CFA was still a success story

The Press Christmas for All fundraising campaign fell short of its $185,000 goal by $15,995. While nobody likes to set a goal and then fail to meet it, the hundreds of donors shouldn’t dive into the new year feeling like they didn’t give it their all.

They did, and they did it beautifully. Thanks to some donations received after the previous year’s campaign, all the bills from the just-completed campaign are paid, so next year, the 32nd annual fundraiser will start off with a clean slate and a goal that everyone will do their utmost to meet or beat.

Until then, thanks abound. Thanks most of all to all you donors. An ad in today’s paper reflects our gratitude.

Among the many volunteers who make this program work are the front line people in the arduous application process. These are employees of the cities of Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene who make it convenient for needy residents to pick up, fill out and return applications at Post Falls City Hall and at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. We greatly appreciate their kindness and the permission of city officials who graciously facilitate the program.

Our partners at Kootenai County Fire & Rescue go so far above and beyond, we tend to lose sight of them. They process every one of the thousands of applications each year, entering all the information in a database that helps them track potential abuse and store other important information. They then distribute gift cards over two days to all the applicants who come to KCFR’s headquarters, where they’re greeted with dignity and warmth by a small volunteer army.

Finally, there are the two giant sponsors who help Press Christmas for All every year: Super 1 Foods and Shopko. They each donate an additional 10 percent of whatever amount of gift cards we purchase from them — this year that was $10,335 each. Shopko went a step further by engaging Santa Claus on a major shopping day and provided an additional 15 percent off to customers that day.

Many, many hours of work fall on Press Christmas for All volunteers at the newspaper and at Hagadone Corp. headquarters. Maureen Dolan, Devin Heilman and Holly Fredericks of The Press deserve a big round of applause, as does Eric Haakenson from the corporate office.

Together, the Press Christmas for All team helped more than 7,300 Kootenai County residents enjoy a merry little Christmas. Because of their volunteer efforts and the ongoing generosity of the Hagadone Corp., every single penny raised went to the families who needed it the most.

And that feels like success to us.