It has been 10 years since Karen Cook began as the campaign coordinator for Buck Knives, Inc. in Post Falls. However, her United Way volunteerism spans more than three decades demonstrating her commitment to improving lives in Kootenai County. She has served as United Way of Kootenai County board member, Community Campaign chair, loaned executive ... and the list goes on dating to 1987.

Cook is the administrative assistant for Buck Knives, Inc. and she takes pride in sharing the importance of supporting United Way of Kootenai County's Community Care Fund through employee contributions and the impact this makes in the community.

"Running the Employee Giving Campaign means I have the opportunity to educate our staff on the services available and give them the opportunity to make a contribution or volunteer their time where they can make the biggest difference," said Cook. "It is equally important to share information on available services with our employees. Because our employees are our family, Buck Knives maintains an employee hardship fund and food bank for staff members who might be struggling."

Cook's duties begin by working with her organization's chairman and CEO to produce an inspirational campaign kickoff letter. Then the fun begins! She arranges weekly employee drawings, writes articles for the company newsletter, and collects pledge forms. And of course, there is an end of campaign report.

CEO CJ Buck said, "Karen is tireless and creative in orchestrating the contribution campaigns. She also adds credibility to whomever she is campaigning for."

This shines through in her Employee Campaign efforts. Cook feels United Way of Kootenai County does a great job of identifying community needs and supporting programs that address those needs. Last year, Buck Knives raised $5,700, and a total of $35,738 over Cook's 10 years as campaign coordinator for the organization.

"One of the things I really like about our rural community is the sense of connectedness you have with the people around you," Buck said. "The help United Way of Kootenai County provides in aligning resources with needs within our community really helps people feel confident that a gift they make, to United Way or another charity will be used with great care and respect.

"Buck Knives participates in a number of programs to support the community and our employees," said Cook. "We donate to the Post Falls Food Bank and have supported the Kroc Thanksgiving dinner drive. We also donate knives and other Buck products to local and national nonprofit organization fundraisers and serve as a raffle ticket outlet for them.

"My grandfather and his father before him were profoundly compassionate Christians who believed they were living examples of their faith in service to others. From our own internal Employee Hardship fund to special donations to food banks and shelters, our company culture has remained to take care of people around us. When the blood drive van pulls up it is swamped all day. When the food bank leaves a barrel in our lobby it overflows. I take a great deal of satisfaction with how our employees respond to giving opportunities.

"Our employees take great pride in the charities and causes we support," said Buck. "Most folks are happy to give if they are confident their gift will be optimized to help others."

Cook has accrued selfless hours and countless years of time dedicated to support her community. "Volunteer service is an important aspect of responsible citizenship," Cook said, "and it feels good!"

Cook has 17 years in banking, 12 years in economic development and almost 10 years at Buck Knives. She shares her life with a wonderful man and has a grown son. She has served on many boards of directors including United Way of Kootenai County, TESH and the Cd'A Sunrise Rotary Club. She has been a Rotarian for almost 26 years and is currently the Rotary District Grant Subcommittee chair (3rd year of 4). Her passion for volunteerism stems not only locally, but globally.

Volunteer Opportunities:

- The North Idaho IT Professionals' Association is a professional association with three main goals: Regional economic development, member professional development, and education outreach to promote IT careers. Its vision is for the North Idaho market to be a bellwether of IT adoption that's enabling competitive advantage and being a cornerstone of economic development.

This volunteer opportunity will involve working with the board members to update and create new content management features for the association's website, www.northidahoit.com. Current issues include registration maintenance and troubleshooting, new content support and individual page setup and access, and online video linking. There are no limitations and volunteer must have web maintenance and coding skills.

- Ready! for Kindergarten is a quality informational training program FREE for North Idaho residents. The program informs parents and caregivers how to prepare children for a happy and successful school experience by focusing on language and literacy. Classes are offered in three locations quarterly during the school year.

Volunteers are needed to check in participants and children for child care, hand out class materials, assist teachers in classrooms and provide games and supervision to children.

For more information on how to register for these volunteer opportunities, visit www.kootenaiunitedway.org, click on the "VOLUNTEER" link to view these listings and other volunteer opportunities in YOUR community, or contact Jeanette Laster at United Way of Kootenai County, (208) 667-8112, Ext. 101.