30 pm. Free. Pavilion at Riverfront, 574 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com

MOVIES IN THE PARK: THE GOONIES

A band of adventurous kids take on the might of a property-developing company that plans to destroy their home to build a country club. Aug. 26, 6 pm. Free. Olmsted Brothers Green, N. Nettleton St. and Summit Pkwy. kendallyards.com

THE ROOT EXPERIENCE FESTIVAL A two-night festival featuring BIPOC talent from various cultures and disciplines. See website for full schedule. Aug. 26, 5-10 pm and Aug. 27, 12-9:30 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. therootexperience.org (509-444-5336)

FREE KIDS MOVIES: MINIONS THE RISE

OF GRU Young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader. Aug. 28-Sep. 1, daily at 9:30 am. Free. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

THE MATRIX When a stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers a shocking truth about the reality of life itself. Aug. 30, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

MONARCH GRIND MOVIE NIGHT A screening of a short film by Scott Rulander and the classic feature film Breaking Away. Sep. 8, 7 pm. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org (208-263-9191)

FOOD

BEVERLY’S DOUBLEBACK WINE DINNER A wine dinner featureing six courses paired with Drew Bledsoe’s Doubleback wines. Aug. 24, 6-9 pm. $195. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second St. beverlyscda.com

BREAD BAKING CLASS Jeff teaches how to make yeast breads. Aug. 24, 5:45-8:15 pm. $85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitcheengine.com

BRING YOUR OWN VINYL NIGHT Bring your own vinyl to spin while sipping on craft cocktails and listening to music. Thursdays from 3-10 pm. The Boneyard - Side Hustle Syrups, 17905 E. Appleway Ave, Ste A. sidehustlesyrups.com

RIDE & DINE Enjoy a scenic gondola ride, live music and a barbecue meal on the mountaintop. Fridays from 3-8 pm through Sep. 1. $8-$51. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com

VETS ON THE FARM PRODUCE SALE

Purchase fresh organic farm produce grown by veterans. Aug. 24, 12-2 pm. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)

TACOS Y TEQUILA FESTIVAL This festival brings together food, fun, and tequila to help raise scholarship funds for Hispanic youth. Aug. 26, 1-10 pm and Aug. 27, 1-10 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. tacostequilaspokane.com

DAVENPORT X HELIX WINE DINNER A five-course menu prepared by the Davenport culinary team paired with five wines by Helix. Aug. 30, 6 pm. $130. Historic Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St. davenporthotelcollection.com

PIG OUT IN THE PARK Spokane’s annual six-day food event in Riverfront Park Aug. 30-Sept. 4, daily from 11 am-10 pm. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. pigoutinthepark.com (509-625-6600)

VEGGIE BURGERS COOKING CLASS

Learn how to cook southwest veggie burgers with roasted garlic and poblano chutney, quinoa burgers and mushroom parmesan burgers. Aug. 30, 5:45-8:15 pm. $85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

BBQ & BANDS A meal of beef kabobs with music performed by the Jackson Roltgen Trio. Aug. 31, 5-7 pm. $15-$20. The Culinary Stone, 2129 N. Main St., Coeur d’Alene. culinarystone.com

WINEMAKER’S DINNER: CELLAR DOOR COOKING A four-course dinner collaboration between Colter’s Creek Winery and Cellar Door Cooking. Aug. 31, 6-9 pm. $120. Colter’s Creek Winery, 215 S. Main St. colterscreek.com (208-301-5125)

EVENTS | CALENDAR

NORTH IDAHO WINE SOCIETY SEPTEMBER KICKOFF PARTY Sample several wines along with light appetizers, a raffle and games. Sep. 9, 2-5 pm. $30. Lake City Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Dr. northidahowinesociety.org

MUSIC

FRIDAYS AT THE CLOCK Live music from Washington State University music students, activities for children and more. Located under the clock tower beside Bryan Hall. Fri, Aug. 25 from 6:30-8 pm. Free. Bryan Hall Theatre (WSU), 605 Veterans Way. events.wsu.edu

INTRODUCTION TO HIMALAYAN SINGING BOWLS A two-day intensive course teaching students how to play and use these unique instruments. Aug. 26-27, daily from 9 am-6:30 pm. $280-$320. Heart Space Yurt, 4248 E. 8th Ave. divineshinehealingcenter.com

