SANDPOINT — During the Idaho Education Association’s annual Delegate Assembly, hundreds of educators from across the state hold an auction to raise money for the IEA Children’s Fund.

The IEA Children’s Fund is a special fund devoted to providing financial assistance to Idaho public school children and their families who are in need of money, clothes, food, school supplies or health care.

“It’s a great thing,” said Lake Pend Oreille High School teacher and IEA member Randy Wilhelm.

For the auction, all of the IEA members bring baskets of donations and Wilhelm said they have a friendly competition between the different Idaho regions to see who can raise the most money for the Children’s Fund. With the assembly typically held in Boise, local educators could only take what would fit in their suitcases each year.

This year, however, the Delegate Assembly will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

“So we up north want to raise a ton of money for the Children’s Fund ... We want to make it a huge deal this year,” Wilhelm said.

Since its inception in 1997, the Children’s Fund has given $1.67 million to Idaho school children, for a total of 5,275 grants. As an IEA member, Wilhelm said he can simply call and tell them he needs $75 to buy a student a coat and, without the hassle of paperwork, can get the student the help they need. While the IEA does not reveal names of students or families who have been helped through the program, stories on the website include help with everything from new shoes to an electric wheelchair for a fifth-grade special needs girl with cerebral palsy.

The requests can be made by any IEA member, though Wilhelm said educators who are non-members can come to a member if there is a student in need. He estimated membership in the Lake Pend Oreille School District at about 80 percent, though not every school has a delegate attending the assembly.

The Delegate Assembly is scheduled for April 5-6 and, in the meantime, Wilhelm said some of the local IEA members are gathering as many donations as possible to take to Coeur d’Alene.

Wilhelm said if there are any businesses, clubs or individuals that would like to put together a basket for the auction, local IEA members can take the items to the auction. Donations of goods, services and cash can be made as well. There are no administrative costs, so 100 percent of the money raised goes into the fund to help Idaho kids.

Those who would like to donate can contact Wilhelm at [email protected]. Wilhelm said donations can be dropped off to him at LPOHS, or with Tyler Haynes at Sandpoint high school.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.