SANDPOINT — There is no denying Shery Meekings, executive director of Creations for Sandpoint, has a passion for what she does.

Creations started with a dream and a drawing, and Meekings was driven by her husband's illness to create something special. Over the years, Creations, which is classified as a 501(c)3 children's museum, has grown to include an expansive children's boutique, as well as a space for children to play, craft and learn all year long.

"It just brings joy to my heart," Meekings said. "It makes it so easy to go to work."

After her husband was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, the couple moved to Sandpoint because, being from the Rocky Mountain area before living in Dallas for a time, they wanted to move to a small resort town. They had some skier friends in the area, and as they drove through downtown with its quaint shops, they knew Sandpoint was the place.

It was 2009 and finding a job was no easy task, so Meekings began working and volunteering at an art gallery on Schweitzer Mountain, which is where she met John Gillham, a former owner of Cedar Street Bridge. He asked her to come and "create some positive energy" in the building, so she opened an art gallery on the second floor where Carousel Emporium is now. A farmer's co-op and the Bistro were the only other businesses in the bridge at the time.

"I knew that I had to do something in this building, I knew it in my soul," Meekings said. "I didn't know what it was, but I was attracted to this building."

Partnering with Imagine Behavior and Development Services, formerly SL Start, Meekings formed a series of art classes for a special needs men's group. At first, Meekings said the guys were a little grumpy and wanted to go play cards at the library, which was their typical daily routine. 

"I wasn't sure that they would return," Meekings said. "Well, they came back the next week and they were so excited to see me."

Seeing the sparkle and excitement in their eyes following that first art class inspired Meekings. She was new to the community, she had a daughter of her own and her husband was ill, so she wanted to be around other moms with small children.

She heard some local moms talking about how there was no indoor place for children to play and parents to connect, where moms can take their kids during the cold weather months. That was when she could see it — she had a vision, so she drew it. That drawing is still on display in Creations.

She began hosting craft and snack classes for toddlers, with about 25 moms bringing their children each Tuesday.

"I saw that, through hosting these classes and doing for others, I started to heal from my own experiences," Meekings said. "I felt happiness and joy, which I hadn't felt in so long."

After discarding western medicine and turning to nutrition, her husband eventually healed as well.

When Carousel Emporium opened upstairs, Meekings moved downstairs and Creations was born as an art space where anyone could come in and create. She put out a jar for donations and asked people to clean up after themselves and bring in any extra art supplies they might have. A worker from Experience Works, a program to train and find work for those 55 and older, came in to help out in the art space.

"That very first year, she counted we had about 25,000 visits to that little art space — without anyone even knowing we were there," Meekings said.

With all of the visitors, Creations was getting contributions from the community, but not enough to be sustainable. In summer of 2012, the children's boutique opened, becoming the main monetary support for the art space, though donations are always needed.

Creations now takes up much the back section of the first floor in the bridge. In her drawing, Meekings drew a boat in the midst of the play area, and one day, a man known well in the area as Cap'n Dan Mimmack, called her and said he found her a boat. With $10 donations from 70 families, she was able to pay for the boat and put the names of the donors on it. Sandpoint Carpet One donated the "beautiful blue carpet," Meekings said, and the boat now sits in the midst of the children's interactive play area.

"We had just beautiful miracles happen from that point on," she said.

Another gentleman decided Creations needed an arch, so he came in and built one. An electrician came in and wired it up with Wi-Fi for parents. Meekings said Angels Over Sandpoint and Sandpoint Community Assistance League also contributed to the community space.

Also, inspired by her husband's miraculous recovery through nutrition, Creations recently expanded to include a healthy snack bar, serving organic smoothies and snacks.

Creations has 26 volunteers, 12 board members and 40,000 visits each year. It officially became classified as a permanent nonprofit museum in 2015 after merging with Arts Alliance.

"Our ultimate goal, our big vision, is to create an interactive children's museum for this town," Meekings said, adding that while there is a small interactive space, it needs to be "bigger."

The organization continued to grow and thrive throughout 2016. Creations' art space is open to all, and they also have art education classes for children through partnerships with different schools in the area, as well as art education for those with special needs in partnership with Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. Creations also helps support about 30 families in need either monetarily or with toys and clothes.

Creations recently adopted community events like the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony and provide funding for Santa Claus in the Cedar Street Bridge, as well as other events in the community.

They also offer birthday parties and volunteers pitch in with their own talents. Laura Clark plays the piano for an hour a day, Lillian Walsh plays the guitar, Liz Murphy teaches the toddler art class, and Mary Maio teaches the art of drawing on Wednesdays.

"Our direction is really important to me right now," Meekings said. "We have been so many years growing and building, I couldn't catch my breath. Now it's very clear to me what our purpose is and what our direction is and it falls around this beautiful children's museum."

Information: creationsforsandpoint.org