KSPS PBS INLAND SESSIONS LIVE Live entertainment from Ron Greene, The Red Books, Hoodoo Udu, Jason Perry Band, Lucas Brookbank Brown and more. Aug. 26, 4-10 pm. Free. Brick West Brewing Co., 1318 W. First Ave. ksps.org/programs/inland-sessions (509-279-2982)

OUTLAW SPACE A post-jazz quartet performing unique selections. Aug. 26, 5-9 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Park, 300 S. Chestnut St., Spokane. (206-409-7078)

MUSIC ON MONDAYS CdABrassx5 is a classic brass quintet with a diverse repertoire. The ensemble includes two trumpets, a French horn, a trombone and a tuba. Aug. 28, 6-7:30 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

RIVERSTONE SUMMER CONCERTS The Coeur d’Alene symphony performs classical music and Aspire Community Theatre performs Singin’ in the Rain. Aug. 31, 6-8 pm. Free. Riverstone Park, 1800 Tilford Ln. artsandculturecda.org

LUD CRAMER MEMORIAL CONCERT The Spokane Symphony plays popular classics and favorites from Hollywood and broadway. Sep. 2, 6 pm. Free. Pavillion Park, 727 N. Molter Rd. foxtheaterspokane.org

COUGFEST An evening of live music, food, drinks and games in celebration of the WSU Student Entertainment Board’s 20th anniversary. Sep. 6, 5-10 pm. Free. Thompson Flats, WSU, NE Spokane St. seb.wsu.edu/cougfest (509-335-9667)

YO-YO MA The critically acclaimed musician performs selections for cello with the Spokane Symphony. Sep. 6, 8 pm. Sold out. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

2023 GREATER SPOKANE PARKS

CHALLENGE Complete challenges, using the Outerspacial app related to parks in the Spokane area to win prizes and enter raffles. Through Oct. 31. spokanecounty.org

CIRCLING RAVEN CHAMPIONSHIP This annual tournament features a 54-hole format and a purse prize. Through Aug. 27. Circling Raven Golf Course, 27068 S. Highway 95. cdacasino.com/golf

GEM STATE STAMPEDE This annual rodeo event includes bull riding, mutton bustin’ and more. Aug. 24-27; Thu-Sat from 6:30-9 pm, Sun from 1:30-3 pm. $7$12. Kootenai County Fair Grounds, 4056

N Government way. nisfair.fun

AFTER-HOURS MINI GOLF Play indoor mini golf at the library. Tee times are every 20 minutes for groups of up to 6 people. Registration is required. Aug. 25, 6:30-8:30 pm. Free. Deer Park Library, 208 Forest St. scld.org

RUN THE NIGHT: GLOW RUN 5K This course is filled with lighting effects, glow lights, music and a foam party at the finish line. Aug. 25, 8 pm. $25-$30. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. nsplit.com

SCENIC CHAIRLIFT RIDES Ride the chairlift up and down the mountain with options to hike back down the mountain. Fri-Sun from 10 am-3:30 pm through Sep. 30. $9-$13. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, I-90 Exit 0. skilookout.com

RIVERFRONT MOVES: BARRE Build core strength and challenge your body with cardio kickboxing sequences. Aug. 26, 10-11 am. Free. Pavilion at Riverfront, 574 N. Howard St. spokaneriverfrontpark. com (509-625-6000)

WSU SPOKANE COUNTY MASTER GAR-

DENER PLANT CLINIC Ask experts about your plant issues and get advice about plant selection, maintenance, environmentally friendly practices, pest management, effective landscaping practices and more. Saturdays from 11 am-3 pm through Sep. 30. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

YOGA FOR YOU! A blend of stretching, strengthening and balance work with instructor Gerry Bryak. Bring your own mat. Aug. 7-28, Mondays at 9:30 am through Aug. 28. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

SPOKANE INDIANS VS. EVERETT

AQUASOX Promos during the six-game series include Bark in the Park Night (8/29), Armed Forces Appreciation and Fireworks Night (9/1), Fireworks Night (9/2) and Season Finale Fireworks (9/3). Aug. 29-31, 6:35 pm, Sep. 1, 7:05 pm, Sep. 2, 7:05 pm and Sep. 3, 6:35 pm. $8-$22. Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana St. spokaneindians.com

