Law enforcement helps family of dad killed in wreck
David Cole | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 4 months AGO
<p>Deputy Nick Franssen hands six year old titan Rogers a cookie and strawberry lemonade on Saturday afternoon in Coeur d'Alene City Park. Police officers from Kootenai County held a lemonade stand to benefit the Kirk family, who lost their father, Jeffrey, in a car accident on May 31.</p>
<p>The Coeur d'Alene Police Association held a lemonade stand to benefit the Kirk family on Saturday afternoon in Coeur d'Alene City Park.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - The lemonade was sweet Saturday, but the outpouring of community support was even sweeter.
Members of local law enforcement organized the Jeffrey Kirk Memorial Lemonade Stand fundraiser Saturday at City Park. Kirk, 37, died May 31 in a car accident, and he left behind three young children.
One of them was 10-year-old Kiahna Kirk, who was featured in a story by The Press for her lemonade stand for fallen Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore. He was killed in the line of duty on May 5.
"It just kind of touched our hearts, so we said let's go down and make a little donation," said Linda Myers, who visited the stand with neighbor Margaret Toews, both of Hayden.
"Feel so bad about the little girl, losing her dad after what she had done for Sgt. Moore," Toews said.
"It's called community, it's called helping out your neighbor," said Tom McFadden of Coeur d'Alene.
Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer said the community comes together in a lot of different ways, at a lot of different times. Saturday was just another example.
"I've personally known the Kirk family for a long time," Widmyer said, as the stand was hit with a wave of new customers.
"I've known Jeff for over 25 years - worked with his mother at The Coeur d'Alene Resort," Widmyer said.
The mayor said there was a steady flow of people coming by since the lemonade stand opened just before noon Saturday.
Some came for refreshment, but most came to donate money.
Sgt. Christie Wood of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department said some large donations were received.
"Some people come up with a couple hundred dollar bills, some big checks, $20 bills - everything is good," Wood said. "We will have a tally that we'll take down to the bank on Monday or Tuesday."
The money goes to Jeffrey Kirk's children's trust fund.
Ryan Mattison, who was high school buddies with Kirk, said he loves the way the community supports its own.
Mattison stopped by for lemonade with his wife Jessi, son Sawyer and daughter Neva, all of Rathdrum.
"I just think it's really cool," he said. "To see the mayor's support and everything, I just think that's really important."