BLACK LODGE BREWING RUNNING

CLUB All fitness levels welcome. Each week the club chooses from a 3k or 5k route. Wednesdays from 6-8 pm. Free. Black Lodge Brewing, 206 N. Third St. blacklodgebrewingco.com

HIAWATHA FULL MOON NIGHT RIDE

Ride the historic route of the Hiawatha Scenic Bicycle Trail Riders meet at the east portal of the Hiawatha Trail. Aug. 30, 8-11 pm. $40. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area. RideTheHiawatha.com

PRACTICAL CENTERING YOGA Experience the benefits of yoga and pilates movements through these weekly exercise sessions led by instructor Larkin Barnett. Every Wednesday from 1:30-2:30 pm. $18-$20. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

WALKING ADVENTURES A tour guide lectures about various nature-related topics while guiding a walk. Aug. 23Sept. 6, Wednesdays from 9:15-11 am. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

AFTER-HOURS MINIATURE GOLF Play indoor miniature golf at the library with your family or a group of friends. Tee times are offered every 20 minutes for groups of up to six people. Registration is required. Aug. 31, 6:30-8:30 pm. Free. Otis Orchards Library, 22324 E. Wellesley Ave. scld.org

CDA FULL MOON RIDE A ride around Coeur d’Alene with no set route. Bring bike lights and helmets. See website for starting locations. Aug. 31, 7 pm and Sep. 29, 7 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene. facebook. com/groups/CDAfullmoonbikeride/

THE INLAND EMPIRE GARDNERS PRESENTATION Jenny Rose Carey, author of The Ultimate Guide to Flower Growing, discusses how to combine various flower shapes, colors and textures to craft enviable gardens. Sep. 7, 4-6 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. tieg.org

SLAMMA JAMMA PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT Grab a teammate and compete for the title in a series of round robin competition with championship matches. Sep. 9, 8 am-5 pm and Sep. 10, 8 am-5 pm. $50. HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., Liberty Lake. hubsportscenter.org

THEATER

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE This musical comedy follows an eclectic group of tweens who compete for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm through Aug. 29. $15-$25. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com (509-325-2507)

AN AVIARY FOR BIRDS OF SADNESS

A found family story about a group of friends who must band together to take care of one of their own. Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm through Aug. 27. $20$25. Stage Left Theater, 108 W. Third. stagelefttheater.org

DAMN YANKEES Middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd trades his soul to the devil for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory. Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, SatSun at 1:30 pm through Aug. 27. $28-$30. Regional Theatre of the Palouse, 122 N. Grand Ave., Pullman. rtoptheatre.org

THE MUSIC MAN Fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize. Fri-Sat at 7 pm, SatSun at 3 pm through Aug. 27. $15-$20. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd., Coeur d’Alene. cytnorthidaho.org

SAUCY JACK & THE SPACE VIXENS A serial killer strikes down cabaret acts with sequined heels. Fri-Sun at 7 pm through Aug. 27. $40. Charley’s Catering and Event Center, 801 N. Monroe St. stagelefttheater.org (509-389-6875)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK Performances of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in rep with Hamlet being performed one night and Rosencrantz the next. Aug. 31-Sept. 17, Thu-Sun at 6:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. Locations vary, see schedule at spokaneshakespearesociety.org

VISUAL ARTS

CHANCE LUCY: CONSUMER CULTURE A collection of paintings and sculptures featuring logos of brands in our daily lives. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through Aug. 26. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe. terrainspokane.com

DAN MCCANN: NOTHING TO BE AFRAID

OF This exhibition features works that reflect fears found in the artist’s everyday life. Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm through Aug. 31. Free. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave. spokaneartschool.net

DRAWN TO THE WALL VIII: INSTALLATIONS Artists Mariah Boyle, Katie Creyts,

Tobi Harvey and Rob McKirdie draw directly on to one of the Jundt’s Arcade Gallery walls. Mon-Sat from 10 am-4 pm through Aug. 26. Free. Jundt Art Museum, 200 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/ jundt

MAYA KELLY & STAR RYAN Maya Kelly and guest artist Star Ryan display their artwork. Thu-Sat from 11 am-4 pm through Aug. 31. Free. Avenue West Gallery, 907 W. Boone Ave. avenuewestgallery.com (509-838-4999)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: WOMEN PRINTMAKERS OF WASHINGTON This exhibition is the first overview of women printmakers from Washington state. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Nov. 19. $15-$20. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

FRANK S. MATSURA: NATIVE AMERICAN PORTRAITS FROM A NORTHWEST

BORDERLAND This show features images from the studio archive of Washington-based Japanese photographer Frank Sakae Matsura (b. 1873) which explore Indigenous representation through an artistic lens. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through June 9, 2024. $7-$12. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

THE GREAT NORTHWEST WOOD SHOW & SALE This non-juried exhibition and retail show features works made out of wood by established and emerging artists. Thu-Sun from 10 am-6 pm through Sept. 24. Free. Dahmen Barn, 419 N. Park Way, Uniontown. artisanbarn.org

HERE IN A HOMEMADE FOREST: COMMON READING CONNECTIONS EXHIBITION Inspired by Washington State University’s 2023-24 Common Reading Book, Braiding Sweetgrass, this exhibition highlights crucial themes through the lens of art. Aug. 22-March 6, 2024, Tue-Sat from 10 am-4 pm. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum.wsu.edu

JANIE SCHNURR: COLLAGE MIX UP This exhibition features more than 40 abstract collage paintings. Daily from 12-6 pm through Aug. 27. Free. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. janschnurr.com

JEFFREY GIBSON: THEY TEACH LOVE

This exhibition combines various art mediums such as sculpture, painting and video inspired by the artist’s American Indian cultural background. Aug. 22-March 9, 2024, Tue-Sat from 10 am-4 pm. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum. wsu.edu (509-335-1910)

JESSICA EARLE: PORTAL.ESC A variety of media invites the viewer on a journey of escapism. Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm through Aug. 28. Free. Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane through Aug. 28. Falls Blvd. spokanearts.org (509-321-9416)

ROBIN KAHN The jeweler creates pieces with varying colors, textures and shapes. Open daily from 11 am-7 pm through Aug. 31. Free. Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com

THE BIG PICTURES Pottery Place Plus artists feature large pieces that do not fit in their display cases. Open daily from 11 am-7 pm through Aug. 26. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St.

MODERN EASE The show features works by artists Claire Akebrand, Christian Benoit, Nick DeVries, Aaron Johnson, Jon Morse and Stan Peterson. Wed-Sun from 11 am-6 pm through Aug. 27. Free. The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Ave.

MOSCOW: FASHION THROUGH THE

DECADES An exhibit about how fashion in the Idaho Panhandle has transformed from the late 19th century to the 1970s. Tue-Fri from 9 am-4 pm through Sept. 2. Free. McConnell Mansion, 110 S. Adams St. latahcountyhistoricalsociety.org

SUPERCOLOR SPECTRUM: UX ULTRAMAX 8 Featuring large-scale aerosol paint works by MAX. Open daily from 10 am-6 pm through Aug. 28. Free. Entropy, 101 N. Stevens St. (509-414-3226)

TANDEN LAUNDER: COWBOY SAYS

WOW! This exhibition features westerninspired art by North Idaho artist Tanden Launder, who draws upon his childhood love of biographies of people like Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Aug. 25. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

CAMPBELL HOUSE 125TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Explore the 1898 mansion and its historic neighborhood with museum educators, and learn about their changes over time. Saturdays from 11 am-noon. through Sept. 23. $8-$10. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

COEUR D’ALENE ARTIST STUDIO TOUR

A two-day studio tour event featuring 36 artists throughout 17 studios in the Coeur d’Alene area. Aug. 26-27 from 10 am-5 pm. Free. artsandculturecda.org

INK! PRINT RALLY Community members are invited to enjoy interactive printmaking booths with activities for all ages led by local artisans and makers. Aug. 26, 1 pm. Free. Emerge, 119 N. Second St., Coeur d’Alene. emergecda.com

CHARLIE SCHMIDT: ANATOMY OF A MEME This one-day-only art show features art by Charlie Schmidt, the creator of the Keyboard Cat meme. The art seeks to capture nostalgia and creativity. Aug. 29, 6-9 pm. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams. kolva-sullivangallery.com

SKETCHBOOK CLUB FOR QUEER TEENS

Local artist Nanette Cloud helps queer teens develop their creative skillsets by guiding friendly peer feedback chats and offering supportive advice. Every Friday from 6:30-8 pm. Ages 13-18. Free. Odyssey Youth Movement, 1121 S. Perry St. odysseyyouth.org (509-325-3637)

MAKER MEET-UP Bring a small project to work on while enjoying the conversation and creative inspiration of the group. This group is intended for adults and responsible teens. Aug. 26, 10 am-noon. Free. Art Salvage Spokane, 1925 N. Ash St. artsalvagespokane.com

MINDFUL DOODLING A self-directed art program based on the ZenTangle Method. Aug. 26, 10-11 am, Sep. 15, 4-5 pm and Sep. 30, 10-11 am. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

PINE NEEDLE BASKETS WITH CINDY CURTIS Learn two techniques to start a basket, how to decorate a basket, how to shape a basket and how you finish a basket. This class is for beginners. Aug. 26, 9 am-noon. $51. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave. spokaneartschool.net

SUNDAY ART MART This weekly market features art from local and emerging artists and makers. Browse or purchase art, all funds go directly to the artist. Takes place on the Wall St. Festival Street. Sundays from 12-4 pm through Aug. 27. Free. Downtown Spokane. downtownspokane. org/sunday-art-mart

JUST ADD COLOR This adult coloring program encourages good mental

health, mindful activities and selfcare. Second and Fourth Mon. of every month, 11 am-1 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

GLASS COMES ALIVE IN PULLMAN

Explore the many facets of glass with public talks about ancient and contemporary glass and glass-making. Aug. 30, 12:30-6:30 pm. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum.wsu.edu

#WEDORECOVER ART SHOW This art show highlights Spokane-area artists who are committed to their recovery process and artistic growth. Sep. 9, 12-5 pm. Free. Chrysalis Gallery, 911 S. Monroe St. theartchrysalis.com

DROP IN & ZINE Create your own eight-page mini zine using a single piece of paper. Fridays at 5 pm through Sep. 30. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org

SKETCHING HISTORIC BROWNE’S

ADDITION This drawing class teaches how to utilize expressive lines, draw houses, and general tips for sketching. Sep. 9, 10 am-noon. $20-$25. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First. northwestmuseum.org

THE HIVE OPEN STUDIO Stop by to see what artists-in-residence are up to and tour the building. Wednesdays from 4-7 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague. spokanelibrary.org

ALEETA RENEE JONES: ANCIENT

DREAMS This gallery show features an ongoing series of large paintings exploring the search for commonality throughout human history and the ancient ties that bind people together. Sept. 1-30, Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com

DOG SCULPTURE CLASS WITH COLLISTA KREBS This is fast-moving class focuses on exploration with clay and trying to capture the pose and swag of your favorite dog. Ages 12+. Registration required. Sep. 9, 10 am-12:30 pm. $65. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave., Ste. B. spokaneartschool.net

INMOD SEW DAY The Inland Northwest Modern Quilt Guild works on their sewing projects or group projects. First meeting is free, must join to continue attending meetings. Third Saturdays from 10 am-4 pm. Free. Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. inmodquiltguild.com/sew-day

SECOND SATURDAYS AT CHRYSALIS

Every Second Saturday, visit the gallery to meet artists, see creators make their work and see new artwork. See website for current news and artist updates. Second Saturdays, 12-5 pm. Free. Chrysalis Gallery, 911 S. Monroe St. facebook.com/theartchrysalis

WORDS

HOMEBUYER EDUCATION SEMI -

NAR In this free seminar, explore all of the major aspects of the home-buying process with SNAP Spokane instructors. Registration is required. Aug. 24, 6-8:30 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

DROP IN & WRITE Aspiring writers are invited to be a part of a supportive writers’ community. Bring works in progress to share, get inspired with creative prompts and spend some focused time writing. Hosted by local writers Jenny Davis and Hannah Engel. Thursdays from 5:30-7 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. sparkcentral.org (509-279-0299)

LAURA READ & CAITLYN CURRAN

POETRY READING Laura Read reads selections from her new book, But She Is Also Jane, and Caitlyn Curran celebrates the publication of her first book. Aug. 25, 7-8:30 pm. Free. PalouseClearwater Environmental Institute, 1040 Rodeo Dr. pcei.org

AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: QUEER & WEIRD A discussion of Travis Baldree’s book, Legends & Lattes. Aug. 26, 6-7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com

AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: GET LIT! A discussion of Vanessa A. Bee’s novel Home Bound Aug. 27, 6-7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

SUNSHINE & STORY TIME IN THE PARK Join library staff in various parks around the city to discover new places and learn more about the natural world. June 27-Aug. 29, Tue at 10 am. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front. cdalibrary.org

PAGETURNERS BOOK CLUB A discussion of Facing the Mountain: An Inspiring Story of Japanese American Patriots in World War II by Daniel James Brown. Aug. 30, 10:15 am-noon. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

POETRY WITH TIM GREENUP & FELLOW POETS Celebrate Tim Greenup’s latest poetry collection, Crisis Mode, with fellow authors Derek Anis, Kathryn Smith and Fig DePaolo. Aug. 31, 7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com

LINDA LANTZY: INCREDIBLE IDAHO Lantzy, a Coeur d’Alene native, is joined by local photographers Tim Christie, Ralph Kerr, Chris Celentano and Sharon Stadler for a book signing. Sep. 2, 12-2 pm. Free. Linden Coffee, 1502 N. Third St. idahoscenicspublishing.com (208-667-3325)

THE WRITER’S MYTHIC QUEST Local writer Kim Morgan discusses re-visioning strategies for writing in any genre.

Sept. 2, 9, 23 and Oct. 7 from 2-3:30 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.com

AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: SCIENCE & NATURE Discuss Under the Sea-Wind by Rachel Carson at the September meeting. Sep. 5, 6 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE AMERICAN MIND & IMPLICATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION This presentation covers U.S. public opinion about climate change and challenges and opportunities for communicating with the public. Online. Sep. 6, 5-6:30 pm. Free. gonzaga.edu

NORTHWEST PASSAGES: CRAIG

JOHNSON Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire series, discusses his new novel, The Longmire Defense. Sep. 6, 7 pm. $7. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com

MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION LECTURES This event features guest speakers, including Mark Fraizer and Jennifer Riedel, lecturing about Parkinson’s disease. Sep. 7, 1-3 pm. Free.

Red Lion Hotel Templin’s on the River, 414 E. First Ave. cdaparkinsons.com

BROKEN MIC Spokane Poetry Slam’s longest-running, weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD. n

HEALTH

Respiratory Respite

In smoke-filled air, smokeless cannabis is an appealing alternative

The Inland Northwest’s fifth season, the nowannual smoke season, arrived with a vengeance last weekend as air quality around the region plummeted into the unhealthy and even hazardous ranges — at times on Sunday, Spokane broke the air quality index scale with air quality readings beyond the upper-limit of 500. (See our news coverage of the fire beginning on page 8.)

If you’re a cannabis consumer, now would be a good time to consider the state of your lungs. Perhaps even to spare them from any more smoke. It would be a good time to consider edibles.

Cannabis, or specifically cannabinoids — the chemicals produced by the cannabis plant that contribute to its effects, such as THC and CBD — can be consumed in many ways. Smoking, or its cousin known as vaping, are the most common. Edibles are easily the second most

BY WILL MAUPIN

common behind those.

Smoked or vaped cannabis delivers cannabinoids directly to the lungs, which quickly send those chemicals into the blood where they can produce a high. Edibles, which are consumed like food, take longer. They go through the stomach, not the lungs.

Due to the different pathways at play, each offers a different twist on the cannabis experience.

As a result, it takes longer for effects from edibles to kick in. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse — Canada is one of the few nations that has legalized cannabis nationally— edibles can take up to two hours to kick in. Inhaled cannabis, on the other hand, kicks in within minutes.

This discrepancy in start time leads many new users to double-dose, thinking their initial dosage was not strong enough. The issue here is, users are simply jump-

Go gummy in these smoky days.

ing the gun. The high is coming, and double-dosing will only make it stronger, and longer, than it should be.

Start small with edibles. Average doses per serving in Washington are 10 milligrams — packages are often sold with 100 milligrams of THC over 10 servings. Consider even going with a half-dose to begin. You can always scale up, but you can’t pull back.

Another consideration is that the high from edibles lasts longer than from inhaled cannabis. If you have things to do in the morning, you may want to get an early start on your cannabis intake the night before. It will take longer to start, and it will take longer to fade away.

What it won’t do is impact your lungs, and that might be the most important factor of all. Especially these days, with awful air quality having ravaged the Inland Northwest once again. n

GREEN ZONE

NOTE TO READERS

BE AWARE: Marijuana is legal for adults 21 and older under Washington State law (e.g., RCW 69.50, RCW 69.51A, HB0001 Initiative 502 and Senate Bill 5052). State law does not preempt federal law; possessing, using, distributing and selling marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In Washington state, consuming marijuana in public, driving while under the influence of marijuana and transporting marijuana across state lines are all illegal. Marijuana has intoxicating effects; there may be health risks associated with its consumption, and it may be habit-forming. It can also impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. Keep out of reach of children. For more information, consult the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board at www.liq.wa.gov.

Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho. Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a five-year sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

1. Cozy lodgings

6. “I’m Every Woman” singer Chaka 10. Work without ____ (take risks)

14. Optimal

15. French bread?

16. Memorization style

17. “Get outta here, you annoying buzzing insect!”?

19. Scored 100% on

20. Actor McGregor

21. Clever and calculating 2004 Best Actor winner?

23. Fresh-squeezed drinks, for short

26. Like some histories

28. Kiln for drying hops

29. Apology after hurting a rear end’s feelings? 33. Lift operator? 34. Gucci rival 35. One’s partner? 36. Longtime Bears coach nicknamed Iron Mike

PHONE:(509)444-7355

E-MAIL:BulletinBoard@Inlander.com

INPERSON: 1227WestSummitParkway Spokane,WA 99201

444-SELL

38. Assess, with “up” 42. Tolkien series, to fans 43. Redder, perhaps

44. Taking photos of one of the Fab Four?

48. “Beat it!”

49. Potpie tidbits

50. Bobs and weaves

51. Bleat heard from a famed cellist?

54. “____ Hit Talk Show” (2004 series hosted by an ‘80s TV character)

56. “Put ___ on it!”

57. News alert of old ... or what’s represented by this grid’s circled letters

62. Filmmaker Riefenstahl

63. Hilarious sort

64. County bordering London

65. Rim

66. ____ buco

67. Reside (in)

DOWN

1. “The Family Circus” cartoonist Keane

2. Suffix with “Gator” or “Power”

3. “Read Across America” org.

4. Bautista of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

5. Failed to show up for

6. Wynn of “Dr. Strangelove”

7. Center of activity

8. Greek god of war

9. Christmas carol

10. 1994 Peace co-Nobelist with Rabin and Peres

11. Free

12. Digital book format

13. ____ Talks (independent

Play where the big winners play.

SIGNUP ANDGET EXTRA PLAYCASH

Reward Your Play!

Join the rewards club that gives you more! You’ll instantly be eligible for gas discounts and as a Coeur Rewards Club member, you’ll earn points every time you play with your card. You can redeem these points for Extra Play Cash, merchandise, restaurants, gas, and more. Joining is free and easy. Plus, you’ll receive $10 Extra Play Cash just for signing up. Stop by the Coeur Rewards booth today!

SHOP & DINE WITH YOUR COEUR REWARDS CARD

Make your dollars go further with Coeur Rewards. Discounts for dining and shopping vary based on tier and begin at the Legend Coeur Rewards card level.

FUEL

30 Winners of $2,400 Cash or Extra Play Cash & One Winner of a New 2023 Pleasure-Way Tofino Van!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 TH | 7 PM

This is one groovy giveaway! You could be road trippin’ to the max in a brand-new 2023 Pleasure-Way Tofino Van this summer.

30 winners will receive $2,400 Cash or Extra Play Cash. Plus, one of the 30 winners will also win a 2023 Pleasure-Way Tofino Van Grand Prize Package, bringing their total winnings to $110,660 (Grand Prize Package is the van + $7,000 cash).

Starting August 1ST, play your favorite video gaming machines with your Coeur Rewards card to earn entries. Receive one entry for every 750 points.

See the Coeur Rewards booth, CDA Casino app or cdacasino.com for promotional rules.

Get gas at a discount. Simply swipe your Coeur Rewards card at the Coeur d’Alene Casino’s Conoco station location to get 5 to 25 cents off per gallon. The higher your Coeur Rewards tier, the bigger your reward!

Must present Coeur Rewards card and a valid ID at the time of the transaction. Dining discount applies to items intended for the card holder and may be extended to one dining guest. Additional restrictions may apply.

See the Coeur Rewards booth for more details.